If you're like us you know what it feels like to have a bottle of lotion at your desk during the winter months! With all the cold weather that has recently crept up, it is nice to know some preventative measures are in place to keep our hands from feeling dry :) Our very own Aloe Vera lining uses the technology of microfiber capsulets to infuse the softest possible ingredient, Aloe Vera into our warm brushed glove linings, making chapped "winter hands" a thing of the past. Aloe Vera has amazing benefits for protecting and moisturizing skin and is sure to keep you looking your best all winter long!

- Carol and Alyssa

Many of you might be wondering what goes into our mSoft styles to make them so deliciously warm and cozy.....  

mSoft: m is for Modal, Miracle fiber, Manageability and Micro-fiber! We have taken our already incredible soft acrylic and made it even softer by creating a proprietary blend of soft acrylic and Modal. The result is a smoother, more comfortable, more durable yarn, that has the added value of a breathable natural fiber and wow does it look great in our diverse selection of colors!! The Super mSoft roving yarn has the loft of Icelandic wool without the scratchy fibers that can show up on your contact lens!

A few of our most popular styles include our mSoft Chunky Cuff Hat and mSoft Chunky Hand Knit Muffler:

This past Wednesday was a very exciting day for all of us here at Echo in many regards. The showrooms were filled with a variety of people checking out the new product that will hit department and specialty store shelves next year. Being that it was press day, an event where editors come from all over New York to preview new product, it was almost hard to keep track of everyone coming through the Echo doors! However, one very special visitor was the new President of Rhode Island School of Design, Mr. John Maeda. Please see below for Mr. Maeda's blog entry of his experience in our NY office!

http://our.risd.edu/2008/11/12/do-i-see-an-echo/ 

Having come from Rhode Island School of Design and the Dale Chihuly exhibit, it was exciting to be in London and walk through the classical entrance at the Victoria and Albert Museum only to find a huge glass chandelier designed by Dale Chihuly. The store buyer (who we work with as the museum carries some of our Echo scarfs) explained the elaborate process undertaken in 2000 to build and hoist this breathtaking piece of work which is over 20 feet long from top to bottom.  

We are always pleasantly surprised to see some of the incredible things our customers do with their Echo scarfs. Today we received a warm email from Maureen Knoll out in California who was so inspired by our political scarfs, she had them reworked into this beautiful silk dress:  

Check out InStyle's newest tips on how to keep your wardrobe politically correct:

http://www.instyle.com/instyle/trends/hotfinds/0,,20231183_6,00.html

This past weekend I attended my 30th reunion at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in Providence.  Though I feel like it was just yesterday that I was working in the studios, hanging out in the Tap Room and going to exhibits, I had to face reality – 30 years is a VERY LONG TIME and I probably wasn’t going to see many familiar faces or names.  So it was particularly exciting to find a fantastic exhibit by world renowned glass artist, Dale Chihuly.  Dale had been the head of the glass department when I was a Textile Design student at RISD, and I had been fortunate enough to take a course with him.  He was a mentor to an entire generation of glass artists, and the exhibit included 8 or so talented artists who were former students.  It was a powerful visual display of the magnitude of Dale’s impact on the art world.  I have seen his work at the New York Botanical Gardens, and other installations, but this was the first time that I saw a lot of his sketches.  Dale had been a textile designer, which seems to have greatly influenced some of his work, and one of the special displays was a series of studies mounted as an entire wall of paintings.  Here are a couple of photos from the exhibit:

- Meg

Ok, so I have to admit that fashion may not be the first thing that comes to mind when we think about curing the world's unfortunate health complications; however I am proud to announce that Echo is working in collaboration with many great organizations to further the recognition of their causes. One such example is Echo's work with the Alzheimer's Association, New York City Chapter. On October 26th, The Alzheimer's Association, New York City Chapter will be commemorating their 20th anniversary Memory Walk, the nation's largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer's care, support and research. In honor of the milestone, 3D pop artist Charles Fazzino was commissioned to create a beautiful piece of artwork that was then translated onto a scarf by Echo. The scarf, signed poster and a limited edition framed art print by Charles Fazzino can be earned by raising funds as a walker. The poster will also be available for purchase at Memory Walk and following the walk at the alznyc store.

- Alyssa

This morning was just another day in New York City for a transplanted Westcoaster. As we were walking back a mere 15 blocks from a presentation by Elle Magazine (good discussion on types of consumers and how they are shopping and buying) to our office , a number of interesting sightings captured life on the streets of the Big Apple: The first was a policeman on horseback blocking off a street - it is UN week with many world leaders visiting; As we passed, the horse began a snort and loud neigh as if it knew to say good morning. The next was a woman in flats who at a red light decided to change into her heels while waiting for the crossing signal to change. No stopping, no sitting, just flats off, heels on! We then passed another woman who sneezed, allowing us to offer a “bless you” followed by a quick “thank you” reply in the half second it took us to pass one another. All along we had the opportunity to categorize passersby according to the descriptors presented by Elle at the talk we just heard. Finally we made it to our street corner where our friendly fruit merchant was nowhere to be seen, only his fruit stand and fruit were there but he was not. As the trustworthy souls that we are, we simply helped ourselves to our normal selections and left the money where it is normally collected. I thought I came here for the fashion, design and culture which by the way isn't bad. But with all the quirky and fun happenings here each day, I’d have to agree that I love New York and the people in New York and do not wonder why people are inspired by this incredible city everyday.  

- Alyssa

Image provided by www.freefoto.com

Again on the island of Symi in Greece.  This time walking the streets.  We were struck by how wonderful close up details were.  Individually or in combination stairs, walls, doors and windows looked like modern abstract paintings.  They were both painterly and graphic at the same time.  Here are just a few of our favorites:

- Meg and Steven