Free People Blog

The other day I mentioned that Jemma, Naomi and I hit up some of our favorite spots in Philadelphia to shoot a mini “Ode to Philly” lookbook in celebration of our store opening on Walnut St! We had so much fun shooting these photos, and we hope you love them too :)

Julia

My location was the street I grew up on.  I felt it was symbolic in many ways, as our Philly store opening definitely feels like a homecoming for Free People.  Despite a brief time in San Francisco, I’ve lived in Philly my entire life – from the Fairmount neighborhood pictured below, to the suburbs just outside the city, to West Philadelphia, Manayunk, Center City, and now Old City. Home is where the heart is, and my heart will always be in Philly.

I’m wearing the FP Light Weight Stretch Skinny Jeans, California Love Tee, Studded Plaid Buttondown, Vegan Leather Jacket, Wingtip Boot, Sam Feather Trim Fedora and Mari Flap Bag.  This is pretty much the type of thing I wear every day – I’m definitely a jeans and tee girl, and I am currently in love with the studded plaid shirt and wingtip boots!

Naomi

My favorite spot in Philadelphia is the train station. I first discovered it when I came to the city for college. On breaks, I would often travel by Amtrak to get home. The first time that I walked into the giant hall, my breath sort of leapt from my body. It feels exactly how you’d imagine a train station should feel. Sounds echo off of the huge high ceilings and passengers await their trains on long wooden benches. The elegance takes me back to days when people traveled on trains everywhere. The station also reminds me of my dad (he has a bit of a train fascination/hobby) which was a very comforting feeling when I first left home for college. I’ve now lived in Philly for about five years, and I’ve spent a lot of time in that train station. For six months I was commuting to NYC three days a week to intern, and that place became my best friend.

I wanted to wear my favorite new Free People item there for this shoot. I fell in love with the Thrifty Eyes Dress the minute I saw photos come back of Karlie Kloss in our January book. I just got it this week, and I can’t wear it all different ways. This time around I paired it with our new Denim Button-Down and these awesome platforms which we’ll have on the site soon!

Jemma

My favorite place in Philly is Johnny Brenda’s, a bar in Fishtown, but yesterday I wanted to go to a place that I’ve been itching to go to for a while – I’m still kinda exploring Philly having moved here from the UK so… Franklin Fountain was the place I wanted to feast my eyes upon. I’m a girl who loves sweet things and things that are pretty to look, and during the summer months ice cream is my No1.  Franklin Fountain apparently has the best ice cream so I went to try and it didn’t disappoint – I was like a young girl in a candy store.

Wearing the Retro Sleeve Dress, Lace Up Leather Jacket and Marrakesh Floppy Hat.