In the last season of Bravo’s hit series Project Runway, no one was more surprised of Jeffrey Sebelia’s win than the man himself. After allegations of cheating, Jeffrey’s talent, edgy fashion sense, and ambition proved to speak volumes to the judges, as he was crowned the winner and, thus, was at the top of the fashion world…at least for now.
Subsequent to the show’s airing, Jeffrey has come home from his win and has re-acclimated to life back in Los Angeles—he’s not only an in-demand fashion designer, but also a reality TV megastar. Of course, it isn’t as though Jeffrey wasn’t already an up and coming designer prior to the show. His line, Cosa Nostra, has been very popular, and before his successful run on Runway, he worked designing the ensembles for such celeb clientele as Gwen Stefani and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
So how has life been since the win? “Hectic,” answers Jeffrey, waiting for his morning coffee to kick in. He apologizes for his low energy; it seems the night before, he stayed up late. Being someone at the top of LA’s nascent Fashion Scene, one would assume he was burning the midnight oil at some amazing party held somewhere in the Hollywood Hills with lots and lots of models wearing things like scuba gear for no reason.
In truth, Jeffrey has been staying up late, very late…blogging
Usurping the role of the ladies Rivers, one of Jeffrey’s newly found gigs upon his win has been blogging about fashion for the awards season with his Speak No Evil posts, and he has ostensibly stayed up late writing about one of the most discussed red carpet events of the season: the Golden Globes.
“I was saying in my blog that I had hoped people were going to be more exciting at the Globes,” says Jeffrey. “It was a big letdown. The atmosphere surrounding the red carpet should be one of total, fierce competition. You really get the sense of what people did, they should hire trainers, like sports coaches, and there should be some sort of loss for really blowing it.”
While the Golden Globes were a fashion snooze fest, Jeffrey is excited for his new venture in the blogging world, one of many new projects he has lined up for 2007. His other main focus at the moment is his own boutique in Los Angeles. Opening in March, the store will be located off of the Sunset Strip where the incroyable will be selling wares from both of his lines: Cosa Nostra and his more contemporary yet-unnamed line.
But as with all his current engagements, Jeffrey is taking it one day at a time. “Part of the trick is turning down a lot of offers and taking the proceed pressure off. A lot of this has come from the ‘sophomore effort’ after the big win on the show and ‘What will I do next?’. The reality is I am doing what I have been doing every season.”
Jeffrey is surprisingly calm since landing his coveted Runway title and very focused on his next steps—selecting projects that work for him and his life, not merely what everyone thinks he should do. “A lot of people think that whatever the notoriety I have is a fleeting window. It is a window of sorts; this is one type of window and will be changing. It is not constant.”
Cosa Nostra can be seen at the line’s website, www.cosanostrainc.com , and the line uses a lot of the familiar Jeffrey looks that his fans have grown to love from the show. His women’s collection is sleek, dark, and modern but with a sort of elegance that make his clothes appealing to a larger audience than those simply looking for “edgy fashion.”
“One reason I wanted to do the show was to show people I can do clothes that are prettier and cleaner than what I had been doing. Right until the end and with the final collection, one of my goals was to shatter the image people had of me as a designer and as being edgy. I had really gotten to focus my energy as being an edgy designer. vhhh. My line has changed since the show, and that is because of the way fashion has kept on changing.”
This can also be seen in his Cosa Nostra’s men’s line where Jeffrey has been focusing on the classic men’s raiment of a shirt, trousers, and jacket. “Something I am working on is a variation of a shirt, blazer, and casual pants. It can be some sort of denim with a clean jacket or a clean trouser with a real processed jacket. It is always a good classic look.”
But, as with all his creations, Jeffrey hopes people will go back to having fun with fashion, and after the dull regalia seen at the Golden Globes, Jeffrey hopes his message is heard before the Oscars. “Getting dressed is such an expression of people, and I am hoping that people will start to have more fun dressing… The Globes were a good example of what I see as a shame. If that is a microcosm of what is happening in fashion, that is a shame. It is a trend towards being boring and safe.”
For fashion’s sake, we hope they listen to their new Golden Child.
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