'Bad boy' Jeffrey crowned king of 'Runway'

Reprinted from late editions of yesterday's Globe.

If Jeffrey Sebelia had any room left on his neck, he might get a tattoo that says ``redemption."

The former-junkie-turned-designer-to-the-rock-stars, accused at the last minute of outsourcing his sewing, took the top prize on ``Project Runway" Wednesday night -- proof that life's fortunes can change, and that the judges really were focused on the clothes.

Who else but Jeffrey would base a collection on Japanese ghost stories? Who else could make red polka dots hip? Who else could bring the third ``Runway" season to a sentimental end, embracing his upper-crust mother, mohawked girlfriend, and toddler son?

Jeffrey's win will be trumpeted as the triumph of the bad boy. It isn't that simple. Yes, he was the grumpiest contestant , and his huge neck tattoo was a big distraction (though when it turned out to be his son's name , most was forgiven). Yes, he made a portly Midwestern woman cry, in an episode that had the designers dressing each other's mothers. But on deadline, a little grumpiness is allowed. And beneath the Bryant Park tents at Fashion Week, Jeffrey's clothes were a marvel, layered and inventive. Besides, he deserved some good karma after last week's twist, when a rival contestant, Laura Bennett, accused him of cheating .

It wasn't much of a contest. Uli Herzner's outfits were fun, but left an overwhelming impression of beige. Laura's beaded dresses were elegant, but sedate. And Michael Knight 's ``street safari " was less theme than Disney theme park.

Still, no tears should be shed for the also-rans. Laura will have no trouble fitting her impending sixth child into her fabulous New York apartment, and she'll be back on the cocktail party circuit in no time. Uli seemed to have buyers lined up before the cameras stopped. And when Wal-Mart's executive vice president told host Heidi Klum that he might put some ``Runway" fashions in his stores, you know he was thinking about Michael's gold lame.

``It's all just a bunch of vibrations," Sebelia said to the cameras, just before the final credits rolled. And so it goes. Somewhere in the Midwest, a middle-age mother is shedding a tear. And around New York, the fashion gods are smiling.