Meet our intern Pruitt! She is doing an awesome job helping out with the blog to bring you more nuggets from the FP home office. Check out these videos while Pruitt interviews people on the streets and asks, "Do you know what Free People is?" And check out her shopping trip.
We've updated our youtube page with a few new videos you haven't seen before, so go there to see them all...
Here is our behind the scenes look at the Free People Home Office in Philadelphia. This video shows our three summer trends for 2008.
Peace Corps Prep: Inspired by girls in the peace corps traveling in India.
Everything But a Flower: A collection of new and vintage geometric patterns and shapes.
Mayan: Inspired by the beautiful Mayan Riviera and Aztec designs.
Enjoy!
Susie Bubble wrote an entry about UK label Theatre De La Mode by Sara Flamm and Christopher Kelly. Their debut collection is called "Willows" and presented on these small scale woodland creature mannequins, referencing the post-war era Paris concept of Theatre de la Mode marrying art and design. I love the creative display paired with the completely wearable, serious casual-wear.
Today the Free People design team received the sales samples for the end of summer and fall. This is the first time the designers see their creations as they will look when you see them at the store. This is after a long process of hand made samples, drawings, fittings and revisions. Still ahead there will be meetings with even more revisions and changes to get down to the most amazing pieces for the final line. Hope you like them just as much as our designers do when they hit the stores!
Yesterday, a special exhibition opened at the Metropolitan Museum of Art called "blog.mode: addressing fashion" Here's a bit about the exhibit...
As a living art form, fashion is open to multiple readings. A vibrant reflection of contemporary culture, fashion especially in its most avant-garde expressions affects us through its intense visual impact. blog.mode: addressing fashion is the first in a series of shows designed to promote critical and creative dialogues about fashion. The exhibition presents some forty costumes and accessories dating from the eighteenth century to the present all recent Metropolitan Museum acquisitions and invites visitors to share their reactions online or from a "blogbar" of computer terminals in the exhibition galleries.
There are some cool events happening this week in NY that I thought I'd share...
One is the Bust Holiday Craftacular. This is one of my favorite spots for holiday gifts and new crafty ideas for stuff to make myself. It keeps getting better every year, so check it out this Saturday, Dec 8th at The Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City, 125 West 18th Street.
Also this week, is GenArt's SHOP NYC, full of amazing designers selling their wares for amazing prices. This Wednesday at the Puck Building from 6-10pm.
Check out the trailer for the latest issue of Fly, the magazine of fashion on film. I love the auditions! I wish I could rent Fly DVDs at my neighborhood video store...
I came across this beautiful video trailer for the film "1960's Butterfly Girl" by designer/artist Susan Cianciolo. I wish the entire 10 minute film was on youtube, but now at least I know to keep my eye out for a live screening. Looks amazing, right? Have any of you seen this in it's entirety?
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!
So I'm sure you've already come across notcouture, fashionable offspring of favorite design site, notcot. Well this week notcouture is celebrating their official launch! Be sure to check out both of the sites, and take notice of special discounts for notcot readers from some of your favorite retailers (hint hint hint). And start submitting some of your favorite items on notcouture!
The New York Times has made made an announcement. Craft is cool. Check out this article highlighting some of our favorite craft pioneers like Debbie Stoller and the folks at Etsy. Obviously, we're way ahead of the NYT, and the fancy designers officially making crafts fashionable. But I always like to see what the big dogs are making a fuss about. And it's nice to see some of the people we support getting such attention. So check it out.
Photo above is from the article, featuring a sewing class at Make Workshop in the Lower East Side in NY...
I checked out prada.com and browsed their production videos. It looks like a bunch of fashion scientists working in a lab! They all wear white coats and work like robots. I like the way they put the videos together and the text running along the bottom. It's worth checking out, Prada fan or not...
Check out this post over on love forever. She has picked up the latest issue of Selvedge and posted these beautiful photos from a spread on the women's clothing of Salvador, Bahia in Brazil. Definitely makes me want to see the rest of the images. (photographs by Fedor Van der Valk)
A little about Selvedge from their website...
"Open a copy of Selvedge and you sense there is a philosophy that Selvedge readers subscribe to. A belief system based on a cerebral and sensual addiction to textiles in all forms. Readers share a belief in the importance of their material surroundings and a passion for the beautiful and beautifully made.
Our aim is simple: to provide a textile publication which fits seamlessly into their creative lifestyle. Directed towards an international, discerning audience, Selvedge covers fine textiles in every context: fine art, interiors, fashion, travel and shopping."
I really love this digital mag style will save us, and they love "all things super-stylish, organic, ethical, eco-friendly, vintage, recycled and sustainable." In the current issue, they did an article on re-worked vintage and featured the "post-vintage" work of fashion and art collective Andrea Crews (pictured above). Check out the article here...
Cathy Horyn, fashion writer for the New York Times, started her own blog about a week ago. She did this really great post on Alber Elbaz of Lanvin, documenting an issue he had with this super futuristic polyester fabric. They made a digital flipbook of his sketches and the construction steps he took in creating a dress from the trouble fabric. It's really interesting to see the problem solving involved. I also really love seeing his sketches and the process of developing an abstract idea. Hopefully sometime soon, I can get some similar information to share from our FP designers!
Alber says...
Check out Susie Bubble's DIY instructions for creating your own "puff" skirt. You'll need a full circle skirt and some ribbons! If you do it just so, the skirt might even look cool both ways, with the puffs and untied with the ribbons just hanging. If you don't know Susie already, check her out. Her blog is definitely one of my favorites for fashion.
Whowhatweardaily has called out our jewel toned flats as the perfect satin ballet flats if your name is not Kate, Lindsay or Sarah Jessica. The site is actually kind of cool. You can submit questions to find out what celebrities were wearing what and where. And they have a stylist you can question to find more personal fashion advice. I like their tagline..."We don't care about who you're dating or if you eat. We only care about what you wear." I know I , for one, do care IF people eat, but I'm glad there's a celebrity site that's not discussing it constantly...
You may have noticed the recent popularity of street fashion in blogs and magazines. (My personal favorite is Paris based facehunter .) Unless you live in one of the major cities, your chances of getting photographed are pretty slim. In the spirit of DIY, some girls have taken matters into their own hands and created wardrobe remix , a group on flickr. Check it out and get some new outfitting ideas from the crew involved, or start sharing your own personal styling talents.