LaLa Anthony's New Clothing Line "5th and Mercer"

I'm so excited about LaLa Anthony's new clothing line, 5th and Mercer! How I describe the line?? Street meets Chic! I LOVE IT! Ever since she's hit the scene, her fashion game has been A1! She never disappoints whether she's on the red carpet, at the park with her adorable son, or on a date with her hubby. She's ALWAYS well put together, polished and ALWAYS setting trends. Lala has been my style icon for those reasons alone. So, it goes without saying that I was ECSTATIC and ANXIOUS to shop from her newest collection! I headed over to ShopBop.com and ended up grabbing the cobalt blue pencil skirt. The only size left was an 8! Now Y'ALL know, and I know I'm not a size 8.lol So, I stared at it in my cart for a few minutes. (*Sidenote* Last week I signed up with an Atlanta trainer "Kenya Crooks" and set size 8 as my goal.) So, of course I bought the skirt. It was like the universe set me up to go there for some reason (CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THAT). Anywho, UPS delivered the skirt on yesterday and I was SOOOOO excited to try it on. It was after 6pm when I got it, but I couldn't WAIT to put a few outfits together with it! The fabric is A GIRL'S DREAM! It's not that thin material that shows off your dimples. lol The zipper going down the back is TOO SEXY! You can even zip it up to create a risque split if you'd like. If this skirt hasn't sold out yet...I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU GET IT BEFORE IT DOES!  Celebrities such as Gabrielle Union, Tamar Braxton, Kelly Rowland, Draya Michele, and even LaLa herself has been spotted ADORNED in 5th and Mercer garments!
Click HERE to see the other stylish pieces in the 5th and Mercer collection. I PROMISE you, you won't regret it!!

Lala Anthony in the 5th and Mercer (GORGEOUS, RIGHT??)

Tamar Braxton, Gabrielle Union, and Kelly Rowland in 5th and Mercer Jumpsuit 

Draya Michele in 5th and Mercer sweats and matching tee with faux leather sleeves

STRIPES! TULLE! PINK! OH MY!!!

SCENARIO: My birthday is coming up in 3 weeks. I'm on the hunt for the perfect BIRTHDAY DRESS. I already have one in mind, but it has to be made and the price tag is $300. Me being the "frugalista" I am....I'm kinda hesitant about placing my order, but I REALLLLLY love this dress. $300 was a STEAL for this STUNNING customized dress! However, I didn't even pay THAT much for my wedding gown!lol So, I decided to sleep on it one more night before contacting the designer (whom is EXTREMELY talented, might I add).  
CUT TO NEXT DAY....
I'm browsing my Facebook newsfeed and scroll past Kerrie of Virtuous Styls pictures of an event she hosted/attended. As I'm looking through the photos, I spot this GORGEOUS gown created by a designer named Dionte (whom I STILL haven't found). All that went through my mind was "MERMAID!!! I'm a Pisces!! I WANT THIS DRESSSS for my birthday!" So, I stared at it for a good 30 minutes trying to figure out how I could replicate this look if I was unable to buy it. I set my sights out to find STRIPE fabric! I found NONE in my local fabric stores, NOR the usual fabric websites I frequent. TIME WAS TICKING...after failing to locate the fabric, I decided to just search for a stripe bodycon(ish) dress. I found a few, but they were all too short or too loose to create this look. My daughter and I went to Ross to get her a new backpack..and WHAT DO YOU KNOW....I FOUND THE PERFECT LENGTH STRIPE DRESS!! I was ECSTATIC! The dress was only 10.99!! I went to Walmart (the only one I know who still has a fabric department) to purchase the PINK tulle. They only had 3 yards and I knew I needed AT LEAST 7 in all for a full tulle bottom. I purchased everything I needed there (listed below). Luckily, Hobby Lobby is in the same plaza as the Walmart. So, I went there to purchase the remainder of the tulle. Below are instructions on how I achieved this GORGEOUS replica!


Supplies:
7 yards of tulle
Scissors
Elastic (at least 2 inches wide)
Needle
Thread
Velcro (if you'd like to be able to wear the dress without the tulle bottom)
A bucket, mannequin, block of wood..(anything you could use to hold the elastic while creating the tulle bottom).

1. Fold the tulle horizontally and begin cutting it into 6inch wide strips.

Tie the elastic around a bucket or something to keep the elastic stretched as you tie on the strips of tulle.

Fold the strip of tulle in half, put the loop part of the fold underneath the elastic and create a knot by pulling the remainder of the tulle through the loop.

As you add the tulle strips, slide them as close to each other as possible, and tighten the knot by pulling it. REPEAT until the elastic is filled with tulle.

AFTER THE ELASTIC HAS BEEN FILLED, grab your needle and thread and velcro (if desired).

You could either put on your dress (the way I did it), or stretch the dress over the bucket/mannequin..




#3 sew one half of the Velcro (the soft, fuzzy part) to the top part of the hem of the dress.
#4 sew the other half of the Velcro to the inside of the elastic/tulle.
#5 stick the tulle onto the dress and trim tulle if it's too long for you.
#6 FINITO!!!

THE ORIGINAL DRESS BY DESIGNER DIONTE

THE TWISTED VIXEN ($20) VERSION

I ADDED MY FAVORITE VINTAGE LEATHER, STUDDED JACKET TO ADD A LITTLE EDGE

 

The only pic I had of me without the tulle. That's my mom being silly. LOVE MY MOMMY!

ME AT MY BIRTHDAY PARTY!! A lot of people said I looked like Barbie...and a few got my TRUE concept...Mermaid?? Pisces?? GET IT??? lol

I hope I made the instructions easy for you Vixens!! Let me know if you try this tutorial. I'd LOOOVE to see your creations!!