espy STYLE LESSONS

It’s DAY THREE of the espy STYLE LESSONS!

Check out Charlotte teaching you “How to Dress a Petite Figure”

Check out Ashley teaching you “How to Accessorize”

Couples Shopping Night with Pepe and Eva is TONIGHT at espy! Bring your sweetheart for an early Valentine’s date tonight – make some art with Pepe and Eva, browse and purchase signed art, SHOP and EXPERIENCE espy, AND listen to music by EVENi (Pepe and Eva’s band).

See you tonight!

xoxoxoxoxox

the espy stylists

espy STYLE LESSONS

It’s DAY TWO of the espy STYLE LESSONS!

Check out Stella’s “Top 10 Must Have Items in Your Wardrobe”

Check out Meagan’s “In-between Seasons” Berry Lip Tutorial

Reminder!!!! 

Tonight is espy’s #yycnyc ART PARTY! Pepe, Eva, and Adrian are prepping to REVEAL their collaborative mural tonight! You won’t want to miss the sushi, cocktails, and affordable art on display in espy and on sale! Click here to see the FULL SCHEDULE of #spreadloveyyc art events.

xoxoxoxoxox

the espy stylists

FAQs about #spreadloveyyc

1. What does #spreadloveyyc mean?

This year, espy is committed to spreading and sharing love the best way we can. In our new home in the Art Block, we are proud to become a bigger part of the art community in Calgary. We are so lucky to be hosting 2 very talented and up and coming artists from New York City this week. Pepe and Eva have flown all the way from New York to work on art for the store, for you, and to teach art! espy really wants to continue our vision for loving yourself and loving your body. Pepe and Eva’s art is an extension of that vision and will now be painted on the walls and the changerooms as a constant reminder of LOVE.

2. What and when are our events?

February 2 to February 5:

Feb. 2 – #yycnyc Art Party (6pm-11pm)

Feb. 3 – Drop in Art Classes (10:30am-5pm)

Feb. 3 – Couples Shopping Night (5pm-9pm)

Feb. 4 – Kids Art Classes (11am-3pm)

Feb. 5 – Kids Art Classes (11am-1pm)

3. Kids art classes? What’s going on?

We are offering FREE kids art classes on Saturday, Feb. 4 and Sunday, Feb. 5. Sign your kids up online by clicking here and scrolling to the bottom of the page. Fill out the info it asks and show up! Your kids will be able to create some art with Pepe and Eva and take it home with them!

4. Who are Pepe , Eva, and Adrian?

Pepe and Eva are Dutch artists living in New York city. They are also musicians of the band EVENi. They will be performing in the store on Friday, Feb. 3 for our Couples Shopping Night!

Adrian is a local artist and teacher for the CBE. He is collaborating with Pepe and Eva on a mural for our store as well as teaching art!

5. Do the events cost anything?

NO! Every event is FREE FREE FREE!!!!

6. What’s happening at the #yycnyc art party?

Pepe, Eva, and Adrian will be REVEALING their collaborative mural! They will also be showcasing and selling some of their most recent, affordable works. It’s a great night to shop, browse, and take in some culture from both Calgary and New York. Sushi and wine on espy!

7. Not a kid but still want to take an art class?

No problem! All day on Friday, Feb. 3 espy is offering free, drop in adult art classes. The artists will be teaching you how to make a water color painting out of a compliment you have received in your life! Its FREE and you get to take your work home with you!

8. Art supplies?

Everything you and your kids need to create will be provided at espy!

9. If I see some art I would like to purchase, can I?

Of course! Valentine’s Day is coming up and Pepe and Eva’s one-of-a-kind works of art are the perfect gift for him or her. Original, thoughtful, and full of love!

10.  Where can I find more info?

Follow the espy stylists on twitter, Facebook, and our website. Click here for the full schedule of events.

xoxoxoxoxox

the espy stylists

espy STYLE LESSONS!

It’s DAY ONE of the espy NOON HOUR STYLE LESSONS!

Check out Clark and Tianna talking about SPRING 2012 TRENDS….

Alex telling you “How to Style Skinny Jeans!”…..

Tomorrow watch for Stella teaching you “The 10 Must Have Items for Your Wardrobe” and Meagan teaching you “How to Apply the In-between Seasons Lip”

xoxoxoxoxox

the espy stylists

Testimonial DENIM DRAW Winner!!!

Congratulations JULIE MORTER! 

Julie has WON a FREE pair of jeans and a denim fitting at espy for sending us a customer testimonial about her own personal espy experience!

Here’s what she had to say:

“I saw your note about customer testimonials, and I thought I would tell you about my experience.

I initially came to ESPY because I had a Groupon for 100 dollars off. When I read the details I saw the note about the customized jeans fitting, but I assumed that it just meant there would be a lot of styles to choose from. Instead, I had several different staff members providing advice on everything from cut, rise height, wash and pocket position. They even managed to convince me to try on a pair of skinny jeans- something I thought I would never do! In the end, the skinny jeans were my favorites, and I never would have considered trying them on if the staff at ESPY hadn’t convinced me to give it a shot. Not only that, they helped to show me how I could style my new jeans to get the best effect. In the first two weeks after I bought my jeans, I wore them 4 times! Next time I need a pair of jeans, I will be going to ESPY. The staff are incredibly friendly, and their tips help you find the pair of jeans that make you feel confident and sexy.”

Thank you again Julie!

xoxoxoxoxox

the espy stylists

Adrian Huysman at espy

Adrian Huysman is a born and raised Calgarian artist! He is a loyal espy customer and is thrilled to be teaming up with the espy staff and Pepe and Eva of Studio Marmalade for the in-store mural as well as to teach and share art with you during #spreadloveyyc Art Week at espy!

Adrian has been a teacher for the Calgary Board of Education for 4 years and has been teaching adult and childrens art classes at the North Mount Pleasant Art Center for 6 years. He will be offering Drop in Adult Art Classes from 10:30am to 5pm on Friday, February 3 at espy. He graduated from the Alberta College of Art and Design in 2002 and he has a Bachelors of Education and Bachelors of Fine Arts. He is currently working on his Masters.

Adrian grew up in an artistic family, which allowed him to grow creatively and pursue his love of art from a young age. Adrian describes his work as fast-paced, thoughtful, and full of color. He has a wonderful knack for communicating and showing the accessibility of art. He finds his inspiration from artists such as David Hockney and Picasso.

He is so excited to be a part of an espy event because he feels the positive vibe and incredible energy of the espy team.

“Calgary is getting more and more excited about both art and fashion, it’s completely natural to hold an event where they are side-by-side.”

Adrian has a wonderful art project to teach this week using water color and compliments! Check out this video where he shows espy assistant buyer Charlotte and espy beauty manager Meagan how to paint and create something beautiful through the power of words:

Check out Adrian’s blog and some of his work by clicking here.

Click here for the full schedule of #spreadloveyyc events!

Pepe and Eva at espy

Pepe and Eva are Amsterdam-born street artists and musicians living in the Lower East Side of New York City. They are visiting Calgary and espy to work on an art collaboration in the store with local artist Adrian Huysman, as well as teach and make art with espy customers – old and new!

Pepe and Eva sell their pieces of art on the streets of Soho. Check out their website Studio Marmalade to see some of their work. Their mission as artists, and musicians of the band EVENi, is to spread love. If you have been to espy in the last 2 months, you will have noticed art by Pepe and Eva all around the store – for sale and hanging on the espy walls. They have worked together with espy to create a line of greeting cards from their whimsical and inspirational prints, which are available for purchase in the store.

Currently, “Eva’s World” and “PEPE” are showing at the Graffik Gallery in London. The Graffik Gallery is dedicated to urban art and shows street artists from around the world. Most famously, they show works by the internationally infamous graffiti artist and 2011 Academy Award Nominee for Best Documentary, Banksy. Banksy is an anonymous British artist known for his political and satirical comments on society that he draws, stencils, and spray paints on buildings all over the world.

Pepe and Eva are street artists like Banksy, but their focus is to comment on spreading and sharing love. Eva’s childlike, yet sophisticated drawings tug at your heart strings while Pepe’s graphic hearts make love the coolest emotion around. Street art has become one of the most influential forms of art of our generation – and New York City has been a central part of the advancement of this form.

Both Pepe and Eva love to teach art and offer lessons at their studio in New York. They love to collaborate on pieces with new people and to share their vision of love with everyone. They also make and sell funky, one-of-a-kind jewelry. “Like” them on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Studio-Marmalade/150702998319541) to check out more of their work. When they are home from Calgary, they have an opening exhibition at Le Salon d’Art.

Pepe and Eva will be in the store from Wednesday, February 1 to Sunday, February 5. For the full list of events during #spreadloveyyc Art Week at espy, please click here.

GOING TO THE BEACH SALE STARTS TODAY!!

Today is espy’s BEACH SALE! And to celebrate, here is a list of the espy stylists’ fav TRENDS to wear on your BEACH VACAY this winter:

-natural, kinked hair – blonde streaks

-gladiator sandals

-cute BEACH TOWELS and matching BEACH BAGS

-straw fedoras

-a JINANTAN! (bronzer EVERYWHERE!)

-wedges

-bandeau bikini tops

-BRIGHT COLORS

-see through tanks with bikini tops underneath (lace and sheer!)

-floral sundresses

-BIG sunglasses

-BIG FLOPPY SUN HATS AND LOTS OF SUNSCREEN! SPF everyone!

So much cute stuff is out already! AND EXCLUSIVE DEAL ON BJORN BORG UNDERWEAR – BUY 3 GET ONE FREE! (that includes socks!)

xoxoxoxoxoxox See you tonight everyone! xoxoxoxoxoxox

-the espy stylists

SPRING 2012 IS HERE!

It’s been so chilly out there – but SO warm inside espy! Spring 2012 is starting to arrive – so here are some style tips on how to blend the newest trends into your winter wardrobe when you’re a petite!

Charlotte – espy’s petite-sized stylist and assistant buyer – is modeling looks from espy’s Spring 2012 collections. You wouldn’t know it from these photos, but Char is only 5’2!!!!

When you are petite – your number one goal should be to LENGTHEN! There is a theme in all the looks the espy stylists have put together and that is SEPARATING the body into SECTIONS. You do not want to look like a tiny (but we’re sure very cute) blob. You need to tuck tops in, utilize belts with your jeans and skirts, and try something other than a skinny jean! Skinnies are everyone’s go – to, especially during the winter because it is so easy to throw your boots on over top. But why not try a trouser jean? You can still wear your boots underneath! The wide leg, with a pair of heels or a pair of boots with a heel, lengthens the leg like you wouldn’t believe. Trousers are so much more versatile than you think. They look equally as cute with a graphic tee as they do with a blousy top tucked in.

One trend a petite might be afraid of is…..the maxi dress and the maxi skirt. It isn’t the easiest look to pull off, but it is so in style this season. What we did with Char is put her in a bright red maxi skirt, a tight white tank, and a little black blazer. What makes this look work is how we accessorized it. By tying a black scarf around the smallest park of her waist and putting a long necklace with a bright, chunky pendent we’ve added length so the fabric of the skirt isn’t drowning her little body.

Okay – let’s talk about a little petite trick the espy stylists use. We’ve all seen A LOT of crop-tops over the last few seasons. Crop-tops are great for petites because…well…they actually aren’t that short on you! Crop-tops will skim just above the top of your jeans – and that allows you to break up your body into sections. A crop top with a mid or low rise jean helps to create proportion – and when we have good proportions (natural or not) we look longer.

One of the biggest trends for this spring is light, blousy, button down tops. If you are petite, you won’t want to wear one of these tops loose over jeans or leggings because your entire shape will be completely lost – and we lose the body sections and therefore lose the proportions. What we did with Char was take a loose button down top in a pastel pinky peach (huge color this spring!)  and tie it just below her waist.

What to take away? – Emphasize the smallest part of your  body (either your waist or just below your bust) with a belt or a scarf to create proportions. TUCK YOUR TOPS IN and wear a great chunky belt – your legs will look longer. Be adventurous and try a long skirt – look how chic Char is in the bright red! Accessorize with long, pendant necklaces, bright colors, belts, and headbands.

Look out for Charlotte’s “How to Dress a Petite Figure” lesson next week on our website during #spreadloveyyc. Click here for the full schedule of events. You definitely won’t want to miss meeting NYC artists Pepe and Eva of Studio Marmalade, our #yycnyc Art Party, or kids and adult art classes with local artist Adrian! 

xoxoxoxoxox

the espy stylists

GOING TO THE BEACH SALE!

We’re celebrating WINTER GETAWAYS with our GOING TO THE BEACH SALE from January 26 to the 29. Megan is bringing TONS of super cute, colorful, and summery beachwear from Montreal for our sale.

You want to look super fab on the beaches this winter, right? And where else are you going to find tops, dresses, skirts, shorts, bikinis, Bjorn Borg swimwear, and sunnies for espy prices in time for your vacay?? No where but espy of course!

Look out for your EXCLUSIVE invite to espy’s Going to the Beach Party on Jan. 26 – bikini clad bartender, espy stylists in fashion forward beachwear, DJ Jon Spade, Lit Cosmetics Glitter Bar with Jodi, sunscreen tips from beauty manager Meagan…..espy is bringing some fun, warmth, and fashion to your January!

Can’t wait to see you all there !

xoxoxoxox

the espy stylists