Motionball Gala 2012

On Friday, Feb. 24 the espy stylists and our gorgeous friends went out on the town in support of Motionball – a not-for-profit organization that raises money and builds awareness for the Special Olympics Canada Foundation.

Getting ready at espy!

Tianna and Meike posing!

Finally arrived at the 2012 Motionball Gala!

This year, the 3rd Annual Calgary Motionball Gala was held at Flames Central! The theme of the night was 1940s, Hollywood Glam. The evening was a SOLD OUT affair! The event raised $50, 000 for Special Olympics and the organizers threw one hell of a party to celebrate. All the guests were decked out in their 1940s inspired garb while they enjoyed the complimentary bar, purchased raffle tickets for amazing prizes, and a performance by Canada’s very own Jully Black.

Jully Black performing!

Camilla Di Giuseppe from CTV Calgary and Rick Campanelli from Entertainment Tonight Canada hosted the event in style! Camilla looked amazing in her tuxedo pants and ultra-sexy red top – bringing it to the 40s with her era themed hat. Rick played up his classic blue suit by layering a grey cardigan over a plaid shirt and pairing the whole ensemble with a bow tie!

Camilla Di Giuseppe, Brett Wilson, and Rick Campanelli

espy’s fav Calgary celeb Brett Wilson was there to present the $50, 000 cheque to some very special athletes who danced up a storm with Miss Jully Black!

Brett Wilson presenting the cheque to the Special Olympics athletes!

the espy crew with ET Canada Host Rick Campanelli

The espy stylists stayed true to the theme with their carefully chosen outfits and the amazing hair and makeup done by none other than espy’s very own Meagan Fitzpatrick. Megan went full 1940s in her military dress by Betty Page, hat, and her leather gloves! Tianna wore a polka dot printed Stop Staring dress and nude pumps. Clark went clean and classic with a navy  blue fitted suit and 40′d it up with some thick rimmed glasses. espy’s friends Meike and Jenny rocked some true 1940s pin curls and rolls with red lips and fabulous shoes.

espy shoppers with Megan and Camilla Di Giuseppe

This was definitely a night to remember! Congratulations to the Calgary Motionball team on an incredible night and a successful fundraiser!

Clark and T - practicing their model poses!

Camilla interviewing Megan about true 1940s style

Clark, T, and our new friend Rick Campanelli!

Paul Horton, the Director of the Calgary Motionball Gala, graces the stage with Camilla and Rick. Great event Paul!

Megan, Jenny, and Tianna - showing off our makeup and hair done by espy's beauty manager Meagan Fitzpatrick!

xoxoxoxox

the espy stylists

espy at the Glenbow Museum’s SCHMANCY event

Last night espy attended a very “schmancy” event at the Glenbow and rubbed elbows with Calgary’s fashion elite and of course some Canadian celebs who were all dolled up to support the museum, check out the exhibits, and listen to Jian Ghomeshi’s talk – “Why Pop Culture Matters.”

The evening was a celebration of arts and culture in Calgary! It was a fresh party with a topical theme and some very beautiful people outfitted in some fabulous fashion. There were some disasters as well – but the effort to get SCHMANCY was appreciated by all party-goers, espy included. We saw a number of guests dressed in their very own espy finds!

Making friends with Jian Ghomeshi

Megan nerding out with Jay Ingram!!

Melanie Kjorlien, Megan Szanik, and Brett Wilson at SCHMANCY! Photo courtesy of the Glenbow Museum

Big thanks to Melanie at the Glenbow for inviting espy to attend this amazing night! And congrats to the raffle winners of the night who might just be shopping at espy soon!

xoxoxoxox

the espy stylists

sh*t espy stylists say

Have you seen this yet???

If you’ve ever shopped at espy – you will understand! All in fun!

xoxoxoxox

the espy stylists

Goodbye PEPE and EVA

#spreadloveyyc was a FANTASTIC week at espy! BIG thanks to Pepe and Eva for coming all the way to Calgary to paint the store, share their art with the espy staff and espy customers, and make art with you and your kids. Messages of love, positivity, and lightness are literally painted on the walls of espy as a constant reminder to love yourself and love your body.

Another HUGE thanks to Adrian Huysman for all his hard work during #spreadloveyyc. And of course for all the mochas for the espy staff!

Thank you to all those who joined in our art festivities this week – and all those who watched us on the CTV Calgary morning news. It was an exciting Friday to have Cynthia Roebuck reporting live from espy!

To follow and keep up to date on Pepe and Eva please like them on Facebook under the name “Studio Marmalade.”

Click to check out our gallery of photos from #spreadloveyyc Art Week at espy with visiting NYC artists Pepe and Eva!

We wish Pepe and Eva the best of luck at their exhibition in New York on the 9th and continued success with their art and music! We are going to miss you guys SOOOO MUCH!

Check out Pepe and Eva’s video of their time in Calgary:

xoxoxoxoxox

the espy stylists

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

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

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

NOMINATIONS for espy MAKEOVER!

This is what we LOVE to hear! Thank you Nicole for all your kind words – you are an amazing woman.

Know anyone like Nicole that totally deserves an espy makeover??

NOMINATE THEM! Send your nomination in video or text with photos to info@espyexperience.com.  Tell us why they deserve a $500 wardrobe FOR FREE from espy with the help of the espy style team AND the chance to be on espy’s reality tv show! (oh yes – we’re doing it!) All you have to do is nominate someone you know is beautiful, but can’t seem to see it themselves. Let espy help get your nominees back to loving themselves! Remember – 2012 at espy is all about SPREADING the LOVE. Let’s spread the love together and make 2012 a confident, stylish, and successful year.

xoxoxoxox

the espy stylists