Once…the Countdown Begins

Posted by fp julia on in fashion, inspiration

Pssst… In one week we are launching a collection of limited edition dresses that consists of six magical gowns dreamed up and hand crafted by the lead designers at Free People.

We will be launching the dresses with pop-up shops that will appear in our Brentwood and 5th Avenue stores on November 10th for a special three-day viewing experience that will leave you with sparkles in your eyes.  But don’t worry if you don’t live in NY or LA because they’ll be online for you all to see a week from today!

Each day until then, I will share a special sneak peek of each dress, with one word that each designer chose to describe it, before we reveal the final pieces.

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Once…
A girl became a star, and for the night she shone the brightest light,
She became a magical attraction that was breathtaking.
A shooting star that will never be forgotten.

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Paris in the 1920s: Behind the Scenes

Posted by fp julia on in fashion, inspiration

Paris was the perfect setting to capture the fashion of the 1920s for our Through the Decades holiday catalog.  The grayish light and romantic architecture created a dreamy backdrop to the 1920s styling worn by Elsa Hosk and sisters Zuzanna and Julia Bijoch.

Here’s a peek behind the scenes thanks to Thomas Northcut!

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The FP crew – such a stylish group of gals!

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Shop the November book.

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11 Comments on Paris in the 1920s: Behind the Scenes

Blogger Diary: California Dreamin’…

Posted by fp julia on in inspiration

“I was trying to daydream, but my mind kept wandering…”

Sometimes I feel like the thoughts in my head fly around at a frenzied pace and the only way to sort them out is to get away for a bit.  Even if it’s not far away, just to get out of the city, and surround myself with new sights, smells and sounds can do the trick.  This weekend I did actually travel though – I went to California for a quick vacation with my sister to catch up with some family and old friends.

California is one of my favorite places in the world – and while I prefer San Francisco, I do love LA.  We stayed at the Standard Hotel in Hollywood – located on Sunset Blvd, it has a really cool modern vibe and great location. We spent our days doing some vintage shopping on Melrose (where I found a pair of perfectly beat-up boots in just my size for a mere $20!), hanging out in Santa Monica – where we even went to the pier for the first time in years, and just lounging by the pool at the hotel, relaxing before a night out.

It was just what I needed before flying back to a cold, snowy (!) Northeast on Saturday.

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The Standard Hotel

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Chateau Marmont

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I loved this store Slow – especially its little off-shoot full of vintage treasures called As Is.

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Another great store – Wasteland – where I got my boots.

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Santa Monica Pier

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8 Comments on Blogger Diary: California Dreamin’…

Come Again Darkness

Posted by fp julia on in design, inspiration

I came across these scarves on green eyed monster and I loved the story behind them so much – for anyone out there who, like me, suffers from seasonal depression, here’s a little ray of light :)

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“I am always bewildered by the arrival of early autumn darkness. I travel around in my normal routines confused for weeks. This year I felt I needed to try harder to understand the transition. Was there some way I could prepare? Without even knowing it I found I was using my camera as a tool to dissect the final hours of illumination. I became fixated on capturing a momentary blanket of light, of all tones and colors, which I could hold and pull up around me when all I see is black. I wanted to feel the light. I needed to see the light. And now I feel ready. Come darkness, here we are again.”
—MAV

more here.

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Desktop: Blogger

Posted by fp julia on in home office, inspiration

1. WXPN festival media pass

2. Tea FP Naomi brought back for me from Hong Kong

3. String I dyed with onion skins

4. Quilted fabric from India, left over from today’s DIY.

5. Our latest book club read – Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins

6. Tiny creatures from Uncommon Objects in Austin

7. Dried flowers make me happy

8. Wine cork from a trip to Napa

9. Sentimental memories…

10. My little Buddha watches over me at work

11. I can’t write unless I’m listening to music!

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4 Comments on Desktop: Blogger

Blogger Meetup: Elsa of Styleabaad

Posted by fp julia on in fashion, friends, inspiration

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On Friday I met up with Elsa of the blog Styleabaad for coffee. She chose the spot – Last Drop café on 13th and Pine. I live in Old City and rarely come over this way, but I was completely charmed by this coffee shop! I love cafés that feel homey and unique, the kind that makes you want to bring a book and get cozy and stay a while.

I first met Elsa when I posted a photo of her on our blog, not realizing she was currently living right here in philly! It just so happened that same day she was at the Free People home office visiting her friend, our Art Director. Small world, huh? We decided to meet up and talk about blogging, fashion, philly and more.

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Elsa is fascinating – she is from Sweden, and has been living in Philly for three years now with her husband. She loves to write and travels often – the last 12 years she has been traveling to India, where she has spent time in an Ashram and also worked various jobs including backup dancer in Bollywood films. In addition to her blog, she is working on a novel about her travels – I for one would love to read it! She also had some really interesting perspectives on fashion in Philly vs. fashion in Sweden, and what it was like to move here as a foreigner. Stay tuned because she agreed to write a guest post about it for our blog :)

I also couldn’t get over how cute she looked with her blue hat, backpack and kate spade bike!

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I had to get a closeup of her awesome nail polish too – what a cool idea!

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Get the look: Ankle Crop Jean, Floral Buttondown, Pierre Slip On, Ski & Hike Backpack, Knitted Ranger Hat.

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Free Shipping to Australia and New Zealand!

Posted by fp julia on in friends, inspiration

We’re already missing summer and longing for a trip down under! But since we can’t travel to the other side of the world for free, we can at least ship there for free :)  Starting today Free People is offering free shipping and 10% off on all orders over $100 to Australia and New Zealand through November 1st!


2nd image via oracle fox.

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5 Comments on Free Shipping to Australia and New Zealand!