It's Going to be a Good Year

No time for excessive words, other than to say that we're being spoiled with a wonderful start to the new year:

The new model of the moment and the veteran model of the moment, together on the cover of Vogue Italia shot by Steven Meisel. Old school, vintage, and nostalgia are just some of the words that come to mind. So how perfect to combine those ideas with two models whose features stand out for their modern sensibilities.

Anyway, no time for over analysis today! Just enjoy the cover and the feeling that Freja isn't going to fade away anytime soon. And enjoy your New Year celebrations! It's the last time to let loose before real life and real responsibilities return on Monday.

Image Credit: vogue.it via IAmLordZen @ tFS

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

I just wanted to take this time to say THANK YOU to all of you out there for visiting this blog and making it the place that it is today. Of course it wouldn't exist without Freja, but more importantly, it wouldn't exist without you. For it is because of your excitement, encouragement, and participation that I continue to keep this going. And yeah, I guess it doesn't hurt that Freja's had an amazing year filled to the brim with great work. (So much so that Design Scene called 2010 Freja's year.) But if you fans weren't so dedicated and loyal, it wouldn't really matter that much, would it? Never underestimate the power of a large and loud fan base, especially in the age of the internet! ;)

So I hope you have a very Merry Christmas, full of good cheer, laughter, and times. If you don't celebrate Christmas, may the simple pleasures of life be enough of a reason for celebration. Thank you all so much, and I look forward to seeing what 2011 will bring to us all.

Random Bits: Hello Holidays!

Instead of being stuck in the cold east coast snow, I managed to escape for the holidays just in time. Woot! But that doesn't mean I've completely checked out.....yet. So here a few news bits to get you through the rest of the week, until you make it home for the holidays. :)

-Freja just wrapped up shooting in São Paulo for the Brazilian shoe brand Santa Lolla. The shoot took place today and yesterday, and she was shot by Henrique Gendre. Any Brazilians out there with encounter stories to share? (Thanks to reader Gabriela for the tip!)

Behind the scenes at Santa Lolla

-It's the end of the year and you know what that means....lists. Freja's made it onto Vogue UK's Best Dressed List of 2010, accompanied by a quote from uber talented and revered stylist Lucinda Chambers:

"Freja is the ultimate in boy/girl cool. She’s so down-played but everything she wears is exquisite. Every girls wants to look like Freja.”

That's quite an endorsement coming from Lucinda. Freja is 1 out of the 6 models featured on the 20 person list. The others are Edie Campbell, Elisa Sednaoui, Kate Moss, Lara Stone, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. (Hmmm, does anyone else think that Vogue UK is determined to make Edie the next big British model export? They put her in December's Star Girls ed, and now they feature her here again, when I can think of lots of other girls more deserving.) Now we wait and see if Freja will show up on any other lists. With the year she had, I'm kind of expecting it to be honest. But we'll see.

-Remember this twitpic that was burning up the blogs and forums a while ago? I got a tip from lovely reader Kate, letting us know that it's for the campaign of a Scandinavian based, fast fashion chain store with a predilection for designer collaborations. But shhhhhhhh, you didn't read it here.

-Lastly, thanks for the shout outs models.com and Unique Denmark! It's quite humbling, and also a bit embarrassing to know that this blog is being visited (and maybe even being read....ha!) by people who actually work in the industry. So thank you for that recognition. I guess it means that I must be doing something right. But all the credit of course goes to Freja for keeping all of us enthralled with her work, and to all you out there for your constant input, encouragement, tips and well wishes. I would have given up a long time ago if it wasn't for you amazing and passionate fellow fans. So thanks most of all, to you!

Image Credits: Noctilux tumblr via tFS member Carla-A

Freja in WWD

WWD just came out with their end of the year wrap up issue, and guess what? Freja is featured inside with a short article entitled "Great Dane":

"It’s been a busy year for Freja Beha Erichsen. At 23, this Danish model’s career is on a hot streak. And that’s not simply because she’s Karl Lagerfeld’s current muse. Erichsen has popped up in 10 advertising campaigns and shot almost 40 editorials since January. She equally fascinates editors, stylists and designers, and has appeared in five of the past six issues of French Vogue alone.

Erichsen’s tomboy looks — not to mention 16 tattoos — give her an edgy, androgynous mystique. But her charm is also influenced by the attitude she cultivates in her extracurricular activities: The wannabe rock star plays the drums, piano and guitar.

In 2010, Erichsen walked 80 shows and opened and/or closed 30. Lagerfeld summed up her appeal last April: “I just think she is the most modern girl and the most elegant person."

2010 really has been her year and it's nice to see more people recognizing that, including a very industry-news based publication. It's one thing to hear me talk over and over again about how great Freja is, but it's another to hear it from WWD. :) She's been working hard since 2005, always a bit under the radar; but that definitely changed this year. So congratulations Freja. I hope you're enjoying yourself wherever you are. And may the accolades and recognition continue to come in.

Image Credit: wwd.com

More Harry Winston

Thanks to a few lovely anonymous commenters in my previous post, I was directed to some more shots of Freja's Harry Winston Jewelry campaign, shot by Patrick Demarchelier.

Freja looks so great in these, albeit a bit too airbrushed. But whatever...she's smiling and positively radiant! WWD just came out with a report about Harry Winston's earnings, and now I think I have an idea as to why they went with Freja for the campaign; being the unconventional, but brilliant, choice that she was.

"Increased demand for luxury goods and higher sales from Asian consumers helped the luxury jeweler post a profit of $3.9 million..."

"The engine of this recovery is being fueled by the Far East as Chinese citizens become consumers not only at home, but also in the luxury shopping districts of the developed world,” chairman and chief executive officer Robert Gannicott said on a call with analysts."

Call me crazy, but it seems to me like Freja was picked to front the campaign because she has appeal to the Asian consumer. We all know how popular she is over there, so this just makes sense to me. I don't know, maybe I'm just making connections where there are no connections to make. But all of this is still interesting to say the least....

Image Credits: harrywinston.com via Noctilux tumblr

The Year 2010 in Editorials

It's that time again. With December already here, and January 2011 (!) fast approaching, it's time to take a look back at the year in editorials. So brace yourself....it's going to be a loooooong list.

Last year's recap is here. It's pretty hilarious to re-read the stuff I wrote back then. I got my wish of Freja appearing in the big three Vogues, and she totally exceeded all my expectations this year in terms of the quantity and prestige of her work. But my one wish for this year is for Freja to show some more range and diversity in her work, just like she did at the very beginning of her career. If Freja continues to work this much in 2011, hopefully she is less pigeon-holed into one role and one "type" of modeling. (And maybe she'll even model some actual clothes and change her hair style too? A girl can dream....)

JANUARY
1. Interview, "Tomas Meier" by Craig McDean, also featuring Hanne Gaby Odiele and Siri Tollerod
2. Vogue Italia, "Runway" by Steven Meisel, MG*

FEBRUARY
3. Vogue Paris, "Vogue-a-Porter" by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, MG

MARCH
4. Purple Magazine (Spring), "Purple Naked" by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, OG**
5. Numoro Homme #19 (Spring), Cover and "Predateurs" by Karl Lagerfeld, also featuring Abbey Lee Kershaw and Heidi Mount
6. Vogue Nippon, "Generation Dreamers" by Terry Richardson, OG
7. Vogue UK, "Cyber Tribe" by Josh Olins, OG
8. Vogue China, "Karl's China Fantasy" by Karl Lagerfeld, also featuring Du Juan, Heidi Mount and Shu Pei
9. Vogue US, "Love at First Sight" by Steven Meisel, MG
10. W Magazine, "Chic Mystique" by Mario Sorrenti, MG
11. Vogue Italia, Cover and "In Grande Stile" by Steven Meisel, OG

APRIL
12. SPUR Magazine, Cover and Style Feature by Martha Camarillo, OG
13. Vogue UK, "Urban Renewal" by Patrick Demarchelier, OG
14. Vogue Germany, "Tango" by Karl Lagerfeld, OG
15. W Magazine, "New York, New York 10021" by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, also featuring Raquel Zimmermann
16. i-D (Spring), Cover and "Freja Beha, The Rock N' Roll Star" by Emma Summerton, OG
17. Vogue Italia, "Shrink to Fit" by Steven Meisel, MG
18. Interview, "Tough Ballerina" by Craig McDean, OG

MAY
19. Vogue Paris Collections (Spring), Cover
20. Vogue Mexico, "Vogue-a-Porter" by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, MG (R)***

JUNE
21. W Magazine, "Best in Show" by Craig McDean, MG

JUNE/JULY
22. Vogue Paris, "Collection Privee" by Terry Richardson, also featuring Lara Stone

AUGUST
23. Vogue Nippon, "The Untold Crime" by Terry Richardson, OG
24. Vogue UK, Cover and "Colour Shock" by Josh Olins, OG
25. Vogue Paris, Cover and "Winter Before Winter" by David Sims, MG
26. W Magazine Korea, Cover by Craig McDean (R)
27. Interview, "Modern Love" by Craig McDean, OG
28. Vogue Mexico, "Love at First Sight" by Steven Meisel, MG (R)

SEPTEMBER
29. Vogue Portugal, "The Untold Crime" by Terry Richardson, MG (R)
30. Vogue Korea, Cover and "Poetics of Body" by Rafael Stahelin, OG
31. Allure Korea, Cover by Josh Olins (R)
32. Vogue Paris, "Neo Belphegor" by Mikael Jansson, OG
33. V Magazine #67, "Uptown and Downtown" by Mario Testino, also featuring Anna Selezneva, Carmen Kass and Sasha Pivovarova
34. Dossier #6 (Fall), Cover and "Cinnamon Girl" by Cass Bird, OG
35. The Last Magazine #5 (Fall), Cover and "Freja and Anja" by Maciek Kobielski, also featuring Anja Rubik

OCTOBER
36. Vogue Paris, "Bal Masque" by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, also featuring Crystal Renn, Daphne Groeneveld, Lara Stone and Mariacarla Boscono
37. Vogue Paris, "Think Punk" by Mario Sorrenti, OG
38. Rolling Stone, "The Hot List" by Theo Wenner, OG

NOVEMBER
39. Vogue Paris, "Temps Libre" by Heid Silmane, OG
40. Vogue Paris, "La Geisha" by Terry Richardson, OG
41. Vogue Mexico, "Colour Shock" by Josh Olins, OG (R)
42. Vogue Italia, Cover and "Venus in Furs" by Steven Meisel, also featuring Alla Kostromicheva, Iris Strubegger, Iselin Steiro

DECEMBER
43. Vogue UK, "Star Girls" by Mario Testino, MG
44. VMAN #20 (Winter), "Patti + Robert" by Christian Brylle, OG
45. Pirelli Calendar 2010, "Mythology" by Karl Lagerfeld, also featuring various other models
46. New York Times T Style (Holiday), "Moonstruck" by Alice O'Malley, MG

*MG=Multi Girl
**OG=Only Girl
***(R)=Reprint

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
23 Editorials and 3 Covers in 2009 VS. 43 Editorials and 13 Covers in 2010 (20 more eds and 10 more covers, best year by far with 2006 coming in second)
Most Prodigious Month: March with 8 editorials and 2 covers
Most Prestigious Month: August with covers of Vogue UK and Vogue Paris

Photographer Breakdown:
-Meisel (5) (Never thought I'd live to see the day)
-McDean (4)
-Richardson (4)
-Lagerfeld (4)
-Inez and Vinoodh (3)
-Olins (2)
-Sorrenti (2)
-Testino (2)
-Demarchelier, Jansson, Mert & Marcus, Slimane, Sims, and Summerton (all 1)
(Seeing these names written out like this is SO impressive. You go Glen Coco Freja! Though I'd love to see Roversi and Luchford listed again.)

Vogue Breakdown:
-Vogue Paris: Editorials (8), Covers (1)
-Vogue Italia: Editorials (4), Covers (2)
-Vogue UK: Editorials (4), Covers (1)
-Vogue Korea: Editorials (1), Covers (1)
-Vogue Nippon: Editorials (2)
-Vogue US: Editorials (1)
-Vogue Germany: Editorials (1)
-Vogue China: Editorials (1)
(Tsk, tsk Vogue Russia. You're missing out.)

Others:
-W Magazine: Editorials (3)
-Interview: Editorials (3)
-i-D Magazine: Editorials (1), Cover (1)
-Dossier: Editorials (1), Cover (1)
-The Last Magazine: Editorials (1), Cover (1)
-Purple Magazine: Editorials (1)
-V Magazine: Editorials (1)
(To count Vogue Paris, Vogue Italia, Vogue UK, W, and Interview as some of your best clients is no small feat. Four for you Glen Coco Freja!)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Whew! If you catch any mistakes above, please let me know. And huge THANKS to all the hardworking scanners over at tFS. It is because of their dedication and generosity that we have images of all of Freja's work this past year. It's a tedious, time consuming job so the least we can do is say thanks and give credit (I'm looking at you tumblrs)!

2010 was most definitely Freja's year and she has completely cemented her status at the top and ensured her longevity in the industry for as long as she wants it. Isn't it amazing what can happen in just a year's time? But as happy and proud of Freja and her success as I am, I think we should all be sensitive to the fact that change goes both ways. Who knows what I'll be writing this time next year? And that's why I think I'm so hard on Freja sometimes. I just want to see her doing diverse work because I think that's the best for her career longevity at this point going forward. Sure, it's great to have a persona and a trademark that you're known for. But that can only go so far. So Freja, I think it's time to change it up a bit, get away from your comfort zone, and expand into the full range that we all know you're capable of. And maybe it's time to change the hair as well. Going blond might just be the thing to inject some newness and freshness into your image. Eeek, dare I even say that? Maybe that's too drastic. I don't know. I just think 2011 is the time for something new. Agree? Disagree? What changes would you like to see Freja make this upcoming year, if any at all?

Anyway, congrats on your year Freja. Your hard work, dedication, passion, indefatigable drive, and talent have finally paid off. Now may you land a multi-million dollar beauty contract so you can be comfortable for the rest of your life. Amen.

Chanel Pre-Fall 2011

As expected, Freja walked for the Chanel Pre-Fall 2011 show held earlier today in Paris. And she closed the Byzantine spectacle wearing a long, flowing coat with matching hair to boot.

Looking a little mean there Freja...


...there, that's better.

When was the last time she missed a Chanel show? Maybe the SS09 show two years ago when she missed all of Paris? Anyway, I'm beginning to think that Karl really sees Freja as the female equivalent of Baptiste. She travels with him, is involved in nearly all of his projects, and she's treated differently from all the other female models. Case in point: the way she was styled for this show. All of the other models had their hair put up in bee-hive bouffants, but Freja had hers down, styled to look the way it always looks nowadays.

I don't know if this special treatment from Karl is a good thing, or a bad thing. Probably a little bit of both. As one of you pointed out in the comments of this post, albeit jokingly, maybe Karl is trying to make Freja and Baptiste into twins....lol. I really just don't know. Why do you think Freja is getting treated differently? Perhaps it's a display of trust and comfort on Karl's part? Or maybe a request on Freja's part? It will be interesting to see how their working relationship further develops in the coming months. After Pirelli and this runway, will we continue to see Freja being used unconventionally? Your guess is as good as mine.

Image Credits: wwd.com

Dressing to a T

So far I can say that I like Sally Singer at T Magazine way more than I like Stefano Tonchi at W. Who's with me!? Putting Mick Jagger on the cover of your holiday style issue? F-ing brilliant. Featuring Sasha Pivovarova in a style profile? Utterly charming. Including Freja in the issue after a four year absence? Totally awesome, especially since Freja finally looks a bit different and isn't playing her usual rock n' roll, tough girl role. And dare I say it with out suffering retaliation in the form of angry comments about how repetitive I am....but she even looks (feigned gasp, shock, awe) feminine. Imagine that. Must be the dress, heels and languid, soft pose because her hair is still the same messy mop. :)

Moonstruck
New York Times T Style Magazine Holiday 2010
Ph: Alice O'Malley
Styling: Susan Winget
Other Models: Eliza Douglas, Hilary Swank, Kazu Makino, Lakshmi Menon, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mila Kunis, Sally Hawkins

Like everyone else, I was uncertain about all the staff changes that happened at T and W, but so far it seems like T is coming out for the better judging by Singer's first issue. Rumors are already swirling about W's less than stellar performance under Tonchi, and I can see why. As a subscriber, I can say with honesty that I've stopped reading my issues because the content is just so unappealing to me now. (Kim Kardashian? Katherine Heigl? Is Stefano trying to feature everyone I don't care about?) To say that I miss the old W would be an understatement. But this isn't a blog about magazines, so back to Freja!

I'm so happy that she's in T again! The company that she keeps in this editorial is pretty surprising. Save for Lakshmi, it's a mix of actresses, so I guess it's an honor for Freja to be included in the bunch? I don't know....I'm still trying to wrap my head around that one. I suspect she might actually be friends with the photographer, Alice O'Malley, because there is a paragraph about her photographic approach and how she likes to photograph her friends.

What do you think? Friends? Or just another instance of Freja's fashion star growing brighter? I guess it doesn't matter why, just as long as we have the who, what, where and when. And speaking of, I love the explanation for this editorial:

"What happens when a fierce modern beauty dons a languid nostalgic dress? Enchantment".

Enchantment indeed. Seriously, are they reading my mind? This is exactly the type of story that I've wanted to see Freja in. I only wish she had more than one shot, but one is more than none so I'll take it! Maybe my repetitiveness (though off-putting to some) is finally starting to pay off. By putting it out there in the universe enough, it's finally starting to happen. Or maybe it's just common sense that people will get tired of the same stuff over and over again, so it's good to change up your image and give people something different. My ego would have me think the former is the reason behind this all, but my rationality tells me it's actually the latter. ;) If this is a sign of things to come in 2011, then January can't come soon enough.

Image Credits: nytimes.com via tFS member MissMagAddict

Byzantine

Just in case you forgot, Chanel's pre-fall show is happening this Tuesday, December 7th. And oh la la, the theme appears to be Byzantine. Guess that's explains why the show is being held in Paris this time around. As powerful as Karl may be, even he can't resurrect a bygone empire for a Chanel show. So don't blame the recession, don't blame an unsteady economy, don't blame consumer uncertainty; blame the Byzantine empire for not being around anymore to provide us with the locale to match the theme. ;)

I think the odds are pretty high that Freja will make it to Paris in time for the show. After donning a codpiece for Karl, he owes her at least that much. But Freja's apparently in China New York right now shooting something (any fans out there know what for sure?), so I guess that means she'll be traveling this weekend....hopefully. Fingers crossed. I don't know about you, but I definitely want to see what Karl puts her in after Pirelli.

Image Credits: chanel-news.com

Pirelli

All images from the Pirelli Calendar have been leaked. I feel a bit strange posting all of Freja's shots outright on this blog, so you can see the pictures here. (I think I have an irrational fear that the Pirelli police will shut me down, or someone will inevitably contact Google and "flag" this blog for "objectionable" content, ie nudity. Although in my opinion nudity is far less objectionable than violence, but that's neither here nor there.)

Anyway, the good news is Freja is on the Calendar cover! The bad news (at least to me) is Freja is on the Calendar cover wearing a codpiece. A codpiece similar to the one Baptiste is wearing here. In the immortal words of Homer Simpson, "Doh!" I don't really feel like there's any point in elaborating any further on my thoughts about these images. If you've been reading the blog, you'll know what I think. If you haven't been reading this blog, then you're probably just here for the pictures anyway so it doesn't really matter what I think. And anyway, I'm more interested in hearing what you all out there think.

On the bright side, this is yet another fashion accomplishment that Freja can notch on her belt: Calendar pin up girl......sort of? (Not sure how to address it since she's a female playing a male. So Calendar pin up person?) And it is great that she can play both feminine and masculine roles because that ability opens up another 50% of job possibilities to her. More job possibilities means more work. But I just hope to god Freja doesn't dig herself so deep into one role, one stereotype, one image, that she can never get herself out. I have my fingers crossed that the upcoming Chanel and Louis Vuitton campaigns can begin to swing the pendulum back towards the other side so that we can see some kind of balance and a settling at the center. Because after this Calendar, the Vman editorial, Star Girls in Vogue UK, and Think Punk, I'm looking forward to seeing some other facets of Freja. And I'm looking forward to seeing her model some clothes for once. ;) The Freja Exposure Rate is literally off the charts now after this.

Image Credits: pirelli.com originally via tFS member testinofan, before images were deleted from tFS.

Campaign News - LV

I'm pretty much awe struck right now by this news:

I don't know if it gets any better than this. Kristen, Raquel and Freja by Meisel? Holy crap! Talk about talent overload. I just hope the results live up to the reputation of all those involved. And even if it doesn't, the pedigree of this job is enough to make me so excited and proud that Freja is included. She isn't the first name to come to mind when you think Louis Vuitton, especially since the last few campaigns have conditioned me to think of big name celebrities (Madonna) and traditional super models (Christy). But Freja can do glamorous, and she can do luxury; so under the guidance of Meisel I have high hopes for something great.

With Chanel and now Louis Vuitton on her campaign list, the S/S 11 season is turning out pretty well for Freja. Not as good as last season, but I think most of us know by now that the F/Ws seem to suit Freja and her aesthetic better anyway. And who knows....maybe we'll be surprised by more campaign news. After all, this entire year and has been nothing if not chock full of surprises. :)

Mythology

Big news of the day is the release of the annual Pirelli calendar in Moscow. With Karl at the helm, is it any surprise that Freja is included this year? You gotta love him for being so loyal.

Back when the news broke in April that Karl would be the photographer, I'll admit I was a bit skeptical about Freja's odds of being included. After all, the Pirelli Calendar is about sexy pin-ups with a high fashion twist. And no matter how versatile I think Freja is as a model, the last thing that people associate her with is sexy pin-up girl. But no matter now, since Karl has managed to pick a theme that allows him to integrate all his favorite models into the calendar: Greek and Roman mythology.

And no surprise here, Freja plays the male roles of Apollo, Pollux and Orpheus. So Karl has managed to both exceed and let down my expectations. Exceed in the sense of his unconventional casting choice of Freja (and even Iris) for this calendar; let down in the sense of his trite role assignment. Freja in a masculine role....wow, never saw that one coming (rolls eyes). At least there is some unexpected gender-bending going on with Abbey as Castor and Anja as Hermes. I like to see models taking on new roles and challenges, and at this point I feel like Freja (through no fault of her own) hasn't been given much opportunity to do so. C'est la vie I guess.

Regardless, I am excited to see what the final images will look like. The images that have been released so far are really beautiful. They're classical in all the right ways, and everyone looks gorgeous--real, physical embodiments of the gods they're asked to play. So I'm leaving myself open to the possibility that I'll be pleasantly surprised, and that roles won't matter in the face of beauty. Your thoughts on Freja and the calendar?

ETA: Here's the first image of Freja

Image Credits: pedestrian.tv

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hooray for a four day weekend and the official start of the holiday season! My favorite time of the year by far. Are you ready for turkey day, black Friday and cyber Monday? I hope so. Enjoy yourselves and I hope you...

eat a lot of good food...


drink a lot of good drinks...


catch up on your sleep...


finally start that bestseller you've been meaning to read...


and spend quality time with your family, friends and other loved ones.

Image Credits: fashionmag.com, firstview.com, style.it

FTV Countdown

This is what all fans wait for. A glimpse at the person behind all the clothes and makeup; the person off the runway and behind the scenes.

This season Freja comes in at #2 on the FTV countdown, up a spot from #3 last season. Bear my cheesiness, but she's like a fine wine, getting better with age. ;)

She also takes the top spot for the city of Milan. No interview; just a compilation of catwalk looks starting at 13:30:

Here are a few things that caught my attention:

-It's funny how we go from always napping backstage at Marni, to literally jumping up and down with energy this season @ 1:15.

-Perhaps we should expect a career transition into music very soon. After all, Freja has a DIY home studio with a plethora of guitars, a piano and drums. That doesn't simply sound like something she does casually on her off days--seems more serious than that to me.

-Oh, so those combat boots Freja was sporting everywhere this past season are Balmain. Who knew? So Christophe makes a $1,000 version of something Doc Martens makes for $100. I'm totally side-eyeing Decarnin right now.

-About a year after her initial move to New York, Freja is moving again. This time to Brooklyn. Why does it feel like everyone and their mother is moving to Brooklyn these days? It's not like the rent is any cheaper...

Anyway, it's always a pleasure to watch these videos. Most of the time, models are seen and not heard, so it's a treat when FTV puts these out after each season. If you have some time to kill, take a look at the rest of the girls making up the top ten.

10. Kasia Struss
9. Ginta Lapina
8. Karmen Pedaru
7. Julija Steponaviciute
6. Monika "Jac" Jagaciak
5. Lindsey Wixson
4. Frida Gustavsson
3. Caroline Brasch Nielsen
2. Freja
1. Karlie Kloss

It's a solid list and I'm happy to see girls like Julija and Karmen included. There are others I could do without, but you win some, you lose some.

Image Credits: afashiontale.dk, bellazon. Videos courtesy of Fashiontv Youtube Channel

The Many Faces Of

My recent post got me thinking about the upside of Freja's deluge of work, and pictures can say it better than words can:

With so much work to be seen, we get a true sense of how versatile Freja really is. In many cases her reputation precedes her and people write her off as only belonging to the tough and edgy category. But all of this work, side by side, really reveals the often underrated subtlety and quality of her transformative abilities. Freja is a model who is capable of giving people what they want, when they want it. She is simultaneously all things to all people, and yet utterly true to herself for we never lose sight of her individuality amidst all the makeup, styling, concepts and characters. She is both chameleon and persona. Malleable and distinct. Once again toeing the line between extremes, existing in the space between where the paradox resides.

This paradoxical quality makes her instantly intriguing, captivating and mysterious. How does she do it? How does she go from punk to glam so effortlessly? This is one of things about Freja that has grabbed a hold of me and will never let me go. So no matter how I much I complain or whine, I could never walk away from a model this talented and hardworking. Can you imagine any one else being able to take on all these different roles so thoroughly and successfully? Any one else who could do it with both aplomb and humility? No? Neither can I.

Image Credits: All credits are in the image file name

Going Commercial?

Here's something new and possibly commercial. Freja recently shot some sort of TV ad with fellow models Anne Vyalitsyna and Martha Streck. Both Martha and Anne exist more firmly in the commercial fashion sphere, so it will be exciting and interesting to see what kind of project could possibly have these three girls working together. Via Martha's Twitter:

One the one hand you have Freja: androgynous poster girl, high fashion doyenne and a Karl Lagerfeld fav. On the other you have Anne V: current girlfriend of Maroon 5's Adam Levine and frequent model for the utterly mass market Victoria's Secret catalog. Then you have Martha: not necessarily notable for anything in particular, but a model in Victoria's Secret catalogs and on Givenchy runways. The three together certainly make for strange bedfellows, but my interest is definitely peaked! Fingers crossed that it's something uber commercial just for fun of it and for the sake of seeing something different.

(Is that a flowery, feminine dress I see on Freja!? Whoa.)

Also, thank goodness Martha confirmed what a lot of us already knew; the frejabe twitter is complete bullshit and a fake. So report it as spam and maybe then we can get rid of it and its embarrassingly immature tweets.

Anyway, guesses as to what the ad could be for? What do you want it to be for? H&M? Gap? Cadbury candy? What else? And am I the only one dying to see Freja cheese out in some over-the-top holiday ad campaign? Just me? Oh, ok....

Image Credits: twitter.com/marthastreck

Celebrity?

I finally picked up a copy of the Fall/Winter issue of Bon with Constance on the cover. This Swedish publication has become one of my favorite magazines because it has substantive context and good editorials. It features topics and discussions infinitely more interesting than "How to look good at every age," "10 ways to get the look for less," and "What Hamish Bowles discovered on his 10 day cleanse."

Anyway, this particular issue contains a round table discussion on the recent Fall/Winter 2010/2011 season, and one of the topics covered in said round table is "On the Rise and Rise of Models." Interestingly enough, Freja's picture is chosen as the lead in image for this section:

It was a nice surprise, but when I took the time to think about it, it shouldn't have been a surprise at all. This absolutely jives with all the recent coverage that Freja has been receiving lately, for it seems like she is fashion's current model du jour--the poster girl of model success. It's wonderful for sure, but it also brings bittersweet feelings. I mean, when you're so "of the moment," it's only a matter of time before the moment passes and you're suddenly out of it. Maybe that's my pessimism speaking, but I just don't want Freja to get overexposed and I fear it's happening. Anyway, that isn't the point of this post....sorry to be so scatterbrained. The point is that a few quotes stuck out to me and got me thinking about the issue of celebrity.

Q: "We might think that a lot of models are sort of cookie cutter, completely without personality and importance, but in fact, if you've been on Models.com or the Fashion Spot or Model Manual, there is a fascination with models that seems to be growing. What are your thoughts on this?"

A: "...I don't think this is a fixation on models. It's a fascination with these people and the lives that they lead. Agyness has her music, she has modeling and acting. Each of them is a rock star in their own right. It's a fascination with the celebrity, not the model."

Do you think this is true in Freja's case? And if so, how does this reconcile with her fierce upkeep of privacy outside of modeling? Can Freja be a celebrity when we know essentially nothing about her besides what she shows on the runway, in fashion candids and on magazine pages? Doesn't that just make her simply a model? I've always been curious to know how many people like her for her work, versus those that "like" like her, versus those that like her for her personality and everything it embodies and signifies (the irony of this doesn't escape me considering none of us really know her). I try to focus this blog on the work, and even though I don't really care about all the gossip and whisperings about her personal life, I am fully aware of them. After all, lots of voices whispering together creates a pretty loud sound. So is this the by-product of the celebrity fascination mentioned above? Is the Freja fan domain created out of a fascination with her as a person, instead of the work that she does? Are the two facets mutually exclusive? Or are they rather codependent, with each informing and bolstering the other?

If Freja really was just a model, no one would care about what she did off-duty, what her tattoos means, who she hangs out with, who she sleeps with, etc, etc. But people do care, and I have no idea why they care so much other than to say that models are indeed the new "celebrity." That's disconcerting in a way, because you get a sense that after a while, this fascination begins to come at the price of the work. And this brings me to the second quote from the round table.

"What often happens in fashion, particularly fashion photography, is that everybody is seeking beauty, but with no other thought than combining things that have been approved by everybody else in the industry: best model, best photographer, best studio. All you can think of when looking at the pictures is that they certainly had good salads and sandwiches at the shoot. But it has no charm, no little accidents, no surprises."

In all honestly, this sums up the way I've felt about some (but definitely not all) of Freja's work lately. She's had so much of it since everyone is (seemingly) rushing to capitalize on her popularity and celebrity. But as a result, the moments of awe and inspiration seem diluted. Don't get me wrong....they are still there. But I feel like I have to look harder and longer to find them, and that's frustrating when you feel the pressure to love everything someone does simply because you run a blog about them.

Back when I started this whole thing, I would have been leaping for joy at the success that Freja's had in the past few months. But now that it's here, I can't get that bittersweet taste out of my mouth. As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for, right? And just watch.....if Freja ever disappears I'll be howling with frustration at her lack of new work and wishing to recapture this moment where she was on top. (In the voice of Chandler Bing) Can I be anymore fickle and temperamental? I'll just blame it on human nature and utilize another popular saying: the grass is always greener on the other side.

Your thoughts on models, celebrities, model celebrities, Freja, and fickleness? So sorry for the lengthy, stream of consciousness post, but it's pretty quiet news wise so I thought I'd go a little crazy. :)

Image Credits: My Scan

Acting Break

Remember this little gem? Yes, the Chanel Pre-Fall video from last year that had Freja portraying a Chinese peasant girl and a Chinese courtesan. Well this year we won't have to suffer through get to enjoy another brilliant piece of film making from Karl because WWD reports that he "...had no time to make a movie," for this year's Chanel pre-fall collection. So Freja won't be in yellow face, or black face, or some other face, to complete Karl's ballsy display of cultural insensitivity. And we won't have to sit through a laughable, but endearing in a weird way, video as we squirm with second hand embarrassment. In fact, it seems like this year is all about modesty and intimacy since the show is not even being held in some far-flung, exotic location as past experience would dictate. No London, Moscow, or Shanghai.

Instead it's being held in the good, old City of Lights.....Gay Paree! Rue Cambon to be exact. Tuesday, December 7th. So mark those calendars, because chances are Freja will be there. Gosh, I can't even remember the last time she missed a Chanel show, be it ready-to-wear, haute couture, resort or pre-fall. Maybe during the infamous SS09 season? Anyway, as WWD reports:

"After taking over every square inch of the vast Grand Palais in Paris for its spring ready-to-wear show earlier this month, Chanel is reverting to more intimate environs for pre-fall. On Dec. 7, the French house plans to show its latest métiers d’arts collection — a luxury rtw line made with the specialty ateliers Chanel owns — where it all started back in 2002: at its Rue Cambon couture salons."

So it seems like Freja fans will get their next fix in just a little less than one month. We might be entering into the holiday season, but fashion never rests. After all, the trends can't set themselves!

Exposed

So I was looking at the latest VMan #20 preview shots of Freja and Christian Brylle, and one thing stuck out to me. I guess the 1-2-3 punch of these images, the style.com video, and the Vogue Italia images have put nudity at the forefront of my mind, so I couldn't help but to notice a trend here with Freja's work. An inordinate amount of her recent editorials have featured prominent boobage (or lack thereof....however you want to consider it). Basically, I feel like I've been seeing topless Freja A LOT lately, and way more than usual. I'm not sure if this is actually the case, or if it's one of those things that just seems more prevalent the second you're acutely aware of it. You know how that goes; someone mentions pumpkin ravioli to you for the first time, and suddenly everywhere you go you see pumpkin ravioli on every menu, on every food program, in every magazine. What do you call this phenomenon? The sudden proliferation of otherwise unknown concepts? The sudden realization of dormant ideas?

Anyway, I digress. Back to the boobs. I decided to do some good old fashion counting and break it down by the numbers. Here is my not so scientific method. I broke the year into two segments: January through June, and July through December. Then I counted how many times Freja appeared topless/exposed her breasts in editorials that fell within those respective months. Simple as that. I didn't count covers or reprints, and I counted the June/July issue of VP twice. This gives us the Freja exposure rate:

January - June: 3 out of 19 (15.79% exposure rate)

vs.

July - December: 8 out of 18 (44.44% exposure rate)

So I wasn't being crazy and just imagining things. Freja has been more exposed recently. In the first half of the year, we only had Vogue-a-Porter, Purple Naked, and In Grande Stile. In the second half of the year we had Winter Before Winter, Modern Love, Poetics of Body, Rolling Stone Hot List, La Geisha, Temps Libre, Venus in Furs, and Patti + Robert. Notably, the last five editorials came within the past three months. That high level of concentration suggests we've reached the nudity critical mass.

As for the significance of my findings, I really have no idea of their potential significance or reverberations for the scientific...er, I mean fashion community. Perhaps nudity is a trend that comes and goes just like all other trends in fashion: plaid shirts, biker jackets, clogs, camel coats, nudity. Perhaps Vogue Paris is behind all of this, as Freja's exposure rate did increase in tandem with her appearance rate in VP's pages. And we all know how VP loves a good measure of breast. We may never know the exact cause, but the effects are more measurable in terms of fan reaction. Speaking only for myself as a fan, I find all of this nudity to be tiring. But then again, I get tired of things pretty quickly. (I have no idea how I've been able to run this blog for so long. It's literally a miracle.) Heck, give me Freja in three feminine editorials in a row and I'll be calling for the androgyny faster than you can say "tomboy with 16 tattoos." Freja has great range and I would just like to see it utilized more.

I hope you know this post was written with tongue firmly in cheek. I thought it would be pretty obvious, but with the internet you never know. Sometimes you have to spell out things like sarcasm and jest because they don't come across very well in blog form. So......s-a-r-c-a-s-m and j-e-s-t. There, that should make it pretty clear so don't be sending me hate mail about how I'm biased against nudity or something. Because I'm most certainly not. But I am looking forward to seeing Freja model some clothes for once. :)

Image Credits: designscene.net

Freja on Style.com

OK, the number of comments and e-mails that I've received telling me about this video probably means that you all want me to post it. So here it is:

Thanks to all who informed me of its existence! :) I saw it last week, but didn't think there was anything noteworthy enough to blog about. But I guess general consensus thought otherwise. All I can say is you are a very insistent, but very thoughtful bunch and I do appreciate it. It's comforting to know that if I ever miss anything Freja related, all you wonderful readers will keep me in the loop!

Anyway, like I was saying, there's nothing terribly new or revelatory in this video. It's just nice to get some new candid material every so often, and it's nice to have Style.com recognizing Freja. As time goes on, it seems like more and more fashion outlets are beginning to realize Freja's popularity, so she's definitely well on her way towards cementing her revered status as one of the industry's top contemporary model icons.

Freja seems a bit more demure and polite in this interview, but she comes across just as grounded and as approachable as ever. One of the things I like best about her is that she seems to have a really good head on her shoulders, as cliche as that sounds. Despite years in the industry and all her success, you really get the sense that Freja isn't that much different than she would have been if modeling had not found her. It's this grounded quality that draws fans to her and breeds their intense loyalty. Freja also displays a trademark confidence that we've come to know, but it's tempered by glimpses of a vulnerability. This push/pull is best summed up by this quote about walking for Prada:

"It was definitely nerve racking. I remember being really nervous before, but that's a feeling that goes away. You get used to it and now I've done so many shows. It's pretty simple. You just have to walk so.....it's not so much to get nervous about."

This is why fans love her. She's effortless, comforting, cool and relatable all at the same time.

Androgyny I Can Support

If you're going to do androgyny, this is how to do it. Androgyny doesn't always have to rely on tough styling, scowls, leather biker jackets, and other overtly masculine signifiers. Editors don't have to hit us over the head with these types of references. Besides, true androgyny should be able to stand on it's own, separate from masculine and feminine aides.

Venus In Furs
Vogue Italia November 2010
Ph: Steven Meisel
Styling: Karl Templer
Other Models: Alla Kostromicheva, Andrej Pejic, Iris Strubegger, Iselin Steiro, Michael Tintiuc, Tomek Szczukiecki

This editorial is the perfect example of that, and it's the first time I don't mind Freja being lumped in under the androgynous category. The pared down, natural appearance of each model is allowed to shine, and this minimalistic approach is quite successful at getting down to the essence of what makes each person androgynous. When the models all look so similar, when they're all in skewed positions with limbs akimbo, and when they're allowed to interact and play off of each other, the line truly becomes blurred between male/female and feminine/masculine. A person who doesn't know who these models are would have a very difficult time discerning between the women and the men. And that is the true definition of androgyny: being neither distinguishably male nor distinguishably female.

I really feel like this is the first editorial where I've been able to truly see and appreciate both the feminine and masculine aspects of Freja's face, and indeed all the other models' faces as well. From shot to shot Freja looks different, and that's what a good photographer can do. A good photographer doesn't have to rely on tropes or stereotypes to make a point. A good photographer smashes those things, and gets down to the basic essence of it all. There is nothing signaling to us the viewer, telling us that we should see these models in a particular way. So now it's up to us individually to see what genders and gender signifiers we want to see. This openness is what I appreciate and what allows me to see these models both in new ways and in ways they're usually meant to be seen.

Another thing I love about this editorial is how the models and the fashion don't seem to overshadow each other. Since I'm interested in models more than fashion, I have a tendency to overlook the fashion sometimes. But in this editorial the lack of clothing enhances the fashion for me, ironically enough. I find myself paying as much attention to the fur and leather as I do to the models. Models and clothes are working in tandem to create one huge, glorious bacchanal of bodies. And now that I think about it, it's so fitting that in a fashion story about fur and leather, the models should all be in their own natural skins. Another brilliant and subtly obvious touch. Obvious because you immediately see the raw nakedness of the bodies. But subtle because it takes you a minute to realize that the only thing being featured here is skin, be it animal or human. It's a little creepy when you think about it that way, for it's quite literally skin on skin in more ways than one (especially when the bodies are piled on top of each other). But that's classic Meisel. Even when things seem pretty straightforward, there's always an off kilter element underlying the simplicity. And considering the fact that there are so many naked to nearly naked bodies intertwined together, this story doesn't feel particularly sexual to me. It's more desexualized since gender is wiped away, and this gives us the freedom to appreciate the clothes and the bodies for what they are. It's funny how something that seems so overtly sexual at first, can become the opposite with a deeper glance.....at least for me.

These eccentricities and complexities are what distinguishes between the good, and the great. I don't know if this editorial and cover will stand the test of time, but what I do know is that it's the first piece of work that's made me excited again. The second I saw the cover, even before I saw this editorial, I knew I just had to have this. I think the last time I felt this way was with Freja's last VI cover, so I guess there's a theme here. Anyway, I just have to remember that this is what it feels like when things are great. When we don't have to settle for mediocrity. When we don't have to strain to find nice things to say just so we can be diplomatic. It's comforting to know I can have this instantaneous and unbridled reaction of excitement again.

Image Credits: zfashionblog.wordpress.com