fp naomi, Author at Free People Blog

Style File: Edition 3

Posted by fp naomi on July 22, 2011April 13, 2012 in fashion

Quirky, creative, lovable, giggly, cool…these are all words to describe the assistant designer for Meadow here at Free People who is also this week’s Style File Girl. And boy does this girl have style. I envy how creatively cool she looks each day, and it never appears to take her much effort. She alters pieces in unique ways, thrifts like it’s her job (okay, it partly is), and throws in unexpected extraneous items to pull an outfit together. It’s tough to explain why exactly it all works, so I’ll just let the photos speak for themselves. Check out what she wore this week…

Wednesday

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Even though her look changes from day to day she certainly has her favorite accessories. I’m a big fan of the watch she always wears.

And what about those tattoos?

Her favorite is the acorn (far left) inspired by her childhood self who made her grandmother watch Peter Pan twice a day, every day. The acorn is from the version with real people in which Wendy asks Peter for a kiss, but since he’s just a boy, he doesn’t know what that is and gives her an acorn. Later on in the movie she’s struck down by an arrow, but you later come to find out the arrow pierced the acorn instead. It saved her life.

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The creative spirit that she uses in her appearance is just as apparent in her job as the assistant designer on team Meadow. She pumps out awesome piece after awesome piece, often inspired by vintage clothing that she picks apart, blogs, and her coworkers. This Wednesday she was working on updating sketches she presented for setup to meet the buyers’ and head designers’ requests. She now has to show the garments in flat form along with fabric swatches, body, and any artwork to be used in the piece. At the end of it all, she puts it together into a nice presentation so buyers can decide exactly what they’ll buy and how much.

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The coolness doesn’t stop there. Her work space and home are just as one-of-a-kind as the outfits she wears and the creativity she brings to her job. I mean, who has a pregnant Barbie to accompany them at their desk every day? Safe to say, the space she inhabits is never boring.

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And of course, I wouldn’t leave you all without a fun questionnaire. Time to let the woman speak for herself

TAGS: creative, home office, lifestyle, meadow, quirky, tattoos

12 Comments

Office Style: It’s HOT

Posted by fp naomi on July 21, 2011April 13, 2012 in fashion, home office

It is hot as hell here in Philadelphia today – advisory warning and all. It’s the kind of heat that makes you not even want to get dressed, but, of course, that’s not socially acceptable. One has to put something on to go to work, and these ladies (and gentleman) did quite a good job of it today. Today’s office style is all about how we’re battling the heat – crop tops, billowy fabrics, light colors, and shade. How are you staying cool?

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And Toby just wanted his picture taken… :)

TAGS: crop tops, dog, home office

16 Comments

Thursday Poll: Vintages Loves Graphic Tees & Tanks

Posted by fp naomi on July 21, 2011April 13, 2012 in fashion

I’ve been on the hunt. The hunt for the perfect vintage graphic tee that is. Little did I know – there’s a whole pile of them sitting in the vintage loves section on our website – and they’re selling out fast!

Vintage tees have become a must-have wardrobe staple over the past few decades – taking on a role as the perfect throw on item since there are so many ways for them to be worn. They can look cool and relaxed, edgy and vintage, all at the same time. Throw one on with denim shorts for a casual look, or pair them with (vegan!) leather pants, wedges, and loads of jewelry for a night out. Now, just to decide which one I like best…..help me out?

Vintage Beach Boys Tee

Vintage Guns N’ Roses Tee

Vintage Just Buffalo Tee

Vintage The Jacksons Tee

Vintage Sleeveless Harley Davidson Tee Tee

Vintage 94 Rock Tee

[polldaddy poll=”5253171″]

Doe Run Farm

Posted by fp naomi on July 21, 2011April 13, 2012 in features

Last week I was lucky enough to go on a phenomenal field trip with other Free People and Urban Inc. interns. We were invited to visit the 400 acre Doe Run Farm in Chester County, PA. It’s almost unfair to even call the place a farm; it was more like a country oasis for animals and humans alike. We visited the cows, goats, and sheep which they house and milk for cheese. All of the cheese is made on premise. We got to see where it is made, and then for lunch we were able to try a bit for ourselves (it was amazing, of course). They also sell the cheese around local Philadelphia farmer’s markets – our farmer’s market here at the home offices sells it every other Wednesday. The farm had a beautiful pond, lots of gardens, and we got to see a bit of the luxuriously rustic house itself.

I already posted some style photos from the trip here, but checkout the rest of my photo diary from the trip. =P

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TAGS: cheese, farm, garden, lifestyle, picture this, places, rustic

3 Comments

Homemade Herbed Ricotta Cheese

Posted by fp naomi on July 17, 2011April 13, 2012 in food

There’s not much that can beat the flavor of creamy ricotta cheese slathered over a slice of fresh baguette – except maybe the flavor of homemade ricotta slathered over a slice of fresh baguette. Make your own cheese? That sounds way too hard. But that’s the wonderful thing about ricotta. It is the easiest cheese to make, and doesn’t take forever. Once you’ve whipped up a batch, you can use it for just about anything. For today, I like the idea of serving it on fresh French or Italian bread as an hors d’oeuvre for guests. Sprinkle it with balsamic, figs, and walnuts for an extra tempting snack ;)

To make about 2 cups, you’ll need:

4 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons good white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons minced scallions, white and green parts (2 scallions)
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Set a large sieve over a deep bowl. Dampen 2 layers of cheesecloth with water and line the sieve with the cheesecloth. Then, pour the milk and cream into a pot to boil. Stir occasionally as it heats up, adding in salt as you go. Once it has reached a boil, turn off the flame and stir in the vinegar.

2. Allow the mixture to stand and curdle for about 1 min. Then, pour the mixture into a cheesecloth-lined sieve and allow it to drain into the bowl for 20 to 25 minutes. You may have to occasionally pour out the liquid that collects in the bowl.

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3. When cheese is almost finished straining, chop up all of your fresh herb ingredients. Transfer strained cheese to a new bowl, and stir in.

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Refrigerate or eat immediately.

Enjoy!

All images via Smitten Kitchen

TAGS: homemade, ricotta

6 Comments

Style File: Edition 2

Posted by fp naomi on July 15, 2011April 13, 2012 in fashion

Meet this week’s style inspiration – the design assistant for New Romantics here at Free People. I was immediately attracted by her laid back and beautiful – yet approachable – look. I checked in on her daily to get to know her better and bring you her week in style file.

In her romantic, somewhat demure, way of dressing she reflects her personality perfectly. She seems quiet and shy at first, but is then sweet beyond words as soon as you approach her. This is a girl who doesn’t wear outfits that shout “look at me,” but rather, “come closer.” Pay attention and you’ll notice a dainty necklace or a gorgeous etched bracelet.

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As assistant designer for the Free People New Romantics, she will be given a fabric chosen by her boss, the head designer for New Romantics, and then has to come up with styles using what she is given. The process usually starts with a sketch. Her sketches themselves are amazingly inspirational to look at. She will then drape the piece – usually doing about one a day. After she’s done draping, she will pass everything along to tech who takes it from there. This week she was already working on things for next summer.

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And now for a peek into her personal life =)

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TAGS: books, designer, details, home office, lifestyle, movies, romantic, sketches

13 Comments

Office Style

Posted by fp naomi on July 14, 2011April 13, 2012 in fashion, home office

Today’s been a busy day! The first half of the day I got to travel out to the owner of Urban Inc.’s personal farm. I shot some photos of the stylish interns on the outing.

Although I enjoyed the trip, it was fun getting back to the office and noticing lots of new Free People buys around. These two ladies are actually wearing two of my favorite items right now – both just happen to have been sitting in my shopping basket for about the past week now.

The Free People Printed Kimono

The Mohawk Embroidered Dress

I love the flirty sheerness these two coworkers were rocking today.

How cool is this shirt? I love the combo of it with the braids.

I caught this stylish woman sauntering up the stairs in her carefree printed summer dress. Her tattoo juxtaposes against the girly-ness of her outfit for an intriguing look.

Denim and lace…one of my favorite combos for summer

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TAGS: denim, farm, home office, lace, style, tattoo

12 Comments

Pineapple Gazpacho

Posted by fp naomi on July 10, 2011April 13, 2012 in food

Every day in our cafeteria here at Free People they offer the most interesting soups. Since it’s been summer they’ll usually do one chilled option. I’m always intrigued, but never actually like the sample enough to get it for lunch…until the other day. They made this pineapple gazpacho – sounds weird – but I LOVED its mixture of sweet and spicy so much that I ended up devouring it down for lunch. At home I later tried to replicate the dish and found it’s beyond easy. The only thing is, you’ll need a bit of planning ahead since the dish tastes better chilled in the fridge over night.

For the Gazpacho You’ll Need:

1 Pineapple

1 Yellow Pepper

¼ Cucumber

½ Sweet Onion

5 Sprigs Cilantro (stems included)

2 tsp Rice Vinegar

½ tsp Spicy Sriracha Sauce

¼ tsp White Pepper

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For The Garnish:

¼ Red Pepper

2 Sprigs Cilantro (leaves only)

Directions:

1. Core & Peel Pineapple. Then cut pineapple, yellow pepper, cucumber, and onion into medium pieces.

2. Throw all gazpacho ingredients into a blender or bowl if you have a hand blender like I do. Puree until texture is smooth.

3. Chill over night

4. Garnish with red pepper and cilantro to serve

TAGS: food, meal, pineapple, recipe, refreshing, soup, summer

14 Comments

Office Style: Black and White

Posted by fp naomi on July 7, 2011April 13, 2012 in fashion, home office

Some people like to dress in strictly black clothing. I’m personally more of a white apparel girl, and then there are some who like to dress in between. We had a lot of black and white all over the office today. Black seemed to be showing up in bolder edgy pieces while summer white was all ethereal in lacey frocks and tunics. Check out how our Free People girls were styling the two it colors!

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TAGS: black, edgy, home office, lace, office style, white

12 Comments

Thursday Poll: Edition 141

Posted by fp naomi on July 7, 2011April 13, 2012 in fashion, Uncategorized

On Tuesday you all got an introduction to our new capsule collection: FP Spun. In general, I’m a big fan of Free People’s crochet and knit pieces, so word of this collection got me very excited. The pieces are all crocheted or knit with elegant Italian yarns, shiny silk blends, or nubbed soft linens. Seeing the final results, I’m awed – every piece is a masterpiece. I think I know which my favorite is, but what do you all think?

The Eighty Stages Crochet Dress

The Retro Sweater Short

The Dreams of Crochet Dress

The Rusty Spurs Pull On Flare

The Fishtail Maxi Skirt

[polldaddy poll=”5214187″]

10 Comments

Style File: Thursday

Posted by fp naomi on July 7, 2011April 13, 2012 in fashion, home office

Today our lovely lady of the week styled an outfit from the sample closet here at Free People. She decided to centralize the outfit around the Avenue West Chemise, her favorite piece of the moment, because she absolutely loves how pretty and versatile it is. She wanted to style it unbuttoned, and worn as a bed jacket today, but she said she would also wear it as a dress or with more layers in the fall if it were a piece in her own closet. “Not only is it versatile, but it’s versatile in two ways: day to night and summer to fall.”

She layered the chemise over her own jeans and a rocker style tank to play down its femininity and give the outfit some edge. The HIGH platform shoes in a nude pink color that she chose had that same balance of pretty vs. edgy. Then she mixed it all up by throwing some earthy flavor into the mix with a fringed suede shoulder bag. It’s unexpectedness kept the outfit interesting, and added a whole new level of detail. The whole look was topped off with simple jewelry, a long jade necklace, to avoid distracting from the elegant fringed chemise and the outfit’s other contrasting elements.

TAGS: dress, home office, platforms, style

5 Comments

Style File – Wednesday

Posted by fp naomi on July 6, 2011April 12, 2012 in fashion, home office

Our assistant web merchandiser was amazingly styled again today! She looks so free and happy in her flowing teal dress and ruffled flower-print tank. The dress, a piece from the Free People Convertibles Category, is one of her favorites for mixing and matching. Today, she layered it perfectly with a feminine tank, but she said she’s also been able to dress it up for formal events with a pretty pair of shoes, wear it as a belted casual dress, and, in colder weather, paired it with a cozy sweater. What she loves most about it? The bright and cheerful color =)

What perfects the outfit though, is that straw hat! She picked it up at a sample sale not too long ago, and it’s just right for the sunny day we’re having here today. You can tell it got her in a good mood, because she laughingly shared one of her favorite cheesy jokes with me. I’m giggling at my desk just thinking of it. Thought you’d all enjoy a little chuckle too, so, “have you heard?”

“Why does Snoop Dog use an umbrella?”

“Fo’ drizzle”

TAGS: home office, layering, personal style

5 Comments