Our good friend Tolly Moseley is back with another amazing guest post, this time covering all the best festival fashion from this past weekend’s Fun Fun Fun Festival down in Austin! Enjoy :) Read More
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Free People Through the Decades: The 1950s
It was a cheerful time – the war was over, the bad guys were gone, and America truly was the world’s last best hope. Corn on the cob and apple pie. Drive-in movies and long summer nights. High school heroes and soda-fountain romance. And that exciting, exciting new music, coming up north from somewhere down south.
When I think of the 50s I think of a period of change. I imagine a world of color emerging from black and white… young people opening up their eyes to new music, new fashion and new ideas that their parents would have shunned. Icons like Marylin Monroe and Audrey Hepburn taught girls to embrace their individuality and personal style and bad boys like Marlon Brando and James Dean replaced the clean-cut ideal. It was a time of awakening and transition from the rigid 40s to the free-spirited 60s.
Pictured, clockwise from top left:
Drive-in Movie Theaters were a popular hangout in the 50s
A 1950s Ford Thunderbird
Marilyn Monroe
Audrey Hepburn
1950s juke box – have you seen our Vintage Loves Wurlitzer?!
Elvis Presley helped popularize the new blues-infused rock ‘n’ roll of the 50s
A 1950s scene
Elsa Hosk in our Holiday Catalog
Marlon Brando
James Dean
Shop the Holiday Catalog.
Thursday Poll: November Catalog
For this month’s catalog we celebrated fashion inspiration from decades past and present – moving through the 20’s, 50’s, and 70’s to current day. There’s so much to love about this book, and each decade truly has its own spirit and style. Now it’s time to vote: which decade did you enjoy the most?
[polldaddy poll=5639198]
Paris in the 1920s: Behind the Scenes
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!
The FP crew – such a stylish group of gals!
Shop the November book.
Details: Hair Style
I always find so much hair inspiration here in the office – we have girls who are experts at perfecting their ‘do. It’s funny though, I think about half of the girls whose hair I took a photo of said they were having a bad hair day – but I think they all look awesome! That’s what is so great about things like hats, turbans, twists and cute little buns on top of your head – you may think you’re having a bad hair day but to everyone else you look completely put together and fashionable.
The Zigzag Turban is quite the trend today!
(I’ve got my eye on this adorable new head wrap – so perfect for the holidays!)
Check out all of our hats and hair accessories.
Monday Quote
Trend inspiration: Mod
Stepping into my mod world…
When free people launched this trend I became all nostalgic, being British I studied this movement through my fashion and design course and feel honored that one of the significant designers of this time is from my homeland Wales. When I think of MOD I think of Mary Quant amongst other things. She was a Welsh fashion designer and British icon, who was instrumental in the mod fashion movement; she was one of the designers who took credit for inventing the miniskirt and hot pants and showed a generation how to dress to please themselves, she created the ‘London Look’ that was so apparent during this time.
What mod means to me?
To me mod means ‘swinging London’ a time when fashion and style was everything, a time when mods and rockers became huge rebels and pop culture influenced fashion in a big way, psychedelic rock and bob haircuts… now I wish I was right in the thick of things in carnaby street London, 1960’s
Here’s my inspiration and a great editorial I found in self service magazine starring Arizona Muse and Daphne Groeneveld
items: russian print mini skirt, Mohair plaid mini skirt, polka dot blouse, rhiannon two tone platform
Holiday Book Sneak Peek: Free People Through the Decades
I am beyond excited about this year’s holiday book and today I can finally give you a sneak peek! This year we decided to pay homage to the fashion of bygone decades that still influences us today. We traveled back in time to Paris in the 1920s, America in the 1950s and Morocco in the 1970s before finishing up with the Modern Girl, a girl who mixes her favorite trends from the past with her vision of the future.
Behind the scenes photos by Thomas Northcut.
1920s – shot in Paris by David Bellemere featuring Elsa Hosk, Zuzanna and Julia Bijoch.
The 1950s – shot in studio, NYC, by Alexei Hay featuring Elsa Hosk.
The 1970s – shot in Morocco by David Bellemere featuring Elsa Hosk and Marianna Santana.
The 2010s – shot in studio, NYC, by Alexei Hay featuring Elsa Hosk, Tallulah Morton and Chrishell Stubbs.
Stay tuned for more about the Decades all November long on the blog, and lots of great behind the scenes coverage!
Which decade is your favorite so far?
Trendspotting: Fancy Collars
Shirts have become a fashion focus with an emphasis on the collar. Styled individuals are wearing their shirts buttoned up – right up! But it doesn’t stop there…
Decorating the collar is key in creating a quirky new take on this trend whether it is with a necklace or actually customizing the shirt collar itself.
Right now we love this collar necklace as it allows you to create a quirky collar twist with almost anything!
Are you all collared up??
Oh… and stay tuned for a DIY next week
items: Miles of lace dress, La bourse Plaid button down, Cropped cardigan, Stella collar
Blogger Meetup: Elsa of Styleabaad
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.
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!
I had to get a closeup of her awesome nail polish too – what a cool idea!
Get the look: Ankle Crop Jean, Floral Buttondown, Pierre Slip On, Ski & Hike Backpack, Knitted Ranger Hat.
Guest Post: DIY Fishtail Maxi
The lovely and creative Geneva of A Pair and a Spare contributed this amazing guest post for our blog!
Fishtail skirts have dominated the recent SS12 runways and are oh so sexy. What better way to jazz up a thrifted skirt than by creating your own fishtail style? Follow my steps below, it’s incredibly simple!
You need:
A thrifted skirt (I picked one with some subtle pleating)
A pair of scissors
needle and thread
an iron.
How to:
1. Put your skirt on and mark where you want the front, and shortest, part of the skirt to finish.
2. Take the skirt off and fold in it half down the front of the skirt – so rather than the back and front lying against each other, it’s the two sides that face each other – the way you might fold trousers before you put them on a coat hanger. Make sure the fold is directly in the middle of the front of the skirt.
3. Lay the skirt on the floor and cut out the front of the skirt – you want a straight line for the first 30cm or so to create the mini part of the skirt, then tapering down to the back and bottom of the skirt.
4. Try the skirt on to see if the cut out is big enough. I did this a few times, cutting more away to suit what I wanted it to look like. It’s always best to take this part slowly and do small amounts at a time.
5. Once you have a cut out that you like, fold over the edge of the skirt about 1cm and iron. You may want to double over twice but my skirt was made out of a fabric that didn’t fray too badly so once was enough.
6. Sew a small stitch all the way around the hem.
7. Iron flat again.
Voila! All done.
Now wasn’t that simple? I absolutely love how this style moves around when you walk! Now that I’ve tested the process I’m going to make a few different coloured versions too.
Amazing!! thank you so much Geneva!
For more DIY Fashion Inspiration visit her blog: A Pair and a Spare. Also be sure to check out our new DIY Projects category!
Trending on FP.com:
Maxi dresses, high waisted shorts, maxi skirts, crop tops, high waisted skirts, Jeffrey Campbell Shoes, lace shorts
Do it Yourself Granola
These days the word “granola” seems to be slightly vague. When you go to the grocery store there are so many versions. It can be made with oats. It can be made with nuts. There can be cinnamon, or vanilla – even chocolate. You get the point. Basically, to be granola it has to have crunch, and it has to be delicious. When you make it at home, however, there are even more versions to experiment with. The options are endless, so I wanted to share some of the interesting granola recipes that have been catching my eye lately. I love the idea of making your own granola, and really controlling what goes into it. I’m still deciding which I should throw together, but if any of you try one, let me know how it is!
Crunchy Quinoa Granola
Ingredients:
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup dry quinoa
1/4 cup flaxseeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons agave syrup
2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 300F.
- Combine all dry ingredients (oats, quinoa, flaxseeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds) in a large bowl. Mix well.
- In a small bowl stir together all wet ingredients (applesauce, cinnamon, vanilla, agave, molasses).
- Pour over the dry ingredients and stir until well coated.
- Spread the granola on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Turn it over every 10 minutes or so to provide even toasting.
- Let cool completely. Keep in airtight container.
(recipe via Anja Food 4 Thought)
Lemon Rosewater Pistachio Granola
Ingredients:
1 lemon, zest and juice of
1/4 cup date syrup or honey
1 tablespoon rosewater
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup flax seeds
1 cup chopped pistachios
1/2 cup raisins
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 300F.
- Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine lemon zest, lemon juice, rosewater and syrup/honey in a saucepan.
- Bring to a boil. Take off the heat and let cool a little. Set aside.
- In a big bowl, combine oats, flax seeds, and chopped pistachios.
- Pour the lemon syrup mixture over the oat nut mixture and stir until well combined.
- Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Spread the granola evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Let cool completely. Stir in raisins (optional).
- Keep in airtight container.
(recipe via Anja Food 4 Thought)
Pumpkin Granola
just because I’m loving fall :)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Dash of ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups old fashioned oats
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.
- Stir in the brown sugar and maple syrup until smooth.
- Add the oats, dried cranberries, raisins, almonds, coconut, and pumpkin seeds, stirring until granola is evenly coated. It will be moist.
- Spread out evenly on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes and stir the granola around. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely before storing in an air-tight container. Granola will crisp up once it has cooled down.
(recipe via The Pastry Affair)