These cool photos are all pictures of the reflections in a puddle! It's such a clever idea, and now I of course am anxious to go outside and take some puddle pictures of my own! These shots are by photographer Vlado Marinkovic, and you can see the whole set, which is quite beautiful, here.
Dazed Digital has a really good collection of videos from Fashion Week in Paris which is worth checking out! Above is a short video of Dior's Spring 2009 show, filmed by Pierre Debusschere. The clothes are awesome, and the song is great too! Head on over to Dazed Digital to see video of other Fashion Week shows.
How beautiful are the paper hats from the Chanel Couture show? Designed by Katsuyo Kamo who also did the hair and other flower ornaments. I love how most of them are white and then the black ones look more interesting against all of the white.
I guess these hats are no good for the rain.
photos via style.com
I couldn't resist posting this video of the Thames River in London in 1935! The film is an early color video; it used Gasparcolor, which is a very rare and old way of adding color to film. You can read a very detailed and admiring article about Gasparcolor here.
I find old color pictures and videos like this very intriguing, because one seldom gets a glimpse of the reality of life back then... it's like a visual history lesson. If you are into stuff like this too, be sure to check out this old post about autochrome pictures.
For whatever reason, I was kind of surprised to see that Louis Vuitton has come out with this skateboard, which comes in its own little LV case. It's cute though, right? I do like it, but at a price of $8,250, I don't think I'll be seeing one in person any time soon!
Via 5ones.
The new BLDG15 Threads is out today, and this month it's all about Home Office Style! We asked six different Home Office employees to go the racks and pick out a Free People outfit for spring, and to tell us a little bit about their own personal style! We made a really sweet little video of our endeavors, and got really inspired to keep making up fun outfits! To watch the video and get inspired yourself, head over to BLDG 15 Threads!
My friends, it's time again for our Thursday Poll!
Last week I asked for your opinion on a number of harem pants we are currently selling, and the majority of you responded that harem pants are not for you, with that option getting 283 votes! Very interesting! Those of you who did like the look of harem pants favored the We The Free Crinkle Jersey Harem Pants, with 95 votes!
This week, I've been thinking about drapey, voluminous tops. I love them right now, and I actually have not yet talked to anyone that does not! They are definitely a major trend right now! I think it may be because they are flattering on so many body types.
We have a number of drapey tops in our collection right now, and I'd be interested to know which one you find most appealing!
First, take a look at our Angel Dolman Top shown here in white.
Next, check out our Double Drape Tank, also shown in white.
Shown below is the Embroidered Floral Hoodie in oatmeal.
Finally, have a look at the Drapey Muscle Tee, here in black.
Which one of these do you like the most?
The talented Portuguese carpenter Carlos Alberto created the awesome wood Mota and wood Vespa shown above. Aren't they beautiful? I want one! His 'normal' carpenter work is also very impressive. See more pictures of all at his site.
These delicious-looking candy plants are really pleasing to the eye, don't you think? I can't tell if they're photoshopped or not, what do you think? I know they're by Joachim LaPotre, but I can't find too much on his site of how he makes his photos. Either way, they sure are appealing and inspiring!
Via I ♥ Photograph.
Joetta Maue is making beautiful statements with vintage textiles and needlework. She also makes these encouraging banners (ok, some are not so encouraging) that are inspiring me to make a permanent banner to hang in my apartment!
Any suggestions on what my banner should say??
Check out Joetta's other artwork and her etsy shop. Found via Love Forever.
Thank you all so much for participating in the little hair clip and nail file giveaway!
It was so much fun to read everyone's favorite current silhouettes!
And now for the winners, chosen at random:
Congratulations to Ariel!
My favorite silhouette is probably an empire waisted dress/tunic.
Congratulations to Angela T!
I'm loving tunics right now, as well as comfy tops with skinny pants. My favorite Free People item right now my crimson/purple velvet leggings. They are SO cool.
Congratulations to Kaleigh!
tunics with printed/colorful leggings or tights
Everyone else, don't lose hope! We will be doing another giveaway very soon! Stay tuned, and thank you!
Everyone is a little bit cold and maybe a little bit groggy today, but all are hard at work here at the home office!
Alex works with some shiny and exciting fabric.
Anne does some business on the phone while Erin tends to some paperwork.
Johanna irons diligently.
Erin digs for treasure in the fabric bins!
Heather and Sara inspect the samples with interest.
The Intimates Team prepares for an important meeting!
A cute little Yorkie, who resides next door in Urban, takes a chilly morning constitutional!
I really like this silverware by Habitat. It's so pretty! What do you think?
This video by Oren Lavie is so cool! I love it! It's really unique, I think you will enjoy it!
Via All the Good Things.
Inspired by Marcel Duchamp's Eau de Voilette and starring Michelle Williams and Natalie Portman, this short art film is an advertisement for a ficitional perfume and sure to be beautiful and interesting. If that doesn't already get you thinking, the film is directed by Roman Polanski and was conceived by Francesco Vezzoli. I can't wait for the online screening on February 6th on Dazed Digital.
Head over to Dazed now for the trailer, and then mark your calendar for the 6th!
Shown above are a few Free People nail files and hair clips. Want us to send you a hair clip and nail file for free? We want to give some away!
All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, and tell us, what is your favorite silhouette these days? Are you a fan of tight tops with baggy pants? Do you prefer a butt-hugging mini-skirt? Or how about big tops with little skinny pants? Tunics worn as dresses? You tell us!
Tomorrow afternoon we will pick 3 comments at random - if one of the comments is yours, we'll send you a hair clip and a nail file!
Make sure to leave your email address when you comment, so that if your comment is picked, we can contact you!
Hooray!
Meet our friend Cristina!
Cristina is from Ft. Myers Beach, Florida, and she is one of the star item reviewers on our website, under the name beachcat! Cristina is a total Free People girl- she spends lots of time outside on the beach, boating and being with friends!
We did a little Q&A session with Cristina, and we found out some quite fun stuff!
What do you do for a living?
I own a charter and tour boat company with my husband, Good Time Charters! We do marine life kayak adventures, shelling cruises, dolphin wildlife cruises, fishing charters, and more! I also enjoy waiting tables part time.
What draws you to the Free People aesthetic?
I like the the unique prints, the embroidery, and the small details of the clothing!
What is your favorite article of Free People clothing?
I have so many! My favorites so far include the Yuca and Mayan sun dresses, and the Watercolor Stitches dress. I love dresses!
Do you have any pets?
I have three cats- 6, 9, and 12 yrs old. Two were abandoned by their previous owners and needed a new home- the other was dropped off at my vet's office as a kitten.
I also have an Australian Blue-tongued skink that needed a home!
What inspires you?
Sounds of tree leaves rustling in the wind. Music. Warmth from the sun. Meeting good people.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I relax and day dream about my next vacation! I also enjoy boating with my husband and spending time with friends.
What do you like best about where you live?
It is a small island, I feel safe here, I can walk a couple minutes from my front door and go for a swim in the Gulf of Mexico.
The upcoming Valentine's Day in mind, what would be your perfect date?
Being a tour guide and a waitress, I am always catering to someone else. While I love taking care of others, I would enjoy letting someone take care of me for a change! I would love a catered dinner on the beach with my husband, where we can talk and laugh without worry!
Thank you so much for sharing all this with us Cristina! It's been a pleasure! Plus, now I know what a skink is!
And of course, thank you so much for all your feedback and reviews! ;) We have appreciated them time and time again!
If you would like to see all of Cristina's (a.k.a. beachcat's) FP clothing reviews, click here! She has some good feedback!
See more pictures of Cristina out and about in her Free People clothes on our Flickr in our Style Event set!
xo
Tomorrow is the last day to sign up for our Valentine's Day Craft Swap! Sign up here and read this for all of the details. Happy crafting!
These little cards from a set by Your Psycho Girlfriend really crack me up! Plus, I love the artwork. See more here.
Our graphic designers have created a new desktop wallpaper for you! I love how it hints at spring to come! The days are getting longer, after all! Click here to download it! I already have it set as my desktop background! :) Enjoy!
These incredible works of art are real, and so so tiny! Willard Wigan of the UK carves grains of rice or sugar into his miniature-sized sculptures, and then uses a hair from the back of a housefly to paint them! When they are on display in a gallery, each of his works has a microscope so you can see them - but when Willard works on them, he does so with the naked eye! I can't even imagine, since most of his work is on the head of a pin or the eye of needle! I found a really cool video interview with him on Metacafe that you should have a look at; I posted it below!
Give our newest playlist a spin! We think you'll really like it!
We are trying another playlist program, Playlist.com, and so far we really like it a lot! The playlists are for you though, so please tell us what you guys think!
Also, you should check out our Playlist.com profile. You can follow us and our playlists there, kind of like on Twitter!
I can't imagine how much time it must take Stephanie Metz to felt wool into these amazing sculptures! The teddy bear skull at the bottom is part of an interesting set she did called Teddy Bear Natural History, which seriously looks like a museum exhibit!
Valentine’s Day is closer than you think, and to get in the spirit, we have put together a little contest for you!
It's my pleasure to announce Free People's Best or Worst Date Ever Video Contest!
What was the worst date you have ever had? How about the best? Tell us about it for a chance to win a Free People Valentine Goody Box, including some cute Free People intimates wear and many other treats!
Make a little video in which you tell us about the best or worst date you ever had. What was so awful or so great about it? Why was it your worst or best date ever?
To get your wheels turning, we made a little video of our own worst and best dates! Check it out above, it's really cute!
A few requirements for entries:
-You must be 18 or older to enter, and you must be a United States resident.
-Only one entry per person.
-Videos must be 3 minutes or less.
-Videos should not have music in them. Unless you are singing unaccompanied. ;)
-Please do not mention the real name or nickname of your date. Don’t show pictures of your date either!
-No offensive, lewd language or stories please! Keep it classy.
-Only you should appear in the video.
-Videos emailed to us as attachments must be in .mov or .avi format, and be no larger than 10MB.
Videos will be judged based on their relevance to the question at hand and their creativity in telling the story, at 40% each. They will also be judged a tiny little bit on humor and production quality, at 10% each.
The video with the highest score wins you a Free People Valentine Goody Box, worth approximately 100$! Who needs a good valentine when you have your FP goody box?!
How to submit:
There are three ways to enter your video in the contest:
1- Upload your finished video to YouTube or Vimeo and email a link to your video to freepeoplecontest@gmail.com.
2- Email your video as an attachment to freepeoplecontest@gmail.com. All videos emailed as attachments must be in .mov or .avi format, and must be no larger than 10MB.
3- Send a DVD of your video to:
Pruitt Shutt
5000 S. Broad Street Bldg. #15
Philadelphia, PA 19112
All entries, regardless of method of entry, must include your name, address, phone number, email address, age and whether your date is a "best" one or a "worst" one!
The contest ends on February 2nd, 2009! That means we must receive all online entries by 11:59pm on February 2nd, and all mail-in entries must be mailed by February 2nd as well! Mail-in entries must be received by February 11th.
We will announce the winner on Valentine’s Day!
Before you enter, make sure to also read the Official Rules, since when you enter you agree to be bound by them!
And if you're not in the mood to compete for a prize, stay tuned as we will be starting our Valentine's Day Craft Swap! Hooray! And good luck!
How about these cool wire sculptures? I'm really impressed by them. They are the skilled work of Polly Verity, who makes them using wire, tissue paper, and occasionally some folded regular paper. Her site has photos of a lot of her work, including some life-sized wearable paper dresses, which are pretty cool. I'd rather have that unicorn mask though, or maybe some wire shoes! They look almost like glass slippers...
Something about these pictures is really interesting to me. They are from a set by Catherine Wagner called Homage to the Light Bulb. I really like the way all the light bulbs look together - I wonder though, how does one find all those different bulbs?
Via BlackWhiteYellow.
Lately I've been feeling really inspired by the work of UK artist Jennifer Collier. Her favorite medium to work with is paper, and she makes all sorts of things with it, as you can see above. I needed the reminder of how many things you can do with paper! I especially love the hair clip at the top- it's so pretty and unique! I'm wondering where she finds all her neat vintage paper though- like the paper used for the tie - wow! You can see a whole online gallery of her work on her website. Check it out for more paper inspiration!
Does getting dressed in the morning just take toooo long? Think about how much more you could get done if you didn't have to put shoes on? This must have been what Sebastian Errazuriz was thinking when he designed these Converse jeans.
Sebastian has done some other clever playful fashion interpretations. I think the belt of buckles is pretty cool, and the LEGO helmut is definitley genius!
found via refinery 29
Nikki at our NY showroom got a million compliments on these jeans last week, to which she replied, "Thanks, I made them myself!"
Everyone was was so impressed and needed to know how, and I thought you might like to know too. Nikki used a pair of thrift store $10 jeans, but you can use any old jeans that fit you well. This is what else you need:
A cheese grater
Scissors
Bleach
Scrub brush
It's so simple here are the steps:
1. Pour some bleach where you desire to have to denim to be washed out looking (you will most likely have to pour it on several times to get the desiered wash and affect) Take the scrub brush and scrub the bleach into the thighs and the knees to make them more worn and lighter.
2. Lay them out in the sun to dry if you can
3. They'll look a little different once they're dry, so make sure denim is the desired wash. If not repeat steps 1 and 2
4. On dry denim take cheese grater and run up and down legs of the jeans… this will wear away the denim making them softer and more distressed looking!!
5. Take the scissor and use it to make holes in upper thighs, pockets and knees.
6. Repeat distressing with cheese grater and scissors until desired effect is reached!
What is your job here at FP?
assistant art director - which means doing a little of a lot... but a lot of video & a lot of listening.
What is your current state of mind?
contemplative. peaceful. hopeful.
Who are your heroes?
my mom & dad. underdogs... olivier dahan for making "la vie en rose."
If you could choose what to come back to life as, what would you be?
a suitcase, so i could travel the world for free. actually, i'd have to pay $15 now, huh? maybe i'd come back as a wolf.
What or who is your greatest love?
I ♥ my dog & cats. but my greatest ♥ is love itself.
Name one thing necessary to your happiness.
laughter.
What do you hate most?
i don't hate anything. maybe double-negatives... bad grammar... bad drivers... tarantulas...
What would the name of your band be and what genre? What instrument do you play in this band?
i've got several... though we never actually write songs or anything. i am usually the drummer in all, however.
What color are you?
today? very blue.
What is your motto?
regret nothing.
I recently found this video of Simon & Garfunkel's Cloudy on YouTube. I just love it, it's so relaxing and mellow! I think it's a clip from an old TV show, rather than a music video... I never had seen it before! Enjoy!
These are real!
Viewed from one angle you see this...
But from just the right angle you see this...
And so on...
They're so amazing! I can't imagine all the work involved to figure out exactly where to place each part of the design! Check out Felice's website for more.
Via Fraiing.
Hooray! This time on DogTALK, learn to make dog-friendly brownies with Jasmine, Kevin, and of course Brownie! Yummy! You and your doggies are sure to enjoy these delicious treats and this fun DogTALK!
Be sure to tune in next time!
It's time again for our Thursday Poll! Last week, I wondered which color of our Solid Pullover Poncho you liked the most. Coral and Bark were very close, with votes of 108 and 104, respectively. However, they were the winners by far, with Midnight getting 83 votes, and Grey Heather only 52! Bright colors ruled the day!
Lately, I've noticed harem pants starting to come into style. We recently came out with a few different pairs ourselves, and this week I wondered which ones you preferred!
First, have a look at our Linen Harem Pants.
Next are the We The Free Crinkle Jersey Harem Pants.
Shown below are the Pocket Harem Pants.
Finally, check out our Cropped Harem Pants shown here in Slate.
So which pair do you guys find most appealing?
Meet our featured Facebook friend - Myra!
We found Myra, (or rather, she found us) after she posted some amazing photos of her clothing designs on our Facebook page! She also wrote us a little note about how her designs and photo shoots are inspired by Free People! We could totally tell, and were very flattered!
Myra is from Chesterfield, Missouri, and is creating things all the time! She starts out her process by envisioning a story, which includes a specific model and setting, and goes from there. She has been designing ever since she received her first sewing machine in 2004! She will be attending school for fashion design starting this fall, and is currently planning a booth for her wares at a local art fair!
Myra was so sweet as to put together an awesome how-to for the camisole tank dress that she makes! You can see examples of how cute the dress looks when it's finished in the pictures above and below! We just love the details on this dress! I can't wait to make my own! Myra even shows us how to cinch the tank at the top! Click here for all the instructions on how to make the dress, with a ton more pictures too!
Just for fun, we asked Myra a few interview-type questions!
What is your current state of mind?
I am enthused about my future for the endless possibilities!
Do you have any pets?
I have a big black cat, named Big Boy
What inspires you?
Nature, vintage photos, vintage styles, and of course Free People!
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Sewing, going to music stores, shopping for vintage clothing, eating at places I’ve never been to.
Do you have a favorite artist?
Erté a French designer and artist in the early 1900’s, and Mucha
Who are your favorite designers?
Free people, Marc Jacobs, Betsey Johnson, and myself.
Who is your favorite celebrity inspiration?
Kate Moss, Sienna Miller
What did you want to be as a child?
I wanted to be an elementary teacher I thought it would be fun to create activities for kids to do.
What do you like best about where you live now?
My friends and family, and the inspiring mid-west countryside
What superpower would you most like to have?
Definitely to fly, I’ve had dreams of flying and it’s the craziest feeling to be above everything.
What is your favorite article of clothing that you own right now?
My collection of vintage plaid shirt’s, I can’t just pick one!
What is your motto?
Out of good comes good
And the mysterious fate
Yay! Thank you so much for sharing one of your beautiful designs with us Myra! I can't wait to work on my own camisole tank dress!
Isn't this such a smart idea? I love it! I think the Free People girl needs one of these Light Lanes to keep safe on her bike! This would help so so much when there is no bike lane! What do you guys think?
Via A Cup Of Joe.
These awesome photos are by New York City photographer Sam Bassett. He seems to do more portraits than anything else, but as you can see, they are really unusual and interesting portraits! I have been wandering around his site for a chunk of this afternoon, and if you liked these pictures at all, you will definitely enjoy looking around it yourself!
Via It's Nice That.
I'm LOVING how many fashion DIY projects are all over the web. I'm excited about this one from Park & Cube, showing you how to get the look of those Wang chained up cutoffs. Head over there to learn how it's done!
Here are a few behind-the-scenes pictures from our catalog shoot that is going on right now in New York City! I am so tantalized by the flowers! I can't wait until this catalog comes out! Enjoy!
...and you were interested, I thought I would post these pictures of First Lady Obama in the ensemble she chose for the inauguration yesterday. There was much discussion about who would be the lucky designer of the outfit she would wear, and the lucky designer ended up being Isabel Toledo!
I like the material she used, and the color too! The body and shape are a little old fashioned for me, but I do think she looked very appropriately dressed for the occasion! And the coat was to die for!
The girls were wearing J. Crew.
So what did you guys think?
The first picture is a Getty Image, the other two are from AP.
Don't you love these pictures? I think they are so gorgeous! They are the work of L Filipe dos Santos of Corcoise, and if not for Penguin & Fish I would never have found him! If you are into them too, be sure to check out his blog and his Flickr photostream- there are a lot more beautiful pieces to be found there!
We had lots of requests for a Valentine Swap, so here it is! Sign up, I'll match you with a partner, you make your partner a Valentine gift, they make you one, and you both have a happy Valentine's Day.
Sign up is open for one week only, so spread the news to fellow crafty friends so we can get as many people involved in the week. Get your creative juices flowing and I'll send you your partner's info next week, and of course the craft will be "due" on (around) February 14th.
Here are some past Vday swap flickr groups for some ideas. Here and here.
Today the United States inaugurates it's first African-American president! Everyone here at the home office will be able watch on a big projector in Building 543. It's very exciting!
The little video above is of an amazing model at Legoland in California. It's an all lego miniature of the inauguration! For being a miniature, it's pretty large, and real impressive! It even has a mini presidential motorcade!
These humorous and dark silhouettes are from Silhouette Masterpiece Theater, by Wilhelm Steahle. I love how he uses old paintings as the backgrounds! If this kind of stuff tickles your fancy, check out more here!
I am just falling in love with Carbon Couture, especially with her crafty ways of creating fashion accessories! Shown above are some cool tassel earrings from the Marc Jacobs Spring 2009 collection, and below are the earrings she made to look just like them! I love it! See here on her blog to create your own with her easy instructions!
Also, a while ago, she made a how-to for this Dries Van Noten bracelet that is really great if you're in the mood!
Yay Carbon Couture!
Don't forget about our FP Style Event, which is going on right now!
We've been collecting your pictures of you and your friends wearing Free People and putting them in a set on our Flickr account! We love seeing how you wear your Free People!
Below, check out just a few of the super cute pictures we've gotten so far! To see the whole set, go to our Flickr account!
And don't forget to send us pictures of you in your Free People, with your name and hometown, to blog.freepeople@gmail.com!
Our office twins today are kind of an odd couple...
We had a little trouble getting Fritz to pose at first...
He kept looking longingly at Mom.
Ta da! Nicole and Fritz show off their matching coats, with many kisses in the process. Fritz is so sweet!
We had another set of dog/human twins a couple of months ago.
This picture completely trips me out! Focus on one spot in the picture and it will stop moving all around. It's the cover from Animal Collective's newest album, Merriweather Post Pavilion. Word is that this album is doing extremely well, which rocks, cause I love Animal Collective! Want to hear a song off the album? Go here to listen to the song My Girls.
Ever since I saw this picture on Booooooom, I can't stop looking at it! I'm not sure if it's the really textural stuff the people are standing in, or the total lack of stuff in the top part of the picture. (Other than the bits flying off the person's hands.) I just really like it! It's by Brendan Monroe, and if you are intrigued too, you should check out the post Booooooom did about him. You'll find many more interesting works with lots of movement in them.
Yes, those are real living plants on the wall! Created by Green Fortune, the plantwall can be installed at any size, and can have a number of different plant combinations, depending on how you want your wall to look and how fast you want it to grow. So awesome! I could never afford one, but I can dream!
Via Fabrik Project.
We love to hear from you!
Don't forget that there are many ways to keep in contact with your pals at Free People!
Be our MySpace friend!
Let's be Facebook friends too!
You can also follow us on Twitter!
You can watch all of our videos on our YouTube channel! You can add us as a YouTube contact too!
Check out all our photo uploads and add us as your friend on Flickr!
And of course, you can email us any time at blog.freepeople@gmail.com!
The awesome picture of punky letters above was found at Ryan's Sketchez!
I came across this article about the modern American farmer, and saved it for the release of our Farmer's Daughter catalog. The Morning News showcases the amazing photos from Paul Mobley's book "American Farmer: The Heart of Our Country" and an interview with the photographer that spent four years exploring the people that are bringing food to our local farmer's markets.
Scroll down the blog for more entries about our latest catalog.
I love this dog hat. I love it! Trixie totally needs one. Trouble is, I can't seem to find a pattern for it anywhere! I can't even find out who made it! I found the picture on fffffound, and they claim that they found it on Apartment Therapy. However I searched all over Apartment Therapy and came up with nothing! Do any of you skilled knit and crocheters have any ideas of how one would make this hat?
Note: Thanks to reader ZombieFace, I now know where you can find the dog hat on the web! See it here, and it's Apartment Therapy page here! Thank you ZombieFace!
Additionally - while I was looking for the dog hat on Apartment Therapy, look at what I did find!
A hamburger bed! I never would have thought I'd want to sleep with lettuce and cheese sheets and a bun comforter, but actually, the hamburger bed looks pretty comfy! It really amuses me, so I wanted to share it with you!
Above is the girl who created the bed, relaxing on her design. To top it off, you can be the hamburger bed's Facebook friend, if you feel so inclined.
I am so into these little cake rings by la boite a couture! What is it with me and accessories that look like food? See more here.
I know it's a little late to be posting about calendars, but I couldn't resist showing you this cool bubble calendar! Popping the bubbles on bubble wrap is one of the most satisfying things I can imagine, so I love the idea of having one to pop for each day or the year! Get one here.
What do you think of these cute houses for your books and such? Called Library, this little project was designed by Thomas Bentzen of Denmark. I love how it reminds me of my dollhouse from when I was a kid. Looks roomy too!
Via dezeen.
Below is our behind-the-scenes video of the January catalog shoot! Don't forget to check out our pictures and information about the shoot too! Enjoy!
I had lots of fun flipping through this online gallery of book covers and designers! I love seeing the different versions of the same books and seeing covers I've never seen for books that I have read.
Have you ever bought a book based on the cover? Did the book live up to the art? Leave us a comment with the link to your favorites!
I'm loving this cover I spotted today. Maybe I'll give it a read...
It's poll time! Last week, I asked which slip you liked best out of three of our newer styles, and the answers came out very even, with the Tie Dye Ruffles Slip coming in first by only about 20 votes!
This week, I wanted to ask you about this really cool poncho we just came out with, the Solid Pullover Poncho. I tried one on yesterday, and I just love it! It's about the comfiest thing ever, and it looks really cute on! As usual, I'm stuck on the colors though.
First, check out the poncho in Coral below.
Next, here it is in Grey Heather.
Below, find the poncho in Midnight.
Finally, here's the poncho in Bark.
What do you guys think? Which color would you get?
As occasionally happens, we have a pair of unintentional twins at the home office today! Jasmine and Kristin came in wearing the same fun Free People top! Even sweeter, they are both Intimates Designers, and sit right across from one another! Cute!
Glamping, or glamorous camping, is starting to become more popular as a form of camping for people who wouldn't ordinarily enjoy camping. There are a number of glamp-sites popping up everywhere! Pre-pitched and lavishly furnished tents, stocked ponds, and numerous other amenities are some of the features of these places. For the most part they do not have electricity or internet though - thank goodness! I think if they had internet or electricity their resemblance to camping would be pretty much gone. The New York Times has a little article about glamping here. What do you guys think? Do you want to go glamping?
Pictures via.
So pretty, and so colorful! Don't you love these sparkleballs? It may be after the Holidays but I would still like to make one! Would you? Learn how here, and see more neat pictures here!
Don't you love these scarf how-to pictures? I am always at a loss of how to wear my cute scarves, and I can't wait to try these styles out! You can see all of the pictures right here! There are a lot of them!
Via Design Dig.
Today we visit the desk of Katie, our Web Production Assistant! Among Katie's duties are helping organize web-shoots, hiring models, and selecting pictures to go up on our website! She also has some pretty fun stuff on her desk - I should know because I have the pleasure of being her desk neighbor! She is a very good neighbor, too!
This crazy cat came from an A.C. Moore craft store! T-shirt not included...
The bear in this picture just appeared on Katie's desk one day - she honestly has no idea where it came from! She tells us this: "I think the important things on my desk are my pictures and the little bottle of Tabasco sauce- I love Tabasco sauce, and I love small things!"
These are Katie's two kitties, Queenie on the left, and Ghost Hoagie on the right. She found Ghost Hoagie in a pizza box in an alley when he was a kitten! They live with Katie and a turtle named Bunson, some fish, sea-monkies, a worm farm, and two hamsters!
Katie found this picture on the street when she lived in San Francisco! Check out the back of the picture below.
These are a few more of Katie's treasured pictures - the top left picture is from when she lived in Vermont, the next one with the bridge is in San Francisco, and the bottom picture is from a beach in California. The wheels of the little cars spun in the wind!
Thanks for sharing your desk with us Katie!
Mackenzie from the Free People catalog team took these beautiful images during our Farmer's Daughter shoot. Check out the catalog and read about our inspiration for the book.
Ever since I saw these pin cushions on Bettyjoy, I have been desperate to get one! Aren't they so cool? They are made by Naori Priestly. I could probably make one, right? I just don't know that it would look as good as Naori's do!
Today I came across this neat little feature in the New York Times. It's a slide show with some audio. The slide show features some nice street fashion shots by Bill Cunningham, NYT Photographer. The audio is a very interesting little blurb where Bill conjectures that fashion is going to have some really dramatic changes as a result of our current financial problems. Bill is surprisingly older, and remembers the Great Depression, so he has experience to back up his hypothesis. It's an interesting feature, worth checking out. What do you think? Do you think fashion is going to change a lot over the coming year or two as a result of the financial crisis? What types of things do you think might change?
Jasmine of our sweater design team continues our knitting lessons in this third installment of Learning to Knit with Jasmine! This time, Jasmine shows us how to make a popcorn stitch, also known as baubles, for a more festive and interesting look! And if you missed episode 1 or episode 2, be sure to check them out! They'll get you all caught up and ready to make baubles! Yay!
Remember when I made that post about mantyhose the other day? Well today I found this guy over on Street Boners & TV Carnage in their Street Boners section, which is a street fashion column. I thought I'd post him because he's a good example of a guy actually wearing them around, rather than a posed shot. Also I noticed that they called them guylons and not mantyhose. Interesting!
Our January catalog drops today! The trend concept this month is called Farmer's Daughter. Here's some info from Elsa on our catalog team:
"We shot the catalog in Epping, North Dakota. We found the location in a National Geographic article about abandoned towns of North Dakota. Basically, in the early 20th century, with railroad expansion, people moved to the prairies of North Dakota to homestead and hoping to make a life farming. Unfortunately the weather proved to be too harsh for them or their crops and eventually the people had to abondon their houses as well as most of their belongings.
These houses and barns remain standing to this day, and if they are owned by anyone, you wouldn’t know it as they seem to have been long forgotten. We worked with a woman in Epping whose family had come out to North Dakota by way of Ohio, and she took us to the homestead they made, a small cabin on acres and acres of land. We were also able to explore lots of other abandoned houses, barns, schools, and even a church. Each building contained remnants of lives left behind, things such as books, clothes, papers, letters, and furniture.
It was an unbelievable experience getting to see this, but we decided that shooting outside in the vast fields was much better for our trend. The land in North Dakota is beautiful and vast, and it felt emptier than any other place I have ever been."
Here are a few of the National Geographic photos, but check out the rest at the link. They are eerily beautiful...
Nendo is the creator of these awesome deer antler outlet covers! They advertise them as a way to hold up your phone while you're charging it, or your keys, but I would love to have an outlet with antlers just for the sake of itself! It looks so cool!
Via Coolboom.
Today we received something very exciting in the mail! It was a little pet-camera, which you can clip to your pet's collar so that you can see their view of the world! It takes a picture once a minute, and we had a blast today trying it out with Trixie, my chihuahua. She wore the camera for about an hour total and showed us the extremely large and low to the ground world of the chihuahua. Check out some of the pictures below!
Hehe! Next we plan to try the camera out on a larger doggy, we're not sure who yet though! I will post the results!
Here it is - our latest episode of Dog Talk! This time our host Kevin interviews a very peculiar type of dog... Enjoy!
I really love this idea for updating a plain old leather belt. This particular belt looks cool with the eyelet details. I like the way it looks when the leather splits.
Head over to Bleach Black for the details! (I also recommend reading the first comment on her entry:)
Don't you love these fashion illustrations by Cassandra Rhodin? They all look like femme fatales! They also kind of remind me of sketches by Betsey Johnson, with those big eyes! Ma Frangine has more drawings for your viewing pleasure...
Now, I realize this is a little bit old, but I had never seen it and it's pretty cool! Prada created this video to go with their Spring 2008 line, and though the computer graphics are a little bit rough looking, it's still a very mesmerizing video! I wish I could get dressed this way!
One of our mannequin heads was having a bit of a static-hair day...
Can you believe Pattra's shitake mushroom plant? When she first got it 4 days ago, it just looked like a loaf! I am amazed at how much it has grown in such a short time! Plus, shitake mushrooms are super delicious, and the plant should last 6 months! That's a lot of good eating!
Many cute and stylish pairs of shoes came in to work today! I wandered around and snapped a few pictures of them. Which ones do you like best? I think my favorites might be the spiky heeled boots at the very bottom.
Lip Dub Pop Muzik from fredasterical on Vimeo.
You might remember this entry we did about Victorian paper masks one of our designers brought back from the Netherlands. Check out this lip dub video using similar masks from fredasterical! Why didn't we think of this?
See more pics of our design team in those silly masks.
video found via hellofrancis
I am just loving these quilts by Quiltsrÿche! I love the colors, and I especially love the guitar, speaker, and skull on the alphabet quilt! I feel really inspired to keep working on my quilt! See more of her fun and kind of hard-core quilts here!
Recently I came across this funny little site, e-MANcipate, which is a website to accelerate the acceptance of male pantyhose as a regular clothing item. It's actually really interesting! Apparently men wearing pantyhose is starting to come into style a little bit, (in Europe and Australia mostly,) which kind of makes sense given the current craze for super skinny tight pants! The site had tons of fashion pictures with men wearing pantyhose styled in a number of different ways. I'm kind of split - in some of the pictures it looks kind of cool, in others it looks a little too medieval to me. What do you guys think? Yay or nay?
After a hectic holiday season, the Thursday Poll is back with a vengeance! Last time, I asked whether you liked the Floral Tiered Convertible Skirt styled as a dress or a skirt, and the preference was overwhelmingly for the styling as a dress, with 351 votes! Having it styled as a skirt got 41 votes, with 2 votes for "other."
This week, I have been admiring all of our slips! We recently came out with a bunch of new ones, and I'm real curious to know what types of styles you like!
First, check out our Solid Stretch Lace Slip below, in washed berry.
Next is our Tie-Dye Ruffles Slip in violet.
Finally, below is our Solid Lace Bandeau Slip in red.
So tell me, which of these do you like best?
Want to work at our Manhattan Beach store? We open in March and are hiring for all positions! Apply here
Barbara of Bobbi Clothes teaches you how to make a simple loom and a beautiful hand woven scarf or belt from scraps of fabric. I love how she connects the pieces of fabric and how hand touched the finished piece looks. It's also cool way to recycle your extra bits instead of trashing them.
And how inspiring does her studio look?
Check out Threadbanger for more crafty tutorials
Can you believe Brother's snazzy new sewing machine? The QuattroT 6000D features a HD screen where a bird's eye, zoomed-in view of the needle and its surroundings are displayed. It also has a LED light for the sewing platform. They haven't announced the price yet, (I bet it's crazy!) but you can check out a little more about the machine here on Brother's website. I never thought I'd see a personal sewing machine with a screen!
Believe it or not, these incredible scenes all are within aquariums! Takashi Amano, who many of you may already know of, (though I didn't!) is the creator of the above aquascapes, as well as countless others. A very well respected photographer and aquarist, Takashi was one of the main people to introduce Japanese gardening styles to the aquarium hobby. His aquarium scenes are always very carefully arranged and yet very natural looking! See more photos of his stunning work (and it is a lot of hard work) here, here, and here.
Remember the super pretty hair wraps our stylist Monica did for the December catalog? Well we recently made a little video in which Monica shows us how we can make the hair wraps too!
To my delight, I got to have my hair be the example, so I had awesome wraps in my hair for a while! It was so fun! You guys should definitely try it! Find the tutorial below - enjoy!
Recently it came out that Alfred Shaheen passed away on the 22nd of last month, at 86 years old. Famous for popularizing the Hawaiian shirt, if you know vintage clothes or Hawaiian prints, (or both,) then you know Alfred Shaheen is the label to look for! The Los Angeles Times obituary for him is very interesting, and tells about how he had his garments designed, silk-screened, cut and sewed all in his factory in Honolulu, as well as shipping them from there. In other words, the whole operation was housed under one roof, which is pretty impressive. Below find a couple of related shots I saw floating around the internet, including the picture from Elvis Presley's album Blue Hawaii on which Elvis sports a shirt designed by Shaheen. Thank you Shaheen, for the funky flavor!
I am loving these surreal and colorful designs by Richard Hogg. The centaurs totally rock my world, and the seals are so comical! There is a lot more cool art on his site, including, to my delight, a few desktop backgrounds and a (scandalous) screensaver! So right now I have an extra fun and very hirsute Richard Hogg desktop! :)
So, I wandered over to The Moldy Doily yesterday, and she had these incredible pieces up. Aren't they just insane? I can't even think what to say about them, other than that I just like them so much, and even though I bet a lot of you read The Moldy Doily anyway, (as you should,) I had to post these, just in case you didn't see them! They are the creations of Irregular Expressions, a family operation out of Istanbul! Aside from their Etsy, they have a ton of pictures on Flickr, definitely worth checking out!
Doub and Lauren have fun as they pick models.
Indy + Erin = Love!
The latest lobby decor.
Jenna's awesome birthday treats, yum!
Kara hard at work on something pretty and arty.
Bob says, "EAGLES." (P.S. The bottle is empty- it's an Eagles decoration!)
What the Image Team does with their down time.
Courtney enjoying some work that looks tedious. :)
Pruitt and I both did posts recently about different clothing label related art projects (here and here), and then I spotted this! These are custom designed Doc Martens by Fake London for the project Original Since1460.
Doc Martens asked designers across Great Britain and the world to customize boots. Some of them are completely wearable and awesome like the Chrome Hearts ones, and others are more artistic or fun, like the Barbie cars by Jason Kirk.
Found via Bleach Black
One look at that eating utensil family portrait and I flipped! Carolyn Alexander is an illustrator from the UK, currently living in France. Her site is full of treats for the eye, and she has a cute little blog too, if you feel so inclined!
This little video just cracks me up! I think the title is pretty self-explanatory. :)
Alissa, one of our wovens designers, showed me this cover of the Miley Cyrus song See You Again by The Mae Shi, and I am so addicted now! The Mae Shi's version is so catchy! The video is really funny too - enjoy!
This video makes me want the beach! I loooove all of the vintage footage and beach dancing chicks. Also love the fashion elements, the heels worn in the ocean, the suspenders with the bikini. Plus the hand drawings, this video has it all.
from Chicks on Speed. JC Report did a little analysis of the evolution of the band, if you're interested...
What is your job here at FP?
Visual Display Coordinator
What is your current state of mind?
optimistic
Who are your heroes?
frontiersmen, explorers, etc...
If you could choose what to come back to life as, what would you be?
recluse wild cat!
What or who is your greatest love?
Miranda (my cat when I was little)
Name one thing necessary to your happiness.
good books
What do you hate the most?
ego-centric greed and selfishness
What would the name of your band be and what genre? What instrument do you play in this band?
mellow country singer with tight leopard print jeans---> called TALONS
What color are you?
RED
What is your motto?
"One sure sign of a bear... is a group of nervous hogs."
Remember the little Electrabel ad I posted the other day? Well, above is the "making of" video that goes with it, and I rather think it's even better than the ad itself! It was all done with lots and lots of candles, just incredible! This video has a more full version of the song too!
A note to those of you who have been wondering about the song's artist and title: I have been searching too! I can't seem to find it, but if I do, I'll be sure to post it in the comments! I'm sure it'll come out sometime!
The Free People Art of Giving Winter craft swap is coming to a close. Some of the swappers have posted photos of their beautiful handmade gifts in our flickr group. They look so amazing!
Thanks to everyone that participated. I hope you all had fun:)
Check out the flickr group to see all of the gifts, and leave these crafters some comments if you love what they made. There should be more photos posting all week, so check back too.
Who would be interested in a Valentines swap??
Lately I have been working on making a quilt, (I'll be sure and post when it's finished!) and so when I saw this pillow on Familyman5k's photostream, it really caught my eye! It never would have occurred to me to collect and use labels to make a patchwork anything! Clever!
Here's the blurb that Familyman5k wrote to go with the picture: My mother made this patchwork quilt pillow from labels I saved for years from old clothes, mostly from me, some from my kids. I really love how it turned out and wanted to share this as it's such a creative and beautiful idea!
Remember to save those interesting labels from clothes before you throw them away. I feel that once people see something like this, many will want to save their labels and someday have one.
So true! I know I'll be saving my labels now!
National Geographic recently came out with it's Best Science Images of 2008, and they are really stunning! Above are just a few of them. The first is a shot of a human immune system fighting strep throat bacteria - I would have never guessed it, it's so pretty! The second shot is a diagram showing every cross reference between chapters in the Bible. The third is little diatoms attaching to a marine invertebrate host. I love how beautiful they are, considering they are pictures of some rather humble-sounding stuff! See the whole set here.
I love these cute prints by Little Paper Planes, don't you? Especially the little girl - the pines trees are perfect!
I love this ad for European energy company Electrabel. It's incredible! It must have taken so long to create! Enjoy!
Everyone here in Philadelphia is enjoying the annual Mummer's Parade, which is a real spectacle, and very exciting - a smaller version of Mardi Gras! Below are just a few pictures of one of the string bands.
Happy 2009 to all! Hooray!
I saw these dollar origamis on Yatzer, and I am quite impressed! They are the work of a man named Won Park, whose love of origami began when his mother took him to a Japanese paper shop as a boy. It was there that he got his first origami folding book. Now, at 38, he is an origami expert!
You can see some more of his creations right here on Yatzer, and below is a video I found where you can watch him fold a paper rose!
