Who

Behnaz Sarafpour is an Iranian-born designer of understated, chic womenswear.

Backstory

Born in Tehran, Sarafpour left the Middle East with her parents when she was 13, first moving to England before settling in Philadelphia. After high school she studied at Parsons and displayed ferocious ambition as an intern at Anne Klein, assisting Narciso Rodriguez. After graduating, Sarafpour spent time working for Richard Perry, then Isaac Mizrahi, whom she's described as her mentor. She worked for Mizrahi until his company crumbled in 1998, when she signed on to design clothing for Barneys' private label. Her work at Barneys earned her solid reviews from the fashion press and the enthusiastic support of fashion bigwigs like Vogue's Anna Wintour, and the overwhelmingly positive buzz enabled her to go out on her own in 2001 with a line of feminine, sophisticated frocks. She's since established herself as a member of the industry's new generation of stars: She was nominated twice for the CFDA's award for young fashion talent (alas, she came up short both times) and can claim famous fans like Claire Danes, Selma Blair, Anne Hathaway and Rachel McAdams.

Sarafpour has branched out in the last year or two. In addition to her pricey label, she followed Isaac Mizrahi and launched a line for Target in 2006, producing a series of reasonably priced dresses and separates with clean lines and crisp black-and-white accents. She's also unveiled a limited-edition lipstick for Lancôme, and a line of jeans for Scott Morrison's Ernest Sewn collection.

Personal

Sarafpour married tech consultant Evan Shumeyko in Bermuda in July 2007. They live in a West Village co-op.

No joke

Don't seat Sarafpour next to Imitation of Christ designer Tara Subkoff. The two have been at odds since a New Yorker panel in the fall 2005, when Subkoff called Sarafpour's designs "masculine" and implied they were copies of vintage clothing.