2011: A Look Back

Our catalog team traveled around the world…

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…and us bloggers got to go to our shoot with Sasha Pivovarova in NYC – definitely a highlight of the year!

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We worked with so many beautiful models…

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We debuted FP Spun and Vegan Leather, and launched a special line of Limited Edition Dresses! We celebrated with pop-up shops in NY and LA, where Jade Castrinos performed at our store.

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We fell hard for extreme flares, monochromatic dressing, birkenstocks, turbans, sweater dressing, fancy collars, western boots, friendship bracelets and bright nails, flatforms, mixed prints, color pops, polka dots and more…

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We were influenced by decades past…

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…and by trends like mod and grunge.

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We brought you festival coverage from Pitchfork and Outside Lands

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We shot our July catalog with Alexandra Valenti and the Happen-Ins, and we had such a great time we went back and threw a party to celebrate the catalog release! We also threw a party at our 5th ave store for Fashion’s Night Out and had a blast.

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We made so many lovely blogger friends!

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Many crafts were made, and we held our first crafting events in Cambridge and NYC!

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And, some new furry faces popped up in the office :)

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2011 was a good year :) Here’s to making the next one even better!

Happy New Year!

xoxo

Free People

Fashion Bloggers invade Free People Home Office!

Yesterday was such a fun work day! We invited New York City based fashion bloggers Natalie of Natalie Off Duty, Christina of Trop Rouge and Claire of De Lune to come down to our home office for a day of styling with some of our newest product.  These girls are beautiful and SO much fun! We had a blast hanging out with them and they went to town trying on clothes and taking photos around our home office. We ended the day by taking them to one of our favorite restaurants in Philly, Parc, a Parisian style Brasserie on Rittenhouse Square, for delicious food and drinks.

Here are some photos from the day, and stay tuned because next week we’ll show you some of the outfits they put together and which items they liked best!

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I’m in love with Christina’s hair! So beautiful… she’s wearing the Marrakesh floppy hat and deco choker.

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Natalie looked amazing in the Academy Bodysuit! And they all loved the cutoff Denim Vest.

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Love those Floral Docs… so much.

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Claire looks adorable in the Floral Shirt Tail Pucker Dress – I love how she wore it with the Vegan Doc Martens and Spacedye Neon Socks!

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Natalie looks like a bohemian beauty in the sheer printed jumpsuit and bare feet – and it looks amazing with the vegan leather vest over it.

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Christina and Claire shooting behind our office :)

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Christina in the O-Town Muscle Tank, cutoff Denim Vest, washed Vegan Leather Short and Floral Docs; Natalie in the Academy Bodysuit, Cropped Biker Jacket and Double Shanghai Pendant; Claire in the Floral Shirt Tail Pucker Dress, Vegan Doc Martens, Spacedye Neon Socks and Kachow Reversible Thermal.

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Pretty Parc

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I had the most amazing drink called a “Romarin” made with grapefruit vodka, rosemary, elderflower liquer and grapefruit juice – with a piece of grapefruit in the drink. SO GOOD.

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Thank you Claire, Christina and Natalie for coming down, we had a blast! Next time maybe we’ll come to NYC ;) xoxo

Photos from First Friday!

As promised, here are some photos from our fp girls’ art opening on Friday night at Reward, called “A Distant Land To Roam.” Inspired by western prairies and Native American motifs, the show featured intricate wall hangings, drawings, collages, fabric animals, and other small goods. It was beautiful!

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The beautiful artists :) On the left is our New Romantics Mesh Poncho!

The show will be up at Reward until December 30th so if you live in the Philly area be sure to check it out :)

Last Chance for Free Shipping to Australia & New Zealand!

Hey Australia and New Zealand! It’s your last chance to get free shipping and 10% off on all orders over $100!! Promo lasts through November 1st.

BUT, don’t worry if you missed it because starting November 2nd we are offering discounted shipping to Australia – at a flat rate of 7.95. Enjoy!

XOXO,

FP

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Blogger Meetup: Elsa of Styleabaad

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On Friday I met up with Elsa of the blog Styleabaad for coffee. She chose the spot – Last Drop café on 13th and Pine. I live in Old City and rarely come over this way, but I was completely charmed by this coffee shop! I love cafés that feel homey and unique, the kind that makes you want to bring a book and get cozy and stay a while.

I first met Elsa when I posted a photo of her on our blog, not realizing she was currently living right here in philly! It just so happened that same day she was at the Free People home office visiting her friend, our Art Director. Small world, huh? We decided to meet up and talk about blogging, fashion, philly and more.

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Elsa is fascinating – she is from Sweden, and has been living in Philly for three years now with her husband. She loves to write and travels often – the last 12 years she has been traveling to India, where she has spent time in an Ashram and also worked various jobs including backup dancer in Bollywood films. In addition to her blog, she is working on a novel about her travels – I for one would love to read it! She also had some really interesting perspectives on fashion in Philly vs. fashion in Sweden, and what it was like to move here as a foreigner. Stay tuned because she agreed to write a guest post about it for our blog :)

I also couldn’t get over how cute she looked with her blue hat, backpack and kate spade bike!

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I had to get a closeup of her awesome nail polish too – what a cool idea!

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Get the look: Ankle Crop Jean, Floral Buttondown, Pierre Slip On, Ski & Hike Backpack, Knitted Ranger Hat.

Free Shipping to Australia and New Zealand!

We’re already missing summer and longing for a trip down under! But since we can’t travel to the other side of the world for free, we can at least ship there for free :)  Starting today Free People is offering free shipping and 10% off on all orders over $100 to Australia and New Zealand through November 1st!


2nd image via oracle fox.

Fall Fashion from our Favorite Bloggers

This week’s featured blogger is our good friend Natalie of the blog Natalie Off Duty! Here’s one of her favorite looks for fall (featuring our polka dot boho top!) and what she’s most excited about this season.

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What trend are  you most excited about for Fall?

For Fall, I am sooo excited to get back into layering, especially with knits. I love something chunky on top with something a little more fitted at the bottom. Playing around with proportions is great for fall weather. Right now, I love mixing something very classic with something totally unexpected and fun. I look forward to everything from printed blouses to shearling coats!

Favorite designers right now?

My favorite designers right now are Chloe, Stella McCartney, Rebecca Minkoff, Alexander Wang, and Isabel Marant.

Your must have Free People item for Fall?

The Genteel V-Neck Sweater. It’s super classic and looks great with just about everything. It also looks like something I could just cuddle in!

What is your favorite Fall activity?

I LOVE playing in ball pits or riding my bike through the parks!

I love how she styled the polka dot blouse! Thank you Natalie!

Fall Fashion from our Favorite Bloggers!

Beautiful Elsa of the blog Styleabaad, who recently paid a visit to our home offices, shares one of her favorite looks and tells us what she’s excited about this Fall!

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In this look: This vintage 1970’s maxi dress is the gem of my closet! I love wearing it in fall/winter and styling it in different ways depending on the occasion. Here I decided to dress it down a bit for a more casual fall look so I added a Free People vest, a stack of bangles and a floppy hat. The shoes and sunnies are vintage.

What trend are you most excited about for fall?

I am so into jewel colors right now like amber, sapphire and emerald. Also I can’t leave my house this fall without a hat – I love both fedoras and floppy hats and I don’t think I could have too many.

Favorite designers right now?

I always follow the shows but find myself more inspired by the archives. Like 1970’s YSL and Halston. But I have to say I adore Dries van Noten and Etro’s latest collections.

Your must have Free People item for fall?

I’m dying to get my hands on the Velvet Extreme Flares in the “moss” color! It’s the perfect piece for fall and I’ll wear them in the daytime with a thermal and oxfords and at nighttime with a sheer blouse and high heels.

What is your favorite fall activity?

I can’t imagine anything better than getting up really early a sunny fall morning and heading out to a big flea market. I love to wander around with a hot tea looking through the stalls and finding those treasures for my house I know are out there.

Check out Elsa’s blog here!

Photo credit: Jonas Lindström

I think her style is very 70s boho, don’t you?!

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Fall Fashion from our Favorite Bloggers!

I caught up with some of our favorite fashion bloggers to ask them what trends they are most excited about this fall! Up first, the lovely Liz of Late Afternoon.

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What trend are you most excited about for fall?
This fall, I’m really excited for lots of colors, cropped knits, and wide leg denim.

Your must have Free People item?
The Super 70’s Cord is perfect for fall!

What is your favorite fall activity?
Carving pumpkins and baking pumpkin pie!

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I could definitely see Liz rocking our color blocking trend, couldn’t you?

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What trend are YOU most excited about for Fall?

About a Girl: Amy Soderlind of San Francisco

Not long before I went to San Francisco for Outside Lands, one of my co-workers sent me a link to a blog that she thought was worth checking out, called Refuses to Label. I clicked on the link and spent the next hour or so perusing the inspirational posts and photos on the blog. The writer, Amy Soderlind, is a stylist and writer living right outside of San Francisco on a beautiful farm. Her style is impeccable and I love her poetic way of writing – check out some photos below, along with a writeup about what she loves most about her city.

San Francisco carries character and integrity in every little crevasse of her small size. Take a walk and in just two blocks you are in another world. New smells, subcultures that I must sit and appreciate, really take in. I go nowhere without my note/sketch pad, and I do say: the most incredible quotes come from some of the crazies on the morning MUNI rides. I love that I can get from one end of the city to the other in less than 30 minutes.

The history that she holds also brings many like minded free spirits to live and create… the Beat Generation AND the Summer of Love?  yes please.

Taking Sundays to myself… City Lights Books, Trieste and Vesuvio: reels playing in my mind of Kerouac perusing the shelves and writing on the small table tops… Ginsberg spitting out words and phrases that still blow our minds today. The De Young or MOMA…. and yes, the many many beautiful small ma and pa vintage shops that I tend to spend far too much time in.

My favorite thing about this city? The beautiful people that are apart of my life here…. extraordinary talents that make my life rich with happiness.

Dressing in San Francisco is a year round challenge. Our summers are in October (for 3 short weeks) and the rest of the year is unpredictable with certainty of daily fog. I actually love this very variable when it comes to dressing – You can wear boots! Socks! Hats! Scarves! Jeans! Layers…. opens up doors of options that usually are shut tightly in August.

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In this Look: Vintage Crochet Dress, Vintage black leather belt, AA Hat, Vintage combat boots, Afghan Necklace

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In this Look:Thrifted Harem Pant, AA Tank, Vintage Cord Bomber, Diesel Boots, Panama Bag, Painted Bird Glasses, All Vintage Jewelry from around the Globe.

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In this Look: Ernest Sewn High Waist Denim, Crop Tee, Vintage Bag, Vintage Belt, Vintage Jewelry Africa and Bali, Printed Silk Jacket.

Photo Credit: Lauren Goodman

Here are my current Free People favorites:

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Stretch Suede Leggings, Zipper Ankle Boot, New Romantics Pleated Tunic, Nova Drawstring Bucket Bag.

Girl’s got good taste! I’m telling you, she is one to watch… refinery 29 just featured her this week! And be sure to check out her amazing blog, Refuses to Label. Thank you Amy!

Guest Post from Tolly of Austin Eavesdropper!

another guest post from one of our austin friends, tolly of the blog austin eavesdropper! tolly is awesome and i wish we had more time to hang out with her in austin, she’s so much fun :)

The 5 Things I Love About Austin, Texas

By Tolly Moseley

Free spirits. Hippie maidens. Band groupies and mustache-wearing gents. These are our kin here in Austin, Texas, where Free People came to play recently.

When I found out that Austin band The Happen-Ins would be the stars of Free People’s July 2011 catalogue, and that they’d be shooting at some of our favorite clubs in town, I squealed in delight. Where better to celebrate the delicious lazy days of summer than in Austin, a city where even the suited CEO’s loosen their ties for a rock concert? Where you can take your lunch break at a swimming hole, or bust out vintage cowboy boots regardless of seasonality or dress code?

I had an awesome time meeting the Free People girls when they came to town for The Happen-Ins show, and wanted to show them everything there was to see here in Austin. I also want to show you. Here are my 5 favorite things about my beloved city, a place I hope you get to visit sometime:

1. Even when we’re fancy, we’re a little hippie.

It’s true. We can’t resist vintage. The entire zip code of 78704 in South Austin has been officially zoned for the selling of hip, recycled clothing. I’m kidding. But the great thing about Austin is that we never see an occasion NOT to rock a gently used frock, be it SXSW or a gala. So if you’re ever here and have a hankering for vintage, check out some of my faves: Feathers Boutique (for boots), Laced with Romance (for dresses), or tweet my girls Homebody Vintage for accessories/home stuff.

2. We like to play dress up.

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Austinites love a good dress-up party. That’s me above, dressed as David Bowie. Isn’t the resemblance striking?

3. We make things.

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DIY is huge here. That applies to crafts, food, and even businesses. I wish I could tell you I knit-tagged that whole car above … but I didn’t, it’s the handiwork of Knitta Please, one of our local craft artists. You’ll find her knit-tagged objects scattered about all over Austin, from parking meters to statues, and they reflect how much we adore handmade – not to mention the creative spirits behind it.

4. We can’t get enough live music – ever.

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In terms of survival, music is second only to air. For Austinites, I mean. We’re the city who invented Austin City Limits (the show and the music festival), Spoon, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and of course The Happen-Ins! Stroll down Red River at night, by The Mohawk, Club DeVille, Stubb’s, Emo’s … and your ears will fill with honest-to-goodness rock n’ roll, screaming guitars and pounding drums. This city is a music-lover’s dream, and if you’re ever here, chances are a friend of a friend of a friend is playing the same nights you’re in town. If we’re not a musician ourselves, we’re probably dating one.

5. We welcome visitors and vagabonds with open arms.

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I have a personal belief that Austin chooses people, and if you’re reading this post, chances are she’s chosen you, too. You can find me here, and if you ever venture down to Texas for a visit, I’d love to show you around. We’ll bask at Barton Springs Pool, eat tofu and/or bacon (we are equally enthusiastic about both), and find multiple excuses to play dress up.

All photos by Tolly except for last one (Austin Motel sign) which is courtesy of Ellen Jo Roberts.