rare rabbits

this month when walking into our cafeteria you must pass by a brigade of jackrabbits, perched alertly on their haunches with their ears straight up in the air, like they’re about to take off running.  i looked up the artist who makes them, and the story behind them is pretty cool.

artist beau buck uses recycled materials, including hunting vests, denim, mexican blankets, and even remnants of a betsy ross american flag.  he also collects coats, bags and other fashion items that are made with fur, leather, teeth and feathers, and repurposes them as sculptures of the animals they originate from. very neat idea!

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his other work is pretty interesting too, check out his website here.

thursday poll – edition 131

we have a new lookbook for february, featuring smoking hot model marloes horst!  she has such unique and striking features…i love the above photos of her taken by benny horne- she also just did a gorgeous editorial in jalouse.  but what i love even more are these lookbook photos, featuring a sweet little prop that might look familiar :)  so tell me, which look are you in love with?

one:
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two:
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three:
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four:
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five:
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six:
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seven:
SHOT 9  20986

eight:
SHOT 10  21022

vote vote vote!


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ishknits

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the flag poles outside building 543 down here at the navy yard got a little makeover today! this “yarn bomb” is the work of artist jessie hemmons of ishknits. i’ve posted about yarn bombing before – i think its such an interesting phenomenon that has been growing in recent years, with various crocheted objects popping up all over the world – a lot of it done anonymously.

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if you live in the philadelphia area, chances are you’ve seen some of jessie’s work (pictured above).  however, she told me that in some areas (like old city, where i live), city officials will have the artwork removed when they spot it. why would anyone want to do that? i think it’s beautiful, and i’m thrilled that we now have bright pink flag poles at the navy yard as it feels very appropriate for free people :)

check out the ishknits website here.

wednes-diy

in the dressing room area of our pittsburgh store, look up and you will see these amazing chandeliers made out of deconstructed paper umbrellas dancing overhead. they were inspired by the amazing work of artist sylvia marius:

i was immediately intrigued by them and went down to ask our display team how they were made. they were kind enough to give me a little lesson on how to do it and let me use their supplies to make my own! it’s actually not hard, as with most projects it just takes a little time and patience.

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what you need:

a paper umbrella- you can find these in chinatown or online at amazon or party supply stores. don’t worry about the design or quality of the umbrella because you’re going to cut it up!

you’ll also need some cord or heavier string, thread, beads and scissors. i used some strips of fabric our display team had lying around as well, but just for decorative purposes.

our display team had some really pretty beads they let me use, but you can find beads at any craft or art supply store.

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start by cutting the paper out from between all the framing – make sure not to cut the white string part! also our team, and i, opted to leave some of the paper on the frame because we like the way it looks and it gives the chandelier some color. i was able to pretty much just tear the paper right off, this part was easy.

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for the next step, measure out pieces of string to reach from the end of one spoke to the end of the umbrella handle – i tied some of the fabric strips just below where i was attaching the string so it wouldn’t slip down – you could also tape it into place.

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it’s ok if the spokes curve a little bit too – i actually liked how it looked that way. i also wrapped the entire handle in fabric strips… which i probably should have done before tying all the string on… ;)

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now its time to start stringing beads! to leave spaces of empty string in between beads, just knot the thread around a bead and continue.

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tie the strands of beads right to the spokes of the chandelier at random intervals.

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and you’re done! hang the chandelier somewhere that you can admire it, and enjoy :)

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free people pittsburgh

even though our stores all get the same seasonal displays, there are always little touches our fp girls put into each one to make it unique. our new pittsburgh free people looks incredible, right down the tiny little details…

welcome to steel city!

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i love all the oddly-angled beams. as for the scarves, our display team dyed and hand-panted each one themselves!

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i adore this wall! it has such a great vintage, fifties feel.

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and perhaps my favorite part, this suitcase filled with trinkets is amazing! i would love to do this as a way of commemorating a special trip…take the suitcase you used on the trip and adorn it with decorations and trinkets from your travels!

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another gorgeous store! stay tuned because there’s one part i didn’t show you yet…

Hint, hint, give him an idea for Valentine’s day!

Make his heart race or make her shine with pretty lace and sexy silk. Pretty slips that can be playful and worn dressed up outside the house. Make cute with delicate accessories or add coolness with moccasins and tattered satchels. She will become an angel for the day!

Visit our Valentines day shop here

guest blog post: shooting our february catalog

Hi! I’m Free People’s creative design assistant and February guest blogger! I consider myself lucky, because I get to help with the creative process in developing the image of Free People, and also have my hand in styling.  I work directly under our creative director, who is best described as creative sunshine.

our creative director on our February catalog shoot preparing for the next shot.

Ok, so here are some tidbits from this catalog’s creation process: the concept was first outlined and sketched in a notebook by our creative director.

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Here are some tears that were collected for inspiration on how we’d like the shoot to go before we get on location.

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Finally shooting day arrives and the end result is like magic!

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stay tuned for more posts from me this month, and check out my personal blog here!

tunesday

when it comes to videos, having the right song can make all the difference in the world.  for me, that’s what really grabs my attention and sucks me in so that i can’t stop watching.  one of the reasons i love our videographer’s work so much is that she always picks the perfect song – i don’t know how she does it. the song in our february catalog video is no exception…”throwing hail marys” by gypsy death star.  i had never heard of them before and wanted to learn a little bit more about them…

based in ventura, california, gypsy death star is a collaboration between producer cesar augusto and singer/song writer wyatt hull.  they combine trance-like electronic beats and haunting lyrics to create a sound that will transport you to a different place in your mind. read on for a brief interview with the band and check out a video of them performing “throwing hail marys” below!

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when and how did gypsy death star come about?

i put an add out on craigslist for a beat maker and cesar responded, we started making tracks together through emails, & the rest is history..

how do you guys describe your music?

a cross between dark ambient techno & electronic indie rock

if your music was a color, what color would it be?

blood red

is there a certain song you’re most proud of?

some may be slower, some may be more full of wisdom, but were equally proud of all our children.

what’s your favorite venue you’ve played in, and what venue do you dream of someday performing in?

we recently played at the deer lodge in ojai, california & that had a magical ambiance. we both dream of someday playing the conan o’brien show, we’re big fans of his, or perhaps one of those sesame street episodes where they bring musicians on.

what’s your pre-show ritual?

cold high-quality brew.

who are some of your biggest musical influences?

cocorosie, t-rex, q lazzarus, tv on the radio, portishead, syd barrett, the pixies, and david bowie.

if you could see any band, past or present, perform live, who would it be?

kraftwerk’s performances when they used robots and any of the first ziggy stardust shows would have been rad to see.

all-time favorite record?

pink floyd’s “pipers at the gates of dawn” for wyatt. queen’s “game” for cesar.

what’s coming up for gypsy death star? any exciting plans in the works?

we’re looking at doing a small tour in mexico, we have a music video we just finished shooting in which we do some tag team wrestling, and are currently mixing a new full length record do for release soon this year.

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Gypsy Death Star – Throwing Hail Marys from Earth Delivery on Vimeo.

you can listen to more of their songs on their website here, and find them on facebook here.
thanks guys!

spring in our stores!

i mentioned last week that we opened two new stores – one in houston and one in pittsburgh. they both debuted our new spring displays, making them a bright and inviting space beckoning for people to step out of the cold and inside their doors. our display team blows me away every time – this spring’s combination of strips of fabric in cheerful easter-egg shades, parasols and colorfully patch-worked suitcases is like a warm burst of sunshine for the soul.

here are some images from houston:

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the scarves sewn together remind me of prayer flags!

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this suitcase “sculpture” is beyond amazing…the suitcases are covered with fabric and dripping with trinkets that the free people girl has picked up on her travels.

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beautiful work, display team! stay tuned for pittsburgh photos later this week.

february catalog video

i am so excited to show you guys our february catalog video…the first time i watched it i got goosebumps, its so beautiful.  i keep finding myself watching it when i need to be transported for a moment. take a look and lose yourself in sunny california with sweet thoughts of love…

the february catalog drops tomorrow, shot by jason lee parry, featuring models martha hunt, chrishell stubbs, jessica mau and noot seear.  our videographer made this amazing video, and the song is “throwing hail  marys” by gypsy death star.