Remember how I told you our Portland store was having an awesome event with artist Rachael Rice? Well she was kind enough to send me a little write up and some photos from the event! I’m so sad I wasn’t there, it looks like it was a magical night :) Read More
Warm up your winter at Free People Short Hills, NJ!
Friday 11/18 at 9:00am until Sunday 11/20 at 6:00pm
With every purchase of a sweater or outwear piece, you will be entered into a raffle to win a gift certificate to Prana Yoga in Denville!
RSVP for the event here.
Sharing Warmth at Free People Suburban Square!
FP suburban square is partnering with the region’s largest hunger relief organization, Philabundance to provide food to families in need this Thanksgiving. Bring by any non-perishable food item, and with your purchase receive a hand made FP Infinity Scarf to keep you cozy this Holiday Season.
RSVP for the event here.
Holiday Kickoff Party at Free People Glendale!
Tonight, Thursday 11/17 5:00pm until 9:00pm
Kick off the Holiday season at FP Glendale! Enjoy the cookie buffet and hot cocoa bar while shopping to DJ Takara, live in the store! They will be having raffles and giving handmade gifts with purchase. Then at 7:30, take a break to watch the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on the lawn at The Americana. The ceremony includes Cirque de Santa, flying reindeer, flipping elves, and an amazing firework finale!! Did we mention, there will be snow in the air as well! Come be with us for this magical event!
RSVP for the event here.
It’s looking like it will be a beautiful (almost)fall weekend in Philly! We have fun events going on in a few of our stores, including one at our nearby Ardmore store with a prize that involves yours truly… ;)
Cozy up to Fall at Free People Suburban Square!
We’re snuggling up to this crisp Fall weather, and want you to join!
Stop by Free People Suburban Square on Saturday September 17th – Sunday September 18th, and any COZY item you purchase gets you a raffle ticket! What’s the prize??? A tour of the Free People Home Office in Philadelphia with FP Julia and lunch at our amazing cafeteria! (local residents only, transportation will not be provided to and from the office).
More info on their Facebook page. Can’t wait to meet the winner! :)
Free People Topanga Fall Fashion Show!
Stop by Free People Topanga on Saturday September 17th at 2pm for their back to school fashion show! There will be music from DJ Takara and the blogger from Electric Raspberry will be there giving fashion tips!
Plus – get a sweet limited edition tie dye FP bag with purchases over $250!
More info on their Facebook page.
Free Your Mind With Free People Brentwood
Finally, this Saturday September 17th Free People Brentwood we will be hosting a FREE YOGA CLASS from 9AM-10AM in our store! We are ELATED to have Yoga Extraordinaire–Brigitte Bedi of Maha Yoga teaching the class. Just bring yourself, some comfy clothes and a yoga mat! There will be refreshments to follow…and of course time to SHOP!
Please RSVP if you can on their Facebook page.
this adorable fabric headband caught my eye yesterday…and our buyer who is wearing it had a great idea! you can make these with old free people bags :) i know i, for one, have about ten of them lying around so i decided to try it out! Read More
our featured artist for june happens to be a personal favorite of mine: heyoka leather. long before we worked with photographer alexandra velenti on our july catalog, i was following her work on tumblr, and through her work i discovered heyoka leather (she has shot their lookbooks).
heyoka leather started unofficially and quite by accident in venice beach CA by leslie crow when she began making dream catchers for friends. word spread and demand grew, and she branched out into accessories like hand-beaded medicine bags and purses, using traditional skills learned from her grandmother. leslie teamed up with her longtime friends rachel avraham and angela bruyere to create heyoka leather. using carefully sourced leather and the finest quality brass, silver and bone, heyoka’s accessories are modern-day american heirlooms that pay homage to the designers’ roots in traditional native american ceremony, hollywood nightlife mystique and outlaw biker culture.
always and forever 100% handmade, their mission statement is to leave no footprints behind their moccasins.
read on for an interview with the beautiful leslie crow and to see some of her personal photos and inspiration!
where did you draw inspiration for the particular pieces we are carrying?
the spotted eagle and the turquoise warrior necklaces were greatly influenced by my growing up going to powwows. watching the dancers, i always felt like the regalia and the spiritual energy acquired by donning it and entering the circle gave the dancer a feeling of graceful strength and beauty which i humbly attempt to translate, or alchemize into an everyday modern american talisman while paying respect to the traditional native roots.
i love the lookbooks you shoot with alexandra valenti, and we just worked with her on our july catalog shoot, how did that relationship come about?
i met alexandra and the sisters of the black moon through my boyfriend caleb. he’s from texas and kept telling me i was going to love his girlfriends from austin, and then i saw alexandra’s photography and i was blown away, so we started talking and planning a heyoka photoshoot. we met in LA and the rest is history! that was about a year ago. we’ve been dear friends ever since and work together every chance we get.
how would you describe your personal style?
“redneck desert chic”. i pretty much live in a vintage harley tank, wrangler cut-offs and cowboy boots, heyoka bag and mountains of turquoise jewelry. however when i dress up i love to go all 60’s bohemian gypsy and experiment with far out thrift store finds.
who are your style icons?
rita coolidge, anita pallenburg, and my good friend and longtime heyoka muse, joy bryant.
what do you like to do when you’re not working?
i love riding horses and motorcycles, hiking and camping…..goin’ out into the desert and shooting guns, traveling, going on roadtrips, practicing yoga, prowling through thrift stores and swap meets. lately i been trying to teach myself the banjo and learning how to silversmith. but i really love to work. i’m always coming up with new designs and inspirations and being creative is my biggest passion.
favorite city or place?
right now i’m living in tucson, arizona, and really loving the sonoran desert, but my all time favorite places to go are mexico, costa rica, northern ontario and anywhere back home in the blue ridge mountains.
what music are you listening to right now?
charlie daniels band, bill monroe, marshall tucker band, waylon jennings, the deserters and of course my boyfriend caleb coy and his band headdress.
favorite book?
hell’s angels by hunter s thompson, moonchild by alestair crowley, vintage easyrider magazines and louis l’amour westerns. i’m currently reading desert solitare by edward abbey.
when are you happiest?
i’m happiest when spending time with family and friends….having a backyard BBQ, sitting around the bonfire, listening to caleb play guitar and chillin’ with my dog, bluegrass.
what’s next for heyoka leather? anything you can tell us about what you’re currently working on?
there’s a lot of creative visions taking shape right now for heyoka leather. we’re currently working on some very exciting top secret collaborations with bandit brand and sisters of the black moon. we just recently finished our online store which should be up and running any day now and we have some really cool new designs in the works for our fall collection!
shop our heyoka leather pieces here, and check out the full june e-catalog in which they are featured online!
photos by alexandra valenti and via leslie crow. thanks so much leslie!
lou would be in her element at a ski resort where she can snowboard to her heart’s content, and one of the best places for winter activities is lake tahoe. we love squaw valley – which is also where the wanderlust yoga and music festival takes place. lou could stay at the squaw valley lodge where she can ski right out onto the mountain. when she gets tired, she can relax in the outdoor hot tub and then cozy up by the fire in an armchair with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book… even lou needs to indulge herself every once in a while, and for that there’s a fireside indoor spa!
other activities that lou will love can be found at high camp. a scenic ride up the mountain in the squaw valley cable car and she can enjoy ice skating, snow tubing and moonlit snowshoe tours, all with panoramic views of lake tahoe and the high sierra.
for more info on squaw valley click here. the website is referring to this past month as “snowvember” because they’ve already gotten eleven feet of snow – and counting!
i love yoga, and when i first started going to classes i realized that i needed a case to carry my yoga mat to and from the studio. i went to a few different stores and found the cases to be way too expensive when it seemed like something i could make pretty easily using supplies i already had at home. turns out it was!
all you need is fabric, a needle & thread, measuring tape, scissors and your strap. for fabric i used an old tapestry and for my strap i used a soft belt (the kind that you tie, without a buckle) that came with an old pair of pants.
unfortunately i did this a while ago so i don’t have photos documenting the process. but basically what i did was rolled up my yoga mat and measured the length and the circumference of the mat. i added on a few inches to both the length and the circumference to be safe, and then cut the fabric to that height and width.
next i folded the fabric in half, with the patterned side of the fabric on the inside, and sewed the side and bottom together – leaving the top open. then i turned it inside out so the pattern is on the outside and the extra fabric and stitching is on the inside.
for the top of the case, where the opening is, i folded the top edge of the fabric a couple of inches on the inside, so there was a double layer, and then did two rows of stitches about an inch apart. next i strung a shoe lace through, in between the two rows of stitches, creating a drawstring for the case.
now for the strap! i kinda did this my own way. i cut two small holes near the top of the case and two near the bottom, put the belt through and knotted it. some may want to sew the strap to the case but i found this works just as well and was probably a lot easier :)
i’m really happy with the result :) i’ve had it for a few years now and it has held up really well!
i know some of you have been wondering about our wanderlust winner :) the lucky girl is andrea from fairfax, california! i asked her some questions to learn some more about her, and it’s clear she’s a real yoga lover and free spirit – it’s great she was able to experience wanderlust!
What is your theme song?
Breathe Me, Sia
If you could go anywhere in the world, free of cost, where would you go?
I’d sail the Caribbean (and the Mediterranean!) with my dad.
If you were stranded on an island, what three things would you want with you?
Since we’re speaking purely in hypotheticals… an eco-friendly, self-sustaining prefab dwelling; an old typewriter with the longest piece of banana paper imaginable; and an extensive supply of vegan pizza.
How would you describe your personal style? What are your favorite items from free people right now?
I’d say I’m kind of a boho badass, rocking torn jeans, oversized beanies and tight tops with draping jewelry and windswept hair. I’m really digging all the boots and the Ruffled Layers Maxi Skirt at Free People right now. And all the rough cut crystal jewelry is awesome (got me some of that).
What is your biggest fear?
Something bad happening to someone in my family.
Winter, spring, summer or fall?
Summer love… salty hair, tan skin, bikinis, booty shorts, fresh coconuts…
What color are you?
I am chartreuse.
What is your motto?
Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu: May ALL beings EVERYWHERE be happy, free, and fully expressed, and may each of us live our lives to that end.
What is your favorite hobby?
Yoga! Though it’s much more than just a hobby…
If you could spend a day with anyone – dead or alive – who would it be?
A dinosaur (preferably not of the carnivorous variety…) or Pattabhi Jois
What was your favorite thing about Wanderlust?
Live music during yoga classes, especially Chid Rasa with Janet Stone and Hareesh Wallis. So decadent. So galvanizing to the soul. One word: yum.
here she is getting an adjustment from yoga instructor janet stone at wanderlust :)
the wanderlust festival is this weekend! three days of music and yoga in the gorgeous squaw valley, california …could it get any better than that? here’s a selection of items that i would bring:
1. hill tribe embroidered bag; 2. spacedye mobius headband; 3. monrow vintage sweatpant; 4. heathered sporty bra; 5. bad turtle tee; 6. open up short sleeve crew neck; 7. we the free layered tee hoodie; 8. short sleeve scoop bodysuit; 9. we the free long sleeve bandana print; 10. desert boot.
a few of our fp girls will be there this weekend so hopefully i’ll have some pics for you next week!
Free People Upper East is teaming up with the National Breast Cancer Foundation and Move Into Greatness Yoga Studio to help fight Breast Cancer!
*Come donate the weekend of the 19th and have your name entered to win a gift certificate to Free People and a complimentary One on One Training session with Colleen Wahl, owner of Move Into Greatness Yoga Studio on the Upper East Side (value $100).
http://www.moveintogreatness.com/
*Every dollar you donate equals how many times you will be entered to win!!
*Buy something pink and have your name entered an extra 2x!
* Winner will be announced Sunday, June 20th.
Come get involved in your community and enter to win! Our stylists will be on hand to help you pick out your perfect weekend outfit!
All proceeds will go directly to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. We will have brochures and pink ribbons available for you at checkout!
Can’t wait to see you there!
♥ Free People Upper East
Start Time: Saturday, June 19, 2010 at 10:00am
End Time: Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 7:00pm
1319 3rd Avenue
New York, NY
wake up to the sun rising over the mountaintops, shedding light over the nature and beauty of squaw valley, california. breathe in the crisp, refreshing air and stretch your limbs with an energizing yoga class. take a cable car with astonishing views to the mountaintop to explore meadows and streams and lose yourself in nature. come back down to the village where music, bongo drums and laughter fill the air. wander among the booths and shops and indulge in delicious locally grown food as the sun goes down. the stars twinkle above and the village heats up with fire dancers, acrobats and late night music sets by renowned djs like moby, bassnectar and pretty lights.
this is wanderlust, and free people wants to take you there.
we have teamed up with wanderlust festival to bring you the ultimate yoga and music festival experience! now through july 2nd you can enter to win 2 seeker tickets to wanderlust (3 days access to a carefully curated schedule of yoga classes, 3 days and nights of music, 2 nights of lodging, and travel stipend) AND a $200 free people gift card!
two runners up will receive pilgrim and daytripper passes, and a $100 gift card. the pilgrim passes are good for one day of music and yoga and the daytripper passes are good for one day of music only.
to enter the contest click here!
for more information on wanderlust, check out the website.
i love yoga! my other hobbies are gardening and raising chickens. on a typical day off, i take my daughter to ballet class, garden all day and then have people over for food, wine and fun. my home is my favorite place in the world!
i like quirky girl singers…right now i like she & him…but i always like the cure.
my style…
1. gloria tiered tank; 2. marrakesh dress; 3. chiffon and mesh slip; 4. essaouira tank; 5. chiffon and lace tiered slip.