GQ And CFDA Honor "Best New Menswear Designer" Finalists

[Kelly Cutrone, Yigal Azrouel, Kate Lamphear, Amanda Garcia SantanaPhotos by DAVID X PRUTTING for PMc ]

On Wednesday evening finalists for GQ's Best New Menswear Designers award unveiled their Fall '09 collections for the first time to notable fashion experts: CFDA's Steven Kolb, GQ's Jim Nelson, and designer Thom Browne at Rockefeller Center. Guests included the who's who of men's fashion and friends: Chase Crawford, Kelly Cutrone, Jim Nelson, Brian Coats, Steven Kolb, Jim Moore, Damien Nunes, Tommy and Ally Hilfiger, and Johan Lindeberg.

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Finalists for the design award included: Andre "3000" Benjamin, David Mullen, Alex Carleton, Robert Geller, Sam Shipley, Jeff Halmos, and Yigal Azrouel, who debuted their looks for the chance to design an exclusive line for Levi's that will be sold at Bloomingdales, their designs featured in GQ, and $50,000 cash. Not a bad way to start for an up and coming designer. "This is an exciting time for American men's fashion, with both originality and creativity redefining the way men dress today," Kolb had said.

Tommy Hilfiger, Lisa Fields, Peter Hunsinger, Jim Nelson, Andre "3000" Benjamin, Steven Kolb

Amanda Garcia Santana, Johnna Campbell, Brian Coats, Jim Moore, Damien Nunes, Dror Benshetirt, Davina Rosenbaum

Andre "3000" Benjamin, David Mullen, Alex Carleton, Robert Geller, Sam Shipley, Jeff Halmos, Yigal Azrouel

Kelly Cutrone, Yigal Azrouel, Brendan Monaghan, Joe Giuntoli, Johan Lindeberg, Marcella Lindeberg

Justin Giunta, Dirk Standen, Adam Rappaport, Fred Woodward, Beth Altschul, Michael Haney

Rich Gualtieri, Matt Orosco, Tommy Fazio, Brooke Cundiff, Ally Hilfiger, Jim Nelson, Tommy Hilfiger