Sophie Theallet, Anna Wintour’s latest darling…

Sometimes connections mean everything. That’s what I attribute to the latest winner of the Vogue Fashion Fund, French native and current NYC resident Sophie Théallet. At this week’s CFDA awards ceremony, Théallet beat out rock frock prince, Gary Graham, and gifted creator of curve hugging black numbers, Wayne Lee, to take home $200,000 for her next collection. Théallet’s designs– especially what’s in Barney’s now for Fall/Winter ’09– are at best ho hum and at worst just plain ugly.

She may have served as the right hand girl to the shaman of the slinky black ruched gown– Azzedine Alaïa — and as an organizer and second set of eyes she may have served well. But unlike her mentor — who dressed all the Eighties supermodels in smokin’ dresses — Théallet’s own designs, this lady from the Southwest of France, creates clothes without the SEX, as in not sexy at all.

Once again we must turn our attention to Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour who recently turned sixty. She tends to like boxy, fitted frames and so does Théallet. Her other best pal (besides Alaïa) is gifted French make up artist Francois Nars who funded Théallet’s first solo collection. So it just goes to show you kids, it really is who you know in fashion. Still I’m giving her props for the Angelique Kidjo soundtrack of  “Porgy in Bess” in an African dialect on her website. That, unlike the clothes, is a turn on.

Boring…