The Beauty of Modern Love

Continuing on her path towards utter domination, Freja has a magnificent editorial in Interview to cap off this whirlwind of a month:

Modern Love
Interview Magazine August 2010
Ph: Craig McDean
Styling: Karl Templer
Other Models: Dan Kling
Casting: Michelle Lee @ KCD

This is just a beautiful story perfect for some escapism. You can lose yourself in the narrative and let the portrayed emotions wash over you. This is as sentimental and delicate as we've ever seen Freja. It's the type of fashion story that seeps into your consciousness slowly, imbuing your mind with thoughts of loves lost, loves who never were, and loves who could have been.

This is so beautiful because of these implied emotions. Love stories have been done many times over in fashion editorials, but when it's done right it hits an emotional chord that makes us forget that what we're seeing has been seen before. Old associations become new, powerful and very raw again.

McDean/Freja is most definitely my new favorite photographer/model combination. The work Freja has done under the scrutiny of his lens has been some of her best. It's been the work that stands out in my mind as superb, and when I think back on the year that was 2010, I'll inevitably return to their collaborations.

There come times when I think I've seen it all in regards to Freja, but then she surprises and delights me with facets and subtleties of her modeling I never knew existed. Whether it's the intensity and sheer dexterity she displayed in Tough Ballerina, or the delicacy and wistful contentment she displays in this story; it's clear to me that her best editorial work happens under McDean's guidance. Feel free to argue with me on that point but you'll be hard pressed to sway my opinion. Oh, and how about giving it up for Michelle Lee? Kudos to her for the brilliant casting and for envisioning Freja in a role most other people wouldn't or couldn't envision.

Freja plays the role here convincingly, and with aplomb. The chemistry she has with Dan is palpable and they could have fooled me. Not to mention they share eerily similar features and have the same type of presence, making the role of lovers that much more distinguished, albeit a little disturbing. I'm always surprised by people who are surprised to see Freja express any type of femininity. The type she displays here is the kind that's ever so slightly tinged with an undertone of modern androgyny (which is itself present in a good majority of models working today), and I think this is what has defined the better part of her career save for a few seasons. However, I suppose that once you cut off your hair and become the poster child for androgynous, rebel bad girl, you can't easily shake that stereotype even if the work you've been doing for over a year is completely counter to that old meme.

Anyway, no boyishness from Freja to be seen anywhere on these pages. All I see is a woman and a model growing into her own self and being allowed to express a different aspect of that self that she might otherwise never get to express. And isn't that what modeling is about? Successfully taking on different roles, but never completely losing yourself in the process? If so, then Freja is most certainly one of the best and her number 2 rank on models.com proves it.

Image Credits: My scans