When I got this wrap as a tester, my first impression of this wrap was that it was really pink, and a little too geometric for my tastes. Once I had done the finishing wash and iron and got around to the first wrap, my first impression was that it was way too grippy and sticky for me. That's okay; it's kind of nice to have wraps that you're not tempted to buy, right?!
I have been using Espalier a great deal for the last three weeks or so, and it has grown on me. I might be tempted to give it a place in my stash after all!
To me, this has been quite a unique wrap. I can't think of any Pavo that I would compare it to, and I don't think its wrapping qualities are for everyone. First of all, this is not a snuggle wrap. If you love the texture of Giras and silky bamboo blends, please don't buy Espalier and spend two months supercoiling it. Second of all, this wrap has some serious grip. If you like sliding passes and easy adjustments, I think you'd enjoy almost any other Pavo more; if you're a new wrapper, be prepared to have a steep learning curve for Espalier. Third of all, this wrap does change a LOT with washing, ironing and wearing, so please don't churn it straight out of the box!
Where does the wrap shine? To explain, I'll have to tell you about my wrappee: she's three years old, a champion leaner (aided and abetted by her calm persistence), almost 30 pounds, and we do some quick carries and a lot of carries that last for over an hour. Carrying a curious, busy 30 pounds for an hour asks a lot of a wrap! So when I say this wrap gets a secure, solid carry, I really mean it!
My favorite carry ended up being one that I hardly ever use: wiggleproof. One of my recent wrapping challenges has been taking my 3yo to my advanced level dog training class. It is full of dogs who may or may not like toddlers, and adults who have paid money to be able to focus on their dogs, so I need her wrapped up and happy. She's much happier when she can see everything, so the ruck pass that starts off WP has been the perfect solution -- and all the reinforcing passes have been the solution for my back. With Espalier, I can start her just as high as is comfortable for me, and she stays up there. Furthermore, the grip and support means that the reinforcing passes stay put even if I'm multi-tasking when I put her up and don't spend the time to get everything perfect. If I get slack in a reinforcing pass, it doesn't work its way into the body of the carry and ruin everything.
So let's talk about the grip. I call myself a Goldilocks of grippiness, because I like it right in the middle: not too grippy and not too slippy. (I estimate a Zara is about perfect for a grippy wrap.) Why? People say they like grip because it will hold a sloppy wrap job in place, so it feels more secure. Maybe 10 pounds ago, but my girl works the grip out of a carry after a while, and then I just have sag. I also have three kids, and often am wrapping quickly and distracted, and I like a wrap where I can get a precise wrap job by feel.
However, I was willing to compromise on grip with Espalier. First of all, it feels fairly thin and moldable; a lot of grippy wraps are also thick, and that is just too much for my wrapping style. Espalier felt fairly easy to work with even though it had grip. Second, and more importantly: it actually HELD HER WEIGHT. When I took pictures, I could often see that there was slack in places, especially the edge of the passes. But it didn't work out during the carry and leave me saggy and my little one too low.
The grip pattern was an all-over, fine, dense texture.
Now let's talk about "the famous Pavo stretch and support." Espalier comes in way more on the side of support than of stretch. It definitely had enough movement for a comfortable "give," but not so much that the carry really settled in and molded, or that it had actual bounce. (With the caveat that this was a really long wrap, so I only tried single-layer carries once or twice.)
Now for the famous "breaking-in" question, or "wearable out of the box." First confession: I don't find most Pavos "need" breaking in, and that I can usually get perfectly comfortable wrap jobs by the second wrap or so. However, this one did certainly change over the first couple weeks of wearing. I didn't do ANY coiling, braiding, etc (except that I often braid my wraps to keep them neat), and I enjoyed Espalier at all its different stages. However, some people are probably going to find Espalier crunchy out of the bag.
After a couple of weeks, Espalier has become very moldable, and has a thinner feel than how it started. The texture feels a little smoother in hand, although I doubt it is ever going to be super soft. It might also end up being less dramatically grippy than what I'm writing about, especially in a shorter wrap. It becomes significantly easier to wrap with quickly and smoothly after a whole bunch of wearings.
On other notes about care and handling... the wrap I have is finished very nicely. You know how a lot of wraps get wrinkly on the short edges after their finishing wash? It's just a cosmetic thing, but Espalier has one of the smoothest hems that I've seen. This doesn't tend to have a wrinkly "look," and I've seen no tendency (so far) for creasing along the rails. And of course, this has middle markers on both sides -- one of those little things that I really appreciate about Pavo!
And for the design? It turned out that I really like it wrapped, especially in carries where you see different passes coming in different directions. The natural curves of being wrapped balanced out the geometry of the design. The two sides are a noticeably different pattern, but not so different that having opposite-side passes looked dramatic.
Everyone always asks what other wraps one would compare it to, especially other Pavos. I've chatted with one other previewer, and we both agree it's fairly unique -- she chose one Pavo form, which I don't think Espalier resembles AT ALL, and I chose another, which she thinks is pretty far from her impression. So let's just stick with: Espalier is pretty unique among Pavos!
The support reminds me of Folklore. The grip reminds me of Parterre. The texture reminds me a very little bit of P2, but all-over; or maybe a subtle non-thread-y version of Etini. The moldability reminds me of Hearts. The airiness is a little like Giraffe. And yet, in every other way except the one similarity, Espalier is totally different.
Espalier reminds me of the texture of Perito, although Espalier is thinner and more moldable. It also reminds me of a thinner, airier, and all-round more manageable Tekhni Olympos; the support/bounce are very similar in those. I can see a little bit of resemblance to a well-loved Didy linen indio, in the texture and feel of use, although the bounce is different.
The wrap feels nice and wide for a toddler. It's about 28 inches soft tape in hand, which is a little less than Pavo 2, and about the same as Hearts and Parterre.
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