Will she or won't she?

It's been quite entertaining and informative to keep up with all of your comments on the previous post. I guess I didn't realize exactly how much some of you care if Freja walks this season or not. For me, I just kind of accepted the fact that she wasn't going to be walking, welcomed the break from chronicling her season, and took the opportunity to follow the shows more closely. But if Freja is your absolute, hands down favorite model, then I can absolutely understand the unwavering hope that she will eventually turn up this season.

So to stoke that hope even further, models.com has put up IMG's Paris showcards and Freja's is included in the bunch. But don't necessarily take this as confirmation of anything, for Freja had the same showcard for Milan and didn't show up at any shows. At this point, all we can do is wait and see.

Even if Freja ends up skipping the season entirely, her career won't be much affected. She's cemented her status as a top model, working icon and cult figure. She's reached the point that all models hope to reach: the point were her career is self sustaining based on her reputation, extensive oeuvre, and all the hard work she put in for 12 straight seasons. One missed catwalk season isn't going to push her out of the minds of the photographers, editors, and stylists who have worked with her before, and who want to work with her in the future.

Some of you might still remember SS08 when she missed most of Paris, or SS09 when she missed most of Milan and ALL of Paris. That was earlier in her career and she managed to bounce back, no problems. In fact, she came back stronger than ever. I guess if you're a seasoned Freja fan, you've come to expect and learned to deal with her runway absences.

So in the meantime, let's enjoy her Vogue Brasil cover shot by Henrique Gendre, and be happy that she's being given the opportunity to display all the other facets of her modeling abilities. Feminine Freja FTW! ;)

Image Credits: models.com

Skipping the Season

This post is brought to you entirely by the courtesy of the readers of this blog. :) In the comments section of yesterday's post, some news bits came to light:

-According to a tweet by one of Freja's mother agents, she's skipping the entire show season. The tweet has not been found or linked to yet. I don't know how to even go about searching the vast twitterverse for it, so put as much stock into this as you want. But with her absences at Gucci and Fendi, I believe it to be true. So enjoy the break Freja. It's completely well deserved.


-Apparently there was exhibition of Karl's photographs in Rome on the 15th of February. Video has surfaced from the event, and in it you can catch glimpses of a lot of the work Freja has done with Karl including some never before seen Chanel SS11 ad campaign shots/outtakes.

Screengrab:

Video:

Thanks to the anonymous commenters for the tips!

March Editorials

Exactly one year after her US Vogue debut, Freja scores her second appearance in the magazine. Is March the Anna Wintour month for doing things out of the ordinary? How else can we explain that Freja's only two times in the magazine have both been in March? Coincidence I guess....

Punk'd
Ph: David Sims
Fashion Editor: Grace Coddington
Other Models: Arizona Muse, Raquel Zimmermann

I never thought I'd be so happy to see Freja jumping against a gray background in US Vogue. :) Maybe because I absolutely love the styling, all three models, and their whimsical facial expressions. When fashion doesn't take itself too seriously, and lets its hair down so to speak, the results can be charming and lovely. The juxtaposition of the absurd faces with the tough modernity of the clothes: leather, spikes and studs mixed with bug eyes, fish lips and exaggerated expressions. You see an editorial like this and you just want to smile.

And thank goodness all three models match each other in terms of ability in front of the camera. How off-putting would it have been to insert some 15 year old newbie who looks as awkward as she probably feels? I know some people don't get the hype about Arizona, but I think she's a dream in print, so I really don't mind her at all. In fact, I find myself right-click-saving nearly all her editorial images. And it's refreshing to see someone older and more mature getting hyped.

Speaking of Arizona, she also poses in Freja's second editorial of the month, along with French model (and my current model love) Aymeline Valade.

The Change Agent
Ph: Steven Meisel
Styling: Nicolas Ghesquiere

The three make such a wonderful team that I find myself lamenting the fact that they only have this one shot. I want more. More. MORE! Eeeek! Lol, can you sense the sheer excitement that I feel from having Aymeline and Freja together in an editorial? I love when my favorite models work together.....I don't know why, I just do. And in some ways, Aymeline reminds me a lot of Freja. They both have this innate toughness that expresses itself in features both androgynous and gorgeously feminine. Both are instantly recognizable on the catwalk with their sharp features and modern lines. Yes both are beautiful in a classic way. Both give off a sense of individuality, maturity, and ease that comes from a fully recognized sense of self. These features are rare and develop over time and with experience. So even though Aymeline is a "new face," she's actually older than Freja and has been diligently working away at the lower rungs of the fashion industry until she broke through this year.

Hmmmm, I kind of went off on a tangent here. Sorry! In sum, Aymeline is like Freja except with blue eyes, a French accent, and strong runway walk. ;)

After a quiet month so far, things are beginning to amp up. And with the start of Milan today and Paris soon after, the promise of more things to get excited about lingers on the horizon. But for now, Freja runway sightings remain elusive. And so they should, since Freja deserves a break after 12 straight runway seasons. Right? So wherever you are Freja, your fans wish you well! Just make sure to show up for at least one show...*cough* Chanel *cough*.

Image Credits: My scans

Numero

Elsewhere and otherwise, it's not all quiet on the Freja front, for she just landed the new Numero #121 cover with Arizona Muse, shot by Karl Lagerfeld.

The sly smirk on Freja's face gives the cover just the right amount of intrigue. And it plays in nice contrast with Arizona's hard stare. So what would otherwise be a simple, straightforward cover concept is made quite interesting with the interplay of the models' gazes. Don't you feel like you could be intruding on a moment? Like they were just about to whisper secrets to each other. But Arizona is pissed off at your intrusion, while Freja invites it with her coy look.

And how great is it to see Freja being photographed by Karl again? If my memory serves me right, the last time they worked together off the runway was back in December for the Pirelli calendar. But the last time they worked together editorially was all the way back in April for Vogue Germany....nearly one year ago. I have to admit I was getting a bit worried about their editorial hiatus. I don't care if Karl isn't the best photographer, or if his fashion stories can be boring and hackneyed; I just like to know that Freja's still one of his favorites. What can I say? It's brings me comfort and stability when everything else around me changes faster than I can flick through a collection on style.com.

Anyway, are Freja and Arizona fashion's newest "it" pairing? Cover of January's Vogue Italia, editorial in March's US Vogue, and now this? I definitely don't mind as their looks mesh well together, and they seem to be good friends off the catwalk too. And maybe it's only appropriate to pair the two, as Arizona's new star status shines brighter and brighter each day, while Freja's never seems to diminish. Put the two together and it results in a wattage nearly too powerful to resist. And no one seems to be trying.

Image Credits: nmpp.fr via tFS member Dieselmax, vogue.it via tFS member IamLordZen

A Record Falls

Most of you know that Marc Jacobs showed his F/W 11/12 collection tonight. What most of you may not know is that tonight also marks the first time in Freja's career that she did not walk down Marc's runway. Yes, a record falls tonight.....and another will fall tomorrow night at Narciso Rodriguez.

Marc and Narciso are the only two shows that Freja has walked for every, single season; eleven times in a row. Every September and every February, we could expect to see her grace those designers' catwalks, but her NY absence this season breaks the consecutive appearances. In a small way, it's like the end of an era. Maybe era isn't the right word.....whatever the word is, I find myself swimming in bittersweet nostalgia and lamenting a record broken. But instead of being sad or disappointed, we should reflect on the amazing feat. Eleven. Seasons. In. A. Row. In an industry that likes to change itself every few months, for something to last this long is truly amazing.

How many models do you think have come and gone during that time? How many brands have shuttered? How many new faces have been heralded one season only to be forgotten the next? How much change has happened in these 6 years? I'm not as intimately acquainted with any other model's career, so I don't know what the record is for consecutive seasons walked for a particular designer, but I have to think Freja's 11 for Marc (and Narciso) is pretty high up there. So lets take a walk down memory lane, and appreciate the 11 seasons that we already got, instead of frowning over the one skipped tonight:

SS06


FW0607


SS07


FW0708


SS08


FW0809


SS09


FW0910


SS10


FW1011


SS11 (C)

You were missed tonight Freja, but we'll be looking forward to next season. :)

Image Credits: style.com

NY Out, Europe In?

It's official. Freja is skipping New York Fashion Week for the first time in her career. The word comes to us from streetstyle photographer extraordinaire Bonae.

"A good source informed that Freja Beha Erichsen is skipping NYFW this season."

Now it remains to be seen if Freja will be skipping the entire FW1112 season, or just the city of New York. Will she show up in London? She didn't walk there last season and she doesn't have a showcard for this city either, but it's where Tom Ford is showing his intimate presentation this time around. Will she make it there? She's not necessarily a favorite of his, so I have my doubts.

That leaves us with Milan and Paris. If showcards are any indication (thanks to reader Julie for the tip!), she'll make her debut there. Possibly in grand style at Gucci, as a friend with a knack for crystal ball speculations jokingly predicted to me. :) All jokes aside, I really do think Freja will wait until Europe to walk. It's nearly impossible to think of her missing shows like Chanel, Fendi, Gucci and Valentino. Right?

So with a European showcard for reassurance, we'll just have to wait a little while to get our Freja fix. In the meantime, enjoy the shows and discover some new girls to follow. As usual, there's plenty of them stomping up and down the catwalks of NY.

Image Credits: imgmodels.com

Model Turned Designer

To add to the files of "I never thought that would happen," Freja's trying her hand at designing jewelry for Danish brand Georg Jensen. The (interesting) news comes via WWD:

"Fans of Freja Beha Erichsen’s style will soon have access to a line of jewelry designed by the model for the Danish silver house Georg Jensen. Beha stars in the house’s just-released spring ad campaign. “It’s an exciting project. There’s a certain customer that relates to Freja and what she represents,” said Ulrik Garde Due, Georg Jensen’s president and chief executive officer. Featuring gold and silver pieces, the collection will hit the Scandinavian market and the brand’s website in April."

So not only is Freja fronting their ad campaign, she's designing their jewelry. Is there anything she can't do? It will indeed be intriguing to see how the jewelry pieces turn out, as we'll get to see Freja's aesthetic take on things. Will the pieces be minimal, clean and sleek? Or will Freja show us another side to her sensibilities?

What's even more interesting is what this move signifies for Freja and her career. Of course this could just be simple side project done to support a Danish brand. However, I have a sense this is just the beginning of Freja segueing into other things and slowly leaving the wear and tear of the catwalk circuit behind. All that traveling, fittings at all hours of the day, time changes and jet lag.....all of that takes it toll. And after nearly six years pounding the pavement, Freja has more than earned the prerogative to pursue other interests and projects. Fittingly enough, it does seem like a given that once a model reaches a certain level of establishment in her career, she'll try her hand at design. The list of model-cum-designer is almost too long to recall.

So maybe the missing showcard isn't all that confusing after all. Maybe it's just part of a larger picture that has yet to be unveiled to us. In any case, as long as Freja's still in the public eye one way or another, I'm sure all her fans will be happy. And as always, she'll give us plenty to talk about.

The case of the missing showcard

IMG showcards are finally out, and curiously missing from the pile? Freja's. Maybe not so curious if Freja doesn't plan on walking NY this season, but I really have no idea. It wouldn't come as a huge surprise since missing NY seems to be in vogue, with Abbey Lee taking leave for London.

Or maybe Freja is just at the level where she doesn't need a show card anymore. After all, no showcard doesn't always mean no model. Luckily we only have a few days to find out for ourselves whether Freja will be walking down those Lincoln Center catwalks.

Disappointingly enough, the time that IMG finally decides to spring for a design team is the time that Freja either decides to sit out, or decides that she's too established for a showcard like the rest of them.

If anyone does know what the situation is, feel free to leave a comment.

Vogue Brasil?

These days I find that I have less and less time to scour the internet for Freja news. Luckily all you wonderful and amazing fellow fans out there never miss a beat and I'm so thankful for that. Today's news comes thanks to long time reader (since nearly the beginning!!) Rian via Vogue Brasil's blog and Google translate:

"In passing through the room of our editorial director Daniela Falcão, gave some of the pages ready March issue of the magazine and praised a lot to cover with the top Freja Beha."

If the translation and my interpretive skills are to be trusted, then Freja will be on the cover of the March issue, with an editorial inside to boot. Can any Portuguese readers out there confirm for sure?

All of this seems very plausible since Freja was only in Brazil for the first time back in December shooting the Santa Lolla campaign. Coverage and news from back then made it seem like she had quite the busy schedule. And if I recall correctly, Brazil's fashion flock caused a bit of fanfare over her. Seeing that she is one of today's top models, it only makes sense that they would take full advantage of her first visit.

So the land of Giselle, Raquel and Isabeli welcomes Freja with open arms. Proof that you don't have to have sexy curves and a sashaying runway walk to gain admirers down there. :)