Random Bits

-A big thank you goes to reader Tima for directing me to the Luisaviaroma blog and the Freja pictures posted there:

After Fendi

After Celine


After Dolce & Gabbana

In case you don't know, Luisaviaroma is a super high-end luxury online retailer. I've spent many hours browsing the site, making completely unattainable wish-lists. Sigh. But it looks like their buyers started a blog just last fashion week and documented some of their experiences at the shows. Various model pics abound so take a look. And thanks again Tima!

-I came across a small feature on Blouson Noir in the March 2010 issue of Jalouse. It's in French, so if you can read it, I'm sure it will be very informative. I'm posting it mostly because we haven't seen the smaller picture yet. (But now that I stop to think about it, I'm pretty sure this was already posted on tFS a while ago. Aaah, oh well....)

Image Credits: dayzebook.com, blog.luisaviaroma.com

Shout Outs

A few mentions of Freja lately in the fashion atmosphere.

Fellow Dane and model Amanda Norgaard talked with vogue.co.uk about walking the SS10 Chanel show:

"There were such incredible models - like Natasha Poly and Freja Beha - backstage and I started to think, 'Ok, this is really good'!"

And Kaiser Karl told WWD why he likes working with Freja so much:

“I just think she is the most modern girl and the most elegant person...”

It's always nice to hear good things about your favorite models. I'm not one for cattiness and drama, so I'd rather hear nice stuff like this instead of backstage dirt. Although....if you know any I would mind it too much if you shared. ;)

And to go along with the small discussion taking place on this previous post about eyewear vs. mainline Chanel campaigns, it seems like Freja will one again reprise her staring role in the former, in addition to sharing the role with Abbey in the later. I definitely can't wait to see what both campaigns will look like. As established by an anonymous commenter in that previous post, Chanel has a history of making the two campaigns entirely different in style and aesthetic. So for all the people out there who were disappointed at the news that Abbey would also be in the mainline campaign, you can take comfort knowing that Freja's lovely face is the only one you'll see staring back at you from under chic Chanel sunglasses.

What a great season this is turning out to be: Chanel Mainline, Max Mara and Chanel Eyewear. And with May 11th and the Chanel Cruise show fast approaching, I can safely say that there won't be any dearth of Freja news.

Real vs. Rendered

Here's a blast from the SS07 past....

Prada Runway:

Or Prada Lookbook:

Even though I know she didn't fit the image of the Prada show this past season, seeing these made me a little sad that Freja didn't walk it because I love seeing her on that runway. Such a shame because she has such a long history with it as well. I just hope Miuccia didn't drop her like she did Marina, who was another Prada fav (or so I thought) but who hasn't walked the show since FW0910.

Image Credits: style.com, issuu

Ads

Found another Chanel Eyewear ad. No visible tattoos in this one, but it's a striking image nonetheless. Cool, modern, and sleek is just the way I like things. Also, does anyone else find it strange that the eyewear ads are so different from the main ads in setting, theme and aesthetic this season? I thought there was usually some correlation between the two (aside from models), and from what my recent memory can recall there has been. But not this time around. The Chanel eyewear ads appear to exist as a separate entity this season....not that I'm complaining.

And while we're on the subject of ads, Freja also has the campaign for Korean brand Voice of Voices. Their site isn't easy to navigate, so be forewarned.

Typical stereotype of Freja as the tough, androgynous model. I'm ok with this just as long as it's not the only type of work we see from her, and it hasn't been thank goodness. The poses are a little too contrived for my tastes, but it's nice to see Freja work globally in other markets. I know she has a huge fanbase in China, but does she have one in Korea too? Anyone know? Freja has worked for other Korean brands before, like System in SS06 and again in FW0809, so I tend to think she does.

Image Credits: My scans, vov.co.kr via tFS member ERIKIMISUN

Busy Ballerina

Freja's April is turning out to be just as busy as her March was in terms of magazine editorials. In addition to features in Japanese SPUR, Vogue UK, Vogue Germany, W Magazine, i-D Magazine, and Vogue Italia we can now add Interview Magazine to the list:

Tough Ballerina
Interview Magazine April 2010
Ph: Craig McDean

For me, this is Freja's best work of the year; yes, even better than her Vogue Italia cover and edit. Everything here is just pitch perfect down to the tiniest details. And it's wonderful to see her shoot a proper editorial with McDean, and not just the one-shots she did before in 2006 for Vogue Paris, and earlier this year again for Interview. Judging by the results, Freja by McDean is definitely a collaboration that I want to see again and again.

The combination of Freja's raw sensibilities and the delicate, soft construction of the clothes makes this editorial work. (I also love the pairing of black leather and pink silk.) Even though it's a bit cliche, this hard/soft juxtaposition is alluring, and I can't think of a better model to carry it out with aplomb. After all, Freja is herself a juxtaposition of many seemingly opposing characteristics.

The furrow of her brow, her scowl and the slight sense of unease portrayed on her face fit the concept, and for once I'm not disappointed to see Freja's toughness shine through. Her long, slender body lines (made even more so by the criss-crossing ribbons) serve to make the ballerina concept believable. And I really love the makeup job here. The white-chalkiness covering her hands, arms and legs make it seem as if she's ready to get down to serious business. Like she's preparing her body to undertake a grueling session.

The fifth shot is practically unreal. Just look at how precarious Freja's feet are! Yet, if you take a look at the posture of her upper body and face she looks completely at ease like she's staring off into space--as if she isn't teetering on ridiculously small toe-points. Pulling that off only comes with experience folks. Well, that and a good sense of balance.

And the last shot with Freja's thumb hooked onto the buckle loop is exactly the kind of attention to detail that takes an editorial from great to superb in my book. It's this type of calculated spontaneity that produces an editorial you can look at again and again without getting bored. In fact, the more times you look the more you discover. I didn't even realize this was a regular, old studio edit because I was so enamored with it's execution and Freja's delicately strong performance.

Lately I've been trying to organize the archive that you see at the top of this blog so I've had the opportunity to re-visit almost all of Freja's old work. When I see an editorial like this, I'm so proud and impressed at just how much she's grown as a model. The movements, the expressions, the ease, and the familiarity are second nature to Freja now. There is something to be said for taking the time needed to hone your craft and develop your skills through years of experience. And this makes me sad to think about all the models who are never given that time because we've moved on from their look in one or two seasons. Yeah, when Freja first started out she was awkward and probably couldn't have produced something like this. But the beauty here lies in the fact that we've seen her stick around long enough to mature and transform. So as much as I love discovering new models, I'd rather see less turnover in the industry if it means I get to see more work like this.

So here's to another 5 years, Freja!

Image Credits: Fashion Gone Rogue

Chanel Eyewear

I was flipping through the current issue of W magazine and saw this new Chanel Eyewear ad.

It's slightly different from the one we've already seen:

And only the fourth image to be released from the set which already includes:

Maybe there's more? Maybe that's it? Who knows? I do love the sterile, minimalistic vibe of these shots. Pick a good, beautiful model and let the product speak for itself. No need for additional flurries and distractions. The cool, calming color tone also helps these ads pop out when you're flipping through a magazine. But I couldn't help noticing the concept recycling that Karl uses here, not that there's anything wrong with that.

Numero #81, March 2007

Anyway, you know you're living in the 21st century when a brand synonymous with tweed suits, old ladies and No. 5 perfume prominently and regularly features a model with highly visible tattoos in it's ad campaigns. I'm just loving the fact that they didn't airbrush out or cover up Freja's in the shots. They lend just the right amount of edge and bring just the right amount of modernity to such a traditional and established brand image. Society has come such a long way in terms of the acceptance of tattoos. They're not the social taboo they once were even just 10-15 years ago. And Freja really is a model that exemplifies these times because she's been able to have such a successful career despite of (or maybe because of?) her tattoos. Set her up 10 years earlier and I don't think she would have worked.

Now, perhaps she's just the very rare exception to the rule, but I do feel like I see more and more models proudly showing off their body art: Isabeli, Snejana, Karmen, and Abbey Lee immediately come to mind. Though it remains to be seen whether another model with such visible tattoos will come along and attain the quality and sustained level of success that Freja has. And I can't think of anyone else that came before her. Maybe Omahyra Mota but I don't think she was as successful as Freja is.

Perhaps Freja's career is just the product of hard work, and a lucky confluence of factors that line up only once in a lifetime. Your thoughts? Will tattoos become commonplace? Or is Freja really the only model that can get away with this?

Image Credits: My scan from May 2010 W Magazine, youkioske via Flashbang @ tFS, scan via fearless123 @ tFS, imgmodels.com, frejabeha photobucket

St. Tropez - 8 Months Later

Last week WWD and Fashionologie told us that Karl and Heidi Mount would be in St. Tropez this week to work on another short film for the Chanel Cruise Collection set to show in May.

"He’s zooming down to Saint-Tropez to shoot a minimovie for Chanel’s cruise show on May 11. It will feature model Heidi Mount and French actor Pascal Greggory."

Well it turns out that Freja and a handful of other models are in St. Tropez too, presumably all working on that Chanel short film. Pictures have surfaced of Abbey Lee, Freja, Heidi Mount, Karolina Kurkova, Leigh Lezark and Magdalena Frackowiak all walking around in what I assume are looks from the upcoming Cruise show:

Curiously missing from Karl's crew is Baptiste. But perhaps he's still hard at work on that upcoming album. That's the only reason I can come up with for his absence at both last month's Chanel campaign shoot and this month's set in St. Tropez.

I have all my extremities and appendages crossed in the hopes that this film will be better and more culturally sensitive than the last Chanel short film that Karl did for the Paris-Shanghai Pre-Fall Collection. Not that we have much to go by from the pictures above, but things are looking good so far.

Oh, and as the title of this post says, Freja was in St. Tropez about 8 months ago if you can remember. She was there last August with Karl, but I really can't recall why.

It must be nice to be a part of Karl's entourage. Gotta wonder though--with the Cruise collection showing on May 11th, and most European air travel currently debilitated by a cloud of volcanic ash, will Freja, Karl, Heidi and co. just stay in St. Tropez for the rest of the month? And since Leigh and Karolina are also in the film (and not Chanel runway regulars), can we expect to see them walk the Cruise runway as well? Sometimes the more you know, the more you realize how much you don't know. Oh well. At least we know what Abbey, Freja, Heidi and Magdalena will be doing May 11th.

Image Credits: bauergriffin via VogueElle Addict @ tFS, fashionologie, plejada.pl via slow_hands @ tfS, WENN via ERIKIMISUN @ tFS

Building a Wardrobe

With the number of things being named after Freja, you could most definitely start a wardrobe. First we had the Jill Stuart and Chloe bags, then we had shoes covered by Alexander Wang, and now we move onto clothes. In addition to a Marc Jacobs dress, Freja has a Christopher Kane dress named after her as well. Thanks to an anonymous commenter for tipping me off!

Freja Embroidered Dress

And probably by no coincidence, it's also the same dress she wore to close out the S/S 10 runway show:

It seems as if Christopher, like Alexander Wang and Marc Jacobs, likes to name his designs after the models that wear them and/or inspire him. Here is the Katlin (Aas) Gingham Silk Dress:

Know of any more products? Let me know and I'll add them to the rapidly expanding closet!

Image Credits: net-a-porter, style.com

First Face Countdown

For those who haven't seen it yet:

Priceless, witty, comedy gold. I love that Karmen is standing there laughing her ass off during the entire interview. And maybe it's just me, but I feel like her dry humor is rubbing off on Freja here. Compare the above interview to this one from just last season and the difference is palpable, at least to me:

Gotta love FTV for these interviews. And huge thanks to tFS member Medicine Man for capturing and sharing the video in the first place, and for user T Dot at vimeo for uploading it with sound.

Tops and Docs

-In addition to being one of FTV's top First Faces of F/W 10.11, Freja also made it to the top of another list. WWD tapped her as one of their "Good Looking: Six New Stars of the Runway," never mind that this past season was Freja's 11th. I supposed we can't all be mired in small details.

In a season of strong beauties, six models in particular stood out from the pack. Here, the faces of the future in their myriad iterations on the runway, showing off not only their personal diversity, but the wonderful range of hairstyles that dominated the collections in Paris and Milan, too.

Faces of the future? Oh really WWD? Does this mean you think Freja will be around for another 11 seasons? All joking aside, it's great that Freja is being recognized for her stellar season, even as a veteran among the 5 other newer faces of (in list order) Monika "Jac" Jagaciak, Joan Smalls, Sigrid Agren, Tati Cotliar and Frida Gustavsson.

Freja Beha Erichsen
Age: 22
Agency: IMG
Models.com Ranking: 3

On the cover of March’s Italian Vogue and the face of the spring Chanel ad campaign, 23-year-old modeling veteran Freja Beha Erichsen is on a roll. Always in demand, her androgynous style resonates with designers, photographers and editors alike. This season, she walked in more than 25 shows in Paris and Milan, opening Gucci and closing Chanel (natch), Celine and Stella McCartney.

-The Sundance Channel is continuing with their documentary series "The Day Before." On the slate for the upcoming season scheduled to air in September, director Loic Prigent will cover the F/W 10.11 collections of Alexander Wang, Diane von Furstenberg, Jeremy Scott, Narciso Rodriguez Nina Ricci, and Versace. Last season he covered Fendi, Jean Paul Gaultier, Proenza Schouler, and Sonia Rykiel.

If you're interested in the process and the behind the scenes, you definitely do not want to miss this. Added bonus of most likely seeing glimpses of Freja, and all your other favorite models, backstage too. I remember watching all of last season's episodes and being completely captivated and emerging with a new found sense of respect and awe. This is the good side of fashion.

The Possiblity of Pirelli

WWD broke the news early last month that Karl Lagerfeld was picked to shoot the next Pirelli Calendar.

A TIRE POWER: Karl Lagerfeld has been tapped to shoot the next Pirelli calendar. “I’ll do it in my studio in Paris. It’s too obvious to have a beach setting,” the designer said backstage at his signature show on Sunday. Shooting is to take place in April, and “all of the top girls” will be booked for the coveted calendar, which has been lensed by the likes of Patrick Demarchelier, Bruce Weber and Mario Testino since it was established in 1964.

Of course this news probably had Freja fans speculating, since we all know that Karl can't shoot anything without featuring her in some way (God love him for it). However, Pirelli isn't something you'd usually associate with Freja, who has a body and demeanor more suited for high fashion rather than a calendar known for sultry femininity and ample amounts of robust nudity.

With the calendar shoot taking place right now, casting bits have been leaking out over the internet. Models confirmed so far include Bianca Balti, Heidi Mount, Isabeli Fontana, Magdalena Frackowiak, and Natasha Poly. Fashionologie also tells us that Lara Stone is rumored to be booked as well. So with two of Karl's favs seemingly present and accounted for (Heidi and Lara), it remains to be seen whether Freja will also be included. After all, she is undoubtedly Karl's favorite female model to work with, so her omission would be unexpected and strange even if she is an unorthodox choice for Pirelli calendar pin-up girl.

I've read that Freja will be included, but nothing is ever 100%. As they say, pics or it didn't happen, right? :) I also want to tread lightly just in case. Anyway, I'm not sure how I feel about this, assuming that it's true. On the one hand, it's great because Freja continues to buck her androgynous stereotype and show her many facets as a model. On the other hand, I'm not sure if she's really the best fit for the type of femininity we've come to associate with Pirelli. And then you also have to worry that Karl will just put her in pants next to Baptiste like he did for the Chanel SS10 runway show. In case you're wondering, Freja doesn't look too shabby in a bikini so maybe I shouldn't feel so dubious about the whole thing:

Besides, Magdalena doesn't necessarily scream sultry, voluptuous calendar girl to me either. And who knows what concept Karl has in mind for the calendar, since the photographer is usually given complete creative control. He could take things in a different direction since he's doing a studio shoot instead of a location shoot like past years'. Regardless of what will or won't happen, it's something on the horizon to look out for. And if Freja is indeed shot for the Pirelli calendar, that's just one more tick off the amazing checklist that is her career. Seriously, is there anything that she hasn't done as a model? Maybe walk a VS show....but that's a whole different story.

Thoughts? Do you want to see Freja in the calendar, or is it too weird to even imagine?

Freja Gets Taller

Do you remember last season's Alexander Wang Lace-Up Stiletto Boot with Zip Detail named after Freja? Well, this season it's back and taller than ever before. Behold the Freja Laced Tall Boot:

When the cold, crisp days of fall creep back upon us, you can take comfort knowing that you're calves will be wrapped snugly in black leather....never mind your exposed toes though. I suppose fashion can't be practical 100% of the time. ;)

Freja is one of the few models to return this season with an A. Wang product named after her. Granted it's just an update of last season's shoe, so of course the name would remain the name. Nevertheless, the shoe must have been a great S/S season seller if it was deemed worthy enough to return in some variation for the F/W season as well. How appropriate to name an indefatigable shoe after an indefatigable model.

Alex always names his accessories and footwear after models; so in case you're wondering, this season also features a Constance (Jablonski) Platform Chukka Bootie, Daria (Werbowy) Small Duffle bag (which I'm already lusting over), and Addison (Gill) Mid-Calf Platform Boot. If you like to drool over accessories like I do, the full F/W 10.11 Accessory report is up here.

Image Credits: Style.com

Smile

First of all, thanks to miwa for the comment letting us know that Freja made it to number 3 on FTV's First Face Countdown for F/W 10.11! The video isn't up on youtube yet, but I'm assuming it already aired on TV. And yes, according to miwa, Freja does talk. Well deserved top three spot for a great runway season five years into an already great career!

Secondly, I finally had time this past weekend to make some headway into my three ft tall magazine pile that has been gathering dust (and even more height) since the start of fashion week back in February. As I was thumbing through the February issue of US Harper's Bazaar I came across this lovely feature:

What do you know, models can smile. :) And when they do they look radiant, but also very young. Maybe that's why we don't usually see them doing so. No one wants to be reminded that most of these girls are only 16-18 years old.

No groundbreaking story here...just wanted to post this because I realize that I've never seen so many model smiles gathered into one place. Death stares and sucked-in cheeks are usually the norm. Also, I thought this was appropriate considering that this blog's namesake has one of the best smiles out there. And it's still a pretty rare occasion to see it in full force. The unamused expression from 1:22-1:33 in the video below is more like what we've come to expect:

Amazing how such a small movement of muscle can completely change the way a person looks. Recognize the girl on the left? No? That's Heloise Guerin, who I can barely recognize when she's grinning like that.

Anyway, with new campaign news breaking nearly every day, hopefully us fans will get something more to smile about soon.

Image Credits: My scans from the February 2010 issue of Harper's Bazaar