Sebelia Unveils Latest From Cosa Nostra
Nearly 800 people were on hand to view the latest collection from Los Angeles designer and “Project Runway” winner Jeffrey Sebelia, who showed his Cosa Nostra Autumn/Winter ’07 collection on March 28 at the 2121 Lofts in downtown Los Angeles.
Sebelia found inspiration for the collection in a report of an archeological discovery in Italy earlier this year. Archeologists in Rome unearthed a pair of 5,000-year-old skeletons with their arms entwined—and dubbed the find the “eternal embrace.”
“Personally, the idea of true love, of eternal love, appealed to me,” said Sebelia. “I am a romantic person at heart.”
Sebelia’s palette was suitably somber—foggy whites, deep blacks, tea stain and cool slates and grays, with an accent of a burnt pumpkin shade, which the designer called rust. Sebelia used heavy wools for men’s coats—one of the best had a single lapel that was shown buttoned to form an asymmetrical closure. Pants were rail-thin and long, including a pair of second-skin pants in deerskin leather with a tuxedo stripe along the leg. Printed denim in a pale washed-out plaid was used for skinny jeans for men and women.
Sebelia included dresses with piping that traced the diaphragm and an off-theshoulder draped detail that added a vintage, romantic touch. There were also black silk dresses with feminine details, including pintucking, ruffles and rows of buttons, as well as a drop-waist version with a bubble skirt.
Indeed, Sebelia’s details were intriguing—jackets had zippers running around the collar and in double rows around the hem. Others had articulated elbows or hoods. A black linen dress had a purple zipper that tracked the model’s spine, and dresses fell in fluid folds into handkerchief hems.
The designer’s fabrics were equally unusual—including the tissue-thin deerskin from Japan that has a cotton/wool-blend fabric fused to the back.
Sebelia said he had been working on denim washes and the leathers when he came up with the idea to host a runway show.
“I wanted to have a party, have a show and have fun to celebrate being in L.A. and being from L.A.,” he said. “I had so many friends and family who are proud of me for winning ’Project Runway.’”
Sebelia enlisted his friends, members of Los Angeles band Ima Robot, to perform after the show.
The post–fashion week show fell during a busy time for the designer, who had just returned from market week in Japan and left for a trunk show in San Francisco the day after the show. He then returned to Los Angeles to help jury the auditions for the next season of “Project Runway.” Next up, he will be appearing at trunk shows in Chicago and New York. —Alison A. Nieder
