Mar 10, 2002/ FWD/ --- Few things better illustrate the gap in creative talent between Western Europe and the United States than the hype that surrounded the presentation of Behnaz Sarafpour's latest collection.

American Vogue and their web offshoot Style.com sponsored Sarafpour, and every second person one ran into the Chelsea space where the show was staged mouthed the same remark, "Anna says this girl is the next big thing."

We beg to differ.

Sarafpour is certainly not without talent, but anyone searching for a new design paradigm had better look elsewhere.

The designer showed a total of 14 pieces on beautiful models like Karolina, Marcelle and Mini, generously provided courtesy of the fashion magazine.

None of the pieces were intrinsically bad, and several of them - a finely cut navy wool alpaca trench, a gray taupe georgette dress and the long lilac satin dress that finished the show - were elegant.

Sarafpour also has a sure hand for tailoring, as she showed with three quilted looks that opened the collection.

But overall, the show was something of an anti-climax.

Sarafpour's big idea this season was inspired by reading classical poetry, as she explained in her program notes.

The result?

Silk bands with the words of Emily Dickinson used as a belt, while Lord Byron's hemmed a dress and Herman Melville's formed the straps of a cocktail dress.

It didn't help that after parading around the space, all of the models took their position on two metal benches in a tableaux like a Vogue spread.

While one can only applaud a magazine supporting emerging talent, the end result should not be the latter slavishly imitating the former.

Ultimately that does no one any good, as the presentation showed.