Wednesday, May 12, 2010

St. Tropez Fun



It was great to see Freja back on the runway again. Despite donning three disparate looks, I thought she looked refreshed, comfortable and happy to be walking. Then again, who wouldn't be happy getting whisked away to St. Tropez this time of year to walk on the beach and play Chanel themed Bocce Ball?

The rest of the cast was made up of a mix of old and new models, all who seemed to be having a blast walking (mostly) barefoot around the cafe like beachfront setting. No matter what you think about Karl and his designs, he sure knows how to put on a good time for everyone, audience and models included. (There's a reason why Chanel is the one show that most models want to walk.)

We saw all of the usual suspects walking, but we also saw the likes of Crystal Renn, Tanga Moreau, Marloes Horst and Veroniek Gielkens making for one very interesting, unexpected and diverse cast. But diverse only in age, body shape and industry experiences. Racial diversity was glaringly non-existent, which is especially surprising to me since we're coming off a FW1011 runway season that saw breakthroughs for a wide variety of girls from different backgrounds: Lais Ribeiro, Joan Smalls, Mengyao Xi, Sun Fei Fei and Carla Gebhart immediately come to mind. Where were they?

Anyway, Karl's full film "Remember Now" also premiered in conjunction with the runway show:





There is surprisingly little of Freja to be seen throughout, which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you look at it and taking into consideration the Paris-Shanghai film. For me, this film was definitely less cringe-worthy and actually pretty enjoyable. I'm going to attribute it to the fact that there was less talking and more dancing/partying. Taken for what it is--a tone piece meant to showcase the attitude of the collection--the film delivers and the models do a great job. Karl isn't pretending to be Spielberg here, so as long as you recognize that it's pretty easy to revel in the sheer entertainment value of it all. And I have to say that I laughed so hard when Uncle Karl made his cameo. Never change Karl....never change. And never stop using Freja for your work. It's something I've come to expect and frankly, depend upon. It's reliable and it comforts me, and that's a very rare thing to find in this industry that thrives off of trends and constant change. So even if I do complain sometimes, it's out of love and appreciation.

Your thoughts? Am I the only one who didn't mind the film? Thoughts on the runway casting? Did your favs walk? Didn't you think Freja looked good?

Image Credits: wwd.com

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I actually liked this film even more than the Shanghai-Paris one. What I liked the most is that throughout the film I never took my eyes off the clothes. I mean I didn't even mind the plot. Everything just blended so well as far as the place and the garments. Well in the end, I just felt like packing my bags and heading to St. Tropez.
I also appreciated the fact that the models had a purpose in the film. And they just weren't thrown in it just to showcase the clothes, although I have to say I expected to see more of Freja (who in the film had the same name as me, cool!)

I think overall the film was relatively good!

Rrose Sélavy said...

Very good point about showcasing the clothes. I also think this film was so much better because Karl had actual actors do most of the acting, save for Heidi but she's actually not that bad.

Unknown said...

Abbey Lee totally looks like a Gloria to me. I totally LOL when I saw Karl walking out. That is just so him! I love how Freja wore the same Jagger suit in the movie and on the runway. Also the feature of Georgia May Jagger on the runway is kinda genius. But I do wish there is a little more Freja in the film. Maybe next time where she wouldn't have to talk or dance. Something like the Copenhagen Experience 2 would be fabulous.

Unknown said...

I forgot to mention how glad I am that Leigh Lezark did not walk.