Hello there, beautiful fashion community! My name is Esperanza Botello, and I am currently attending UC-Irvine as a Business Administration major with an emphasis on Marketing and Finance. This is my first time interning as a Style Guru for CollegeFashionista, and I cannot wait to capture incredible style.
You may be thinking, “How does a business major love fashion?” Well, I have inherited the entrepreneurial spirit from my mother, a previous business owner. In addition, I have also gained a love of fashion from my grandmother, a self-creator of beautiful garments. Coincidently, I have found I equally love both career routes. I continue to dream of being a businesswoman in the fashion industry and designing my own brand.
I love to create. I have found myself collecting artistic hobbies, such as sewing, designing, drawing, painting and dancing. When I started college, I had to search for a creative outlet, since all of my schoolwork was focused on static business management. I quickly found myself partaking in a fashion interest group on campus. This small, meaningful group understands and appreciates the art of fashion, as do I. That’s where I started to fully express my desires for fashion design. This year, I am creating my second line for our annual fashion show. I am amateur at best, but this is just the start. I hope to grow to resemble my grandmother one day.
This amazing group also motivated me to start a fashion blog called Hopebottle, where I document the evolution of my style. I don’t think that the way I dress can be described in a category such a grungy, preppy or chic. I enjoy playing around with unique pieces like this vintage kimono, dark tones, chunky sandals and lace details. In my opinion, there is no specific style that can describe my evolving fashion choices. I can look like a modern grandma who never let go of her ‘20s evening kimono (displayed in my outfit choice of the day) or a teenager that should have lived in the ‘80s. I don’t even know how I will feel the next day, but creating an attitude in an outfit is an art.
I am beyond excited to document the unique style on my campus. I attend school in southern California where the weather is always perfect and personal style has no limits. Let’s all hope that the students bring their A-game.
