News

With the passing of Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start to summer has arrived! The beaches are open and the temperatures in NYC have certainly risen to meet the season. Are you all stocked up on summer whites? Stripes? Whatever your outdoor summer adventures of choice are, one of the most important things to remember is to hydrate--otherwise you'll fade faster than your summer glow come October! If you don't already carry a reusable water bottle, they're the perfect solution to staying hydrated: cheaper than buying bottled water and more environmentally friendly. Plus, there are so many cute (and BPA-free!) options out there... 

Nalgene 

They've been around for ages, and growing up "Nalgene" was synonymous with "water bottle" in the way that people use "Kleenex" to mean "tissue." They have evolved over the years and now offer BPA-free bottles in a range of sizes and styles. Aside from the classic 32 oz wide mouth bottle they also have sizes and designs for kids, bicyclists, and more.

   

Liberty Bottles 

All-aluminum, BPA-free bottles made in the US! They come in a range of colors or with screenprinted designs, and are available in 24 oz or 32 oz sizes.

      

bkr 

If you don't like drinking from metal or plastic, bottles from bkr have you covered. Their bottles come in a 16 oz size, and are made of glass enclosed in a sleeve of recyclable silicone, which comes in a lot of great summery colors. 

Continue...

We recently shot our Fall/Winter '12 lookbook over at Jack Studios (maybe you already know that from following us on Twitter!) Leading up to the shoot we stopped by Lost and Found Props -- which conveniently is in the same building as the photo studio! -- and explored their extensive collections to find the perfect props for the scenes we had in mind.

  

It's easy to be distracted by the thousands of props set up in Lost and Found. Organized thematically, you can find objects from multiple time periods for almost any conceivable use. They also have an amazing collection of fabrics and linens, dining sets, and furniture. This time around, we were on the hunt for items that would go along with our Fall and Winter themes. I went into the mission with an extensive wishlist of items, and found exactly what we needed there!
 

Fast forward a few days, and we were back on the west side at Jack Studios for the photoshoot. Up on the 12th floor, our space had an amazing view of the Hudson River. It was a full day of shooting with several scene changes and a bunch of great models. Check out some of the behind the scenes shots:

(view from Jack Studios | props waiting to be used)

(the making of a winter scene | "snowy" action shot)

(rocking some Fall '12 building blocks|back to school!)
 

Thanks to everyone who made the shoot such a success! Particularly Scott, Jen, and all our little models: Indy, Mackenzie, Violet, Josephine, Thomas, Chayton and Nicholas.

Continue...

Spring may have technically started a few weeks ago, but this weekend marks two of the big spring (religious) holidays: Passover and Easter. For those not celebrating either, these days are often most recognizable by the foods they bring to the plate: 

Passover Eats: 

The difference between a Passover-observant-Jew and everyone else boils down to one contentious issue: what do you think about Matzah? To those subsisting off the likes of Matzah pizza all week, it is the equivalent to eating cardboard. To everyone else, somehow it is reimagined as an oversize tasty cracker (go figure). It is also the basis of one of my favorite soups of all time: matzo ball soup. If you do feel stuck in a rut, though, you can always try out something new: 

Matzo Granola (via Chow)

Since bread and other traditional baked goods are no-no's, a common dessert is coconut macaroons. You can always buy the pre-packaged ones, but this recipe for grown-up Pina Colada macaroons by Butter Me Up Brooklyn looks perfect:

Or, if you're in New York, NY Mag has put together a list of Passover-friendly spots to grab a bite. Check it out here.

Easter Treats: 

When I think of Easter, I picture a a pastel bunny-filled explosion. Painted eggs are fun for everyone, as well as the subsequent hunt for them and the large baskets of candy at the end. But if you start to tire of scarfing down Peeps, you do have an option of something else to do with them:

(yes this is a Downton Abbey set of Peeps; you can make yours into your very own favorite TV show...or just keep eating them)

If you're looking for a new way to dye your eggs, you may want to check out the natural dye recipes made by Annie's Eats. She used a bunch of commonly found vegetables to dye her Easter eggs this year!

No matter how you're spending your weekend, we hope your Spring is off to a great start!

Continue...

This past weekend we were at Playtime NY in SoHo, showcasing our upcoming Fall/Winter 2012 collection and meeting some of you. (hi!) As you may know by now, we are big fans of these shows and finding the best ways to showcase each collection. Our booth, once again, was a testament to what a little ingenuity and a pile of average supplies can accomplish. This time around we tackled tape: duct, masking, electrical, you name it. Layer by layer, a fall scene took over our space:

Aside from the show, we're also pleased as punch to show off our Spring line, which is now available to order in our shop. Load up on stripes, giraffes, and other fun pieces because spring seems to be coming faster than it normally does!

Continue...

Happy Valentine's Day from Little Esop to you!

Continue...

Today is Groundhog Day, and if you haven't heard, the illustrious Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow (which for whatever reason indicates 6 extra weeks of winter). However, here in New York, Staten Island Chuck did *not* see his shadow. Which furry animal to believe? Frankly, it hardly even seems like it's been winter at all around here so far--it will be near-impossible to distinguish which groundhog is right as we seamlessly transition to Spring. Whenever Spring does arrive, we'll be ready for it! Our factories have been sewing up the Spring line out of some fabrics that we're really excited about. Here's a sneak peek from our the lookbook we shot over the summer(!):

Continue...

Did you know that our office is a stone's throw from one edge of Chinatown? We're so close that all Monday we could hear a continual stream of fireworks being set off (though, where they were coming from was never determined). Since the way to our hearts is through our stomaches, here are some of our favorite Chinatown eats in celebration of the Chinese New Year.

Continue...

As winter settles in, sick days become a more common occurrence as you're laid up in on the couch wondering what to do and if you have enough tissues to make it through the end of the day. Reading's a good choice. And if you're feeling slightly more energetic, a good craft, game or puzzle ought to do the trick to keep you from going stir crazy. My favorite activity, though, is curling up in front of a movie. 

Continue...