today marks the beginning of fashion week in berlin, and since i am currently buried under heaps of books and deadlines, i will have to be content with living vicariously though the posts of other fashion bloggers. still, in keeping with the theme of this week, well it would only be fitting to do a fashion related post today. call it an ode from afar if you will.
now free people is one of those brands that consistently amaze. they also are bound to leave a lot of jaws hanging wide open due to their not-so-easy-to-swallow price tag. it isn't that the clothes are not worth the price, i for one am just pretty damn shocked when i think of how much they have gone up in price since their online launch in October of 2004 - which also leaves me lusting from afar, purchasing the occasional item when i either do have the money or loose all sense and common reason while standing in front of a top or dress that is, well, just really really preeeeetty. free people sort of bounces back and forth depending on the season and occasion. overall their clothes tend to be either extremely bohemian with lots of southwest influence, crochet, embroidery and really interesting asymmetrical drapery for both tops and skirts alike, or fairytale city chic. while the latter still has free people's signature bohemian vibe, i personally find the clothes a lot more everyday wearable and well-suited for an urban environment. this much more casual and urban variant usually pops up in catalogues shot in places like venice, amsterdam, or new york so i assume my analysis is correct.
while bohemian really is not how i would define my personal style, i find myself falling in love time after time with their well-thought-out and beautiful clothing. and in any case, their more toned-down and simple items would easily fit into my wardrobe. i selected my favorite shots from january's catalogue which sort of represents this. i am loving the laid back and summery feel of the maxi dress in the upper right-hand corner and can just imagine throwing this on with a pair of strappy sandals and a lazy sunday ponytail for a late brunch in new york city. the crochet top in the third mage is something i would wear with cut offs and my signature black hat and boots for a relaxing day at mauerpark in berlin during the summer. the fifth white dress reminds me of a shot the sartorialist would take and although the last image is really not my personal style, i apprechiate it none the less and get this extremely cool parisian i-am-not-even-trying vibe from it. oh and did i mention how much just looking at all of these imagse makes me want to hop on a beautiful black bicycle and ride around as if i have nothing better to do in life but look amazing and carefree, kiss cute boys, and buy a dozen flowers? but that is the thing with free people. each catalogue tells a story and each story sort of only works in the magical setting it finds itself in. it's part of both the magic and difficulty with their line and the reason i find their extremely bohemian clothing really hard to integrate into my own closet. but if i ever find myself booking a plane ticket for morocco or vietnam, or planning an extended stay in a cottage in the woods i know exactly where to pick up a few sun dresses before i head out. if you didn't pick up on that ever so subtle hint, it's free people, silly.
take a look at the rest of the january 2013 catalogue here.