Our creative director shares her style of vintage denim bell bottoms, of 50’s inspired pieces, polka dots, dirty denim and vagabond accessories. She’s the all American girl with an eccentric wardrobe.
She inspires us daily… take a peek and get inspired.
good morning! today’s DIY is once again inspired by our spring store displays – specifically, the colorful silk scarves floating around the ceiling. our team dyed and hand-painted each one of these scarves themselves! i think they’re beautiful and such a great way to add some color to a space for spring.
what you need:
for our displays, our team used silk scarves from dharma trading co. and dye-na-flow silk dye.
the dye can be applied to the fabric by simply dipping it in the dye or by using a brush, squirt bottle or sponge to create different patterns on the scarf. once dry, iron the fabric for a few minutes to fix the dye, then wash in cool water with synthrapol and rinse.
i love the mixture of printed and solid scarves our team used!
if you check out the instructions for the silk dye here, there are a number of other cool dying methods you can try, such as sun printing:
i never heard of this method before but what you do is arrange cutouts or found objects like leaves and flowers on the fabric while the dye is still wet, and lay out in the sun for a couple of hours. when you remove the objects you’re left with ghosts of the shapes that look really beautiful.
i love the idea of sewing a bunch of scarves together like our display team did…they look like prayer flags. i am definitely going to try this and string them up in my apartment!
valentine’s day isn’t just about your significant other…it’s a celebration of all the things we love in life- even the simplest things. here are some of the things we’re in love with right now!
“i’m in love with my new ring!” – graphic designer
“i’m in love with lipstick! especially my new orange one…and i cant wait till spring to wear the pink one.” – office coordinator
“i love japanese masking tape….it comes in such pretty colors and patterns.” – graphic designer
“girl scout cookies!!!!!” – everyone
“i’m in love with these flowers my friend sent me.” – director of design and image
“i love my cat!” – designer
“i love america…i just moved here from london!” – designer
“i love these sweet cards a co-worker sent me…the bunny on the left below is wearing a little piece of one of my knits!” – designer
“i love shrunken denim jackets like this one on our creative director! i’m going to buy this one.” – creative design assistant
“i love really old vintage valentines! the free library (in philly) has some that you can look at but they’re so old you’re not allowed to touch them.” – creative director
our vintage buyer found a stack of adorable vintage valentines at a flea market recently, and our graphic designers made them into little valentines that you can print out and use! she told me that vintage valentine cards are difficult to find and very expensive- and it is not known who many of them are designed by.
valentine’s day was not always a loving and romantic day, and early valentines were actually intended to be mean and insulting – called “penny meanies” – and were sent unsigned. by the early 19th century the practice of sending more sentimental valentines grew in popularity, and the ones above are from the early 20th century. i think its so interesting to see how valentines have evolved…the vintage ones are so sweet and innocent compared to some of the racier ones we see today!
click on each image to go to our flickr page and download the large size!
have you guys ever seen rainbow roses? i never have and i couldn’t believe they’re actually real – albeit man-made. they were first created by two dutch companies who found that by splitting the stem and dipping each part in water colored with dye they could achieve this effect. the colors are drawn into the petals as the rose blooms, resulting in the rainbow of colors. i love how it almost looks like tie dye!
i mentioned artist sylvia marius the other day…we were particularly inspired by her deconstructed umbrella for our store displays, but as i was looking through her website i found myself completely in awe of all of her beautiful work. this quote helps give you an idea of where she’s coming from:
“I am an inexhaustible collector of fragments of life.
With these roots as my own vocabulary, I create fragile and
delicate objects with a more-than-uncertain use; scarified
sculptures put-back together by a hazy hand.
They are: Aerial objects, a sum of fragments put together from
end to end…
Often, in my world, things seem to hold each other together by
one thread. However, in reality, they are connected by several
links.”
her home looks incredibly inspiring as well:
“There is the first sight… Casting itself onto various objects.
Then… A gathering of objects: Building blocks fashioned from
a collection of testimonies:
Fragments of history, gathered during the constant
movement of life…
Fragments placed together for a purpose:
Observe… But particularly… Repair.”
We have fallen head over heels in love with Bass shoes. That 50’s jive look is growing on us in a big way.
Bass has collaborated with Rachel Antonoff to design a collection of sweet/masculine looking shoes. I think these shoes are perfect for spring; add them to your cute dresses or make your jeans a little more interesting.
What I like about Bass is the quality leather and thorough workmanship; you know you’re invested in a pair of shoes that will last a lifetime.
I think they are endearing, and I love how they have been styled on Tennessee from The Like.
We’d like to know, are penny loafers your thing?
James Dean made them ‘cool’ in the 50’s after he was seen rocking around in them but we love to know how you fp girls would wear them?
Join Free People Upper East in NYC on Saturday February 12th, as they celebrate Valentine’s Day with special treats while you find that perfect Valentine’s Day outfit! Owner Jenny Bee from Jenny Bee’s Bakery will be providing delicious vegan Red Velvet cupcakes for our customers.
All day, any customer that shops has a chance to enter into a raffle for a Free People gift card, or a yummy sweetheart basket from Jenny Bee!
“Jenny Bee’s Bakery is an alternative vegan baking company that uses the finest ingredients to create the most amazing baked goods. We are 100% dairy-free and egg-free, with gluten free and nut free options. Saving the planet one dessert at a time!”
This will be an all-day event so we hope you stop by! Free People upper east is located at 1319 3rd Avenue in New York City. Visit them on facebook here.
with our latest catalog being shot in california, i wanted to get some insider scoop on what its like to live there – i’ve been to LA several times but could never see myself settling there…san francisco was much more my speed. so who better to ask about life in so cal than two fashionable bloggers that were born and raised there – natalie and dylana suarez!
where in LA do you live?
in the valley area of los angeles.
what is your favorite thing about living on the west coast?
natalie: i love the beautiful weather and constant sunshine. i’m not much of a gloomy weather type of person!
dylana: my favorite thing definitely has to be the beautiful weather we always have year round, all the amazing beaches we can go to on a sunny day, and the amazing thrift / vintage shops.
what are some essential pieces every girl in LA must own?
natalie: a great pair of skinny jeans and comfortable boots! also, a big bag is great for toting around everything you need on hand.
dylana: every LA girl must own a good pair of denim shorts, maxi or ankle length skirts, a good pair of leather ankle boots, silk blouses, and a lightweight blazer.
where are your favorite places to shop/eat/go out?
natalie: we were born and raised in santa monica so that is definitely my favorite part of the city. i love main street and montana avenue for the cute, little restaurants. i love 3rd street for the shopping. from there, i usually walk to the boardwalk and beach.
santa monica
dylana: i love to shop on the santa monica promenade or the americana in glendale. my favorite place to eat is also santa monica because you can get just about anything there and there are a lot of cute little restaurants to eat at. i also really love main street in santa monica.
3rd street promenade, santa monica
is there a certain spot/place you like to go to get away from it all?
natalie: i love hiking up will rogers park on the westside. you get beautiful views of all of los angeles and it is super relaxing.
inspiration point, will rogers park
dylana: if i want to get away from the city, i can just stay right at home in the valley, where things are of a much slower pace. i also like to go up to ventura and to relax on the beach or do some thrift shopping on main street over there.
what’s your ideal way to spend a day off in LA?
natalie: my ideal day off would be biking along the beach from santa monica down to venice. in venice, i usually grab abbot pizza and gelato at nice cream!
dylana: i like to meet up with friends at a new restaurant that i haven’t tried yet to just hang out and laugh. i also love to spend a few hours at the bookstore reading magazines or i head to the movies. another thing i love to do on my days off is take a nice long bike ride or hike around my neighborhood. it totally clears the mind!
venice
and here are their picks from our february catalog – i could see them wearing any of these pieces and looking lovely in them!