Vintage Freja

Check these pictures out! They're from the Ann Demeulemeester FW0506 show. This was Freja's first season on the international catwalk circuit so these pictures are fairly old. I think it's rather amazing that she seemingly has not aged since 2005.

I was so happy to come across these pictures because they document the one and only time that Freja has walked for Ann Demeulemeester, my all time favorite designer. Ann is Belgium and she's known for the dark, gothic, androgynous mood of her shows and designs. Her clothing is always covetable and beautiful, with perfectly executed tailoring, layers, draping, and asymmetrical details. She tends to favor a very specific look for her runways--think along the lines of heroin chic with a sexy ugly vibe, and I mean this in a good way--so girls like Freja rarely walk her shows. But this was back during Freja's debut season, and with her androgynous edge, I can understand why Ann grabbed her up for her show.

It's a pity that Freja hasn't walked for her again. That's something that I'd definitely like to see.

Image Credits: larage.com

Editorial - Madame Figaro

Madame Figaro Japan 4-20-2009
Ph: Ben Watts
(click for HQs)


We finally have HQs of Freja's recent feature in Madame Figaro. It's nothing ground breaking but nevertheless, it's nice to see some new pictures. Other than official confirmation about the Gucci and Chanel camapaigns, it's been very quite in terms of any Freja news. More specifically, I'm very anxious to see some new fashion editorials. I'm so curious to see how her hair will be styled now that it's a little bit longer. It definitely gives her a more versatile look, so the question is will stylists and photographers take advantage of this? Will we get to see the softer side of Freja? Or will she continue to be the go-to girl for tough, edgy and androgynous shoots? I hope we find out the answers to these questions very soon.

Image Credits: Scanned by tFS member PENG

Congrats Are In Order

Freja was nominated for a DANSK Fashion Award in the category of Danish Female Model of the Year! She was nominated along with Charlotte Høyer and Agnete Hegelund, but I think Freja is the clear favorite (although I admit that I'm a bit....ok, a lot, biased). Thank you to tFS member candlebougie for breaking the news!

This is only the second year for this fashion ceremony. The DANSK awards were started in 2008 to promote and honor the achievements of the Danish fashion industry. At last year's inaugural ceremony, Freja won in the same category and showed up in a black suit to pick up her award. I love how she stayed true to her personal style and eschewed the typical tight, mini-dress that most other models turn to for red carpet events.


From what I can gather browsing through the official site, a panel of judges determines the winners. Hopefully they aren't opposed to having repeat winners because Freja should clearly win again if the criteria is modeling work. She's had a ton of editorials in all the top magazines, a few covers, and decent campaigns for Karl Lagerfeld and Roberto Cavalli. No offense to them, but Charlotte and Agnete's work is no where near Freja's in terms of caliber and visibility.

Agnete Hegelund


Charlotte Høyer

If you can understand Danish, here is a cute interview from last year with Freja and Mathias (who won Danish Male Model of the Year) talking about the awards:


The ceremony is being held on May 20th, so keep your fingers crossed that Freja wins so we can get some new pictures of her! She also deserves to win so that's the real reason you should keep your fingers crossed.

Image Credits: nymag.com, Freja's thread at tFS

Where It All Started

It's no secret that Freja absolutely loves her home country of Denmark. Her ties there run very deep as most, if not all, of her family and friends live there. I think Freja still lives there as well. It's quite rare for a top working model not to live in either New York or Paris. In fact, the only other model I can think of who doesn't live in either of those two cities is Lakshmi Menon, and that's only because I just saw her Vogue editorial that was shot in her hometown of Goa, India.

I've never been to Denmark, but it seems like a great progressive place to live, albeit a little too cold for my tastes. Did you know that it was the first country in the world to legalize pornography and grant same-sex couples nearly all the rights of marriage? Denmark also ranks very high in income equality amongst its citizens. It is one of the most peaceful countries in the world, and its people are some of the happiest in the world based on health, welfare and education. And if you weren't already super jealous of the Danes, their country is also one of the least corrupt.

Denmark's capital of Copenhagen also has a very vibrant and budding fashion scene, complete with its own fashion week. The average person might not know that Copenhagen fashion week exists, but fashion insiders definitely do. Furthermore, this is the city where Freja's fashion career started. She was scouted on the streets by Denmark's biggest agency Unique, and the rest as they say, is history. In a nod to Cph Fashion Week and Denmark, I'm posting some old backstage and runway pictures that I came across from the website of photographer Michael Hermansen. I believe these are all from the SS07 season.

It's always nice to see some of Freja's older work, isn't it? I hope she finds the time to walk in Cph Fashion Week again. And maybe we'll finally get that third installment of The Copenhagen Experience from Mads Nørgaard? If I keep saying it enough, maybe it will happen just like the Chanel campaign.

Image Credits: michaelhermansen.dk

Parisian Chic

I am utterly obsessed with Isabel Marant. The clothing is just so effortlessly stylish and modern, and it perfectly expresses the essence of a city. My idealized vision of Paris includes tons of enviable women walking around in head to toe Marant, because a woman who wears Marant is the type of woman you want to be. She is a woman full of understated, elegant beauty that only grows stronger with familiarity.

I don't think I'm expressing myself very clearly, but it's hard to put into words something that is so dependent upon sight. So allow these pictures to show you what I mean. My favorite model backstage at one of my favorite brands:



Image Credits: fashionactive.com via tFS member love is the drug

Versatility Validated

Versatility is a term that is all too frequently thrown around when it comes to models. I think there are actually only a few girls who are truly versatile and Freja is one of them. Here's your proof:

Bergdorf Goodman Catalog FW07
Ph: Candace Meyer


The Rise of the Cyber Patrol
Vogue Nippon January 2009
Ph: Nathaniel Goldberg


This is why I absolutely adore Freja as a model. She can go from looking so beautiful and feminine to looking so androgynous and tough. Her facial features seem to adapt so easily to these extreme moods. And yet, when you see her in candids and backstage photos, you can always recognize her distinctive face. This seemingly contradictory quality is something truly special in a model, and all the top girls have it.

On a side note, the first set of pictures was gathered from three different sources and I'm sure some of them are outtakes. If anyone has any more information about the catalog shoot, or better yet some of the pictures in HQ, leave me a comment. I'd really appreciate it. It's one my favorite sets and I've been trying to find out more about it!

Image Credits:
First Set: candacemeyer.com, jkreps.com, Mixologies LiveJournal
Second Set: Scanned by tFS member MAGstyle

A Small Update

So I left out one of Freja's Chanel runway appearances in this previous post. I didn't even realize my mistake until one of you commented on it. So THANK YOU to whoever you are. I can't believe I left out her first runway appearance at Chanel! I feel pretty stupid for not getting my facts straight. I guess writing all those research papers in college didn't do me much good after all. :)

I also just updated the images in this post. Thanks to member kokobombon at bwgreyscale.com, we have the full set in HQ!

Gucci Girl

The rumors can finally be put to rest because it is official: Freja is a Gucci campaign girl for the fifth time! She's been cast in the upcoming FW0910 campaign along with Raquel Zimmerman, Natasha Poly and Jacquetta Wheeler. Those are the only confirmed names so far. Earlier speculation put the total model count at nine, so if those rumors are to be believed, we are still missing five names. Members at tFS have thrown around the likes of Anja Rubik, Lily Donaldson, and Abbey Lee Kershaw as possibilities for the other models. And considering that Inez and Vinoodh are shooting, I wouldn't be surprised to see Eniko Mihalik either. But we'll have to wait for more official word.

After going through a slight slump campaign wise these last few seasons, Freja is back in top form nabbing both the Chanel and Gucci campaigns. A total coup for any model as both are big name, blue-chip campaigns. This is a repeat of her SS07 campaign season and I couldn't be happier. It's just reassuring to see that Freja is still at the top after all these seasons, without the help of Steven Meisel I might add. (Yes, I am still bitter about the fact that he won't work with her, but that's another story.) Freja's looks fit perfectly with the Gucci brand, and while many people are already complaining about the boring casting, I am excited about the reunion of the three Gucci by Gucci perfume campaign models.

Anyway, the official news was broken by tFS member JSYK but there have been whsipers around the internet for weeks that Freja was in. And just yesterday I came across more evidence that I feel I can post about now. While I was reading this article in the NY Times about Frida Giannini and the return of the boyfriend suit, this quote immediately stuck out in my mind:

But she has an ability to hit on the mood of the moment, whether it is the new advertising campaign she is shooting in London with the photographic duo Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin or her “fetish,” thigh-high boots.

Then I was browsing Freja's "official website" and came across this answer from her in response to a fan question:

i was actually in london when my family celebrated easter, but ive been home for a day now hanging out with my friends, cooking, jammin, had a lot of fun, but tomorrow im off to new york, city ive missed!

I don't think Freja travels to London a lot unless it's for work, so here we have even more evidence if you're willing to believe that the official site is legitimate. And New York? Wonder what Freja could be doing there? Shooting another campaign perhaps? Or maybe an editorial? It's fun to think about the possibilities, isn't it?

A Look Back at the FW0708 Chanel Ad Campaign

Freja was the face of Chanel for two consecutive seasons, and the ads from each couldn't be more different. The SS07 season was bright, minimalist and open. The FW0708 was exactly the opposite as you can see below. Karl opted for a palette of black and more black, most likely to coincide with the darker mood of the fall/winter season. However, I think he went too far by slapping that black wig on Freja and converting her into a Morticia Adams lookalike.

Generally I like the use of shadows in photography because I think they can bring great contrast and complexity to images. Here, the shadows are overwhelming and distracting. They are too opaque and I find myself straining to look past them at the clothes. Needless to say, I'm not really a fan of this campaign.

These days it has been very quiet on Freja front. We haven't had any news other than the upcoming Chanel campaign, which is why my excitement level is very high. We know it was shot up in Vermont at Karl's new home. I just wonder how different the ads will be compared to last seasons', also shot up in Vermont. Will Karl employ the same strategy as he did for SS07 and FW0708 and turn out two diametrically opposed campaigns in terms of appearance? Guess we'll just have to wait and see!



Image Credits: Freja's thread at tFS