Weekend Vibes with Free People

Talk about some serious radio silence around these parts, huh? Life has been more than a little nutty for us lately- it's been a busy season of change and excitement (more on that later- but we promise not to stay gone so long anymore, k!?) So over the weekend, I took some time out to just relax and soak up the Spring weather that is finally rolling into Chicago. It was absolutely blissful! Donuts for breakfast, naps in the park, lots of walks in the sunshine, and plenty of patio hangs. It was just the type of slow and sweet weekend I needed to recharge.

My friends at Free People asked me to document my Sunday on the Free People Chicago Instagram account. It was fun to style warmer weather pieces and show off some of my favorite spots around the city. There's something about wandering your own town snapping photos like a tourist that's super inspiring, don't you think?

How'd you spend your weekend? Hope it involved lots of relaxing and sunshine. Oh, and donuts too! Xx. Lauren

The Golden Hour

The golden hour- that magic time just before sunset when the light is warmer and softer and just so perfect- doesn't get any more golden than on Fall evenings. With the days getting shorter and the nights getting chiller, this season is about soaking up all the magic we can before Winter sets in. Below we're talking about what we're looking forward to most this Autumn.

Dresses c/o Free People / On Claire: Amelie Mini Dress / On Lauren: Jolene Dress

Apple picking / Last year was a first for Lauren and we can't wait to go again this year. There's just nothing more quintessentially and charmingly Midwest.

Horror film fest at the drive-in movies / There's a drive-in theater just outside Chicago that plays double feature classic horror films on the weekends all October long. We pile the car full of friends and blankets, bring along spiked cider and snacks, and get a little spooked watching slasher flicks on the big screen. Check here to see if there's an open air cinema near you!

Corn mazes / A little town about an hour outside the city boasts the world's largest corn maze. I don't know about all that, but we've made it a tradition to go every year. We may be terrible at navigating our way through the maze, but there's funnel cake and hot apple cider to be had at the end so that's motivation enough!

Sweaters weather / We're all about the Autumn wardrobe! We've got our eyes on this poncho, this cardi, and most especially this beauty.

What are you looking forward to most this Fall?

Saying Farewell to Summer (and a pop-up concert with Chasing Lovely)

The long holiday weekend is upon, friends, and you know what the means... summer is "officially" over. It's time for back-to-school vibes and pumpkin spice everything. This summer felt like such a flash in the pan with barely enough time to savor it and we're so not ready to let go just yet. We've been pouring over snapshots from the past season and having extra nostalgic feels lately. And we realized that we never shared photos from one of our favorite nights of the summer. So here goes!

Back in July, the Nashville-based darling sister duo Chasing Lovely reached out and told us about their mission to create community around their music by traveling the country and playing pop-up concerts and house shows wherever they go (you can read more about that here). They asked us if we would host a show in Chicago and we were like, duh!  We gathered together friends, headed to Lake Michigan, spread out blankets and rugs along the rocky shore, and watched the girls play guitar and harmonize like nobodies business as the sun set behind the lake. It. Was. Pure. Magic.

* A huge thank you to Humboldt House for providing such beautiful rugs and Free People for outfitting Chloe and Taylor!

If only every summer evening could be spent with sweet friends along the lake, listening to dreamy music, and watching the full moon rise over the water. Oh and hats. Lots and lots of stylish hats. Check out Chasing Lovely's latest EP here. And enjoy your long weekend!

We're loving...Spring Essentials

Spring is right around the corner (we swear it's coming, you guys) and along with chirping birds and green grass comes, our favorite part, spring fashion! We're seeing a whole slew of trends that we're digging...sporty minimalism, statement stripes, colored suede, modern safari, out-of-the-ordinary animal prints, and gingham. One collection in particular that's caught our eye is Free People's new March Magalog - a perfect blend between modern classics and throwback statement pieces filled with bold colors and playful patterns. Styles from the 60's and 70's creep into the collection with designs from Novella Royale and Jen’s Pirate Booty, lines we absolutely love. We're big fans of pulling pieces from different eras and blending them to create a polished look, which is what the FP March Magalog Collection is doing flawlessly. They're introducing new pieces every day so check it out!

This is what's on our Spring shopping list. What will your Spring wardrobe look like? Have any collections or essential pieces that you can't live without? Think Spring and get inspired!

Getting Festival Ready with Free People

It's Pitchfork time in Chicago. We had such an incredible time at last night's Free People Festival Pre-Party events and met a bunch of lovely ladies. It was a great way to kick off our weekend. Three of Chicago's boutiques partnered with KIND to giveaway passes to this weekend's festival. Each store had a different event and a beautifully decorated photo booth. We stopped all three stores to check out what was happening and documented our journey by taking over each Instagram account (@freepeoplewatertower, @freepeoplewickerpark, @freepeoplesouthport).





Water Tower was our first stop. They were handing out totes to the first fifty shoppers that stopped in and even had a DIY station all set up where you could add studs to your bag! We had so much fun decorating bags, sharing design ideas, and taking pictures in the beautiful photo booth set up. We grabbed a delicious KIND bar and a Vita Coco coconut water, then headed to Wicker Park.






Wicker Park partnered with the ladies of Solo Salon for a braid bar. When we walked in, the store was full of girls with beautifully braided hair. The stylists spent the whole event creating dazzling hairdos that everyone adored. We did some shopping and talked about all things hair/braids. On to our final stop, the Southport boutique.




Southport hosted a dreamy Backyard Session with a live performance by Island of Misfit Toys. Our feet were tapping the whole time as the band performed music that set an ambience to move and groove. With superb weather, delightful music, and great friends; it was the perfect way to end our night. The space was so magical, we hope they have more outdoor events soon.



Who's heading to Pitchfork this weekend? Gates open at 3 PM today, so don't forget to stop by a Free People beforehand and get festival ready. Hope to see you there!

See You There // the Free People festival pre-party

Hey all you local free-spirited festival-loving darlings you! We have some pretty exciting news today. Three of Free People’s Chicago-area boutiques – Southport, Wicker Park, and Water Tower – will be hosting events this Thursday in preparation for the Pitchfork Music Festival happening this upcoming weekend.

Southport will host a Backyard Session with Island of Misfit Toys, Wicker Park will provide a braid bar in partnership with Solo Salon, and Water Tower will offer festival-ready DIY studded tote bags. In addition, all three locations will have giveaways for the first 50 customers, photo booths, styling sessions, and refreshments provided by KIND.

AND, we will be there! Hopping from store to store, doing an Instagram take over at each, and documenting all the fun. Come hang out with us! And make sure to follow along @foxtailandmoss!

Details //

Thursday, July 17th  6-8 pm

Where // Free People Southport, Free People Wicker Park, Free People Water Tower

RSVP // Southport, Wicker Park, Water Tower

{Claire + Lauren}