Behnaz Sarafpour

Who? The darling of the US design circuit, American- Iranian Behnaz Sarafpour has been kicking up a storm since the launch of her personal collection in 2000. Incorporating the functional elements of American fashion with a refreshing dose of quirky '80s elegance, Sarafpour's finely crafted designs have earned her a list of Hollywood heavyweight clients that includes Selma Blair and Cate Blanchett. How did it happen? A product of New York's Parsons School of Design, Sarafpour won the coveted Golden Thimble award shortly after her graduation in 1992. The budding talent joined the house of Anne Klein, where she worked with some of the fashion world's most influential designers, such as Narciso Rodriguez and Richard Tyler. Sarafpour went on to work for Isaac Mizrahi, whom she describes as her mentor, while creating a private-label collection for Barneys New York. In 2000, she unveiled her debut collection. What do the clothes look like? Chic, accessible and functional, Sarafpour's outfits are known for sensible tailoring and a whisper of sexiness. Her catwalk shows reveal her modern take on classic silhouettes and her penchant for whimsical cocktail dresses. For the spring/summer season, panels of slick patent leather were added to accentuate the sculptural shapes of her body-hugging dresses and A-line miniskirts. According to Mizrahi, Sarafpour 'is a great editor of her own accord and she knows what people really want to wear.' What does the designer have to say? 'I was so tired of slinky, sleek and obviously sexy,' she said. 'I thought we needed something pretty, in a classical way.' Where are the clothes available? Behnaz Sarafpour can be found at Barneys New York and at www.netaporter.com.