lovely work by valeria montero.
so sweet
i went over and checked my mail today and was surprised to find a package waiting, from an unknown address and marked “do not bend.” i carefully opened it and out slid two pieces of cardboard taped together, inside of which were two pieces of art and a card.
“dear julia…here is a little fan art i created for free people. i am an artist and budding textile designer from queens, new york. i have been wearing free people for years now and i am a faithful follower of the building 25 blog. i love the free people aesthetic. it’s refreshing how interactive the company is with their customer base. free people is more like a community than just a brand. thank you for all the cool clothes and inspiration. love, melissa.”
this means so much, melissa! thank you!
as if that wasn’t enough, i was also sent this amazing bouquet of flowers from sullivan owen.
made my day :)
Spring face
A Spring face is on my mind – after the dull winter I’m itching to enliven myself and snap out of this greyness.
Golden highlights, spring like skin with a soft glow and subtle make up. Below are the looks that inspire my beauty, thought and the products that I want to buy.
store style
our store girls keep inspiring me with outfit ideas! they always look so amazing…here are some of the latest looks that have caught my eye on our stores’ facebook pages!
one of our dallas girls wearing the morning glory chiffon skirt as a dress, with the borderline fringe sweater over top and the bullet boots. LOVE.
here’s one of our houston girls looking gorgeous in the fp-1 around town shirt dress worn over the super stripe tee – what a great layering idea!
another houston gal wears the we the free graphic bareback tank over the sweater halter tunic with the cantina concho belt and western boots – cute!
a great casual look – the super stripe tee, skinny jeans, wrapped in fringe vest, fedora and backpack.
i want to copy this outfit… the super 70s jeans, floral bodycon tunic, tassel hip belt and tyler cinched hat. amazing.
one of our portland girls posing with the spring store display! she’s wearing the slouched rugby tee, printed floral skort and faded dye scarf.
speaking of spring displays – how amazing are these umbrella chandeliers from portland?!
oh, and…. HAPPY FRIDAY!
office style
and a couple pics from the studio today…
i’m in love with these crochet bralettes from our march catalog.
heads up!
just a little note to let you guys know that when you make a purchase on our website, you now have the option of checking out with paypal :)
thursday poll: edition 134
yesterday we introduced you to our newest line, “new romantics” (if you missed it, read about it here), so today i wanted to ask which of these beautiful new romantics pieces you like best!
the cala luna tunic:
the asymmetrical sea top:
the fringe cami tunic:
the one shoulder top:
or the windows on the world top:
march catalog sneak peek!
it’s finally here… i have been dreaming of our march catalog for months now, ever since i first saw these images. some of these are alternate versions of the catalog shots, and some aren’t in the book, so you wont see them anywhere else!
our march book was shot in old san juan, a small, narrow island that is the oldest settlement in puerto rico. we again worked with the amazing photographer guy aroch, who captures models aline weber and alina baikova in a haze of sun, sea-salt and sand that will leave you craving a beach getaway.
all images by guy aroch. the catalog drops on tuesday!
what’s in your bag?
i always loved that scene from the breakfast club where ally sheedy dumps out her giant bag, revealing all the clutter she carried around. maybe because i’m the same way… my friends make fun of me because i always have so much pointless stuff in my bag and it takes me forever to find my keys in it.
it’s fascinating to see what’s inside peoples’ bags, it gives you a little peek into their personality. here our some of ours!
our office coordinator:
graphic designer:
creative design assistant:
graphic designer:
videographer:
creative director:
jemma:
and me:
p.s. thanks A. for the awesome idea!
introducing our march featured guest bloggers!
i am very excited to welcome our guest bloggers for the month of march, erica and lauren of the amazing blog honestly…wtf! these ladies are a constant source of inspiration for DIY projects, art, fashion and more, and i’m thrilled they will be sharing some of their projects and inspiration, as well as an exclusive DIY for free people this month – and keep an eye out on our website for some items from erica’s awesome line the 2 bandits!
~*~
Lauren and I, a fashion stylist and designer respectively, started Honestly…WTF several months ago as a way for us to document a shared love of art, DIYs, travel, and most importantly, fashion. We were beyond thrilled when Free People asked us to contribute to their guest blogger series with a few things that inspire us. Honestly, we can trace our love of Free People as far back as we can remember (circa 1990s)! And so in true FP spirit, we are sharing a handful of images from a DIY Tepee Sewing Workshop we hosted on my family’s ranch in California last Fall. After 3 days of handling 400 yards of heavy canvas, sewing 160 button holes, carving 40 willow pins, attaching 36 stress patches and ripping through 20 spools of thread, we successfully made a beautiful 20 foot tepee. Stay tuned this Spring when we paint the outside of the canvas and decorate the inside!
if you haven’t already, check out erica and lauren’s blog here.
Get to know our New Romantics line
We caught up with our New Romantics designer to give a little insight into this new label we have launched.
What was the initial inspiration behind New Romantics?
Just after this opportunity was presented to me, I was leaving for a girlie vacation to Sardinia. I was really taken with the passion of the Italians and the rustic beauty I found there. The beaches are stone and are overshadowed by steep cliffs and rocky coves….the surface of the sea, reflecting the pebble bottom, looked like prisms.
How would you describe New Romantics as a line?
Intimates dressing has been really appealing to me and how it’s a bit naughty but delicate, I wanted New Romantics to feel more grown up. It’s beautiful, kinda sexy or as we call in FP sensual…I like that the sensual girl doesn’t look like she’s trying too hard. They are items that you can take on vacation with you, they are light and delicate. You can roll them up into your suitcase and they will still look great… all crunched up.
The fabrics that you use for this line are quite unique, how would you describe them?
I spend a lot of time researching or pulling ideas from anywhere and everywhere, a curtain, vintage blouse, and antique tank linens, scarves and develop from scratch. My eye is hungry for the next beautiful texture and I enjoy building texture on top of texture. In general I am attracted to sheer Rochelle’s that mimic crochet but they drape more beautifully and in turn are sexier because they are less perky and demure. They are hard to find! There’s lots of raised texture contrasting with see-through fabrics so you get a lot of dimension. I find this mix of elements makes for expensive looking clothes that need very little embellishment to sing.
What’s to come for New Romantics, I hear there are some beautiful items coming in April?
Looking forward, each collection story will be told by the fabrications I curate, I feel like New Romantics will always have a touch of delicate hand. But it’s a new generation of romanticism…extreme hem lines are going to get weird and sweep are going to get big and I’m not sure how bra friendly it’s going to be ;)
march calendar!
monday’s can be a little rough so i thought i’d try to make it a little better by giving you the march calendar a day early :)
i love march…those first few days when you realize a light jacket is enough, the trees begin to come alive again and the air isn’t quite so bitter, you leave work and it’s still light outside…it’s the best feeling. i am very much anti-winter but it’s worth suffering through just for the sweet feeling when spring thaws the earth.
i think our graphic designers captured that feeling perfectly with the march calendar… click here to go to our flickr page, where you have the choice of downloading either the regular or widescreen version.