Hello there!

Hello, hello...
After over a month of absence I'm back to announce... a whole new period of absence.
I was leaving town for college tomorrow but then everything changed and I'm leaving on Monday. I start school on Wednesday.
I'm pretty excited about leaving so I was kinda upset, but hey, if life gives you lemons make lemonade, so I have more time to work on un-arranged matters.
So I have a busy week, plus, another busy, internet-less week ahead of me, alas, I don't think I'll be around here a lot. My intentions are, though, to dedicate a lot more time to blogging. I have many plans for this blog.

By now, I think it's time for you to know me...I think just a nomme de plume doesn't make a great connection with the readers.
Just so you know...
My real name is Emilia Igartua Vellatti, but you can call me Emy, Emily or Em... or by my nomme de plume.
I am mexican though my last names are the first spanish and the latter italian.
I am as you know, 18 years old an my birthday is on January the 12th.
I have just one sister, who's 9 years older than me. She's getting married to a French guy next April and moving to Paris. Lucky her, right?
Taking advantage of that I'm planning to go to Parsons Paris for 6 months during my career, and given that there's also Parsons New York, I want to go another 6 months there. And so, start my New York dream plans.
What is it with us bloggers with New York?

I have also mentioned before that I'm starting next week (gasp!) college, and I'm going into visual arts. I love art, I draw, I started painting again recently even though I don't do it much.
But my real knack, is doing collages. It sounds lame, but I'm really, really good at it. I'll post some pics later.
That's why my dream is to become a fashion magazine's creative director.

While art has been my passion during my whole life, there's another passion I discovered a few years ago while working on a homework. I love writing. And well, maybe this blog doesn't show it...but I'm not bad at it. Someday, I'm gonna write a fantasy novel, a non-fantasy novel, and write & illustrate several children's books.

I lost quite some weight due to an illness last month, and I'm not planning on regaining it anytime soon; I sometimes believe quite firmly that I was born in the wrong epoque. One of my all-time favorite movies is The Beauty and the Beast which I watched every single day when I was a child. My mom says it's my story because I read way too much when I was little and I have always dreamt of "something more than this provincial life". I wear contact lenses because I'm quite very blind. I have an obsession for fashion magazines, and I love music, so if you love music too that's a very good way to start a conversation with me. Also, recommendations are very, very welcome.

The name M.B. Whimsical stands for something. It was not picked up randomly. While I'm not giving out why M.B., I will tell you that Whimsical is one of my favorite English words because it represents a lot to me, a lot of my childhood and a lot of what I'm still am. It remembers me of how funny the world is and how some times life can be a fairytale (yes I'm cheesy, I know that).

I also think I grew up a lot this last year, and I think I will continue to this next one.
Oh and I love watching the same movies over and over again.
And did I ever mention my father looks like John Lennon? Especially when he was young and wore his hair longer.

Oh and this is me...



Nice to meet you all.
I'll try to keep this thing updated, but if not wish me luck!
Until next time.

Infinite x's & o's...
Em / M.B. Whimsical.

This is how it feels....

On happy news, I'm glad to announce that M.B. Whimsical has officially graduated from High School.

Yes, I'm excited about this new kind of freedom I'm about to begin. I'm excited about what's next, about making it happen, my dreams. I'm excited about college and everything I'll learn.
But honestly, I'm kinda nostalgic. And scared.

Allright, I'm terrified. And when I say nostalgic I mean at the verge of tears.

I guess I can't believe it's actually over. I mean, it's something we have always known would be over, but it is over...it's that kind of things you think you understand but when they happen you realize you don't. This is about your whole life changing, it's not about just leaving for the summer and then coming back for another school year, this is about real life.

It's about no more hanging out with your friends because you'll be miles apart. And yes we'll see each other on holidays and whatever, but it's hard to grasp that it will never ever be the same.
It's about leaving home and everything it implies. A safety net. If anything happened to us, we knew back home it would all be all right. Nothing will ever replace the warmth of our beds and home made meal, and lazy late Sunday brunches.

It's like we've been on rehearsals and we're about to start performing. And we are. We've spent the past 18 years get prepared for life, theoretically, but in reality, what is real life? Do these 18 years count as real life? Or does it begin the moment we start taking care of ourselves? (and I mean real care)
Our decisions will be now be ours and no one else's. No more mom and dad cleaning up messes our decisions caused. No more excuses, ever.
And I guess that will be one of the hardest parts of breaking out into real life.
Everything we've lived has been like virtual.
We can't help but as ourselves "Are we ready for this?" "Will we make it out there? Will we survive?"
And I can answer myself this: Will I survive? Yes, I will survive (Please don't start singing!) But I don't wanna just survive. It's not enough. Not for me.
And it's a scary thought. But everything in this life(real or virtual) is scary at first isn't it?
You just have to close your eyes and count 1,2,3 and jump.

But of course, it's always easier to say it than to do it.
It's really hard to think that we're never coming back.

All graduated, please listen to "The Graduation Song" by Vitamin C. I've been told it's really iconic up in the U.S., but I had never listened to it before a month ago.
It describes perfectly and exactly how I feel.


For now all I can really say is I'll never forget that night in June.

Infinite x's & o's...
M.B. Whimsical

Summer Essentials 2008

Hello, hello sunshines!

Summer's less than a week away, how exciting is that?
I love summer, it's just too full of surprises. Summer's a time for dreamers.

(For product information click here)

Either if you are in NYC, having the time of your life interning at some fashion magazine ( like Casey), or just living your dream like Gala; sunbathing in Santorini, Ibiza, ou Bourdeux; traveling around Europe with nothing more than a backpack, a guitar and a camera; like me, moving away from home and starting a whole new different phase of your life, or working your buts off the whole summer, there a few things you should not forget.

So I give you... M.B. Whimsical's Summer 2008 Essentials.

• Summer's a time for celebration. Dress up and go out dancing. Black in the summer (as weird as it may sound) can't go wrong.
  Now, SHOES! This summer make a statement. Hot prints, brights, or just go classy, that never, ever goes out.
  
  
  
• Carry an over sized clutch during the day, a small, elegant one during the night.
  Don't forget a practical, but cute tote or messenger bag to carry around your trinkets.
  A hot pink is perfect.
  
  
• Inside your previously - selected bag carry everything you think is indispensable for your day. Take a trip to the park or the beach and greet the sun rays. Throw in your towel, your ipod, sunglasses, and some suncreen. Take your all-time favorite book and re-read it. Again. Take a cute notebook and a pretty coloured pen and write all your dreams and life plans. Or just a random notebook. Feel the breeze in your face, the sun in your skin, squeeze the sand between your toes and let your hand roam freely.
  
  
• Make a point on not forgetting your sunglasses and sunscreen.
  "Wrinkles and creases are for "it" bags and old love letters." - Gala Darling.
  
  
• Cute accesories.
  
  
• Rosy cheeks are very summer-like. Tarte's cheekstain is beyond perfect.
  
  
• Hats. Headbands. Headscarves. Turbans. Go head over heels.
  Wear some huge sunglasses and pretend your a star hiding from the paparazzis.
  A coy smile would be your best accesory.
  
  
• If your going away, pretty and feminine luggage is key. It makes you feel like a real jetsetter. A cute passport holder wouldn't hurt.
  And I have the perfect soundtrack for you: Jetsetter by Morningwood.
  And the perfect outfit.
  Have a safe flight!
  
  
• A bottle of water.
  
  
• A dreamy and happy disposition for everything summer has in store for you.
  
  
• And most important of all, a camera so you can document all your adventures.
  Smile!
  While you're at it, you can use a Moleskine or some cute notebook too, so you keep track of your summer lovin' days.
  

Have an outrageous summer my sweets. Make the most of it! Have fun. Smile. Blow kisses. Make bubbles. Swim. Make a cocktail night with your friends. Eat lots of sushi. Download lots of good music. Dance like crazy. Watch lots of movies. Make something artistic. Buy balloons, and give away flowers.
Whatever you do make a statement. You are doing it anyway, and because of that it's already wonderful. (Someone has been reading too many Notes from the Universe hehe!)

And please remeber: Carpe diem sunshines! Summer goes by pretty fast!

Infinite x's & o's...
M.B. Whimsical.

Hey, Mickey!

(product information)

I want to dress like Mickey Mouse so badly.

Infinite x's & o's...
M.B. Whimsical.

Strawberry Fields Forever...

I'm in love.


Infinite x's & o's...
M.B. Whimsical.

Over my head.

Thanks to Gossip Girl,
Headband = Blair Waldorf.

And with good reason...today while googling around my google reader, I found Jennifer Behr's site.
Jennifer Behr's headbands have been displayed by Blair in several occasions.
Watch and drool...


Luckily, if you own a nice vintage brooch, the first two look quite DIY.
Inspired? I think so.

Infinite x's & o's...
M.B. Whimsical.

Dearest fellow students,

Time flies. It really does. And some of us are facing something we thought would never come - we know it would, but it's hard to seize the fact that the time is here.
Remember when in kindergarten you'd see high schoolers passed by and wonder about the time when it would be your turn to be in high school? It seemed pretty far away, didn't it?
And now, we look back try to understand how life went by so fast. Some of us are facing graduation, and while it's the beginning of an exciting, new phase, full of opportunities, it is also the end to life as we know it, everything we're used to, and everything we've ever known. Everything that's safe.
We're about to change routes. Start a new journey, and all those we've been traveling with? They will go down different roads. So will we.

Graduates, this is a time of joy, of embracing what lies ahead of us, and the millions of new possibilities. Let's get excited about life, and celebrate the end of an era.
This is a time of many "lasts" but also many "firsts". During this week, we've found ourselves saying "This is the last math test I'll do", or "This is the last social service report I'll ever fill", "Tomorrow's our last day", or "Nothing will ever be the same."
And it won't.
It's really hard for me to think about my class, my friends, and to understand that it just won't be no more. No more laughing in between classes, no more organizing events with the student's council, no more of everything I've ever known.
I'm leaving home. I have about a month and a few days left here, and then I'm leaving for college to a different, bigger, and unknown city. And when I say bigger I mean bigger. I'm trading it all for art school, for a career in visual arts in the university I wanted. And that's where beginnings come in.
Yes, these are my last days in my life. But it's hello to the rest of my life.
And it's exciting to think about everything I'll learn, everyone I'll meet and everything I'll live from now on.
And I know you are too.

To you who are just starting high school, I know you are too, because all along, you always know high school is the beginning of the end. But at the same time, college is the beginning of the grand finale.
After college, there's nothing but real life, and that is scary.

To you, who are about to start these bittersweet high school days, carpe diem.
Don't let it drift away. Make it yours. Live it. Hard. Laugh, talk, learn, fall, and rise again. Make huge mistakes; stick around. Never stop smiling. Kiss, a lot. Make friends. Be open, never say never. Really, you never know what can happen. Take chances, it's high school what is there to lose? Be yourself, what's the point on living how other's want? It's yours and yours alone.
Believe in Karma: what goes around comes around. Fail, and fail better. Live it. Responsibly. Make smart choices. Never forget consequences. Be whoever you want to be.
Just because you can.
Hold it tight to your heart, because when you least expect it, it'll be over. Over to give way to something new.

And that's the way it goes. What's new right now, will be old.
A beginning will become an end and an end is always a beginning.

And don't worry, even when everything looks oh-so-dark, later you'll look back and laugh about it.

Time flies. Embrace it. Embrace this bittersweet moments, for they will never come back.
I'm finding that very hard to believe.

I've cried over this song a few times now. And that's all I can say.

"Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where yo go
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why
It's not a question but a lesson learned in time.

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.


So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial
For what it's worth it was worth all the while

It's something unpredictable, but the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life."

Good riddance (Time of your life) - Green Day

Dearest fellow students...it's our time to fly.
Have a safe flight.

Infinite x's & o's...
M.B. Whimsical.

John & Paul & Ringo & George.

Product Information - here.

Oh, darling...
I love you guys!
You make my days a lot brighter!

I'm currently sick. I have a terrible cold and a sore throat, so I spent my whole afternoon doing absolutely NOTHING. Thank god for darling time-wasting sites like Polyvore, and all the ones in my Google Reader. When I arrived from school I actually intended to sleep, but once you turn the computer on there's no way back.
I'm taking a lot of medicines & antibiotics. The first gulp of the cough mixture sent me back to my childhood summer days when I always caught colds playing in the rain. I really, really felt like a child again, but hey, just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down...

So, I spent my day lounging around my bedroom with my laptop surfing Polyvore, until, UNTIL... I came across this T-shirt. And being the Beatles lover I am, it was love at first sight, so I just had to create a set (above).

It instantly entered my Summer Wishlist, right on top, right next to these Vans Rain Boots, which will be absolutely perfect for the weather of the city I'm moving to in two months (such capricious weather, hence the umbrellas too). The Betsey Johnson watch, I already own. And I want to stack on a huge variety of scarves too. And a pair of Black & White Oxfords for next fall. Please don't come and tell they're so last season, because I won't care (and hope they're not).
Thank you :).



Obla-di, obla-da...
Sargent Pepper...just kidding.

Infinite x's & o's...
M.B Whimsical.

Hey, all Uniform wearers...

Bubbly Susie from Style Bubble rebels against her strict uniform rules and plays around with Gossip Girl and it's almost-ridiculously heightened fashion.

I loved this little self-made photoshoot and spread. Very ingenious and uniformly fun!

As for myself, I'm saying au revoir to my strict uniform in about a week, hello college. But I think Gossip Girl's definitely gonna have an influence in my student wardrobe.

Go check it. You know you (will) love her!

Infinite x's & o's...
M.B. Whimsical.

Frida

Frida's life wasn't easy. Since very little she suffered from great pain and illnesses. In her whole life she underwent 35 operations in total.
It was this boredom and frustration that led her to paint. Her dad was a painter, so, naturally, he encouraged her to it (she was given by her parents a special easel so she could paint while in bed).

At that's it. Her life wasn't easy, but she always was Frida.
Not for a second she lost that intriguing expression, or her natural colorfulness. As much pain her once-shattered leg would give her, all pictures, all records will always show her as nothing else but Frida. Even the the name's become strong and resounding.

Naturally, as a mexican, I have always been a fan of her work. When I was little my mom took me to "La Casa Azul" in Mexico City, and while, I remember clearly, I was pretty shocked with here crude paintings, her way of showcasing her illnesses, seeing her huge "Las dos Fridas." ("The Two Fridas")
painting was indeed quite shocking for a seven year-old. But it's very impressive to see how her mind reeled.
Few artists have depicted such gloomy themes in a colorful way like she did.

Last sumer, in the Fine Arts Palace Museum in Mexico City as well, they held a huge exposition of her work, and her life. It was something big.
It had from her masterpieces, childhood sketches to scholar text books. But my favorite part was a room where they had letters she wrote (covered in glass/plastic/whatever of course) hanging from the ceiling, so they were all to eye-level, and you could read them all. Her hand writing was just too gorgeous to be true, delicate and feminine. And the way she expressed herself was as colorful as her paintings. You will always picture her with that enigmatic smile on her face, some witty thought across her head.

But why talk about Frida Kahlo right now?
Well, last week I rented the movie. I had never seen it, shame on me, I know. But I don't know why I had the impression it wasn't good at all. But since it's a film by Julie Taymor (who made Across the Univere, which I consider to be perfect in ever possible way) I thought it would be interesting to see Frida and that part of mexican culture through her eyes. And I must say I loved it. The storyline can be a little superflous, yes, but visually, the film is subime. It's like a postcard. Julie Taymor certainly has a knack for finding visual and concept artists.

Something else I loved about Frida, and something I realized while watching the movie (and it's absolutely true) is how she always was so colorful, so polished, such a fashionista, in her way, of course. Even in the most painful moments she was wearing gold filigree earrings, colorful necklaces, embroidered shirts, flowers in her head...She bore Mexico all over her.

And you know, she was right, sometimes we're feeling all down and tired and sick, and the last thing we feel like doing is worrying what to wear and about make-up, wa, wa ,wa...
but sometimes that's what we need to feel better. It's almost impossible to feel crappy while wearing Chanel, Christian Louboutins and an Alexis Mabille's headband, isn't it?

So in honor of one of the greatest artists ever (and please do note she's one of the few widely famous female artists) I made a couple of ensembles a la Frida Kahlo, in Polyvore...

Product Information - here

Imagine her in Paris during her exhibition walking down Champs Éysées with her colorful pashminas and flowers in her head. It is said she cause quite a fuss...Mexican embroidered dresses had to be imported. She even was in Vogue's cover. Not bad, huh?

Product information - here

This is a set of things Frida Kahlo would wear.
I absolutely loved the palm umbrella, totally her, and I went crazy searching for headbands and hair accessories for this set.
Don't forget, lots of embroidered, golden filigree, bright colors, pashminas, chunky jewelry and go big on the head: braids, flowers, headbands...

Oh and about the camera, I just thought that's a camera color she would pick.

¡Viva la Vida!

Infinite x's & o's...
M.B. Whimsical.