Congratulations to Mary Tyler Moore on her Screen Actor's Guild Lifetime Achievement Award! I loved seeing the retrospective of her life and career but it was her great style that I enjoyed the most. She really knew how to wear a scarf!  And if that style of hat isn't named after her yet, it should be. But like Dick Van Dyke said in his introduction, it was the smile that really helped her 'make it after all.' That IS the best accessory :)

In a show of spontaneous color matching, 2 Echo employees arrived at an internal work party in outfits perfectly in tune. We love the solid tomato color paired with a soft paisley and also with a solid taupe, both with pops of beautiful turquoise.

Paisley is a recurring design pattern in Echo's design history. Almost every season, our designers update this iconic design element into new patterns with modern colors and fabrications.  From the more traditional and classic use of paisley in neutrals and jewel tones in our Paisley Oblong Scarf, to the bold, impactful artistic and overblown colors of our Oversized Paisley Square Scarf and Mosaic Tile Square Scarf from our Holiday 2011 collection, this pattern that has origins in the 7th century is anything but antiquated. We asked one of our designers, Nadia Klionsky-Olidort, also an artist, why this pattern has such longevity and what about paisley inspires her when designing artwork for any of Echo's designs.  
Paisley can be traced back to Central and South Asia.  It has a strong legacy in Persian culture from sometime before the 7th century C.E. The Boteh shape (which takes its name from the Hindi buta, “flower”) was originally embroidered onto fabric. And the name “paisley” came in the 19th century from the town of Paisley, Scotland where these designs were first manufactured on cotton and wool.  In the 1960’s and 70’s, Paisley prints experienced a revival in America and Europe, to the extent that even John Lennon was said to have had a paisley pattern printed on his Rolls Royce.
We always come back to paisley because it is timeless. The harmony of lines combined with exquisitely detailed motifs encourage us to renew our appreciation for the traditional. Trends come and go but we inevitably strive to identify that which is enduring.  Perhaps this explains why paisley never goes out of style. As a classically trained landscape painter, I have always had a deep sense of respect for the tradition.
For as far back as I can remember I have been fascinated by nature and by its timeless beauty. In my own landscapes, I give particular attention to scenes that, for me, convey the passage of time. In much the same way, the paisley—both a part of nature’s elegance and a design tradition that stretches from the Bay of Bengal to the Beatles— is a reminder of the importance of our histories in the development of contemporary art and design.

 

There are many, many ways to wear a scarf and the fashion world cycles through each style just as it cycles through seasons.  Since the scarf remains a consistent accessory in every season, appearing in versatile patterns and colors, often one method will stand out as the trend in itself.  For Spring 2012, it's the headwrap.  Take a second to see how easy it is to tie and wear a headwrap - and be sure to bookmark all our how-to videos for quick wardrobe inspiration. 

 

 

On Friday, the New York Times T Magazine published a little teaser on the scarf headwrap trend for Spring 2012.

Echo's solid wool wrap with silk protein was featured in the October 2011 issue of Real Simple magazine in a one of fall's bright bold colors: chartreuse!  This wrap is the perfect accessory for fall.  It hits a beautiful functional note by keeping you warm when you wear it over a jacket, but it's also pretty as a melody when added to any outfit.  As one of Echo's most popular styles, it has a range of colors and has a unique manufacturing element.  You may be wondering, 'what exactly is silk protein?'  Was it made with silk from a silkworm on the Atkins diet?  Not exactly.  The wrap is 100% mercenized wool, meaning that it's a high quality wool that is treated with an alkali to increase its strength and receptiveness to the dye which also gives it a silky look and finish.  The end result is a super soft, beautiful and very versatile wrap that will take you from the office, to an evening stroll, from a shopping trip to a fancy dinner.  That's really simple ;)

The traditonal definiton of the word scarf brings to mind soft fabric wrapped around the neck for comfort against the cold. But we know that function will never upstage fashion. So your scarf choices should clearly not be based on function alone. Nature's red carpet event is Autumn and she's not showing up without some flair; why should you? Our designers find inspiration from patterns in nature for our print scarves as well as for features added to scarves. This fall, feathers are a major influence. This particular scarf below is a simple, easy shape - a triangle - and worn with each end knotted.  It's made of soft tubular silk satin and embellished with real ostrich feathers.  It's a simple piece that makes a statement.   Nature is always trendy!

We're loving this trend for the summer season: big floppy hats. They are glamorous and functional - all at once.  Hats, in general, impart a specific message and a feeling for the wearer.  Think about it. You walk a little differently with a cowboy hat on, right? A Fedora has a classic look all it's own (Read our blog post "The Fedora: It's French. It's Dramatic. It's Class")  But the beauty of a big floppy hat is that it looks great on everyone.  It adds instant drama to any outfit and it provides shade. And mystery. Just like your favorite pair of sunnies, you can tip this hat just so and angle it down over your eyes for a little beach intrigue.  So, when planning a seaside vacation, be sure to pack your beach bag carefully - and include the one most important item that will protect your lovely skin and showcase the beauty you are.

Echo's Bold Stripe hat as seen in Lucky Magazine;  Echo's Braided Floppy Hat as seen in the NYTimes.com Spring Trends Slideshow.

Katherine Heigl was spotted in NYC over the weekend wearing our Super Chunky Neck Ring.  We love how she paired it with a plaid coat and leggings in the same color family as the teal neck ring. See it here.  Her daughter Naleigh certainly adds a dose of adorableness! 

The beauty of a monochromatic palette versus one that uses a range of colors is in what the lowlights and highlights reveal. We can appreciate the subtleties of the different shapes and lines that are revealed when only one color is used, in this case, a neutral.  Photography is a great way to showcase this as seen in this photo by Jan Masny below.  The fabric appears fluid and even though the image is static, the movement is implied by the depth and dimension that could still be seen if each dress were a different color, but since this is all in greys, the results are much more evident and striking.  Color is a great tool but experimenting with an all-neutral palette in your wardrobe or in decorating your home can be a wonderfully interesting.

 

In your fall and winter wardrobe, choose different tones of the same neutral color family and play with layers.  This puts the focus on the fabrics and difference in textures and patterns.  For example, wear a tweed pencil skirt with a cable knit poncho or cape and tall leather boots. The effect is sophisticated and clean.  In home decorating, it's a standard rule when staging a home to present a neutral canvas for potential buyers to imagine themselves in that environment - to visualize it as their home.  The family's personality can then show with the bold, bright accessories against the neutral shades.  Using this method of decorating also contributes to the longevity of your interior design allowing you to simply change the accessories and accent colors without making a huge investment.  Aside from that, using neutrals in the home is very calming to the eye.  It is one of nature's best palettes after all - evident in the sand and the sea grass. 
   

When I say Fedora, you instantly picture a classic scene: It's dark, most likely raining, a siren wails in the distance and a soft plume of smoke rises from a cigarette as a man steps out of the shadows, wearing a trenchcoat and a slick, stylish fedora on his head with the brim pulled down low over his eyes.  He says "Here's looking at you, kid."  (clutch heart, faint.)

The Fedora almost has it's own identity - one it has maintained through various incarnations of pop culture trends but always staying true to it's basic message: Class. Contrary to popular belief, the Fedora was a popular women's style before it became the classic film noir calling card for men's fashion.  The hat that we now call the Fedora existed before we called it the Fedora - known as the Homburg, but the name Fedora stuck because of the popularity of one woman.    In 1882 the tragic, dramatic stage and later silent screen actress Sarah Bernhardt starred as the heroine in a French play called Fedora, by Victorien Sardou, in which she played Princess Fedora. Bernhardt, a.k.a The Divine Sarah, was considered the most important actress of her time so even 100 years before Madonna, throngs of women were dressing like their idols. Women had been wearing widebrimmed, elaborate hats at the end of the 1800s and with the introduction of open-air cars and public transit - often quite crowded - you can imagine the potential problems. Also, men of society never stepped out without a hat so the practicality of the short brimmed, flexible fabric Fedora worked for everyone.   The theme of the play Fedora was Nihilism and carnality (Madonna again anyone?) and she took her roles seriously. It was during this time that she acquired her famous coffin, in which she often slept in lieu of a bed, claiming it helped her understand her many tragic roles. In a performance of Fedora in Seattle in 1923, she arrived in true diva (pre-Madonna) fashion, entourage and all, in a special 12-car train comprising three Pullman cars, two private cars, a day coach, five baggage cars, and the engine. One of the Pullman cars was Mme. Bernhardt’s personal car, a traveling home “fitted up in the most elaborate style” as “a palace on wheels.”

Sarah Bernhardt, emoting the Drama

Today the Fedora has become a stylish accessory for men and women. The official definition of a Fedora is any hat creased down the center, pinched on both sides of the front and worn with the brim bent down low over the eyes. A similar style is the Panama hat - usually made of a lighter fabric or woven straw, with a fabric sash.  These hats were originally made in Ecuador and the term 'Panama Hats' stuck as a result of President Theodore Roosevelt wearing the one on a visit to the construction of the Panama Canal. The first Fedoras were made of a heavier felt leaving the Panama hat, made of straw, to become associated with the tropics, and any seaside locales due to it's lighter fabric. Both styles were and still are popular due to the ability to protect the wearer's head from the wind and weather, and the fact that they are great for traveling.   Most versions of both styles can be rolled up for storage and easily pop back into shape.  How many trends can you say that about?