We all love a good flea market — nothing beats finding items that are rare and unique, filled with history and sentimental feelings. Here at Free People we have a Vintage Buyer — Ali is her name and she’s awesome!

I often find myself drifting to her desk on several occasions during the week just to check out what great finds she has around — and I’m never disappointed! Last weekend she hit Brimfield in Massachusetts. It’s one of the largest outdoor antique shows in New England, with over 5,000 dealers from all over the country. It’s a week long and only happens three times a year: May, July, and September! It sure does take your breath away.

Ali documented her Journey for us — check out the photos below! There’s also a video that she shot a couple of years ago on Super 8. It shows the engaging atmosphere of friends and pickers from one of the largest flea markets around! Don’t you just love Flea Markets?

Video:

She drips in color comes to mind whenever I see this trend — it brings a certain happiness to tees,dresses, shorts, shirts… almost anything! And it has become an eye opener look for spring and summer.

We love how dip dying your basic tee gives it new life in a fun and creative way. There so many different ways you can experiment with In this technique that you can kind of get carried away – here we love the subtle approach with a sprinkled burst of colour.

Follow these easy steps to create your very own dip dye tee — you can also do it with cotton dresses too!!

Inspiration:

What you need: A tray, 1 measuring cup, salt, Dylon dye of any color(not the machine washable ones)   heavy duty cleaning gloves and a basic white tee

Mix a quarter of the Dylon dying powder into the tray with 4 cups of warm water and 4 tablespoons of salt. Once the powder has dissolved, fill the train up with water to make a very dilute color. Soak the bottom of the tee so the color will trail up it nicely.

Place the tee slowly in the color until you see the color running up. Keep it in there for 1 minute (you want the color to be quite faint), then drain the excess water and rinse in the sink under cold water.

Hang to dry for 15 minutes until it’s damp.

Take the leftover dye powder and sprinkle onto the tee as much as you like. It creates a lovely speckled effect.

Hang to dry. Once it’s fully dried and the dye had absorbed in, give it another rinse in the sink and dry again. Then you’ll have your very own dip dye tee for the summer!

Here at Free People we have a four day weekend this year for Memorial Day and I can’t tell you how excited I am to spend it at the beach! But while I’ll be heading to the shore, others will be taking off on other getaways – whether you’re spending the holiday in a bustling city, with nature camping in the woods, or relaxing on the beach, the free people short list has pretty much everything you’ll need to pack. Here’s a look at three vacation destinations and must-have items for each getaway!

Getaway: The Beach

Underwire Corset Top, High Waist Colorblock Bottoms, Glittering Sea Tote, Wrapped Ear Phones, Palmetto Stone Ring, Beach Cable Pullover, Colored Denim Cutoffs, Cumberland Sandal.

Getaway: The City

 Fitted with Daisies Dress, Heartthrob Sunglasses, Enzo Cuff, Printed iPhone Case, Melbourne Distressed Wallet, Knit Hooded Denim Jacket,  Hartland Vegan Boot.

The Getaway: Camping

 New Boyfriend Denim Short, Heavy Metal Lover Tank, Shoreditch Hi Top Sneaker, Rope and Lure Whistle Necklace, Nirvana Bracelet Set, Palo Alto Backpack, Braided Beach Hoodie, Retro-Inspired Tent.

Check out the Free People Short List.

What’s everyone doing for Memorial Day weekend? Leave a comment — I’d love to hear :)

Click on images for sources; lead image source.

These days the iPhone seems to be an accessory within itself. In this crazy world where things have become so instant and live, the iPhone has become a staple in our wardrobe — so why not make it fashionable?!

Here at Free People we wanted to create our very own unique cover for our iPhones, so we reached out to our talented designers to create prints that we think translate the Free People girl and her personality.

Here’s an interview with the designer behind the prints!

What inspired you to create these prints?

Spring/Summer was the inspiration behind them. I wanted to make something artistic; something geo/floral to go with the season and the trend.

Did you design the cases as separate pieces or with an entire collection in mind?

It was definitely an entire collection; I designed it as a series of works in which the pieces are all colored to fit together, as well as to fit into spring.

If you were one of these prints which one would you be?

I would be the second one from the left in the group photo – each design, in its details and doodles, is a different aspect of me, but this one best embodies my signature sketches and colours.

Shop iphone cases

You guys may have seen photos of this tunnel on tumblr or other various inspiration sites, but it’s too amazing to not share… Dubbed “The Tunnel of Love,” it is a railway track in the small town of Kleven in the Ukraine.   The track, which is rarely used by trains, has been reclaimed by nature, with a thick canopy of trees growing around and overhead.  What amazes me is the fact that it maintains its tunnel shape, despite the fact that few trains still use the tracks…it’s as if the trees have evolved to grow this way. Ukraine has never been very high on my list of places I’d like to go, but I would love to see this tunnel in person.

Image source one, two, three.

I always love our changing room videos – they are FULL of awesome styling ideas. But with this changing room video, our team took it to a whole new level. I can’t stop watching it, it is so fun and full of energy, and of course the outfits are awesome. The foundation of it all are our amazing seamless items – you’ll be amazed at how many ways you can wear them!

Check out the video followed by some behind the scenes photos of the phenomenal Kate Harrison, who really rocks this video.

Seamless Mini, To the Max Crochet Dress, Gilded Feather Headdress.

Seamless Mini, Golden Hippie Cutoff Shorts, Crochet Net Tank, Studded Seattle Love Boot,
Ruched Seamless Shorts, Roadie Denim Shirt.

Striped Low Back Top, Ruched Seamless Shorts, Colored Denim Cutoffs, Marl Yarn Pullover.

Sweetheart with Lace Slip, Half and Half Sunglasses, Anais Pendant,  Cutoff Denim Vest,

Lace Trim Seamless Tank, FP One Ikat Print Harem Pant, We the Free Venice Vibes Tank, Cybele Gladiator.

Lace Trim Seamless Tank, Tape Yarn Hoodie, Colored Denim Cutoffs, Lace Print Sunglasses, Seamless Mini, Cheerful Turquoise Bead Pendant, Biscayne Boulevard Buttondown, Caitlyn Gladiator Sandal.

Solid Low Back Top, Ruched Seamless Shorts, Heartthrob Sunglasses, Rope and Lure Whistle Necklace, Drawstring Slouch Pant, Anais Pendant,  Bowie Wedge Sneaker, Rattlesnake Mini Skirt.

See all items in the changing room.

It feels like I’ve been waiting forever for the new Beach House album… it really hasn’t been that long, but when a band is this good, the urge to hear more just never goes away. Beach House, made up of Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally, is one of those bands that seems to have an untouchable aura around them, like they are surrounded at all times by a transparent layer of clouds. Everything they do is so perfect and beautiful, it’s almost annoying (except it’s not). Their new album, Bloom, seems to pick up where they left off with 2010’s Teen Dream, but is wiser and more refined, reflecting the band’s growth in the last two years. Legrand’s voice is as beautiful and haunting as ever, like a beacon of light shining through fog, floating on the magic carpet that is Scally’s dreamy slide guitar.

The album drops today and Beach House will be playing a sold out show at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC as part of their current tour. I’m heading up after work and can not wait to see how the new tunes translate in concert. Stay tuned for my review of the show and photos!

We all fell in love with this image a couple of years ago when Harley Viera Newton wore a neon lingerie set under a lace dress — and ever since we’ve been following this lovely lady’s fun approach to fashion.

You’ll always find her with quirky nail art on her hands and her signature Chanel clutch. She knows how to mix sophistication with girly fun and never takes fashion too seriously.  She’s the perfect go-to if you need a little perk-me-up — and with the launch of her new blog Harley Viera Newton, we’re checking in daily for little fixes.

Get her look:

Printed Ruffle One Piece, 5 Pocket Cuffed Denim Cutoff, Hammered Stud Zip Crossbody, Floral Etched Sunglasses

When we debuted our vegan leather line last summer, I was pretty stoked. As a vegetarian, I have a hard time wearing real leather products. After years of pining for a leather jacket, my wish finally came true and even though it was July I snapped up our hooded vegan leather jacket the moment I could, and I think I’ve probably worn it more than any other item I’ve ever purchased. But one problem still remained: shoes.

Not anymore! In addition to the vegan doc martens we’ve had a for a little while, we just got in some new styles of vegan footwear that are amazing! I would never know by looking at them that they are not real leather and suede – even the wooden heel on the ankle boots is faux. Check out our new vegan footwear and let us know which pair you like best!

Hartland Vegan Boot

Capri Vegan Mini Wedge

Essex Vegan Boot

Ellie Vegan Sandal

Check out our selection of Vegan Leather Shoes!

We all need to get away sometime, step away and truly appreciate you and your surroundings. Maya Tulum Resort is located on the beautiful Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico; it is a seaside wellness retreat that offers amazing serenity, awe-inspiring scenery, and a true connection with the Mayan past.

The climate is ideal and the sun shines all year with cooling sea breezes and glorious clear skies. This summer I’m tempted to jump on a plane to Cancun and indulge in the serendipity this resort has to offer. From yoga to a wide range of beautiful spa treatments and exquisite cuisine all on an island that screams paradise.

Take a look Maya Tulum Resort might just tickle your fancy this summer too!

“We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations.”
— Anais Nin

Image.

I remember I first discovered colored mascara in my teens, there was something about putting strikes of color around my eyes that made me feel somewhat magical. When Stella McCartney brought it back in her Fall 2012 collection nostalgia started to kick in.

Stella McCartney’s Fall 2012 beauty look was all about the eyes, it instantly started a new makeup trend amongst girls worldwide and became the season’s quickest way to refresh your makeup and your mood, in a single shot!
So how do you create the look? First layer on your favorite black mascara as a really dark black base, then layer lightly on top a color of your choice; we love Mac Zoom Colored Mascara, with little else on the face, fresh skin and groomed eyebrows, you’re ready to bedazzle onlookers with your slightly colored lashes.

Stella McCartney Fall 2012