tunesday

inspired by an idea from our office coordinator, for today’s tunesday i decided to ask some people around the office what they’re listening to right now and what the last album they purchased was. it was so fun to see what different tastes in music everyone has!

office coordinator (left)
listening to: foster the people
last purchase: tv on the radio’s new album

senior graphic designer (right)
listening to: crosby, stills, nash and young
last purchase: kurt vile, “smoke ring for my halo”

interactive web director
listening to: dan black’s “symphonies”
last purchase: the “yes man” soundtrack, because of zoey deschanel!

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graphic designer
listening to: kate bush
last purchase: jonny corndawg, “down on the bikini line”

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senior designer, knits & beach (left)
listening to: guns n’ roses
last purchase: michael jackson’s greatest hits

knits designer (right)
listening to: girl talk
last purchase: “a whole new world” and other various songs from disney movies!

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graphic design assistant
listening to/last purchase: thao & mirah

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martha, model (left)
current favorite: my friend’s band “zambri”!

stylist (center)
last purchase: lcd soundsystem, “sound of silver”

stylist (right)
last purchase: the love language, “libraries”

all three listening to: yeasayer (what was on in the photo studio!)

saturday in philly

saturday was a beautiful day in philly, the perfect day to take a long walk around the city.  my destination was broad street, for the philadelphia international festival of the arts (PIFA) street fair taking place all day long.  i took the long route from my place in old city and walked through my favorite neighborhood, society hill. it’s such a charming part of the city – full of historic buildings, red brick, adorable town homes with front stoops and the occasional cobble-stoned street.

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passed this adorable little park hidden behind brick walls, that i’d never seen before!

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this guy was going around asking people to wear a mask of his face for a photo, for a school project.  after obliging, i asked him to do the same :)

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i finally made it to broad street where there was a palpable excitement in the air.  two stages with live music, street performers, food vendors, a ferris wheel and more lined the avenue of the arts for the PIFA street fair, with this year’s inspiration coming from paris in the early 20th century.

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this contraption was attached to a giant crane that lifted it in the air for a performance by la compagnie trans express, which, sadly, i did not get to see.

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i noticed a crowd of people gathered around something and went closer to find them taking pictures of…a vine?

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and then the vines started to move.

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they are a part of a performance art group called “the living vines,” and it was probably one of the coolest things i saw at the street fair.

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the way they twisted and contorted themselves was so amazing…i literally couldn’t take my eyes off of them!

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sometimes the most random days end up being the best :)

monday quote

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“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.”

– jack kerouac

images by 4th and bleeker.

Green Tea with Lemon and Blueberries

This holiday season my grandmother gave me an adorable tea pot, and I’ve been obsessed with tea ever since. Many say that tea offers a range of cleansing effects and health benefits but all I know is that the many comforting cups of tea have definitely been good for my soul. Messing with different blends and experimentations has been a fun and tasty adventure. I began to spice it up recently with the addition of fruit. Here is one of my favorite, antioxidant rich, energizing creations. Drink it hot or stick it in the fridge for a refreshing iced tea – perfect for summertime!

Ingredients:

2 Teaspoons of green tea or two green tea teabags

2 Cups of boiling water

2 Thin slices of ginger

2 Lemon Wedges

¼ Cup of lightly mashed blueberries

2 Tablespoons agave nectar or honey

Preparation:

  1. Prep all ingredients and put water on to boil
  2. Place everything together into a pitcher
  3. Once the tea is fully brewed (about 5 minutes) remove green tea & enjoy!

Going sheer, is it you?

The transparent look is all over the spring 2011 runaway shows – Items that showed off what was being worn underneath, A bit controversial? Yes!

The looks on the runways are not necessarily meant to be worn as-is in everyday life. They’re artistic presentations of a designer’s inspiration, presumably to give you inspiration for ways to wear the pieces yourself. Obviously, the completely sheer ensembles are too extreme for most people’s taste in day wear, but perhaps as inaccessible as this trend may seem, mixing in pieces to suit your personal taste would make it more wearable.

We played around in the studio yesterday to see what works under such sheer items.

We toned down what could be very provocative to the eye by making them a little tomboy; Sheer maxi shirts worn over bootie shorts with a relaxed shirt pattern, bodysuits under sheer tops to add a bit of interest, and lace trimmed bike shirts worn under those adorable chiffon slips.

Would you go sheer?

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Mesh maxi half slip embroidered mesh crop we the free long sleeve burnout baseball tee crossover stripes bandeau skinny stripe bodysuit.

may calendar!

because i love you, you guys get the may calendar a couple days early :) click on the image to go to our flickr page and download the large size of either the regular or widescreen version!

i think this one is my favorite. or i just really love spring.

happy friday!

office style

Today our lovely ladies wore some of our cool new free people pieces. I love teaming the We The Free Eagle Concert Raglan with a bold maxi skirt!

Our cute Monarch wings dress worn with frilly socks

The We The Free Raglan Tee again worn with a statement necklace

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Click images to view product

brand we love: hollywood trading

i couldn’t help myself, i had to do a post about these amazing pieces that we are carrying by hollywood trading. born out of a love for vintage handmade american leather belts, the company has evolved to carry accessories and apparel for men and women with an aesthetic that is heavily vintage inspired, handmade and rough hewn. personally, i’m a sucker for straw hats and these two are quite special with features like hand-painting, hand-tooled leather, metal and stud details, and they are made out of hemp and canapa. love!

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tattered feather fedora/tattered painted fedora

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the beautiful suede peyote waist belt

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and these sienna boots i’ve been dreaming about since our march catalog! psst…they’ll be back in may :)

Meet our Art Director

I caught up with this beautiful lady to find out what she’s inspired by right now as she moves into her new role of Art Director. She’s the lovely lady that works in our studio creating, along with the associate stylists, the beautiful looks on our web. She also comes up with some of the catalog concepts along with our creative director.

Her knowledge and vision, mixed with her exquisite taste are pretty inspiring.

What has been your most memorable fashion moment and why?

 I think the most memorable moment related to FP and fashion has do to w/ a shoot we did in Morocco last year. We drove 13 hrs into the Sahara desert, about 3 km from the border of Algeria- and stayed with a Bedouin tribe in tents in the dunes. The first night was unbearably warm , so the team decided to pull our mattresses out of our tents and sleep under the stars for the remainder of the trip. Our Norwegian photographer and Swedish model sang us Scandinavian lullabies, and our hairstylist told us stories that made us laugh so hard we cried. We slept like starfish with our heads together and our feet pointed outward. All beneath the Saharan moonlight – the whole thing was pretty surreal and magical.  Doing cannon balls off of sand dunes wasn’t so bad either.

 When are you happiest?

 I think there are so many different kinds of happiness – I am the happiest when I arrive in a new country or city I’ve never been to before- I find newness/ new experiences completely exhilarating.

I am happiest when I am filled with hope and anticipation about a new project – I’m a total Pisces, always dreaming about what’s to come.

I am happiest when I find a new book that I can’t put down.

I am happiest in Paris.

 What is the one habit you just can’t break?

 It’s not a habit, but every time I travel the contents of my toiletries bag spill all over the place. I am a total klutz- an unbreakable habit. No matter how tight I close the lids of my makeup, shampoo, etc – they will find a way to open. I am undeniably prone to spills and stains.

 Who are your style influences and why?

 I think my personal style is very different than the style I am attracted to…  Anita Pallenberg, Mick Jagger, Zelda Fitzgerald, Brigitte Bardot, Ingrid Bergman, Marianne Faithful, Bob Dylan, Lauren Hutton, Kate Moss, Katherine Hepburn are all people whose style I am so inspired by – but don’t necessarily try to adapt for myself.  I also love the instant gratification of street style blogs – I’ve had many mornings when I’ve had a difficult time getting dressed, checked out some blogs, and completely reinterpreted (knocked off) someone else’s awesome outfit. Like instructions on a lazy day.

 What are you currently obsessed with?

 I am taking French lessons through Skype – no excuses to not show up for lessons!

The Hunger Games trilogy, a young adult series recommended by a friend this weekend. Kind of a speed reading nerd, I read two of the series in one day.

Photography by a friend, David Bellemere. His work is rich,  architectural, sexy and totally inspiring- Hoping  FP will be working with him soon!

 The last movie I watched was…

 Last weekend I went to my friends new apt in Brooklyn and  watched a film called Micmacs by Jean Pierre Jeunet. We ate gummy bears and peanut butter m&ms at 10 am and watched the movie.  It was kooky and fantastical.

 My favorite food is…

 I think the ritual I am most in love with is a coffee first thing in the morning, though not necessarily any food in particular.

 My biggest indulgence in life is…

  Facials! I love them.

  My wardrobe consists of…

 My style is simple but romantic- high-waisted trousers, lots of silk and chiffon, menswear, vintage, and some core pieces I wear all the time.  I am definitely a proponent of investing in items you think you will wear forever. I am curvy, and I definitely tailor my style to what works for my body shape- I think that’s a huge part of feeling confident in your style… Knowing what works, what doesn’t, and embracing that! ( Easier said than done, I know, especially when you fall in love with a style or silhouette that isn’t the best for your shape.)