This post is sponsored by SLINK Jeans, you can find their Premium Collection for Plus Size CURVY women at www.SlinkJeans.com
Please forgive me for the quality of the photos in this post, they are all my original photos from many years ago!
My Story begins 18 years ago, just 3 years after Selena Quintanilla Perez was taken from all who loved her so much! I had the opportunity to go to Corpus Christi for a national pageant event my good friend was participating in, so I made sure to make time to experience anything to do with Selena because this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for a young girl from Detroit. My sister, cousins and I went to the Selena memorial site where she is buried as well as her memorial statue and of course her Selena Etc. store. I can still remember the emotion that came over me while shopping in her store, just knowing that she stood in that same store before, I felt so overwhelmed with love and excitement.
These are the pieces from the actual Selena Etc store that is sadly no longer around. These are very near and dear to me as they were all her designs, the black leggings with her name down the sides still have the tags and have never been worn, they were just to special to me… the other pieces I just couldn’t help myself, they were too cute! I remember spending will over $400 that day, but it was worth every penny if not more!
When we were shopping at the store an employee told us that we should go to the Q-Productions Studio building where all her memorabilia was displayed and they would give tours at certain times. We drove straight there hoping to get a chance to see all her items on display, again just in awe of being anywhere Selena was at some point in time was so incredible! When we arrived at the studio there were not any tours scheduled for the rest of the day, but the lady at the front desk inquired about where we were from and was amazed that we came from Michigan. She was nice enough to take time and give us a tour herself, we later found out she was one of Selena’s Tia’s. As we were walking, I had tears when we turned around and heard Mr. Quintanilla’s voice. He asked “Where are you ladies from” and he also was surprised that we came to visit from over 1200 miles away. He was nice enough to take us on part of the tour, showing us her car, dresses, Grammy’s and even the recording studio. He also showed us props from the Selena movie. We saw her sister Suzette sitting in a office nearby on a phone call and she waved as we walked by! Her father was seriously beyond nice to us, and he didn’t have to be but that just shows where Selena learned her down to earth, kind moral values that she herself displayed in everything that she did! I can’t tell you how unbelievable it was to be in his presence, for me, my sister and cousins, there was no other way to be closer to Selena.
A year after having this amazing experience, I was attending Specs Howard School of Media Arts and in my final project I had to produce, shoot and edit an entire 10 min segment on my own. I choose to highlight the Mexican Town area Detroit. It featured local restaurants, stores, and businesses, I chose to use the background music from the Kumbia Kings which is the music band lead by Selena’s brother A.B. Quintanilla. As apart of the requirements I had to send a letter to the recording artists production company letting them know I was using their music and they were not required to respond. I sent a letter to Mr. Quintanilla asking for permission to use the music in my project and mentioned that we had met a year prior and thanked him for his kindness and let him know how much I appreciated the experience. Sure enough not long after I sent the letter, I came into class and my teacher said that a man called and said that he received my letter and gave permission to use the music in my project, that message was left by Mr. Quintanilla, again going above and beyond to help out others. A few years later, I was able to meet them too!
Selena has been inspiring young girls for years as she still is til this day. Attending the MAC Selena World Premiere really brought this entire Selena experience full circle for me! Knowing I was one of the first to see her dream come true and even own a few pieces of the MAC Selena line is really an honor! I was so lucky to share this experience with Crystal from www.LoveMoreLiveBlessed.com . Check out her post “7 Things you didn’t know about Selena” on her blog!
Congrats to MAC on making this experience the most memorable event for any Selena fan and even more bringing us together to celebrate one of her many dreams coming true. I also applaud MAC on choosing the most passionate MAC artists within their company to attend and work this event. These two ladies along with many others entered a Selena makeover contest to be able to work this event. Their talent and artistry is mind-blowing and their kindness and passion speaks volumes. Congrats Marissa and Hazell on being among the winners of MAC Selena contest.
You can follow them both at @funmakeup505 and Misha.mua
Thanks for stopping by,
~In Loving Memory of Selena Quintanilla Perez~
Selena’s murder was a sad affair indeed – that those we trust could hurt us is unfathomable to me. It is good that she continues to inspire and help others still.
You look great with Mac goodies too!
Great tribute! This piece brought back so many memories of that time. Selena would be proud. I am so happy for her family that they were able to make Selena’s dreams a reality.
This is such a sweet tribute to Selena. She sounds like a wonderful person.
What a lovely tribute, her dad sounds super nice what a great experience to go and visit and remember and learn more about Selena it must give the family comfort to have people come from far and wide to visit.
That was so sad that her life was taken at such a young age. It’s really good to see people like you, her true fans continue to bring life to her legacy.
What a great experience and a lovely tribute. So sad when a life is taken this way. Her memory lives on.
Such a great write up! How awesome that you had so many great experiences with Mr. Quintanilla. What great memories to have. I like everyone else loves Selena, her music helped me learned spanish ( at the time, I’ve seen forgotten), and its still amazing to see the impact that she still has on all of us. I loved reading this. Thanks so much.
Thank you Erin, your note means so much! I also wanted to learn more Spanish after hearing her music! She really did touch a lot of people!
What an awesome experience and a beautiful tribute! I love the original items that you bought from the store!
That’s so amazing that you have such a history and relationship with someone so cool! she was definitely beyond my time, but maybe i should do my research on her and listen to some of her music 🙂
Yes Sofie, her life was very inspiring, Have you seen the movie? Thats a great place to start!
This is all so neat! I may need to take a trip to Corpus Christi. I was introduced to Selena’s music in school in Spanish class. I loved the music and the movie. I did several projects in classes based on her life and music. She had so much to say in her short life.
Wow Tabitha, Thats so cool to hear! You definitely should go, they have all her outfits and awards on display. Even her car! Thank you for sharing!
Girl your pictures are bomb! I love this post. Selena’s music had a big role in my life, I love how she influenced so many of us. ❤
Thank you Lisa, She was such an inspiration ..we were lucky to have her in our world!