click images for source.
so long, morocco
some final inspiration from morocco… photos taken by our producer.
i hope you’ve enjoyed our journey through morocco this month! what are some other places you’d like to see us go? i’d love to know!
photos by katie stoops
a reader sent me the link to these beautiful photos taken by katie stoops, using some of our clothing! i love the outdoor setting of the photos but i think my favorites are the close-ups because they really show the beautiful details of some of our pieces. check out more of katie’s work here.
the free people items pictured are the stitched boho tank, embellished tube dress, lacey insets dress, ends in sequins dress.
speaking of details…
calling all massachusetts-area artists!
the free people store in dedham, MA is looking for local talent to showcase their artwork this summer! if you are interested, please friend them on facebook (Freepeople Dedham) and send a message with your name, contact info, and a picture of your work.
sounds like such a cool opportunity!
monday quote
“everyone knows what their roots are, but you’ve got to explore everywhere. you’ve got to explore the sky too.”
– mick jagger
fantastic wonder
how cute are these shirts? they’re for sale over at print liberation, but more importantly they were designed by our very own lizzy janssen! she’s not only a talented artist but a total sweetheart and very funny…read on for an interview with lizzy and to see more of her amazing work!
where do you draw inspiration for your work?
i get inspiration from nature and science. i like to draw things a little mysterious which seem to have been overtaken by nature and color. in my mind i’m always drawing miss havisham’s house from great expectations.
who are some of your personal favorite artists?
i like artwork that is really colorful and has a sense of humor. lucienne day, maxwell loren holyoke-hirsch, kime buzzelli, betsey walton, margaret killigan, martha rich, esther pearl watson.
do you listen to music while you work? what do you listen to?
yes lots of music, a lot of times lyrics end up in drawings…
i like folk and blues, the carter family, woody guthrie, hank williams, leadbelly, howlin’ wolf, joan baez, bob dylan, neil young.
what are some of your hobbies?
i like to collect antiques and go to flea markets and auctions with my dad! and mostly reading, hanging out with my cats june and arlo, watching movies, and walking all over philly.
if you were stranded on an island, what three things would you want with you?
high heels, my cats standing on top of a record player with bob dylan’s “nashville skyline” …and eyeliner :)
how would you describe your personal style? which free people girl are you?
i’m a little bit country, and i’m a little bit rock and roll! i think i could be a mix of candy and lou – dresses and heels but not too girly.
what is something that most people don’t know about you?
i had a magical childhood living in penang, malaysia, where i was a puzzle box model.
lots more great stuff at lizzyjanssen.com.
down in new orleans
yes, some of you are probably still recovering from the madness of coachella but this weekend another huge music festival begins – the new orleans jazz festival! this isn’t your typical festival though — it spans 9 days and is all about celebrating the incredibly rich musical heritage and culture of new orleans. there are some pretty impressive musicians playing this year- including dr. john, the black crowes, the funky meters, simon & garfunkel, my morning jacket, the allman brothers, widespread panic, aretha franklin, pearl jam, jeff beck, van morrison, b.b. king and richie havens…just to name a few :) in addition, there will be arts and crafts galore, and all of this is on top of the mysterious, voodoo tinged atmosphere that already exists in one of the most fascinating cities of the united states.
morocco in the sixties
during the 1950s and 1960s, morocco was a refuge for writers and musicians from abroad, including the rolling stones, jack kerouac and william s. burroughs, who wrote the legendary naked lunch while staying at a hotel in tangier. morocco was to the rolling stones what india was to the beatles – they traveled there in the late 1960s in search of musical inspiration and found that and much more. the fusion of berber, african and arabic music had a huge influence on the rolling stones’ sound but they were also enthralled by the atmosphere of the country – especially the somewhat seedy city of tangier – home at the time to spies, smugglers, expatriate aristocrats and writers-in-exile. they arrived in the british mod style and left in billowing shirts, weighed down by bracelets, necklaces and various trinkets. about his experiences in morocco, keith richards said “we enjoyed being transported. you could be sinbad the sailor, one thousand and one nights. we loved it.”
the stones were part of a large crowd of swinging londoners who regularly visited morocco in the 60s. one of the most iconic photos representing morocco and the bohemian culture of the 1960s is of talitha getty, wife of paul getty, shot by patrick lichfield on the roof of their home in marrakech. our team was inspired to recreate this photo when shooting our catalog in morocco- here is our version!
greetings from california!
good morning! our team sent along this awesome behind the scenes photo from california, where they’re shooting our fall wholesale catalog. the location looks so beautiful, i can’t wait to see the end result!
getting our special lou shots
as we told you earlier this week, to get our special web shots for the twisted classics trend, we went to nearby FDR park to get some shots of ‘lou’ on her skateboard. it was a gorgeous spring afternoon and i think we were all a little excited to get out of the office for a bit and enjoy the weather- here are some behind the scenes photos of our team at work!
more below…
free people manhattan beach
our fp girls from free people manhattan beach (california) sent along these great photos for the blog…click “read more” to take a little peek into their store!
and i say it’s alright…
good morning! add some sunshine to your desktop! head on over to our flickr page to download this sweet summery artwork for your computer or whatever you want to do with it!