New York City is celebrating the very best of fashion this week, New York Fashion week is finally here! We’re heading to the Big Apple to see some shows and to give you a little diary of what New York fashion week is all about. Expect high energy, style savvy details, and fashion at its best. I wonder what trends the designers will showcase for Fall.
The other day I mentioned that Jemma, Naomi and I hit up some of our favorite spots in Philadelphia to shoot a mini “Ode to Philly” lookbook in celebration of our store opening on Walnut St! We had so much fun shooting these photos, and we hope you love them too :)
Julia
My location was the street I grew up on. I felt it was symbolic in many ways, as our Philly store opening definitely feels like a homecoming for Free People. Despite a brief time in San Francisco, I’ve lived in Philly my entire life – from the Fairmount neighborhood pictured below, to the suburbs just outside the city, to West Philadelphia, Manayunk, Center City, and now Old City. Home is where the heart is, and my heart will always be in Philly.
I’m wearing the FP Light Weight Stretch Skinny Jeans, California Love Tee, Studded Plaid Buttondown, Vegan Leather Jacket, Wingtip Boot, Sam Feather Trim Fedora and Mari Flap Bag. This is pretty much the type of thing I wear every day – I’m definitely a jeans and tee girl, and I am currently in love with the studded plaid shirt and wingtip boots!
Naomi
My favorite spot in Philadelphia is the train station. I first discovered it when I came to the city for college. On breaks, I would often travel by Amtrak to get home. The first time that I walked into the giant hall, my breath sort of leapt from my body. It feels exactly how you’d imagine a train station should feel. Sounds echo off of the huge high ceilings and passengers await their trains on long wooden benches. The elegance takes me back to days when people traveled on trains everywhere. The station also reminds me of my dad (he has a bit of a train fascination/hobby) which was a very comforting feeling when I first left home for college. I’ve now lived in Philly for about five years, and I’ve spent a lot of time in that train station. For six months I was commuting to NYC three days a week to intern, and that place became my best friend.
I wanted to wear my favorite new Free People item there for this shoot. I fell in love with the Thrifty Eyes Dress the minute I saw photos come back of Karlie Kloss in our January book. I just got it this week, and I can’t wear it all different ways. This time around I paired it with our new Denim Button-Down and these awesome platforms which we’ll have on the site soon!
Jemma
My favorite place in Philly is Johnny Brenda’s, a bar in Fishtown, but yesterday I wanted to go to a place that I’ve been itching to go to for a while – I’m still kinda exploring Philly having moved here from the UK so… Franklin Fountain was the place I wanted to feast my eyes upon. I’m a girl who loves sweet things and things that are pretty to look, and during the summer months ice cream is my No1. Franklin Fountain apparently has the best ice cream so I went to try and it didn’t disappoint – I was like a young girl in a candy store.
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 Luneto 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!
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.
Thank you Claire, Christina and Natalie for coming down, we had a blast! Next time maybe we’ll come to NYC ;) xoxo
I first became familiar with Christopher’s work through his girlfriend’s blog, and I’m hooked! I love the candidness of his photos and how they serve as a visual diary of his life.
Lives in:London.
Shoots with:Over the years I have used a few different camera’s. I use a Canon SLR for most of my photographs, however I love shooting in 35mm more recently. I also have some vintage cameras that are over 30 years old. My secret weapon is disposable cameras.
Favorite Subject: My girlfriend. She is also a great photographer, so when we go away or spend the weekend together, we like to take photos. It’s great to be able to look back at experiences you shared together and have some cool snaps.
Inspired by: My father used to be a semi-professional photographer in the 70’s, and he has taught me much of what I know. I would say he has been a big influence. Aside from that, I am easily inspired by the blogs I revisit, as well as my friends and family.
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
Today’s DIY project was inspired by this post on apartment therapy. Free People has an instagram account and I love so many of the photos that our home office girls post there – it’s like our little visual diary. I LOVE the idea of printing out our photo memories and making them into wall art!
What you need: I used white poster board and double sided tape, and printed our photos out on a regular printer.
I picked photos at random and just started lining them up in rows :)
And that’s it! I think this would look awesome framed and hung up in our office :)
We’re very exciting to be launching the much anticipated Stone Cold Fox Margarita shorts – everyone is bouncing in the office about these beautiful “perfect” summer short made from vintage Mexican blankets.
I like them with a basic tee and biker boot, topped of with a hat, because of their heavy quality they will look great moving into fall also with tights. We are hooked!
Here’s a little bit about the brand.
Stone Cold Fox grew from the creative minds of 24 year old Cydney Morris and Dallas Wand, two childhood friends who combined their knowledge of fashion trends and great silhouettes to create Stone Cold Fox, a clothing, accessory and home ware label that has fashion bloggers and stylish celebrities buzzing with excitement, girls are desperate to own pieces from this exclusive collection.
The beauties are based in California, the brand ethos is quality over quantity and each item is hand made to order. Their vintage boho garments are made from the most luxurious fabrics and attention to detail is their highest priority. We believe you’ll be hearing lots more about the girls and their gorgeous label in the near future… Here’s a little introduction for those of you who haven’t seen already…
How did you start out? It started after we both graduated from college. Cydney had Foreign Cinema, our first collection, as her senior project. When we both moved back home, we joined forces. With Cydney’s design skills and Dallas’s marketing tools, it became a great combo for a small company.
What’s your latest collection inspired by? Our latest collection, Lovely Days, pretty much explains itself. We wanted it to be clothes that you wear on lovely days, or make you think of lovely days. Summer time, hot nights, margaritas, the whole summer in the 70’s vibe. It is just what you want to wear all summer, but it transitions really well into all seasons.
Influences… We are really influenced by the fabrics we see, places we have traveled and an easy living lifestyle. We want every piece to be easy, comfortable and able to wear in any situation. Whether you’re hanging at home, at lunch or even at an event out.
When you aren’t working what do you enjoy? We really enjoy the beach, long lunches, playing with our baby pug, Olive. Drinking lots of wine and hitting the flea markets.
What are you currently obsessed with? Currently, were obsessed with home decorating and furniture. We love decorating our new work space that we moved into about 2 months ago, and finding special pieces to go in it. We are also obsessed with good vintage finds, printed bell bottoms, photography and sangria.
Last movie you watched…. Cyd – a documentary on Rocky Erickson
Dall – Secret Diary of a Call Girl episodes back to back.
My wardrobe consists of…. Cyd- 90% vintage clothes, NO jeans, lots of flowy long dresses and Mexican gear.
Dall- Ripped jean shorts, flowy SCF tanks, printed long skirts and peach blazers.
What are your thoughts on the free people girl? I think she is just like a Stone Cold Fox girl. Loves to have fun, play with what she wears, a little bit of a hippie chick, and isnt afraid to take risks.
“what is the feeling when you’re driving away from people, and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? -it’s the too huge world vaulting us, and it’s good-bye. but we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.”
a couple of weeks ago i showed you the makeup we used for part one of our april catalog, and jemma was there to get the low-down on day two! here’s a peek behind the scenes and how to get sasha pivovarova’s look. Read More
My friend Lauren has lived in Australia for a couple of years now. She is British and has settled into the low key lifestyle Australia has to offer perfectly. She has an adorable blog that she uses as an online visual diary – sharing her thoughs and inpiration with the world. She let’s us take a peek into her lifestyle there. Below she shares her thoughts on Yamba one of her favourite beaches.
I live in the land of sun and sky, beaches and beauty. I moved to Australia from the UK just over two and half years ago and have based myself in Brisbane.
Just over three hours drive from home and I can be in Yamba. One of Australia’s best-kept secrets, same beauty and wonder as Byron Bay but imagine it before the travelers took over.
One pub perched on the cliffs overlooks the beach and a perfect place to sip beer and soak up the views. The home of Billabongs creator and a pro surfer attraction with the famous Angourie surf break just down the road.
Yamba calms me, it has a presence and a serenity that I search for and haven’t found anywhere else yet. Beautiful coastline, perfect for learner surfers like myself to practice my surf skills and to get tossed around by the waves.
Pitching a tent and spending a few days is all you need to unwind and escape from the city.
Yamba I love you with all my heart, one day when I have made my mark I will buy a plot near the beach and call you home.
today’s fan story is from sheila from portland OR, a student and artist who sent in some of her recent work. she wrote that she loves fiber art and is always inspired by the materials that free people uses, and has incorporated some tears from fp catalogs into her work.
i love how personal her work is, some of it containing little sentences or phrases that are like a peek into her diary. awesome stuff, thanks for sharing shiela! you can check out more of her work here.
and don’t forget to keep the stories coming to blog@freepeople.com!
when i heard that our january catalog was being shot in paris by guy aroch, i knew before even seeing it that it was going to be amazing. i’ve been a fan of his work for some time now and have a lot of his photos saved in my inspiration folder. in addition to his knack for beautiful lighting and rich colors, he has a magical way of capturing a fleeting moment. looking through our paris book i don’t see a catalog, i see a photo diary of two girls’ adventure through paris as if they were being followed around and photographed without knowing. here’s some more of guy’s inspiring work (some featuring model elsa hosk, one of our january catalog models!).
go see more of his beautiful work here. the images of guy shooting our paris catalog were taken by thomas northcut.
