fan love

a couple of our stores posted about the blog fashionlitter on their facebook pages so i checked it out- this girl definitely loves fp! and she wears it well too :) i like the way she styled our items in these pics!

wearing the front & center pullover and velvet foliage dress.

the petticoat halter dress.

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the quiet harmony dress.

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i would never think to do this, but the we the free mala strana dress looks great layered over the we the free gathered stripes top!

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the beautiful stardust dress.

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i love how the engraved knuckle ring and triple stone ring look together!

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wearing the we the free pieced cable sweatshirt and jeffrey campbell solvang clog.

she looks great!

all about georgia

time to get to know our second october catalog model, georgia larsen!

What is your theme song?

At the moment it’s Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero’s – 40 day dream. It instantly makes me feel on top of the world.

If you could go anywhere in the world, free of cost, where would you go?

I’d love to go to India as I’ve heard it’s a really life changing experience. I’d make sure I picked up some Indian jewelery too!

If you were stranded on an island, what three things would you want with you?

A computer (I’m addicted to the Internet), my dog Dora and a huge set of speakers so I could dance to incredibly loud music.

in philly for the free people shoot this past july.

How would you describe your personal style? What are your favorite items from free people right now?

I’ve always been pretty bohemian – I love messy hair and clothes that look a bit disheveled. I think my favourite look is to mix something pretty with something grungy. I’m totally obsessed with Free People shoes, especially the Doub studded clogs and the sling back wood platforms. I’m also in love with the Fields of Lace dress.

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from her blog, dora’s fur.

What is your biggest fear?

My biggest fear is boredom – I always need to be on an adventure or doing something that makes me feel inspired.

Winter, spring, summer or fall?

It’s got to be spring. In England, we don’t really get good summers but our spring is beautiful. I love how hopeful and excited people feel in spring as the winter is finally ending and the flowers begin to peek.

What color are you?

Coral. I don’t know why, but I always feel attracted to warm colours. Whenever I see something coral I have to stop and look.

What is your motto?

I know it’s so cliché, but I’ve never found a motto to be as true as “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. The more experiences I gain, good or bad, the easier things get.

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What is your favorite hobby?

I’ve got so many it’s hard to pick one. Traveling is pretty high up there, I’m fascinated by other cultures and addicted to the excitement of it.

If you could spend a day with anyone – dead or alive – who would it be?

Probably Devendra Banhart – he looks like he’d be a lot of fun. I love how undeniably eccentric and original he is.

What’s the last album you bought? What else is on your ipod right now?

The last album I bought was by Natty – he’s a British reggae musician. At the moment my ipod is full of the Black Keys, Dan Auerbach, Kings of Leon and a lot of hip hop.

What is your dream job?

For a while now I’ve been hoping to get into fashion buying. Anything that involves trend prediction, research and travel always gets me excited.

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What inspired you to start a blog?

Initially my friend Jemma inspired me to start a blog as I was fascinated by her blog, Frontier Magic. I had a desperate need for a creative outlet, and a blog just seemed the perfect solution for that.

What influences your style?

Sometimes I don’t know what influences my style – I just find myself being naturally drawn towards certain looks. But I think the blogging world has had a massive effect on my style as I can easily spend hours looking at blogs. I find them far more interesting than fashion magazines.

How would you define your signature look?

It’s usually a vintage dress teamed with some ankle cowboy boots and socks. I’m also pretty addicted to denim cut offs…

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from her blog, dora’s fur.

What designers are you inspired by?

I’m obsessed with anything by Miu Miu. They do the most incredible accessories and print designs. I’m also a fan of Chloe, Alexander Wang, Charlotte Ronson and Christopher Kane.

What’s your most memorable experience whilst blogging?

It’s got to be doing the photoshoot for Free People!

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How was your free people experience?

Incredible. The team who work for Free People are some of the loveliest, most creative people I have ever met. I feel such a connection with the brand and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

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check out georgia’s blog, dora’s fur, and view our october catalog right here!

all about natalie

get to know the first of our three october catalog models, natalie suarez!

What is your theme song?

I’m in love with all Bob Dylan songs. He explains things about life so clearly in his music. My two favorites are “Don’t think twice, it’s all right” and “Like a rolling stone.”

If you could go anywhere in the world, free of cost, where would you go?

I would go to Europe! It would be a dream trip for me.

If you were stranded on an island, what three things would you want with you?

If I were stranded on an island, I would want to have food, shelter, and possibly a computer, though there probably wouldn’t be wifi. Maybe even a guitar just to keep me occupied!

with her sister dylana outside the free people home office.

How would you describe your personal style? What are your favorite items from free people right now?

My personal style is really a mix of everything. I don’t just stick to one particular look. I wear a lot of vintage pieces that I mix in with designer finds and basics. I like to wear things that are unique so that I stand out from a crowd. My favorite items from Free People right now would have to be the gorgeous BodyCon dresses and the fitted lace blouses. I love how you can layer anything with Free People and it looks totally cool and beautiful. I love Free People’s soft fabrics and vintage inspired prints.

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What is your biggest fear?

Hmm, my biggest fear would probably be to lose someone I really love. I need my family and friends to keep me grounded.

Winter, spring, summer or fall?

That’s hard to pick. I love Spring and Fall. Both such beautiful seasons.

What color are you?

I would say my color is Green. I don’t know, I’ve always had this thing for dark olive or forest green shades.

What is your motto?

Just go with the flow. Try not to take everything so seriously. Things always happen for a reason.

What is your favorite hobby?

My favorite hobby would be singing and playing my guitar. It’s such a great way to release my energy and just let go. It gets me to really feel my emotions. And it’s really something so personal to me.

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If you could spend a day with anyone – dead or alive – who would it be?

I would spend the day with Jane Birkin. She seems like such a beautiful soul with so much talent. I would love to hear her story. She was an icon, but has so much mystery.

What’s the last album you bought? What else is on your ipod right now?

I recently got all the Rilo Kiley music. I’m obsessed with them. All their songs are great for driving in the car or just sitting in the subway. I also really love M.I.A, Vampire Weekend, Sun-kil Moon, Led Zeppelin, Paolo Nutini, and of course Bob Dylan. I really like all kinds of music.

If you weren’t a model what would you do?

If I weren’t a model, I would probably be focusing on music more. Also, I have always loved the whole college atmosphere. It seems like so much fun and I do enjoy learning and doing normal things like attending class. I plan on finishing college in the future. But for now, I’ve been really lucky with modeling and I love that I get to constantly meet new people and see new places.

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What inspired you to start a blog?

My sister, Dylana of the fashion blog, “Nana in Wonderland” first had a blog. She introduced me to the whole blogging community and I was fascinated. The photography and styling was so inspiring. I started blogging a bit on her blog, then decided to start my own. I’m so happy I did start blogging. It has brought me so many amazing opportunities.

What influences your style?

So many things influence my style. Editorials, street style photos, and music influence my style. Some days I’ll feel like dressing down if I’m having a mellow day and others I’ll throw on some heels and some really amazing vintage. The blogs influence my style as well. People are constantly updating with the latest images and you can’t help but take note of what looks amazing in the photographs and embracing that into your own personal style.

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What designers are you inspired by?

I’m inspired by Alexander Wang, Dries Van Noten, and Miu Miu. Those are just a few of my favorites.

What’s your most memorable experience whilst blogging?

My most memorable experience while blogging was getting contacted by Free People to appear in the October catalog. It was such a dream come true. I couldn’t believe it when I got the message. I feel so lucky and am so happy! I’ve been collecting Free People catalogs for years. I find them so inspiring. The styling and photography are so beautiful every single time. I’m a huge fan.

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How was your free people experience?

It was truly amazing. Everyone at Free People was so inviting and just so much fun to work with. We had a lot of laughs! The Free People clothes are also so so beautiful. I loved every piece I put on and they all work so well together, mixed and matched. It was amazing to be shot by my sister, Dylana, as well. I feel we really captured my personal style and the Free People vibe. We all worked together really well and nailed the shoot! I loved working with everyone at the team in Philadelphia and I hope to work with Free People again in the future. The whole experience was just something I will never forget.

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be sure to check out natalie’s blog, natalie off duty! the october catalog can be viewed in full right here.

sarah lewis

we’ve posted about the amazing jewelry designer sarah lewis on the blog before – as a former member of the fp team she is a part of the free people family and we love carrying her designs. she also has an adorable store in philly called adorn.  read on for a brief interview with sarah and to see photos of her beautiful store and jewelry!

How did you get started as a jewelry designer?

I’ve been making jewelry for as long as I can remember!  When I was really young, I did a lot of beadwork and macramé, and then started working with glass when I was in high school.  I started working with silver and stone while living in Arizona. I have only been focusing all of my energy on my jewelry business for the past year, (before that, I was working for Free People!), but so far it has been going well.  I guess the way that I got started was just making the initial decision to go for it!

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Where do you draw inspiration for your work?

I draw inspiration from everything around me.  My mind is always going, thinking of new jewelry designs.  I also am really inspired by the natural beauty of the materials that I work with.  Because so much of what I do is based on the materials that I work with, I really love going to gem and mineral shows to search for material.  I often can pick up a piece, and immediately picture what I will make out of it.  I am also inspired by the past.  I find a lot of materials and design ideas by shopping at flea markets, and vintage and thrift stores.  While staying true to my own earthy and bohemian style, I also draw inspiration from fashion.  I try to create pieces that are beautiful and timeless, but also stylish and on trend.  I also think of jewelry styles as how they relate to apparel, what they could be worn with, and how they could be used to complete an outfit.

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What are some of your styles that you’re really excited about right now?

I am really excited about some of my recent ring styles.  I’ve been doing a lot of rings with drusy quartz, amethyst, and crazy lace agate.  I also really like my new gemstone fringe bib necklace, and my concentric circles crystal necklace.  I also am currently working on a new collection of jewelry and handbags for FP for holiday that I am really excited about – so watch out for them in November!

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What are some of your other hobbies?

I really love to travel, and hang out with my friends, and I live for seeing live music – so I usually combine the three!  Also, even though I live in the city, I love the outdoors.  I try to go hiking, snowboarding, and make trips to the beach as much as I can.

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center, rocking the sequin slip at phish!

How would you describe your personal style? What are some of your favorite free people items?

I would describe my style as earthy and feminine by day and rockstar by night – so I am a total Free People girl!  I am obsessed with all of the versions of the birds of paradise dress, and  I could not live without my fp intimates.  I wear my bandeaus and halter tops all the time, and .I own two sequin slips that I have probably worn hundreds of times!  They are so great for layering, I can always find new ways to wear them.  I also have a few FP sweaters that will probably stay in my wardrobe forever, because they are so soft and comfy, and I love the FP beach styles too!

What is your motto?

Work hard, but play hard too.  I am a total workaholic, but I love what I do so much, that it doesn’t really seem like work.  My business keeps me so busy that I often have trouble breaking away.  But I know that it is important to take breaks and go out and have fun!

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What does free mean to you?

To me, freedom means being able to be creative everyday, making a living doing what I love, staying connected with nature and spending time with the people I love.

thanks sarah!! check out her website here, and see our collection of sarah lewis jewelry right here!

blogger playdate!

yesterday the beautiful chantal of cocorosa just so happened to be at the urban headquarters in support of her friend who is a shoe designer, so we invited her to stop by the free people office! she is such a lovely person and i always admire her style.   i had a great time hanging out with her and playing dress up – she picked some of her favorite items and modeled them while i took photos!

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her picks were the first impressions jacket, the charmer tall boot (in our september catalog); the front & center pullover and the leather expedition hat. other boots also coming soon. go see more photos on her blog!

dream catching

sadly, it is time to say farewell to our concept intern, stacey, who is leaving us to go to college.  please enjoy one last post from her!

I feel as if everywhere I turn I see dreamcatchers. Suspended from rearview mirrors, splashed across blogs, discreetly tucked into editorial images, they are difficult to ignore…not that I would want to. While a trend beloved by too many tires easily, its ubiquity stripping away the element of novelty too soon, the recent overwhelming amount of dreamcatchers has yet to repel me; it just leaves me wanting to know more. It is easy to lose the story in a profusion of images so I looked for it in the legend. These words from Core Designs convince me that a dreamcatcher definitely warrants a warm place above my pillow—

“The dreamcatcher legend originated from the Ojibway and Lakota Elders. They tell us that dreams do hold great power and drift about at night before coming to the sleeping ones. To keep the dreamer safe, the Old Ones created a special web, The Dreamcatcher, to hang above their sleeping places. The ancient story told by the Native Elders is that the Dreamcatcher’s hoop, with the intricate webbing at it’s center, ensures a sleep undisturbed by bad dreams. The good dreams would take the path of the web with great ease to its center and would float gently down the trail of beads, and like the feather, drift down into the minds of the sleepers below.
The bad dreams would struggle with the web and become entangled as the night would pass, leaving them to perish in the rays of the new day sun in the morning.”

The word “dreams” itself is so airy — wispy and elfin when written and rolls cheerfully off the tongue when spoken. The “d” stretches wildly in a yawn before guiding the remaining letters into a calm lethargy. Just hearing and reading and speaking the word throws my imagination into overdrive. Admiring the word and its shape-shifting quality got me thinking about the other meaning of dreams, the even less tangible one that consumes the mind long after the sun has risen and the darkness melted away. A recent dream of mine came true this summer and comes to a close today and I can’t help but feel a melancholy, like I am groping in vain at a fleeting something that has came and passed and can no longer be recovered. I recognize that interning at Free People this summer has been a gift in many forms. Meeting so many wonderful people and being able to observe them and learn from them has enriched not only my understanding of how a corporate setting works, but educated me in the intricate way that a group of creative and hard-working people come together to create something that makes people feel good about themselves. I am very lucky to have had this experience and would not trade this summer for any other.

Thank you, Free People, for having me. :)

in case you missed any of her lovely posts, click on these links:

meet the concept intern!

through our concept intern’s eyes

intern-al affairs

a-dressing nirvana

if you blur your eyes…

be kind to animals and birds, and read all you can

hot and cold

cruel summer

some morning inspiration

home

thank you stacey, keep in touch!