Documentary: Magic Trip

I have more than a small obsession with Jack Kerouac.  I have all of his books and I treasure them, often re-reading them and each time finding something new and eye-opening in their pages.  On the Road was the first one I read, and then re-read when I was literally on the road taking my own journey across the country. Dharma Bums probably had the most profound effect on me, and I read Big Sur shortly after visiting that place for the first time. While living in San Francisco I found myself influenced by my surroundings and diving deeper into the psychedelic culture of the 60s– it was around that time I read The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test, a manic tale about the bus called Furthur and the acid-fueled journey of Ken Kesey and a colorful troupe of companions (called the Merry Pranksters, with nicknames like Stark Naked and Gretchen Fetchen) including Neal Cassady -On the Road’s Dean Moriarty. I don’t know what it is that fascinates me so much about this time period, but there’s something about the spirit these people had that is so magnetic.

So when I found out there was a new documentary about this very trip, called Magic Trip, I was pretty much floored. I knew that the Pranksters had been filming a lot of what went on during their journey, with the hopes of making a film, but none of that footage had ever been seen. Until now.

I think what blew me away the most was seeing the footage of Neal Cassady talking nonstop, being his erratic, speed-driven self.  He was, word for word, exactly as Jack Kerouac described him in On the Road.  He painted the picture so clearly that I almost felt like I had seen this person before.

The journey starts at Ken Kesey’s Northern California home and follows the Pranksters and Furthur down Haight Street and across the country, with various antics and acid trips along the way, ending in New York with a stop at the World’s Fair and Timothy Leary’s home.  Their destination, however, does not live up to the journey itself, which is where the true spirit and feelings of ultimate joy, freedom and peace are alive.

Jack Kerouac and the Grateful Dead (then called the Warlocks) also make appearances – what more could you possibly need?

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I was completely captivated by the troubled beauty Stark Naked, who’s real name is Cathryn Casamo (pictured above with Neal Cassady, and below).

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Mountain Girl and Jerry Garcia

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Ken Kesey sitting on Furthur.

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Timothy Leary and Neal Cassady.

Whether you’re into the sixties or not, this is a piece of history worth checking out!

Have you seen it? Let me know what you think :)

Image sources 1, 2, 3.

Office Style: Shooze

This week’s office style is dedicated to every girl’s number one fetish – shoes. There’s no shortage of killer kicks around this office. Every day I’m in awe of all the amazing shoes that appear. Some are so unique you can’t help but stop and stare while others have a chic that is equally paralyzing. It doesn’t matter if it’s a sneaker, boot, or wedge, each pair is perfection. See some of today’s amazing shoes for yourself…

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The Free People Pretty Leopard Ankle Boot!

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LFW: best in show

London pulls out all the stops when it comes to fashion, there’re no boundaries when it comes to styling and playing with different patterns and textures. The shows this year demonstrate just that for spring/summer 2012 — from oversized daisy prints over monochromatic geometrics, to unusual fabrication and applique techniques. It’s no wonder London is now for the cray cray city of cool.

Anything goes here, and it’s kinda fun. it’s a city of diversity that’s for sure!

Here’re the shows that stood out to us and a couple of street style looks from Facehunter.

Did you have a favourtie show?

street style from facehunter and runway photos from Vogue and Style

Ashish Spring/Summer 2012lfw

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Christopher Kane  Spring/Summer 2012lfw

Thursday Poll: Fall Trend Report

There are a lot of great trends going on for fall, and if you’ve been to the Free People homepage lately, you’ll have seen our wonderful Fall Trend Report. Personally, I’m feeling one part menswear, one part color blocking, and a bit of polka dot. Which trend are you all loving for fall?

70’s

Lady Lace

Maxi Dressing

MOD 22073

Menswear

2011_09_08 LOOKBOOK 21543

Mod

LONG SLEEVE PRINTED BODYCON RED COMBO 22055

Color Blocking

FP UTILITY JEAN W ZIPPERS ELECTRIC BLUE 21694

Polka Dot

LOOK 36385

[polldaddy poll=5525183]

Inspiration: The Space We Inhabit

I love this video by Ben Wu and David Usui of Lost & Found Films about the idea of home. John Coffer’s home is beautifully imperfect. I’d love to escape to his oasis for a bit and participate in one of his wet plate workshops.

It’s so interesting how the space we inhabit really becomes an extension of us. As we change our homes change with ourselves – reflecting pastimes, values, tastes…everything. It’s “like [your] own little kingdom that [your] the boss over,” in Coffer’s words.

The video is part of a miniseries titled “This Must Be the Place.” Check out the other video on their website here.

Snapshot: Claire Oring, Los Angeles

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Lives in: a cozy apartment on the west side of LA on a hill overlooking the city. It’s decorated with antique Victorian furniture and tons of artwork all over the walls. It’s the perfect place to host tea parties, which I do on a regular basis.

Shoots with: a Canon 7D with 1.4 L series Canon Lens, a 1953 Rolleiflex and an assortment of old 35 mms and Polaroids.

Favorite Subject: I love a good heroine. I work with a lot of girls around my age because I relate to them. Adventure, magic, friendship, and gaze are themes seen throughout a lot of my work. Youth is relevant as well because I’m still so young and I feel the need to capture it. all of my settings are characters in one way or another. Nature is vital. It has a mind of its own and adds unexpected organic elements to whatever my idea is. My goal is for my photos to appear timeless so viewers are left with a nostalgic feeling. I want them to be as relatable 50 years from now as they are today.

Inspired by: Travel is one of the biggest factors. The need to be on the move and covering new ground fuels a lot of my work. I also take my dreams seriously. I analyze them and translate them into different mediums. I like to try out new visual themes and then mold them to fit my work so it stays true to what I want to say or want to feel. If I see a cool geographical location I might get really excited and try to bribe my friends into going there with me so I can photograph them. It usually doesn’t take much. I have a lot of creative friends who enjoy modeling as much as I love taking pictures.

Random fact: I once let someone play connect the dots with all the freckles on my face.

A self portrait:

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View more of her amazing work on her website.

Such a beautiful and inspiring young talent. Thank you Claire!

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!

http://popcultureafternoon.blogspot.com/

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?

NYFW: Hair Inspiration

New York Fashion Week is over, and while I don’t really consider myself to be the most fashionable person, I still like to check out the shows online and follow some of the behind the scenes coverage on tumblr. And beyond just the fashion inspiration, I found myself saving so many photos of hair styles! I doubt I’d be able to tame my mess of hair to look like any of these but it’s still great inspiration… Read More

Superfood Watermelon Chia Fresca

One of our amazing readers, Julie Morris, is an employee for Navitas Naturals and just came out with her very own recipe book, Superfood Cuisine. She kindly sent me a copy of the recently published book, and I have to say, it’s amazing. The whole concept is cooking delicious cuisine with high-energy, nutrient-rich ingredients – superfoods. She defines superfoods as natural food with an exceptionally high nutrient density (nutrient:calories). They are ingredients that help to rejuvenate the body and keep the mind sharp. The funny thing is that most of these ingredients (mostly fruits, roots, seeds, plants, and berries) were discovered long ago by ancient cultures, but have since lost their popularity. The book is packed with info on superfoods. If you’re interested in learning more on why they’re so good to incorporate into your diet, I suggest picking up a copy.

I decided to recreate one of the many delicious looking recipes in Julie’s book for this week’s recipe. Watermelon Chia Fresca is made using the superfood chia seeds. These tiny seeds were originally used by the Aztec, Incas, and Mayans to increase stamina on a long journey. They are high in Omega-3 fatty acids, fiber (1tbsp = ¼ daily fiber needs), and important minerals like calcium and iron. Another fun fact about Chia seeds is that they can absorb 9x their own weight in water which means that once in the stomach they will expand and increase your feeling of being full. Check out this delicious fresh beverage using the powerful superfood, and stay tuned next week for another of Julie’s recipes.

Ingredients:

1 Cup of Water

2 Teaspoons of Chia Seeds

2 ½ Cups of Chopped Watermelon Flesh

1 ½ Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice

Stevia or Agave Nectar to taste (I used Agave)

Directions:

Combine water and chia seeds. Stir.

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Place into the fridge for 10 minutes. After ten minutes, take out and stir. Then place back into the fridge for another 10 minutes. This allows the chia seeds to plump up.

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Place chia mixture and remaining ingredients into a blender and blend.

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Chill and then serve.

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