i’m downloading footage from our august catalog shoot.
are you listening to any music?
actually when we were on the shoot, some of the guys in the fort where we stayed played hand drums for us, so i’m listening to that :)
what are you up to this weekend?
tonight we’re having a joint birthday party at my friend’s place for all the “crabs” who have birthdays around now (myself included)! and on sunday night i’m going to see kurt vile at johnny brenda’s.
what was the highlight of the past week for you?
the 4th of july fireworks here in philly were amazing. and i saw the movie cyrus which was incredible!
we love these amber and macramé bracelets because not only are they beautiful but they have an amazing story behind them.
the bracelets are hand made by women in ecuador to raise money for the eden’s rose foundation. this foundation is working to build job skills and sustainability in the impoverished outpost communities of tosagua, ecuador, and proceeds from the sale of these bracelets go directly towards building a basic needs center in tosagua to help young children in need.
the region of tosagua, ecuador is affected by heavy flooding.
each bracelet varies slightly in the color of the string, and they all feature columbian pre-andean amber. this is a rare and lovely amber that comes in a few different shades. some specimens include the fossil remains of the wood the amber was once attached to, and others have bugs and other creatures from the time period. most of this amber is from before the aquitanian age of the miocene period and some predates the formation of the andes!
by purchasing one of these beauties you are not only getting an extremely unique and special item but you are helping a very worthy cause – what could be better than that?
good morning! today i have a special treat for you – a guest post by the lovely and talented artist/designer kris chau! she has a really cool blog with illustrator hawk krall called “drawing for food” on which they review restaurants, food, and lots of hot dogs! and of course art makes its way in there too :) please enjoy this guest post from kris chau in which she interviews fellow artist rob sato!
Artist Series: Mr. Rob Sato
Rob Sato does not stop drawing. It actually gives me a huge complex about drawing. Why aren’t I drawing all the time too that I too need a special compartmentalized side satchel to hold my travel watercolor palette and brushes and various pens????? Then I look at his art and feel somewhat worthless and hide to eat my feelings. So with that introduction here is the amazing art of Rob Sato, eater, cook, drawer, and friend to Drawing For Food.
left: SweetBonesDeck–painting of Sweet Bones on skateboard
right: Satobites-imaginary food from my sketchbook
SweetBones–sketches for broken arm drumstick ice cream cone
DrawingForFood: What is your favorite dish your mom makes?
RobSato: Rum Cake.
DFF: What do you snack on for art deadlines?
RS: It used to be whiskey. When my body couldn’t take it anymore, I had to switch to almonds, bananas and water.
DFF: Do you make better art hungry or full? Why?
RS: Reasonably well fed is what works. Being too full makes me nod off over my work. A few times I’ve come-to with my face planted in a painting, drool pooling, and an unintended paint stroke streaking across the surface. I also fall into time warps after I eat where I suddenly become aware that I’ve been lying on the couch for hours reading or watching movies. On the other hand, being hungry causes panic, pacing, frantic snacking on weird food and long stares into the fridge. This can then lead to being overly full on snacks instead of simply preparing a decent meal. Every so often hunger mixed with creative blockage will drive me to the following menu, consumed in a near-zombie state wandering back and forth between the kitchen and the studio– It usually starts with a handful of nuts, then maybe a strip of beef jerky, soon a hand plunged into a box to eat cereal dry, more nuts, a bit of chocolate, an apple, a bag of baby carrots, cheese melted on toast, bites of cold gray dinner leftovers directly from the tupperware, a spoonful of peanut butter, a fried egg with more toast, more chocolate, just biting cheese directly off the block, a longing look at any alcohol in the house then maybe a beer, all the bananas, the remainder of the package of beef jerky, a few spoonfuls of ice cream, a cup of coffee in an attempt to shake it all off and calm the frenzy. Then a dreary, stupefied drawing session or an unintended, unsatisfying, guilt-ridden nap.
DFF: Wheres your favorite place to eat?
RS: With Ako, on our porch.
****DFF: coincidently this is one of Kris Chau’s favorite places to eat too…
DFF: If you could cut up and eat any artist in history to absorb their strengths and talents who would it be?
RS: This was a tough question. After much thought, the final and obvious choice is Leonardo Da Vinci. Absorbing him would deliver a massive load of skills and knowledge which I could mix with my own visual taste and pursuits. He does seem like he would taste pretty awful though. I’m not exactly sure why, but I’m imagining a combination of dust, dry burnt bread and bad, foul smelling cheese. The first artist that comes to mind who seems like they might actually have tasted good is Picasso. He reminds me of a cartoon drawing of a glistening ham. I’ve just disturbed myself.
Ako with our dinner from the other night: Sea Bass with miso marinade, Tamago (japanese omelet) brown rice, avocados and pickled ginger.
DiscountBurgers–stickers I found that look like burgers
BurgerFolk–sketchbook image
Ako with Thai Iced Coffee
And here is a recipe from Mr. Sato!
Chicken and Fruit Curry
2-4 tablespoons oil (canola, vegetable, peanut, or butter all work–amount varies depending on how greasy you want this)
2 medium onions, chopped
3 apples chopped into chunks (fuji or gala tend to be the least mealy, but all seem to work OK)
1 banana chopped into chunks (you can also use papaya or mango, or go with just apples but I prefer the banana)
1 cup tomato, diced
1 to 1 1/2 lbs chicken meat, cubed (about 2 breasts, or 4 cutlets, or 3 -4 thighs)
salt
2-3 tablespoons of curry powder
1/2 cup yogurt (optional)
hot pepper (optional)
soy sauce to taste, at least a tablespoon
handful of chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
1. Heat up the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan or skillet that you are able to cover
2. add the onions, stir occasionally, cook until they become soft, 5-10 minutes
3. lightly salt the onions and then add the curry powder, stirring into the onions until they are fully coated with the powder,
4. add the chicken, the fruit, tomatoes and hot pepper (if desired)and mix them into the onions
5. pour the 1/2 cup of yogurt over the mixture (if desired)
6. cover the pan and cook covered for 8-10 minutes
7. check to see if the apples have softened, if not, it will need a little longer to cook
8. once the apples are soft, uncover and raise the heat to medium-high. cook until the mixture thickens slightly, another minute or two.
9. add the soy sauce and continue cooking for one minute
10. taste, adjust soy sauce if necessary
11. Serve over white rice, season with a spoonful of fresh yogurt, the cilantro, and mint
you’re done.
serves 3-4
thanks chau!!
make sure you check out her blog drawing for food, it’s awesome :)
today we decided to try something new – fp jemma and i went over to the photo studio and did a little styling session to show you all some cute ways to wear the pointed maxi slip! our stylists put together some amazing outfits that i would NEVER think of, i took the photos and jemma was our model!
look one – simple and sweet:
look two – out on the town:
look three – casual cool:
look four – boyish layers:
look five – sweet like candy:
doesn’t she look great? click read more to see more photos and for details on what she’s wearing in each look!
welcome to a new segment on the blog where i ask our stylists what items they love right now! they always have the best taste and what do you know, after talking with them i found myself wanting both of their choices…
all four ladies present agreed that these socks are the cutest – and incredibly versatile. they’re super soft and the color combination is fun and new – they add a quirky pop to any outfit. wear them with shorts and tennis shoes, or dress them up with a skirt and clogs. it doesn’t matter how you wear them, they are bound to get noticed!
here they are (in navy) in our july catalog- i think they add a really cute boyish touch to the slip:
they love the tribal print mixed with the leather strap and details, and it is the perfect size to hold everything you need for a quick overnight getaway. the print is neutral enough that you can wear it with anything – it looks cute mixed with other printed items or just with bell bottoms and a tee, which is what our web stylist says she would wear!
have you guys seen our new outfits page for july yet?! it’s awesome – you should check it out, when you hover over the images you can see a really cute little video :)
i love every single one of these looks. which of the following is your favorite??
i don’t know about you guys but i pretty much NEED every item in outfit two. the winner of last week’s bodysuit poll was the solid v tank bodysuit with 42% of the vote!
in april our team shot two catalogs- our first wholesale catalog, which was shot in california, and then our july catalog in colorado. here are some behind the scenes shots of them at work!
the july catalog was shot by benjamin alexander huseby and features models noot seear, linda vojtova and izzy marshall.
for today’s office space i thought i’d head over to building 543, where our cafeteria, coffee shop, gym and some offices are located. since i am in this building at least once a day for my daily cup of coffee i have gotten really used to it but the first time i entered its doors it literally took my breath away. it’s a gorgeous space- but i’ll just let you see for yourself…
the last one is the view out the back window :)
oh and by the way this building is open to the public so if you’re ever down by the navy yard, stop on by!
prior to opening our new store in costa mesa, ca, a couple of our display team members who work out on the west coast made a trip to the rose bowl flea market to pick up some props for the store. one of them shared her photos from the shopping excursion and i found myself practically drooling over the blankets, accessories and various little trinkets she found. philly needs a (monthly!!) flea market like this! i would be in heaven.
as mentioned, the photographer for our july catalog was the amazing benjamin alexander huseby – who also shot one of the most beautiful editorials i’ve seen for acne paper sweden, featuring model iselin steiro…
our current creative theme “quilted memories” has had me thinking about my quilt that i started making last year. i’m ashamed to admit it has been sitting in a box full of fabric for months now waiting for me to return to it, but during sunny spring and summer months i find it hard to spend any time inside working on it. however, these images are definitely inspiring me to get back to work…
all of these blow me away. i definitely don’t have the artistic ability to make anything as amazing as these, but they’re giving me some great ideas… have any of you ever tried making a quilt?
this new series of posts on the blog will explore the world of our interns, brought to you by our concept intern anastasiya!
Here in the office we have a fresh group of interns who, like me, are coming down from the initial flutter of beginning work in Free People. They are settled into their different departments, busy honing projects and assimilating into the working culture. To give you a more thorough glimpse into the experience that is being a Free People intern, I will introduce a talented new intern every week and have them show and tell you a little bit of what they are working on.
Let’s now take a peek into the dazzling world of the Visual Display Department – meet Walker, the Visual Summer Intern!
What led you to intern for Free People?
I have always had a love affair with Free People clothing and when a family friend that works here saw my portfolio, she thought I would be a good fit for the visual display team. In February, I came to Philadelphia for the first time to interview and got the job!
What has been your favorite part of the experience so far?
It is hard to pick a favorite part because this whole experience has been so wonderful, but I would have to say it would be making the bike wheels and bike horns for the 5th avenue store in New York. I had a lot of freedom to play around with a wide variety of materials and color palettes and got to add my own spin on the summer display. It is also pretty awesome to see something I made in a Free People store!
What do you think is the most useful piece of knowledge that you have acquired in your time here?
I have learned so much about how visual display works but the most useful piece of knowledge is that people like to see variety. For example, if someone asks you to dye a piece of fabric green, dye ten pieces of fabric all different shades of green so they will have a large assortment to choose from.
What are you currently working on?
I just finished working with the visual display team on the Holiday 2010 prototypes which look splendid! There are so many fun elements that will transform the store into a winter wonderland.
Any words of advice to future interns?
Just be very positive and willing to work hard. Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions because that it how you are going to get the most out of this experience. Oh, and have fun!
The fruit of Walker’s labor?
The bicycle wheels suspended from the ceiling of the 5th Avenue store in New York were so pretty!
