“Ms. Theallet, who is 46, is an unusual recent entrant to Big Fashion—a designer who is getting her big chance 20 years later than most. Her clothes are worn by Michelle Obama and sold in some top boutiques around the world. Her apparel is so well-crafted, requiring extensive hours of labor and miles of fabric, that a cotton dress might cost upward of $2,000. Ms. Theallet toiled for years for Jean Paul Gaultier and Azzedine Alaia—two famous designers known for the quality of their work—before striking out on her own. Last year, she won the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America/Vogue Fashion Fund award, which offers a $200,000 cash prize as well as a lot of publicity. About 160 designers apply for the prize each year, most of them young and looking for overnight success. Other winners and finalists include some hot designers: Proenza Schouler, Derek Lam, Thom Browne and Isabel Toledo. "I like that she put in the time working with other designers," says Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour, who attended Ms. Theallet's show this week with a phalanx of Vogue editors. Ms. Wintour notes many young designers lack their own clear vision, or the bottom-line design skills to make well-cut clothes. "She can really make a dress," Ms. Wintour says, "unlike a lot of [designers] who can't." And then there's Ms. Theallet's strict adherence to her vision, regardless of what the rest of the world is looking for. "I don't do trend," she says. Short on money, Ms. Theallet doesn't always use the most sumptuous fabrics in her collections. She often works in fine cotton, though she has been able to add knitwear and some Loro Piana wool-cashmere blend fabric this season, using some of her prize money. "I don't have to line the garment because the wool is soft on the skin. It's a beautiful feeling to have that wool-cashmere on the skin," she says. More Fashion Coverage Glamour Amid the Gloom Reality Shows Fashion on the Fast Track The seams are flawlessly taped, creating an inside that's as lovely as the outside. The mind boggles at the quantities of fabric she used for a Fall 2010 chiffon dress that was so finely pleated that it looked ruched or gathered. Some retailers are now fighting for access to the small collections Ms. Theallet makes in a small factory in New York, where the seamstresses create flawless seams, tucks and pleats. Her line is carried in exclusive boutiques, including Ikram in Chicago (where Mrs. Obama shops) and DNA in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. "I carried her from the beginning," says DNA's owner, Princess Deena Abdulaziz, establishing bragging rights for recognizing a talent before the herd. ”
