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!
so long, morocco
Month: April 2010
A festival wrap up
It’s been 1 week since we’ve been back from Coachella and I am having massive withdrawal symptoms. I’ve been shifting through my pictures and reminiscing almost every day.
One thing’s for sure the music was insane and fueled a lot of inspirational thought, from fashion to feeling.
These are some bands I am aspiring to at the moment. Individualism makes me tick and these guys sure have it.
Coachella has been a blast for us and we’re hoping these become a more frequent topic of conversation on the blog. Anyone going to upcoming festivals, we’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…
some facebook fan love…
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
easy vegetarian sandwich
i am a vegetarian, and i am constantly on the lookout for really good meat-less sandwiches. so when i saw this recipe on lifeflix and read that it was supposedly the best sandwich EVER, i was really excited to try it out.
you’ll need:
2 slices of oat nut bread (whole foods brand) toasted
handful of mixed greens
slices of red bell pepper
thinly sliced cucumber (skin on)
sliced tomatoes (seasoned with salt + pepper)
sliced swiss cheese or whatever cheese you like
mayonnaise
balsamic vinaigrette*
honey mustard dressing*
salt & pepper
Balsamic Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup quality extra virgin olive oil
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 to 1 tsp sugar
1/2 pinch of black pepper
1/2 tbs water (tap)
*optional tiny squeeze of fresh lemon juice
mix everything but the olive oil. while mixing with a fork or a small whisk, drizzle in the olive oil into your vinegar mixture. taste and season according to taste.
honey mustard:
mix equal parts yellow mustard + honey
putting it all together:
prepare both dressings.
toast bread. they highly recommend the whole foods nut oat bread (green bag). in the meantime, cut all your veggies.
spread mayo on both slices of bread (one side only). spread about a teaspoon or so of the honey mustard dressing (both slices) on top of the mayo. layer one side with the cucumber slices, then the peppers, tomatoes and mixed greens. slowly drizzle balsamic vinaigrette over the mixed greens OR you can toss the greens with dressing in a separate bowl. top with cheese and the other slice of bread. that’s it!
my verdict? delicious!!! the dressings blend perfectly and the sandwich is as fresh as a bite out of spring!
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!
thursday poll – edition 91
hey everyone! hope you’re all enjoying your earth day. the weather is warming up and i am loving all of our cute shorts – which do you like best?
ever brookland short:
paint splatter cut offs:
we the free madras short:
last week’s poll turnout was amazing! 1,525 votes and only 9 votes separated the winner (girl number 5) from second place (girl number one) – and in case you didn’t figure it out, the winner was sandy and second place was candy :)