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!)
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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. :)