August 29, 2007
to the dogs
Some of the pups at the office this week... I know, just more proof that the folks at Free People just fool around all day...
August 28, 2007
new wellies
Get prepared for wet and cold. We've brought back the Hunter Wellies in 4 colors. And this year we have the Wellie Warmers too (seen worn with the boots in top photo), to make your boots extra warm and comfy.
Hunter is the authentic Scottish brand of wellies dating back to the 1800s. So these are no joke...
August 27, 2007
craft inc.
Thought I'd pass along this recommendation to all of our crafty readers. I spotted this book on Lena Corwin's blog and it definitely sounds like a must read for all of you small business crafty girls. Check out the website and Lena's review!
August 23, 2007
stache haters
FP girl has something to say to all you stache haters. But first, check out this hat made by Vik Pronsdottir. I spotted it over on love forever and it is fitting for today's topic...
Anywho, those of you insulting the Free People girls, shame on you. These girls work so hard to make these beautiful things. There are people in this office working 12 hour days and eating lunch at their desks. There are people working weekend after weekend to find the perfect shoes, or the most amazing ribbon trim. And it's not all fun; there are still endless emails, and paperwork, and meetings and reports. It might sound silly, but this is what we do. And we are lucky enough to work in an environment where we can work that hard, and still fit in some paper mustaches. There is love, sweat and passion put into Free People and we hope that is evident in the products we sell and the images we create.
August 22, 2007
margo slinger
Thank you to Bloesem for intoducing me to the work of Margo Slinger. You have to check out her website of work. It is so clever and funny and beautiful. All of the buttons on her website are little vintage buttons (an one silly rabbit?). The navigation is a little tricky, and it's easy to get lost in Slingerland, but so much fun...
August 21, 2007
mustache friday
The girls at the home office were inspired by the gods to declare last Friday, Mustache Friday. Check out the pics...
k o p party
The girls at our King of Prussia store hosted a party last week to celebrate their 2 year anniversary. Happy birthday KOP! Here's a pic of a few of the shop girls sporting their FP face paint.
August 20, 2007
flying fabrics
Check out this rather beautiful video of floating fabrics above Copenhagen's harbor. Produced by Danish textile company, Kvadrat, I found it on Lena Corwin's blog. I love the contrast of the organically flowing fabrics with the industrial surroundings...
what else is she wearing?
Our stylists put together some pretty involved outfits on our website. We kept getting questions like "what are those shoes the model is wearing?" or "I can't find those earrings..." So we created a function to help you find everything else that is styled with a particular item. Like the image above, for instance, is for the FP Super Flare Trouser. But the model is wearing lots of other things. So click on the little T-shirt icon that says "what else is she wearing?"...
...and Voila! Now you know!
August 15, 2007
trompe l'oiel
Loveforever posted this photo from our catalog on both her blog and her inspiration board. But, she also questioned, is this lace or lace wallpaper? I had no idea, so I asked the catalog team. They said it was wallpaper, and that it looked so real, it even tricked your eyes when you were standing right in front of it. It was in the bathroom of this amazing house they shot at in London...
August 14, 2007
nightvision
Spotted this over on craftzine.com and had to share. Images above are by Audrey Penven. She sews on film negatives in a darkroom wearing nightvision goggles. Pretty amazing.
August 13, 2007
how-to scarves
So we received this anonymous comment on one of the August catalog postings...
"I think you guys should do a write up in the blog on how to tie scarves! There are so many new beautiful scarves in stock now and there put on the models in such a neat way, I would love to know how its done."
What a great idea! Some girls from our creative team made this little video for you, with one of our web stylists showin how it's done. Enjoy!
August 10, 2007
more catalog watercolor
We got a comment asking for more of the watercolors from the catalog. Most of them have been chopped up at this point, but here is one more that is still in tact. Enjoy!
austin, texas!
Check out our newest store opening on Monday in Austin, Texas! Here's where to find it...
Austin, TX
The Domain
11410 Century Oaks Terrace
We don't have any good pictures yet because of construction, but I'll post some soon! This rendering is from our architects...
August 8, 2007
august poetry
hayley was blue.
blue hat, blue coat, and big bouncy blue curls.
jane, she was violet.
violet hair, violet velvet maxi coat, and violet eyelashes.
betty was yellow.
yellow trench, yellow sunglasses, and yellow canary
feathers in her yellow hair.
the decade that swung.
never knowin what was to come.
i felt alive in these frocks.
all dolled up for a swingin’ party.
walkin down london streets
platform shoes
twiggy legs
skippin to the beats.
mini skirts, mini cars
big life and bright stars.
young, fancy, free
my heart belonged to biba,
but my love belonged to me
...written by one of our fp girls to put the trend inspiration into inspiring words...
August 7, 2007
august catalog inspiration
On it's way to you, our August catalog! The inspiration for this collection is a mix of art nouveau, mod and glam. Kind of dark, decorative and beautiful... Our catalog team was in London a few months ago, on their way out to shoot the Grunge Princess July catalog at Vintage Vacations. While in London, they met up with some friends at a restaurant. The atmosphere was so amazing there and they decided it was perfect for their next shoot! They also scouted some other locations, a private home and a beautiful park.
Here I've posted a couple of books the creative team referenced for inspiration to do the graphics and illustrations. They were looking at a lot of art nouveau artwork and ornament.
And here is one of the original watercolors painted by one of our creative assistants. Amazing, right? Check out the catalog online, and check your mailboxes!
August 6, 2007
something for laughing
Found this posted over on notcot.com and it totally made me laugh, so I wanted to share. I'm definitely going to think of this video the next time something goes ridiculously wrong with my computer.
August 2, 2007
more new showroom pics
I managed to get a hold of some more pictures of our new showroom to share with you. The visual/display team adorned the walls with tons of artwork, similar to the way they do the fitting rooms in all the Free People stores.
The way they work is they gather inspiration and ideas and make some sketches. The designs are all roughly planned out before they attack a wall. But then the scale is enlarged and each piece is hand drawn or painted, so each one comes out a little bit special. Here are some photos of the finished pieces!
August 1, 2007
new showroom new york
The Free People display team is in the process of decorating our new New York showroom. The showroom is where we sell to all the other stores that sell Free People. We display all of our upcoming collections there and the girls in the showroom work with the buyers of each store to choose the best styles for their particular customers and locations.
So here's a few shots of the supplies and process. I'll try to get some photos for you of the finished showroom too!