Saturday, April 25, 2015

Classic

Hello FRIENDS, 
So long, no see!! So this week Im introducing the basics...well my basics. 

My grand goal in life is to successfully mix prints. It always sounds like a great idea, but I can never leave my blacks and whites. I really don't own a lot of color, nonetheless prints. Most of the color that I own comes from my flannels, but even then they do not hold a range of patterns. Once again I gravitated towards the basic black and white just like the same repetitive story. My rides or die never seem to fail.(Tip of the day: Go get yourself as many shirt dresses that you can. they are so comfy and you can wear them with basically anything!)
I tried to mix prints, but in a sense I kind of cheated. Adding a print on a similar print might not have a drastic contrast, but it still provides dimension and interest to the outfit. You can't go wrong with stripes and flannels prints; they are so versatile. Stripes have also been seen in the runway this year. A variety of stripes in these classic prints and darker tones give off a different vibe.
This outfit radiates an attitude and I like it. It is more on the edgier side, but I have balanced this out with cute booties, laced socks, and a floppy hat. Together this outfit seems to speak for itself.

Outfit attitude: "I might have slept in this shirt, but you will never know".

Thank you for reading,
Esperanza:)
Outfit Details
Shirt Dress: Brandy Melville
Button up: Hollister
Boots: H&M
Necklace: H&M
Hat: Forever21














Saturday, April 11, 2015

Hawaiian

Hello friends, 

HOPEBOTTLE post Saturday!!! So this weekend while everyone is traveling to California's valley I am stuck in my apartment looking through everyone's photos. I am low key being a jelly fish. 

With all this time to myself, I came across a wonderful idea over the past week; here it goes. 
Does your dad wear Hawaiian shirts? There is a very cool way to make those embarrassing shirts look cool. I am done looking for kimonos that are my style. Most kimonos seem to be in some type of bohemian pattern which usually entails them to be colorful. This is not my personal style, but I found something that works just as well. An oversized Hawaiian shirt! I am wearing a thrifted silk Hawaiian shirt in a dark tropical floral print. I fell in love with it instantaneously. 

The beauty of this piece is that it looks almost exactly like a kimono, but with a collar. I will never purchase an expensive kimono knowing that I can get one that probably no one will have. I can just imagine what cool patterns I will find next. And the best thing is that it is almost summer and the warm weather is here to stay. I can see myself throwing these Hawaiian shirts over many outfits or simply a bathing suit. 

Outfit attitude:
"I might look put together, but what you didn't know is that this is a men's shirt. I know, I am a sneaky-sneak."


Like always thanks for reading,
Esperanza Botello



Outfit details:
(If you click on the link you can find a similar item)
Slip Dress- Forever21
Boots- JCPenny
Hawaiian Shirt: OnlineHawaiianstore
         JCPenny
Bralette: Dailylook
             Dailylook

















Saturday, April 4, 2015

Handmade Roses



Hello friends, 

Its HOPEBOTTLE blog post Saturday (there needs to be a better way to create a catchier phrase). I currently feel that this is the best day out of the week to share a blog post will you all. So here it is. 

This week I have kept my outfit on the simpler side: just a top, shorts, and sandals. Theres nothing amazing about the outfit, except for this handmade top. It was obviously not made by yours truly, but I wish I had the skills to create such a beautiful piece. The detail on the top section is made using a traditional Mexican technique which resembles embroidery. This technique is mostly used to make servilletas, or napkins out of fabric. These beautifully designed napkins are usually made to keep tortillas warm. Such stylish tortillas, I know! I have seen my grandmother do this plenty of times, but I have never asked her to teach me, what a mistake because I can see how this can be modernized into a stylish spring/summer trend. For instance this amazing top.

I bought this shirt from a lady outside a market place back in my hometown (a little sketchy but ehhh). I walked out of the store with some groceries and I instinctively gravitated towards her. I took a look at the tops and once I realized that they were handmade I asked for the price and she said $25. I was a little hesitant and I also usually never cary cash. She saw that she might lose a sale and she said to take it for $20. Please take in mind that this is not great material; they are usually made out of muslin, which is very inexpensive. The neck piece alone is worth that amount in my opinion though, since this takes a couple of hours to complete. So I bought it. I kind of felt good supporting a local artist continue this traditional art form that is slowly being lost. 
*(Later my mom said she could have made the same shirt for me, but who was she kidding. If you know my mom she's always late. There was no hope in me waiting for her to make me one)

During spring break I figured that I needed a change in hair color. I had a couple of choices, but somehow I chose that I wanted to go lighter. WOW, was I not ready to receive what I had in store. My hair is now a very intense ombre which was not purposely planned. Miscommunication with my hairdresser created some confusion, but oh well.  I am not very happy with the results, but I will embrace the change. Some people love it, others not so much, but I'm fine with that now. I am just going to give my hair a rest and re-dye it next month. I mean bad mistakes make really good stories right?  

Till next time, 
Esperanza Botello

Outfit Details
Shorts- Forever21