Sebelia wins Project Runway

Los Angeles designer Jeffrey Sebelia won Bravo's reality TV show "Project Runway" last night. The "flamboyant and often ornery" designer was told by Heidi Klum, "You have a great style, you're a great designer and we want to see more of you. We loved what you did."

Sebelia, 36, was in and out of drug rehab since age 17. He almost took his own life in 2001. "I was hooking up my belt to this chandelier in my room, crying uncontrollably," he recalls of his attempt to hang himself. But his roommate came home early and persuaded him to seek help again.

His roommates and friends at AA helped him get through it all. "Their goodwill started to solidify my belief that I could get clean," says Sebelia.

After getting it together and going to a local trade school, it all made sense. "As soon as I started sewing," he says, "I realized I was meant to do it."

"He's like another Vivienne Westwood," says Runway's Tim Gunn. "He's adept at taking what's happening on the street and making it into fashion with a capital F."

Photo: People