Alexis Bellino Teaches the Haters a Lesson with Hit Runway Show During L.A. Fashion Weekend

Wetpaint.com:

When Alexis Bellino first announced she was starting a fashion line, she didn’t receive a whole lot of support from her Real Housewives of Orange County castmates. Vicki Gunvalson was the most critical, wondering aloud what, if anything, Alexis knew about designing clothes. Turns out, she knows quite a bit. On March 18, she and her partner proudly showed off their up-and-coming line, Alexis by Tal Sheyn, with an evening runway show during L.A. Fashion Weekend. Alexis spoke to Wetpaint Entertainment about her big night, who came out to support her (and who didn’t!), and what she has to say to the haters now.


Wetpaint Entertainment: Congrats! L.A. Fashion Weekend is a pretty big deal. Betsey Johnson kicked it off. How did it come about that you were asked to be part of it?
Alexis Bellino: My partner, Tal, has been in the business for years and has done L.A. Fashion Weekend before. She contacted them and they said they’d love to have us do a show.


What was it like preparing for high-profile event like that?
Well, we found out three weeks prior so we had plenty of time to get all our looks ready, find models, and figure out which model was best suited to each outfit. That part was really fun.


But the night of the show, I was so nervous! I was sweating like crazy. You know, I’ve attended a lot of runway shows as a guest, but I didn’t realize how nerve-wracking it was to be on the other side of things. But once everything started coming down the runway, it was amazing. It’s just the best feeling.


id any of your castmates come to support you?
No. No one did. Gretchen had a lot to do the next day so she couldn’t be there. Vicki was actually supposed to come, but she had to leave town on a business trip at the last minute. That was a bummer, but I had a lot of other good friends there who aren’t on the show.


How was the reaction to the clothes?
Amazing. We got so much positive feedback from magazines and fashion editors. And the clothes are selling really well — we stocked up in advance of the show hoping there would be a lot of requests!


A lot of the other Housewives have their own lines in the works — if not clothing, then other products. What advice would you give to them?
My number one thing is not to let anyone’s negativity keep you down. I got a lot of flack, but I just kept at it. I said, if I fail, it will make me stronger and I’ll learn from it. Just stay positive. Let everyone talk all the smack they want. In the end, if you’re successful, you’ll laugh all the way to the bank.

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