Aquarelle

And it was all yellow

2013-07-06T07:56:00.000-07:00

And it was all yellow by aquarelleblog featuring nars cosmetics

Zara skirt / Madewell lace skirt / Dirty Laundry wedge heels / Yellow bubble necklace / Accessories - Saturday.com / Hard Candy floral print sunglasses / Accessories - Saturday.com / NARS Cosmetics / Xhilaration Junior's Floral 2-Piece Swimsuit -Yellow

Yellow wardrobe essentials to make any outfit pop!

May the 4th be with you!

2013-07-05T07:34:00.000-07:00

Bustier: Anthropologie. High waist shorts: Urban Outfitters. Sunnies: Target. Shoes: BCBGirls (old)

So I got this whole "American pie" vibe going on due to Mad Men reruns and the 4th of July weekend. I headed to Deep Ellum to act like a doofus in front of this very iconic mural of the area, that's been there for as long as I can remember. I wasn't the only one--I had to wait "in line" while a family of 6 (!) took some patriotic portraits in front of this mural. And here I come in a bustier, red lips and high-waist shorts. Needless to say, there were a few stares, but hey: we can all get into the spirit of red, white and blue in our way right?

All photos by Carlos Esquivel.

Packing for... BONNAROO 2013!

2013-06-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

Wardrobe essentials

BONNAROO 2013 by aquarelleblog featuring madewell

Lucky Brand shirt / Racerback top / Isabel Marant paisley vest / Madewell / Alice + Olivia slit skirt / Madewell vintage swim suit / Madewell vintage swim suit / Topshop foldover maxi skirt / Mango / American flag denim shorts / H&M , $31 / Steve Madden pull on leather boots / Hunter rain boots / Converse plimsoll sneaker, $62 / Free People lightweight backpacking / Matthew Williamson , $615 / GUESS by Marciano sunglasses / Panama hat / Free People / Mossi Youth XT Rain Poncho - Mills Fleet Farm

Beauty Essentials

Bonnaroo 2013 -- beauty essentials by aquarelleblog featuring burts bees

Christian Dior lengthening mascara / MAKE UP FOR EVER smudge proof eyeliner / Burt's Bees burts bee / Burt's Bees sugar lip treatment / Sun care / The Body Shop / Sally Hansen nail care, $19 / Hair color / The Body Shop / Urban Decay beauty product / Maybelline beauty product

For the beauty essentials, let me note that everyone has been warning me about Bonnaroo... It's going to be great, awesome and probably a life-changing experience BUT it's not like other American music fests. I mean we'll be camping... For five days. Unlike Coachella, which takes place on a perfectly manicured polo field surrounded by a very posh and upperclass neighborhood (the huge polo field is, obviously, inside a country club), Bonnaroo takes place on a farm. In Tennesse. In June. I have been warned about lots of walking, mosquitoes, impending doom due to heavy showers, lots of dust (this year the kind folks at Bonnaroo shipped out wristbands and a bandana, thank you), very little chance for a shower... and high risk of dehydration. However, just by saying "I'm going to Bonnaroo" people assume you'll have a blast. People respond to you as if you're a true adventurer, and you can see a slight hint of jealousy in their face. I can't wait.

Holy...! Agua Bendita 2013 Swimwear collection

2013-06-08T15:31:00.000-07:00

I just found out about the coolest, most whimsical, and amazing swimwear brand ever. Agua Bendita ("Holy Water") is a designer swimwear brand made in Colombia, literally handcrafted by Colombian artisans, using the best quality materials. If you look at the pictures you'll find very intricate details such as the use of beading, leather, metal, etc. They also got the coolest accessories, albeit I have had the hardest time finding where to buy them, specially the ones from last year's collection, "One World" which is killing me because I love love love everything about last year's collection and I just found out about them recently.

Check out their latest 2013 collection, "Lovely Heroes" featuring the beautiful Irina Shayk, which the designers dedicated to the artisans that make possible such extraordinary garments, and below check out the "Making of" video of this year's campaign, followed by some shots of Agua Bendita's 2012 One World collection.

Visit their site to find out where to buy their latest collection: www.aguabendita.com.co

Check out the "making of" video featuring Irina Shayk and Izabel Goulart.

Agua Bendita's One World 2012 collection. To die for!

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Summer Lovin'

2013-05-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

It's that time again to bring out the itty bitty bikinis and and go out in search of sun, surf and fun! I've never been one to buy a whole swimsuit set (or full body swimsuit for that matter) so what I usually do is buy inexpensive separates that I can mix and match with what I already have. It prolongs the life of what I already own and is an inexpensive way of updating your swim collection.

Below are just a few things I threw together. I may or may not take some of these outfits to Bonnaroo, hmmm...

Bikini top: hollister. Bikini bottom: target. Jean shorts: Forever21. Sunnies: Target. Necklace: Ann Taylor Loft. Handmade cuff Bracelet: Mariposa Boutique (Dallas). Pink bracelet: Handmade (Mexico). Scarf: Marshall's.

Sandals: Ecote (UO). Bikini top and bottoms: Target. Sunnies: FreePeople. Black wood necklace: Handmade (Philipines). Bead necklace: FreePeople. Scarf: Handmade (Ethiopia).

Bikini bottoms: One Star Converse for Target. Necklace: Anthropologie. Bracelets: H&M, Milk & Honey boutique. Shoes: Urban Outfitters. Shades: Chinatown, NY. Scarf: Urban Outfitters.

Bikini top and bottoms: Target. Sparkly necklace: H&M. Leather necklace: Handmade. Crochet dress: Urban Outfitters. Pashmina: Chinatown NY.

Bikini set: Express. Necklace: Forever21. Top and scarf: Urban Outfitters

Bikini top: Hollister. Bottoms: Target. Necklace: Ann Taylor Loft.

Bikini top and scarf: Target. Crochet top: Urban Outfitters. Denim cutoffs: H&M. Necklace: FreePeople. Bracelet: ? Leather sandals: handmade (India)

Swimsuit: Victoria's Secret (catalog). Crochet shorts: H&M. Metal cuff: Forever21. Scarf: Marshall's

Crochet bikini: Express. Sandals and necklace: Urban Outfitters. Sunnies: FreePeople. Scarf: Target. Leather cuff: Handmade

Hollister bikini set. Target sunnies.

Bikini top and bottoms: Target. Sunnies: Vintage. Wood necklace: Handmade (Brazil)

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Black and White and Hot All Over

2013-02-13T14:32:00.001-08:00

I've been seeing lots of black and white stripes on the street style photos from NYFW '13 and it's getting me in the mood for some mod looks...

Click images for sources

This look could easily go from mod to French to... either football referee or too Beetlegeuse-y. It's got enough pop that all you need is one item with bold stripes and work around it for a hot outfit.

Black and white and hot all over by aquarelleblog featuring a flare skirt

Dolce & Gabbana striped dress / Zara striped top / Elizabeth and James / Marc by Marc Jacobs flare skirt / Topshop super skinny jeans / L.A.M.B. leather shoes / Wedding clutch / J.Crew wide brim hat

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Style vs Fashion and the rhetoric of Fashion blogging

2013-01-20T09:30:00.002-08:00

Click here for source

During this past holiday break, I had to move my living quarters, downsizing the amount of space I used to live in. A consequence of this downsizing meant I had to reduce the amount of clothes, accessories and shoes down to about a third of what I originally owned. I fought the process every step of the way until I finally came to embrace it and went ape-shit donating clothes and shoes by the bulk to my local Goodwill center store. Now that I am somewhat settled at my new, smaller apartment, I am having a hard time rumaging through what I kept, since it's still too much for the size of the closet and it's all over the place. To my lack of organizational skills, you can add the fact that I gained around 11lbs during the holiday break and injured my right foot. Thus, on top of not being able to find things I'm looking for, I cannot longer fit into any pants that don't possess any stretch qualities and cannot wear any of my beloved high heels, less I want to walk like a duck down the corridors of fashion failures. This has frustrated me to the point of taking probably twice as long to get dressed. "I don't have anything to wear" has found true meaning in my vocabulary.

And then I ran into this article, via Refinery29. Emily Wall's take on style vs fashion is very refreshing, not to mention grounded and practical and it's inspired me to continue my decluttering task. I love to shop and that silly princessy feeling of wearing a new outfit, but I have found myself increasingly frustrated by the situation described above, not to mention that I have been feeling inadequate, as of late, to pen a so-called fashion blog. As in, what gives me the authority to write about fashion? I am not a writer, and perhaps I'm really not as good of a dresser. Yet it is a great hobby of mine, to stand in front of the mirror and put together outrageous outfits and bright colors and wear things that show off my now-more-rounded-figure. So I've had this weight on me to reconcile being practical, reject superficiality, loving fashion, and whether I should even keep putting my fashion taste out there via this blog. How can you love fashion and fashion styling without being vain and superficial? And how to reconcile those without being caught up in an overly consumerist society. Phew that sounds like a lot of work.

Source: themodern.org via Aquarelle on Pinterest

I like how Emily Wall did just that. She paired down her closet belongings to just one rack of essential things she truly loves and even though she enjoys fashion she sounds like she kept a sensible way of taking it all in. Her thoughts on being fashionable vs having a style are particularly eye-opening to me and yet it's just common sense. This interview has certainly made me feel like I am not completely lost in my quest to marry my own favorite hobby vs my rejection of superfluous living. It's a hard quest, but you gotta start somewhere. That starting line might as well be my closet.

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Music Dose: Kinky After Party

2013-01-05T19:27:00.002-08:00

This video (and the song) are just. rad.

KINKY - Después del After from LAB VIII on Vimeo.

The video may or may have not been influenced by Caspar Noe's "Enter the Void", particularly the opening credits. That and maybe this makeshift robot could have been inspired by Kanti, the medical robot that appears on the dope-as-shit anime FLCL.

Hope you had a great beginning to what the Mayans may have described as the After Life, as this song suggests.

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Scary/Crazy/Beautiful

2012-12-30T09:48:00.000-08:00

Scary Beautiful (Leanie van der Vyver) from Lyall Coburn on Vimeo.

via Yahoo

Check out the "Crazy Beautiful" shoes designed by Leanie van der Vyver and Dutch shoe designer René van den Berg. Leanie van der Vyver recently graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam and the shoes were nominated for a design prize at said academy. The artist's explanation about the creation of the shoes is actually quite mindful and very in touch with the current state of fashion and beauty. You can read more about "Scary Beautiful" and the artist's intent here.

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It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine

2012-12-30T09:30:00.000-08:00

M83 performing "Midnight City" at Palladium Ballroom. Photo by me

It's been a while since I blogged but since it's the end of the year--and I've been on vacation for 8+ days--I thought I should dust off ye ol' bloggy blog.

I spent most of my second half of the year stressing out over having to downsize the way I live, in more ways than one, and then dealing with the resulting move after all that downsizing, which culminated only recently. I am glad though for having to deal with such a headachy task, as I now feel a bit more free and a lot more creative.

That said, I cannot deny 2012 was a fun year. It started with a bang with my little Radiohead Texas tour, I finally went to Coachella with great friends, and got to see a lot of cool bands at home, such as M83, Justice, Bunbury, and many more. I met a lot of cool people, partied my butt off, and enjoyed my time as much as I could. It also made me realize that I enjoy every kind of artistic form of expression so much that I need to dedicate my life to it and, consequently work at earning my living this way. It's gotta be this way as I don't see any other way I can enjoy myself. This is not to say that I will become an artist--you need talent for that--but I will somehow be involved in any form of artistic expression and make it part of my daily life. You gotta do what you love in life or else is not a life worth living.

With that, I will make it my 2013 goal to come back to the blog and really work on it. It may not include as many fashion posts about me anymore, as I believe that even though I dress weird, most people don't appreciate it. Instead my focus would be on other things that inspire me such as art, film, music and travel. The occasional fashion blog post will still be here, however the focus of such posts will no longer be me. Unless you know, I feel particularly narcissistic hehehe.

I am so ready for 2013 y'all! Let's make this our best year yet!

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My Outfit: Comme un Enfant

2012-10-11T09:30:00.000-07:00

Totally inspired by Yelle's song "Comme un enfant"

Dress: Gap Kids (similar here). Tights: American Apparel. Shoes: Madden Girl. Collar: ASOS (sorta similar here). Bag: Wayuu Mochila (bought at local festival from these peeps). Photos by Ana Cruz.

This is an XL Gap Kids dress I got the other day. Earlier this year, I was browsing Gap for work clothes when I spotted an amazing, colorful kids' dress across the store. I bought it and loved it, and got lots of compliments on it. Ever since I have been back to stock up on little dresses, this one being one of their newest items in store. The bag was gifted to me just a few days ago and I am in love with it. I bought a crossbody Wayuu mochila as well. I am a sucker for artisanal accessories, and I have a sweet spot for anything from Colombia.

I'm also excited because tonight I'm going to see M83! It shall be epic.

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Jeans and a tee shirt kind of girl--Outfit Ideas

2012-10-09T09:30:00.000-07:00

The simple "jeans and a t-shirt" outfit idea revisited and updated for fall, which is greatly welcomed here in North Texas where we burn to a crisp in the hot summer days.
Lately I have been playing with the idea of toughening up my image. I do a lot of the playful, colorful style but I think I'm ready for something more grown up.

Then again, I have my heart set on bright, playful colors and off-the-wall outfits and accessories.

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Your Music Dose: Yelle Yelle Yelle

2012-10-05T20:01:00.000-07:00

Oh Yelle. Je ne sais pas pourquoi, mais tout sonne tellement mieux en Français.

Puro pop azucarado y meloso

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My Outift: To blog or not to blog

2012-09-16T09:27:00.001-07:00

Cell phone/instagram pictures to document a cool party and my new favorite dress

NYLO South Side Dallas Open House VIP Party

Photos 1, 5, 6, 7, and 9 by L. Ortega

Dress: Anthropologie. Shoes: BCBGirls. Necklace: H&M. Belt: Target.

Last Wednesday I attended the Grand Opening VIP party for NYLO hotel in South Side Dallas. This party was swank, the champagne was flowing, and the view from the Soda Bar--their rooftop bar, was quite gorgeous.

Of all that I'm wearing, the most current items that you could still find are the belt and the necklace, maybe. The shoes are old, and the dress I can't find anywhere online.

I was having a hard time finding what to wear to this event. I needed a cocktail dress, and though I love dressing up I don't really own anything that suits this kind of occasion. I wear weird clothes and raggedy stuff to go to concerts and party. But this dress, even though is more summery, was a knockout. I got a lot of compliments and I think the color really favors my skin tone and hair color. Must add more orange to my wardrobe then! Also, the combination of hot pink on the necklace and bracelets and nail polish really popped. I wish I had better pictures, but you know my story with that.

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Instagrammafication of the events

2012-09-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

Doing "instagram posts" make me feel a bit guilty. They're a bit of a cop-out in my humble opinion, given that if you follow me on instagram well, you already saw all these photos. Unfortunately I still haven't bought a nice camera. Why, you ask? Well, first for lack of funds and now is because the money I had set aside for a nice am-pro digital camera went to clothes, of course. But I got some very cute stuff I promise! Well... clothes and partying.

I was recently reviewing my old style posts and realized my so-called-style was leaving much room for improvement. I'm working on it. At the same time though, I don't want to lose perspective of who I am and what I like in the process. What can I say? I like weird clothes and bright colors, because I am weird and full of vibrant colors in my mind. The trick is how to incorporate that into an outfit that looks great, and not like you got dressed in the dark.

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Burning Man: Fertility 2.0

2012-09-09T09:48:00.001-07:00

Photos are not mine. All taken from Flicker groups Burning Man and Burning Man 2012: Fertility 2.0. Click on images for sources

Black Rock City 2012. The city and civilization that exist for one week in the desert, only to leave no trace at all.

Please click on images for sources. These are just a taste of the amazing photos taken by the good ol' Burning Man citizens.

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Editorial Love: Diamonds are Forever

2012-08-06T19:46:00.003-07:00

I'm a huge fan of Kimberley Gordon of Wildfox, and her amazingly well curated blog, I love Wildfox! as well as her personal tumblr We Dream of Ice Cream. I am in awe of her eye for design and her aesthetic, that she is able to convey on to everything she does. Her new editorial for their 2013 swimsuit collection just rocks. How rad are not only the swimsuits, but the makeup, the hair, everything? I just love her work. This makes me want to go watch some good ol' Bond films (with Sean Connery, of course) right now... and start working on my abs.

Click here for source

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Lazy days of summer

2012-08-05T08:30:00.002-07:00

All photos taken by me. Except of course, the one above this line.

I don't want the summer to end.

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My Outfit: Rainbow Brite

2012-07-31T23:43:00.001-07:00

Pink and purple dip dye tips and lavender jeans

Shirt: GAP. Jeans and pink cuff: Forever21 (old). Orange necklace: Anthropologie. Shoes: Harajuku Lovers (old). Orange bracelets: Assorted (H&M, Urban Outfitters). Cross silver bracelet: Gifted/present (MX). Gold triangle/pyramid necklaces: H&M.

I found myself at Sally Beauty Supply shopping for new hair treatments when I came across Color Buzz hair chalk by Beyond the Zone. This is like high pigmented eye shadow powder--for your hair. Since I have blonde tips the colors really popped and as long as you stay dry and cool (and not hot and sweaty in the summer heat) the color really stays and looks wonderful, and washes out with the first shampoo. Perfect for people like me who have a normal day job where pink and purple hair might not be something appropriate.
Check out my Harajuku Lovers platform peeptoe shoes. These are OLD. I don't wear them often because the sole is sooooo cute but also delicate, and I hate to get it all scratched up. They're also kind of hard to walk around in since the heel is not very stable. Still, they're hella cute.

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Your Music Dose: New Bat for Lashes

2012-07-24T08:58:00.000-07:00

I'm ready to slit my wrists to the brand new Bat for Lashes song, "Laura". It is every bit BFL: beautiful arrangements, haunting voice, absolutely dramatic, sappy, and heartbreaking. I love it.

The video, of course, is very theatrical and dramatic as well. Natasha can do no wrong in my eyes.

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All Aboard on the S.S. Coachella??

2012-07-21T07:20:00.002-07:00

Photo credit: Coachella

Uh whaaaaaa.... Coachella is venturing out at sea with a killer cruise and a killer lineup. WTF? How did this come about?? I am SO tempted to buy into this, not only because it's a cruise, but it's a cruise with PULP (and yeah everyone else too).

It's a bit odd though. I looked into the info as soon as I found out about this and somehow their disclaimer made it seem you're not guaranteed to see the band you want to go for. Uh say what? Not cool.

That said, they have Grimes, Father John Misty, !!! (though they play every effin' festival year in year out), Simian mobile Disco, the Rapture, Girl Talk, and PULP on board. Pulp. Singing Common People. On a cruise out in the Bahamas. Does that sound ironic enough to you?

That said, it seems pretty rad, regardless of everything else. Imagine if it crashes... You could be swimming for your life next to Jarvis-fucking-Cocker!! How fucking sexy would that be? I bet he'd write a badass album about it.

Radiohead wouldn't be caught dead singing on a cruise ship though. However Jetsetting DJ superstar Thom Y would totally be putting some sweet beats on the decks at one of these. He already hosted a DJ set inside the cabin of a crashed airplane out in the middle of Glastonbury. Hmmm so maybe if it crashes then we could see him DJ there.

If you're interested, reserve your SS Coachella cabin today here.

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Your Music Dose: It's Time for some Justice

2012-07-21T07:03:00.000-07:00

It is indeed time for Justice. Their new single, New Lands, came out maybe a week or so ago and the video is quite epic. It was produced by Cananda, whom some of you may remember from that very awesome Bombay video they produced for El Guincho.

There's a "behind the scenes" clip about the production of this music video, but I really want to see how they got the perfect 80s look for this. And I don't mean the costumes or anything, but lenses, film filters? From the behind the scenes, it doesn't look like this was produced the analog way, and I'm dying to know how they got the tint and look so right. But don't mind me I'm a film freak.

As badass as this video is, it distracts me from the song, and I can't quite say whether I like it or not. It's quite odd that sometimes a song can be used as background score for an important scene in a film, and you can't stop thinking "My goodness what is that song?? I must have it". When the opposite is done though--that is, when a song is promoted with an over-the-top video to make it seem like part of a film score, it just doesn't have the same effect. That or maybe this new song is not great. You decide.

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Insta-Summer Random Fabulousity

2012-07-15T09:27:00.001-07:00

Supercalifragilisticexpialidociously instagramatic summer so far. Bad things, good things, memorable things. I tend to take pictures of details rather than the whole, err, picture, as it were.

You can follow if ya like, right over here.

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Have a Happy 4th of July!

2012-07-04T07:41:00.004-07:00

Have an awesome 4th, drink responsibly, and blow some badass fireworks up!

Sorry for the lack of updates, but real life has been kicking my ass.

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Music Dose: Les Sans Culottes

2012-06-13T09:30:00.000-07:00

I have an infinite love affair with romance languages, specially French, and I am particularly a smitten kitten with French 60s yeyé pop. Don't ask why, I just do! It's not so much that I'm a francophile as that I am a lover of beautiful languages (I have a similar affinity for Russian and its literature of early 20th Century, but I'm not as fond of Russian music, oops).

That said, I found out about this band back in '03 and I guess somehow I forgot about them. I just recently remembered this awesome song of theirs because I actually felt compelled to say "Aló, aló, Je t'aime!" to someone, and like lightning it struck me that this song existed. Now lemme tell 'ya, these peeps are not French! They are actually from Brooklyn and like moi, they have a love for the French language, which to my ear it sounds they've completely mastered. In the same vein of Pink Martini, they're all about retro sounds and exude way cool air of Je ne sais quoi, and this song is so fun you must add it to your list of starred tracks on spotify.

I am in such a 60s French pop phase at the moment, it's all I've been listening for days. Maybe my French will finally improve.

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