My NYFW Diary

Yesterday after an evening of spending some time with my friends who are visiting New York from London I headed to the Mara Hoffman show. Her fall collection was inspired by “Shaman gauchos”. The ultimate bohemian bombshell sprung to mind as I watched meteorite patterns, tapestry motifs, and “third eye” symbols run down the runway with a jewelry collaboration with All For The Mountain! I left breathless and with a clear indication of how exactly I want to dress for Fall 2012.

Mid afternoon I made my way to “Pie and Thighs” in Williamsburg for a quick southern bite before departing back to Philly in the snow. Tomorrow I’m back to the Big Apple to take a bite at Street Style. I’ll also be checking out the Betsy Johnson show and after party!

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Handmade Heart

On Thursday February 16th our Brooklyn store is holding an event that will include an art exhibition and raffle with local artist Jennifer Contini! Jennifer does beautiful heart installation paintings, incorporating a multitude of mediums, so it felt appropriate to share some of her work today with the approach of Valentine’s day! At the event, customers who spend $150 or more will be entered in a raffle to win a piece of her lovely work!

Jennifer’s website speaks of her love affair with New York, about which she says “I live and work in a place that beats to the same drum as I do. The fast urban pace of Manhattan is home, and my vibrant downtown neighborhood defines and inspires my work. This is the space where my artistic vein finds higher meaning.” Her pieces have a distinct urban, street art feel, and are like artistic valentines to the city she loves.

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See more on her website. We’ll have more details on the event next week!

My NYFW Diary

Yesterday was a busy day, Free People was shooting our February look book at 5 Beekman NY; a beautiful derelict building built in 1882. Our model Martha Hunt danced around in pastels while her face and hair was decorated in bright powder pops and coloured yarns. Next week there’ll be more photos on this so stayed tuned!

Mid afternoon we headed to the Lincoln Centre to see the Charlotte Ronson show. The crowds swamped in, Dead Weather lyrics flooded the room and the spotlight shone on the celebrities seated at the front row – Nicky Hilton, Sky Ferreira… the list goes on.

Charlotte Ronson’s collection was an array of sophistication with a spontaneously cool edge. Colours of bottle green, oatmeal, navy and deep purple collided with quirky geometric prints. It was a collection perfectly executed. Not too old, not too young but, spot on right in the middle!

Now for Fall 2012 I’m all about bottle green and oatmeal!

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Book Love: Pilgrimage by Annie Leibovitz

An outtake from the iconic shoot with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, which took place hours before he was killed.

When it comes to role models, one of mine has always been Annie Leibovitz. She inspired me from a young age to study photography, and to this day her work sets a standard that few others can live up to. From her role as chief photographer for Rolling Stone magazine in the 70s, to touring photographer with the Rolling Stones, to her more recent fashion editorials, she has a gift for capturing people and history through her lens – some of the most iconic moments in music have been brought before our eyes because of her talent.

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Pilgrimage is a book of photos that are unlike her other work – they contain no people.  It began with a trip to Niagara falls with her daughters, and plans she had made with partner Susan Sontag, who has since passed. They had talked about making a book of all the places they wanted to go, and years later Leibovitz returned to the idea, and thus came Pilgrimage. The photos are of spaces, places, things – heavy with the ghosts of the legends who lived in and used them, like Virginia Woolf, Thoreau, Elvis, Georgia O’Keefe, and so on.

“I NEEDED to save myself,” she says of the work contained in the book. “I needed to remind myself of what I like to do, what I can do.”

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Niagara Falls

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Emily Dickinson’s only surviving dress

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Virginia Woolf’s Bedroom

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Elvis’s Television, in storage at Graceland (he shot it).

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Georgia O’Keefe’s handmade pastels

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Annie Oakley’s heart target.

You can also see the photos on exhibit right now at the Smithsonian Museum in DC!


My NYFW Diary

I didn’t get much sleep last night at The Jane Hotel… The excitement was running through me.

At 9am after a strong red eye I headed to the Lincoln centre for the 10am BCBG show. The fashion flock were swamping in and the adrenalin was sky high. Everyone was excited to see what the show had to offer. The lights dimmed and the music started pumping, the models sashayed down the runway showing elongated shapes, beautiful colors and a great use of geometric obstruction.

After the show we hunted outside the venue for style, I spied Alexa Chung and my heart started racing. New York is fast, one blink and you’ll miss a trick! my tired feet are now resting with thoughts on what Fall 2012 fashion will become. I wonder what tomorrow will bring…

For live updates head over to our Twitter page and follow our tracks! And our street style photos will be coming next week!

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Office Style: Lou

This week’s office style is dedicated to one of my favorite FP girls: Lou. The awesome thing about Lou is that she’s rough and she’s edgy, but she never loses a touch of sexiness. The look is for a girl who’s on the run and active. She doesn’t have the time to be high maintenance, and can’t stand things that will restrict the adventure. She loves to steal items from her man – bulky tees and grungy tanks never looked better. Pants and shorts are her go-to, and there’s nothing like a good pair of boots or sneakers. Once in a while, she’ll mix it up on you and throw in that feminine touch to remind you that, after all, she is a lady.

There’s nothing like a good pair of faded sneakers, get the look with our Muddy Waters Sneaker.

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The Love Bug Thermal and Buckle Ankle Back Boots paired with skinnies make a great laid back Lou look.

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Nothin like some good elbow patches…

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The FP Skinny Vegan Leather Pant from our original Vegan Collection

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I’m seeing a trend with our Buckle Ankle Back Boots

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Lou loves motorcycle jackets! Get the look with our Vegan Leather Jacket.

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Love the jumpsuit paired back to sneakers. Get the look with our Linen Striped Romper and Bowie Wedged Sneaker.

Blogger Love: Meet Gemma of Fade to Black

I first discovered Gemma’s blog Fade to Black over a year ago, and fell instantly in love with her style and everything she posts. We’ve emailed each other frequently, but finally the other day we got to meet in person when she came down to our office, or as she calls it, fairy land, for a quick little visit. I asked her to fill out one of our style file questionnaires, and she cracked me up as she did. Get to know a little bit more about Gemma, FP style!

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Gemma is also quite a talented artist! Here are a few more photos from her blog…

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Check it out: fadetoblackny.blogspot.com

Thanks for stopping by Gemma! Hope to see you again soon xx