Monday, April 4, 2011

Three Modern Brides

After a ridiculously quiet April in terms of magazine presence, Freja starts off May with a bang! She has one out of the three covers for Vogue UK's "royal wedding" issue and she shares posing duties for this multi-cover issue with Lara Stone and Natalia Vodianova. This marks Freja's second Vogue UK cover in less than a year.....congrats Freja!

Vogue UK May 2011 Cover
Ph: Mario Testino
Styling: Lucinda Chambers





Mediaweek.co.uk shares the concept of the issue with us:
"The 382-page issue, which hits newsstands on Thursday (7 April), has 152 ad pages – an increase of 40 ad pages compared to last year's issue.

Vogue is offering readers a choice of three covers featuring models Freja Beha Erichsen, Lara Stone, and Natalia Vodianova dressed as brides. The images are shot by Mario Testino.

The issue carries the coverline "Catherine Middleton, the making of a modern princess" and looks back at the magazine's 95-year history of covering royal weddings.

Alexandra Shulman, editor of British Vogue, said: "We spent a great deal of time discussing what our tribute to the marriage of Catherine Middleton and Prince William should be, and we came up with a delicious confection of all things matrimonial, a portfolio of white fashion and a completely indulgent trio of bridal covers with Natalia Vodianova, Lara Stone and Freja as the figureheads for this commemorative issue."

According to latest figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations, Vogue had an average net circulation of 211,277 for the six months to December 2010, which was up 0.4% year on year."

I make it strong habit not to talk about Freja's personal and private life on this blog. But I do want to very lightly touch on it right now if you'll allow. To have a woman like Freja represent a modern bride, a "figurehead for this commemorative issue" as Alexandra Shulman puts it, is such a wonderful and symbolic occurrence. Even though most of the mainstream public isn't privy to Freja's personal life and preferences, enough people are that having her on the cover of this issue shows a great sign of acknowledgment, progress and acceptance. Modern brides come in all different shapes, sizes, forms and lifestyles. So it's only fitting to have such three different models representing for the "royal wedding" issue, as the new royal couple seem so modern themselves (as far as British royal couples go). I could go on about the significance and meaning of it all, but like I said, I just wanted to lightly touch upon the subject.

Freja has come such a long way in the past year and a half. For a really long time she was pigeonholed and stereotyped into a modeling persona that I didn't really like at all, and I'll admit that it was frustrating to see certain tropes and characters of hers repeat over and over again, while other aspects of her potential were left untapped. But now things have changed drastically and I couldn't be more thrilled. Who would have ever thought Freja would be one of the three models picked to stand for a modern bride on the Vogue UK issue coming out on the eve of the biggest wedding in recent times? It even boggles my mind.

And with Vogue UK circulation up for the year (a year that included Freja's solo cover), it's just more and more good news for Freja, her marketability and her ability to sell. She has really come into her own as a model and a true contemporary icon for this current generation. It is of course too early to tell how indelible her mark will be on the long strands of history, but for the time being we can revel in Freja's successes and what they mean for our modern times, right here and now.

Image Credits: mediaweek.co.uk, vogue.co.uk via tFS memer IAmLordZen

10 comments:

kirsty said...

3rd vogue cover. 2nd major one. and i expect more to come for this year. wonder when will she come out in the asian magazines?

i agree that freja+bride? whoa+wow! says a lot of her image's versatility that she's not just the fashion industry's 'rebel'.

loveit!

newmanbuster said...

Once again, Rrose you just summarize everything so well. I am in full agreement with you. It seems that all it took was for someone to have the vision and say maybe there's more to Freja than what we have seen so far and lo and behold look at what the last year and half has shown us.

Not to say this because I am a fan of hers, but in trying to be objective, she really just continues to reveal so many different facets and possibilities with her work. It is very exciting and interesting to see because now one just doesn't know what to expect when you hear there's a new cover, editorial or campaign on the horizon. I think, as a fan, one could not ask for anything more.

Gabrielle said...

oh my!She must be my bride!
She is so amazing that her modelling potential was not trapped but blooming like it never ends!

P.S.I wish I can see Freja be the top of MDC.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Oh this looks so beautiful, and while she's not the stereotypical choice for a bride, it is amazing! Perhaps her Harry Winston ads put the thought in people's minds that she can do bridal... Whatever it was, I love that Vogue UK supports Freja so much.
xx

egg452 said...

Oh Rrose you just nail it once again on this. Always love to read your Freja commentary as you always see it from a wider and bigger picture of her career, and this time maybe even what she represents.

I'm as ecstatic and shocked as you when I saw her on the cover of THIS issue of Vogue UK. I mean they could have chosen some "safer" models like Raquel, Anja or Natasha. but no here's Freja, who seems far from the typical bride that we know but she pulls this off convincingly and gracefully.

I bet this is one of the milestones of her career. and i'm so thrilled that Vogue UK see that potential in her too.

Jasmine said...

Freja is just full of surprises nowadays! She looks absolutely lovely. The best cover out of the three. And at the risk of repeating what other posters have already said, great commentary Rrose! I always look forward to reading your thoughts.

Rrose Sélavy said...

Thanks for all the positive comments everyone. :D It's been so fun to see thing progress to this point, and it's going to be even more fun and exciting to see where they'll go from here. Thanks for coming along for the ride!

Natalia said...

Freja is featured in the March issue of both Vogue Latinamerica and Spain. It's been featured her editorial work for Vogue UK (Jan issue). Thought it was some pretty cool news! Freja is all over the world (literally haha). Keep up with the good work on your blog! It's the first site I open when I come online! X

Patty said...

ohhhh she's the most beautiful bride I've ever seen before!!!