Our july lookbook features one of our favorite fashion icons, Australian model Bambi Northwood-Blyth! She is such a joy to be around – from her endearing accent to her magnetic charm, we all fell in love with her. For our july lookbook she showcases our pre-fall collection full of layering essentials like leather, denim, crochet, tights, bed jackets and sheer fabrics. Here’s a peek behind the scenes!
Bambi told us the story behind her cute ankle tattoo: she and her boyfriend were traveling together and got beaded anklets that read “dan and bambi.” She decided to get a tattoo of the anklet so that she would always have it :)
it started when our creative director discovered the sisters of the black moon and began printing their lookbook photos from various tumblrs and blogs like cosmic dust and sun in scorpio, and hanging them for inspiration. she didn’t realize the photography was current- their decayed, weathered look led her to believe they were vintage 70s shots. then one day last year she received an email from the photographer, alexandra valenti, and was shocked to find that she was a living person from this time period! alexandra found us since we were working with her friend leslie crow from heyoka leather, who she also shoots with. immediately we knew we had to work with this photographer – and the rest is history!
read on for an interview with the beautiful soul alexandra valenti and see some of the amazing outtakes from our july catalog shoot.
When and why did you first get into photography?
I started pretty young and always loved it. After I finished college, I moved to NYC and assisted fashion photographer, Sante D’orazio. I didn’t know anything about the fashion world and not that much about the technical side of photography, at least not at that professional level – I was the WORST assistant ever. He’d probably tell you that too. But he and I became very dear friends and I paid attention and learned so much. I thought I’d end up making movies, so I moved to LA and wrote scripts, but I didn’t like how long it took to make something (which is, it took FOREVER). And that frustrated me beyond belief. So I moved to Austin and I went back to photography, and started to develop a style and a voice in images in a quiet way, on my own time. I’m a very, very late bloomer.
We all love your work with the Sisters of the Black Moon. How did you guys meet?
I think we met at Alecia’s birthday party at a place called Shangrila in Austin. I knew who they were, and I had major girl crushes on them! We started hanging out and soon after I asked them if I could take pictures of them at a swimming hole nearby.
Do you have a favorite moment from the Free People catalog shoot?
It was all so great! I couldn’t have asked for a better experience and I”m so insanely grateful for it. I feel like I made new friends, it wasn’t just a job, you know? That’s a pretty special experience to have – I didn’t want the shoot to end. Doub is my hero. What a beautiful, generous, loving woman… all of my friends fell in love with her. I kinda wanna put her in my pocket and take her with me everywhere. And I just loved all the models – Ashley Smith was a dream, I’d shoot her everyday of the week if I could! I guess, one of the best moments, though, was when the band was playing as I was shooting. All my friends were there, it felt so comfortable, it was a love fest from the get go! That and the last night when we went to eat at the Mexican restaurant, and we shut it down. They were sweeping up around us :)
If you had a time machine, where would you go?
The future to see if everything I dream about comes true.
Or back when I was struggling to tell myself it’s all gonna be just fine. Ha!
Where do you draw inspiration for your work?
Old paperback book covers from the 60’s and 70’s.
Who are some of your personal favorite photographers/artists?
Oh man, there are so many. Maybe the anonymous photographers from the turn of the century or family snap shots that were shot with Polaroids in the 60’s and 70’s. As for fine artists, I’d say self-taught, outsider artists – people who make art, houses and furniture out of scrap material.
What music are you listening to right now?
Two things: My Willie Nelson Pandora station.
And my rooster crowing in the garden. He’s a mean punk ass SOB.
But his crow kills me, so funny. Except at 4:30 in the morning. That’s when I wanna ring his neck.
Favorite book?
Autobiography of a Yogi and the Bhagavad Gita, the Eswaren translation.
Both changed me immeasurably.
What do you love most about living in Austin?
You don’t have to drive very far to get anywhere… the swimming holes (when there’s not a drought!)…and the people, my friends. There’s a real sense of community here. I’ve never felt that way about any other city I’ve lived in.
Tell me something most people don’t know about you.
Hmm, I don’t know, I’m kind of honest to a fault. I feel like as I get older I realize I’m like everyone else… same fears, a dreamer… I’m no better, no different than anyone else. I wear my heart on my sleeve most the time and pretty wide open about my feelings… man, sounds so boring. I should have more secrets. I’ll work on that.
view the july catalog shot by alexandra valenti in its entirety, right here.
“Beauty can come from the strangest of places even the most disgusting of places,It’s the ugly things I notice more, because other people tend to ignore the ugly things”- Alexander McQueen
While I was studying fashion design at university, I was introduced to the wonderful and magnificent world that was created by Alexander McQueen. I became fascinated in his approach to Fashion… I found him an incredibly interesting person. He did not just create fashion for women to wear, he created stories, visually stimulating performances as captivating as a movie you want to watch over and over again.
His background in tailoring made him a perfectionist. Every little detail was done so well that I was often left breathless.
One of the first shows I was introduced to was “Deliverance” Spring/Summer 2004, and I think it has remained one the most beautiful fashion shows I have ever seen.
Deliverance was inspired by the 1970’s Sydney Pollack film ‘They Shoot Horses Don’t They’. When the famous dance marathon theme came alive and models and professional dancers sashayed intensely around each other, the runway became a theoretical performance. I loved the disturbance of this show, and the contradiction it created. Beautiful craftsmanship against the backdrop of America during the great depression was unsettling – a battle between the beautiful and the damned. At the end of the show, the professional dancer wears the exact same dress as model Karen Elson, who opened the show, but the sequins are tarnished and the embroidery unpicked and distressed. This show got me good, and I was then hooked to everything he did.
As you can imagine when his life ended, it broke my heart. Such a maverick was lost. However, a couple of days ago, I managed to experience some of his magic at the Met in New York. The “Savage Beauty” exhibit was such a beautiful and eerie experience that took my breath away.
I always get inspired when I go to New York and even more inspired by the Young designers who emerge from there. So, when I heard we were carrying Madison Harding, a street provocative footwear line, my inspirational bank started to fill up.
Free-spirited and all-around chic, Madison Harding thrives on the creative style that flawlessly blends modern looks with a vintage edge. These shoe designers draw inspiration for their retro, yet street provocative footwear line from the beloved Lower East Side and New York’s staggering music and art scene
Hilary Rosenman and Barri Budin bonded over a shared love of fashion and contemporary design during their college years. After school, they moved to the East Village in New York City to start their careers in the fashion industry. Hilary served as a fashion market editor and Barri assisted at a contemporary fashion showroom. Soon after, they discovered a lack of accessible, high-fashion shoes designed for the downtown city girl, so the girls set out to follow their true passion, footwear.
The name Madison Harding represents the designer’s roots, Hilary grew up on Madison Ave in New York City and Barri on Harding Drive in New Jersey.
Their shoes fit in perfectly with a New York City girl’s essential wardrobe! what inspires you about New York?
thank you so much to everyone who came out for our july catalog release party on friday at the mohawk room in austin! we had an amazing time, the happen-ins killed it, and we met some wonderful people. austin will always have a special place in our hearts :) here are some photos from the event!
the poster we had made of one of our favorite shots from the catalog!
upon entry guests could pick up a free people bag and discount flier, enter into our raffle to win fp gift cards, and check out some merchandise from the happen-ins. stay tuned, once we pick the winners from the raffle i’ll let you guys know!
we previewed our july catalog video for the attendees, and then the happen-ins took the stage for a phenomenal set that had the crowd dancing up a sweat!
alexandra shot some photos at the show, i will definitely share them with you guys when i have them!
ricky
john michael
john michael’s shoes :)
falcon
sean
huge thanks one more time to alexandra valenti, the happen-ins and the mohawk room! xoxoxo
*update – check out more fashion photos from the event here!
the makeup for call of the wild creates a look that is natural and sun-kissed, with an added glimmer of gold eyeshadow to catch the rays of the sun. Read More
the day is finally here! our first ever interactive e-catalog, call of the wild, launches today on freepeople.com! here is the behind the scenes video, shot by our videographer here at our home office in philadelphia’s navy yard. song is “haunting at 1300 mckinley” by the amazing black angels.
and i have a special announcement for you! tune in today at 3pm for a LIVE fashion show that will be taking place here at the home office – see our favorite looks from the e-catalog modeled by our very own fp girls :) we will be broadcasting on facebook, twitter and right here on the blog. don’t miss it!!
It’s that time of year again. The air is already so hot that a simple walk outside is enough to leave your body coated in sweat, but don’t let it scare you! Summer is meant for being outdoors. Let the lure of sunshine, warmth, and living life overcome the sterile cleanliness of air conditioned spaces. Explore the outdoors, lay in the grass, attend festivals, plant a garden, just go outside and GET DIRTY. Afterward you’ll have a chance to jump in the shower and clean off. But don’t just let it be any ordinary shower-turn the knob to cold, and let those capillaries open up. Feel the chills all over – the way your hair gets so extremely silky with cold water. Nothing says summer quite like the alive feeling you get from a cold shower.
Here’s the second addition of RAFW from Mandy at oracle fox. She sent images from the Alice McCall’s collection, which was beautiful. The colour scheme was soft – jet black juxtaposed and gave it that hard edge when needed. Soft light shapes seemed to flow down the runway items that were interpretations of familiar volumes and forms. I loved the billowing backs of some of the garments and the intricate cutout details that was featured on some of the oversized tunic dresses.
Australia Fashion week looks like so much fun, I’d love to get my hands on one of those goodie bags!
First two images are from the Alice McCall show, 3rd images decoration, and 4th 5th and 6th from the Nookie show.
Macramé has landed on our fp page bringing a little bit of unique texture to our summer feet. Many people get confused with Macramé and crochet so here’s a little about its background. Macramé is an art of decorative knotting without using needles or hooks. By using a series of knots, it can be created using any kind of material. You can use fine thread or even use leather strips. The outcome – a truly unique texture that creates interest.
We love the 1970’s influence and the workmanship aesthetic it portrays deriving from the early sailors of the seven seas. Sailors made macramé objects in off hours while at sea, and sold or bartered them when they landed, thus spreading the art to places like China and the New World. Nineteenth-century British and American sailors made hammocks, bell fringes, and belts from macramé. They called the process “square knotting”, after the knot they used most frequently.
However, the trend has made its way back and made an impact on the runaways for spring/summer 2011, but how do you wear such an intricate look?
Let the texture tell the story of your outfit; team with a simple sundress and brown satchel, maybe a no print outfit would work best avoiding over busy-ness or run wild with the 70’s look and team some cute little Macramé shoes with bell bottoms and a simple tee.
We’re loving the shoes that are featured here they’re the ideal summer shoe!
Malandrino’s SS11