Trend: Grunge

The trend we are featuring on our website this week is very close to my heart: Grunge. As someone who grew up mostly in the 90’s, I  know the importance of that perfectly beat up pair of jeans, soft over-sized flannel and ripped, worn-through t-shirt that you just can’t seem to part with.  I watched My So Called Life religiously, had a crush on Jordan Catalano and wanted to be Rayanne Graff. I listened to Nirvana and Pearl Jam on cassette tape and wore Doc Martens. Grunge will always be that one trend for me that I never tire of, and will always wear, because to me its more than a trend – it’s part of who I am.

Pictured, clockwise from top left:

1. My So Called Life’s Angela & Rayanne
2. Multi Stripe Beret & Destroyed Tee
3. Nirvana tee image
4. Free People Grunge Lookbook – Linen Striped Romper, Cutoff Denim Vest, Knox Boot
5. Plaid Pants & Sonic Youth tee image.
6. Floral Doc Martens
7. Free People Grunge Lookbook – Vintage Thrift Wash Jean, Washed Floral Baby Tee, Plaid Crop Buttondown, Painted Distressed Boot
8. Plaid Crop Buttondown
9. Nirvana cassette tape
10. One of my favorite shoots, by David Shama

View our Grunge Lookbook! Are you a child of the 90’s too?

Atlantis Books

Our makeup artist told me about this lovely book shop called Atlantis Books, located in Oia, Santorini. I love the story behind it and would love to spend a day browsing its many shelves! She brought me back the postcards above, and a sweet little short story called “Feuille d’Album” by Katherine Mansfield. Published by Paravion Press, which was founded out of Atlantis Books, it is one of several different stories they print in small booklets that you can mail to a friend or loved one.

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image.

“In the spring of 2002, Oliver and Craig spent a week on the island of Santorini. The land inspired them and there was no bookshop, so they drank some wine and decided to open one. Oliver named it Atlantis Books and the two laughed about how their children would run it someday.

We found an empty building facing the sunset, drank some whiskey and signed a lease. We found a dog and cat, opened a bank account, applied for a business license, found some friends, built the shelves, landed a boat on the terrace and filled the place with books. Jenny came in April and painted everything blue.

Atlantis Books opened in the spring of 2004 and lived below the castle for one year. In the winter of 2005 we moved into the center of town and settled nicely into the community. We’ve had food festivals and film festivals, writers reading on the terrace, and a host of cats and dogs.

The bookshop feels like home now and we’re still laughing about how our children will run it someday. As Will says, it’s as easy as that. As you. As that.”

paravion-press

“Paravion Press was born in a bookshop on the cliffs of an island in the south of Greece. The shop swarms with people who love stories and who are far away from loved ones. And it occurred to us that by sending a story in the mail there might, as John Donne put it, be a moment to ‘mingle souls: for thus, friends absent speak.’

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paravion-press

Check out their website!

Destionation Spotlight: Santorini Part II

Last week we featured the beautiful island of Santorini, Greece, where our catalog team shot the December book. This book has me longing for a winter vacation, and Santorini seems like an ideal place for just that. Here’s a look at where our team stayed and one of their favorite restaurants!

Our team stayed at the gorgeous Villa Fabrica, a renovated factory space formerly used to produce and store wine, located  just below the ruins of the historic Castle of Pyrgos. The villa is sleek and spacious with minimal design and lots of outdoor space, doubling as the location for our catalog shoot. And the views… out of this world!

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While in Santorini, our team had dinner at a restaurant called Selene – located near the Villa, in the village of Pyrgos.  The restuarant prides itself on serving authentic Greek cuisine made with local produce and wine made from grapes grown right there on the island. In addition to what sounds like an amazing menu, can you imagine dining on a balcony overlooking this?!:

selene

Image via Selene website.

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selene

Spicy champagne… yum!

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santorini

ouzo

A popular aperitif in Greece is Ouzo, an anise (or licorice) flavored liquor – I’ve tried it before, it is definitely an acquired taste! More to come…

Photos by Thomas Northcut.

Kitchen Confidential

At the Free People home offices we have so many amazing things available to us. One that I’m sure many employees will tell you that they’re grateful for, is the amazing food. You can either head over to our dining hall called 543 or stop at the café Jharoka – both of which offer menus that are stocked with gourmet ingredients and creative pairings. The offering includes some of the freshest ideas in the culinary world today: smoked tofu and pear chicken salad with blackberry jam and arugula on a brioche, or, for the non-vegetarians, how about a grilled flank with balsamic mushrooms, horseradish mayonnaise and spring mix on semolina hero? The people behind these masterpieces are talented chefs, baristas, sauciers – they each have a reputable background and an artistry to share.

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Meet Corbin – our 543 drink specialist who’s prepping up his magical Hangover Smoothie. FP Jemma will tell you that he steams the best cappuccino, and he’ll humbly profess that it’s what he loves to do. We talked to him while he got to work at the blender, learning all about his love of drinks and how he uses vitamin B12 to cure our post party pains.

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Where did you work before this? Before this I worked at various coffee shops, always making drinks.

And how long have you been with the company? About a year now

How did you develop this hangover recipe – was it out of necessity? Ha – not so much…I mainly just researched ingredients. It’s about trial and error – getting to know ingredients and what they’re good for. I then combine things with similar benefits to make a power house recipe with a specific benefit, like weight loss or energy.

How does this smoothie help to cure a hangover? Bananas, spinach, and B12 have a lot of potassium which will give you a big kick and make you feel good. The B12 also has great added energy benefits. The Kale is just good for everything – it’s so nutrient-rich.

Where do you get inspiration? Are there any sources you often use for research? I mainly just talk to people, I visit other juice bars, and the internet – I look a lot of things up on the internet…

What’s next? I’m going to be adding supplements to the cleanses more. So far I’ve just been making combinations with the juicer like carrot, ginger, and lemon – no water or anything added. I’m going to start putting in supplements like Spirulina and Echinacea. For the New Year there will be a whole cleansing regiment offered. Employees can pick up a package of 6 juices each day to either use as a liquid diet or to add on top of a healthy eating regimen.

Here’s how to make the hangover smoothie:

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Ingredients (Serves 2)

One handful (approx 1 cup) of Washed Spinach

4 Leaves of Washed Dinosaur Kale

2 Bananas

1 Cup of Soy Milk

4-5 Drops of Liquid B12

¾ Cup of Chopped Ice

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Directions

Put it all in the blender & drink!

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He left us with a bottle of the first batch. It was full of banana-y flavor, and although not hungover, it definitely put some pep in our step.

Catalog Travel Diary: Back to Hanoi!

Hello again from Hanoi! It’s 6 am, and we’ve just arrived back on the night train from Sa Pa, and just enjoyed a delicious breakfast of Pho and watermelon juice. We’re about to hop on a flight to Hoi An, a beach town on the south central coast of Vietnam, on the south China Sea. We’re literally doing hair and make-up on the street outside of a cafe…

More tomorrow!
Xo

Holiday Gift Guide: Ginger

For the sexy, nightlife-lover that you love!

1. Velvet Bike Short
2. Bodycon Sequin Skirt
3. Gilded Coil Cuff
4. Silverspun Headpiece
5. Seamless Crochet Crop Top
6. Joplin Necklace
7. Handprinted Holiday Cards
8. Victorian Backseam Tight
9. Almost Famous Clutch
10. Lace Crop Bralette
11. Lurex Long Sleeve Crochet Top
12. Denim Cutoff Short