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Posts tagged as “handmade prom dress”

Teen Kyemah McEntyre, Whose Prom Dress Broke The Internet, Designs Naturi Naughton’s BET Awards Look

Kyemah McEntyre stole the show yet again through a gorgeously handcrafted ensemble designed for singer-songwriter and Power actress Naturi Naughton at the 2015 BET Awards.
McEntyre’s orange Afrocentric-print dress featured a low cut V-neck, open cross back and trumpeting mermaid bottom. Posing gracefully in the dazzling number by McEntryre, Naughton and photographers alike were clearly impressed with the New Jersey teen’s work. Naughton specifically requested a dress reminiscent of her African roots, Pop Sugar reports. The Notorious actress also wanted to debut her hometown’s talent to the small screens, and what better opportunity than the largest Black excellence celebration of the year? The New Jersey teen told Necole Bitchie that Naughton shot her an email explaining her vision for the dress.

“Naturi and her beautiful soul welcomed me despite my experience with Fashion Designing,” McEntyre said. “She wanted to shed light on young people from her community [East Orange, New Jersey] and that she did. I enlisted a local seamstress by the name of Markell Mockabee, who brought my design to life.”
The 18-year-old first drew attention when she posted her stunning custom-made prom dress to Instagram, complete with a ravishing Afro and V-shaped headpiece. Penning a letter regarding the inspiration for her dress and messages of self-acceptance, the blossoming young designer’s gown went viral. Her story was even more gripping after she revealed that she had been bullied throughout high school for her appearance.
Since the debut of her prom dress, she said that her mailbox was never the same, but it hasn’t affected her faith nor her drive. The college-bound beauty plans to use her success to motivate other young girls to be themselves.
“People ask me all the time how does it feel, and I tell them it’s just amazing to be celebrated for just being myself. I consider myself to be an artist, fashion designer, and self-identity activist.

New Jersey Teen Kyemah McEntyre Silences Haters with Epic Handmade Prom Dress, Gets Voted Prom Queen

Teen Silences Haters with Epic Handmade Prom Dress
Kyemah McEntyre in her prom dress. (Photo: @mindofkye Instagram)

The thought of a home-made dress often conjures up images of Cinderella (before the Fairy Godmother intervenes, obviously) and outfits made of floral curtains, a la The Sound of Music.
But New Jersey teen Kyemah McEntyre is here to sway your opinion once and for all. For her senior prom, the 18-year old artist designed her own gown, with full-length sleeves, a plunging neckline, and full ball skirt, which was then made into a reality by local seamstress Markell. And let’s just say, the stunning dress wouldn’t have been out of place on the red carpet at Cannes.

To complement the gown’s bold red, yellow, and green colors and eclectic tribal print, McEntyre kept her jewelry minimal, yet still statement-making, wearing just a gold chocker necklace and a super hero-esque headpiece across her forehead.

Dress Sketch (@mindofkye on Instagram)
Dress Sketch (@mindofkye on Instagram)

“This is for always being labeled as, “ugly” or “angry”. Thank God, stereotypes are just opinions,” she captioned an Instagram photo showing her wearing her design, though it seems haters don’t have much voting power at her school, anyway: McEntyre’s evening ended with her being crowned prom queen.

And while senior prom might not exactly be on the same level as, say… New York Fashion Week, we wouldn’t be surprised if McEntyre ends up showing there one day. According to her blog, the teen plans to attend Parsons the New School for Design—the same place where Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, and Donna Karan learned the ropes—as a freshman this fall.

article by Nora Crotty via yahoo.com