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" The good folks at Frank &amp;amp;amp; Oak are launching their latest run of limited edition clothing on Tuesday, February 19th, and we&amp;#039;ve got the first look at the gear. Dubbed &amp;quot;Escondido&amp;quot; for the California town that inspired it, the collection is a summer-in-the-winter kind of affair, with lightweight printed shirts, washed-out crewneck sweatshirts, and easygoing shorts all making an appearance. It&amp;#039;s enough to make a guy long for warm weather \u2014 or at least a vacation. To mark the occasion, we caught up with Frank &amp;amp;amp; Oak founder Ethan Song for a chat. Read on for his thoughts on (among other things) oceanside nostalgia, dusty color palettes, and the bare-minimum packing list for a weekend away, then watch the video at the bottom for even more on Escondido from the man himself. Esquire.com: Why Escondido? Ethan Song: A big part of the ideas and feel behind this collection goes back to my teenage years growing up in Montreal. My father used to work in the animation industry, so I would travel to California in the summer to surf and skate in places like Santa Monica and Huntington Beach. Over the last few years, this desire to escape the normalcy of daily life and the cold of Canadian winters took me all over the US, Mexico and beyond... to places like Escondido. So Escondido is really a reflection of one&amp;#039;s need to escape, to venture out, to seek the ocean. ESQ: We love the washed-out colors in the collection, and that there are a few pops of brightness in there. How&amp;#039;d you land on the Escondido palette? ES: It&amp;#039;s an organic process. Once I get inspired by the theme \u2014 the idea of the collection I want to create \u2014 the choice of colors flows naturally. In this case the soft colors \u2014 light blue, salmon, and shades of beige \u2014 come from the warmth and happy feelings associated with past summer memories. I&amp;#039;m really glad you like the bolder shades. I tend to take a concept, a direction, and then turn it on its head. So the bright colors are a reminder to not take anything too seriously.    ESQ: And what about the patterns? We were feeling a little &amp;#039;90s skate vibe mixed with something a little dressier with elements like the striped shirts. ES: It&amp;#039;s not exactly a &amp;#039;90s skate vibe, but there&amp;#039;s definitely a throwback to some old school skate and surf brands I grew up with, though I&amp;#039;ve modernized things and added an extra touch of sophistication. ESQ: What&amp;#039;s your favorite piece in the collection, personally? We know it&amp;#039;s like picking a favorite child, but give it a shot. ES: I love the printed dress shirts because they feel fresh and yet subtle. And the bolder burnt orange french terry crew neck. The french terry is lighter and was washed to create a worn out feel right from the start. Combined, they&amp;#039;re perfect layering pieces for pretty much any occasion. ESQ: You talk about the value of packing light. What&amp;#039;s in your bag for a quick weekend trip to a warm-weather locale?  ES: Whenever traveling, I always try to bring as little as possible. Although I do like to dress the part, so whatever I bring will differ based on where I&amp;#039;m heading. When I head south, I usually bring a few lighter crewneck T-shirts in warm shades like salmon or blue, a pair of slim cargo shorts, a pair of pastel chinos, a pair of worn kicks like Vans or old school Nikes, and a few printed and chambray dress shirts. On top of that, I&amp;#039;ll add a light bomber jacket or a canvas overshirt for cooler nights. One thing I never forget is some kind of camera, whether a Canon E12 or a GoPro, as well as a printed bandana. I try to fit everything in a canvas weekender, and if I have more room I&amp;#039;ll throw in a short panama hat or one of my favorite vintage caps.      "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.esquire.com/style/interviews/a19637/frank-and-oak-escondido-collection-ethan-song-interview-021513/>