Contestant Jeffrey Sebelia, 36, is the new “It” boy. He’s won the ‘Project Runway’ Season 3 grand prize, including $100,000 to start his own line along with the fame and fortune that are reality stars’ bread and butter. He triumphed over fellow contestants Michael “Street Safari” Night, Uli “Caftan” Herzner, and Laura “No Slips” Bennett.
The tattoed Jeffrey was declared the winner despite going over budget, being accused of cheating by Laura, and losing receipts. He was not allowed to show a prized piece of his collection, pleated leather shorts; luckily he happened to have a backup pair of white leather pants that worked well.
No worries, the contestants have kissed and made up. Laura declared her happiness at Jeffrey’s win, and Jeffrey insisted there were no hard feeling, despite calling Laura a “frigid, weird person” and claiming she had no experience, skill or talent in earlier episodes.
Michael Night showed his 70’s inspired collection, “Street Safari”, with lots of white, animal prints, and wide belts. He showed his talent for making perfectly proportioned shorts, but the judges thought he needed to mature his vision before he is worthy of a spread in Elle magazine, another perk for the grand prize winner. He did, however, garner the $10,000 prize for being the fan’s favorite with a 42% popularity rating.
Laura, an architect who is expecting her sixth child, showed a collection of evening wear and glamorized trousers in black, lace, and silver. Her creations were deemed exquisite by the judges, but the ultimately the collection was not diverse enough to garner a win.
Uli, a Miami resident, showed a collection of her signature long, flowing print dresses, including a bikini with an attachment to turn it into a dress. Although she didn’t take top honors, judges reported the audience members loved her collection and were begging to get in touch with her.
Jeffrey had a great strategy for his collection, showing through his 12 pieces career wear, party wear, evening dress, and even bathing suits. His small son Harrison watched from the sidelines as the Sebelia collection, with cheerful red and white polka dots, green stripes, and assymetrical hemlines led the show’s finale.
“Project Runway”, hosted by supermodel Heidi Klum, is Bravo’s best rated series.
