A Construction Worker Who Collects Rocks

Since we're sitting firmly in the quiet that comes post show season and pre campaign casting frenzy, I thought I'd share this snapshot of Freja from five years ago:

"Has been modeling for a year. Would have been a construction worker in a nother life. Lives in Copenhagen, Addicted to shopping and sleeping. Collects beach rocks. Q: Which three things would you take with you to a desert island? A: My lover, my bed and a private jet, so I could leave if I got bored."

File this under things I didn't know: Freja used to (or still does?) collect beach rocks. I love digging up old stuff like this because it's so interesting to think of how a person develops and what changes they go through in a lifetime, or even in a matter of a few years. And with models, it's so rare that they're actually around long enough for us to fondly remember their "early years" and look back on their career trajectory with such nostalgia. In this context, 2006 seems like ages ago, doesn't it?

If this snapshot were done today, I wonder what things would change and what things would remain the same? Everything would probably change, because that's what humans do; we change. Even if we look the same on the outside, our daily experiences shift us little by little until we're new versions of ourselves. So I'm going take a venture and propose that this snapshot would read something like this today:

"Has been modeling for 6 years. Would have been a musician in another life. Lives in New York. Addicted to her Balenciaga leather jacket and cigarettes. Collects Guitars." :)

As for the question of things to take to a desert island, your guess is as good as mine. In another five years, maybe things will read in an entirely different manner. But that's all just part of the fun; because in the end, the change and uncertainty is what keeps things relevant and keeps all of us tuned in for the ride.

Image Credits: My scan

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

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!)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

The Eyes Have It

In light of the new Tom Ford Eyewear campaign, I think now is the perfect time to look back on Freja's illustrious track record in eyewear campaigns. If one thing is for sure, it's that her face was seemingly made to wear any eyewear no matter the size or shape. And yet we never lose sight of the fact that it's Freja behind all those different lenses, for her distinct nose and pronounced cupid's bow are true defining features that render her recognizable to even the most casual fan.

Hugo Boss SS06


Gucci SS06


Gucci Resort 0607


Gucci SS07


Gianfranco Ferre SS08


Joop SS08


Emporio Armani FW0809


Karl Lagerfeld SS09


Roberto Cavalli SS09


Chanel SS10


Karl Lagerfeld SS10


Tom Ford FW1011

Once again I feel like Freja is coming to define another paradox. She's subtle and malleable enough to model a wide variety of images, yet she's also distinct enough to be recognizable as an individual. It's this constant push pull between extremes that continues to make her so intriguing to me. And it provides endless fodder for all the rambling I do on this blog.

Anyway, I really do think that eyewear is one of the categories where Freja shines. When you see the structure and angles of her face in the different ads, there's just no denying that that face is a true model's face. Am I biased? Yeah, I most definitely am. But I also think that she wouldn't have been featured so many times for eyewear if something wasn't working. After all, the existence of all these campaigns and the people behind them must mean that I'm not alone in my thinking. Now I can't wait for the Chanel FW1011 eyewear campaign.

Image Credits: sources can be found in the image file name

2009 in Editorials

As we approach the end of 2009 (and since magazines are already putting out their 2010 issues) I thought it would be nice to do a recap of Freja's editorial work for the year.

(click the titles to see the eds)

JANUARY
1. Vogue Nippon, "The Rise of the Cyber Patrol" by Nathaniel Goldberg
2. Vogue Italia, "Individuallure" by Glen Lucford also featuring Eniko Mihalik

FEBRUARY
3. Harper's Bazaar US, "Hits of the Season" by Greg Kadel also featuring Coco Rocha
4. i-D Magazine, "Clean Living" by Collier Schorr
5. Vogue Nippon, Cover by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin

MARCH
6. Numero #101, "Couture" by Karl Lagerfeld also featuring Heidi Mount
7. Vogue Korea, Cover and "Supernatural" by Jason Kibbler
8. V Magazine #58, "Pride and Glory" by Jean-Francois Campos also featuring various other models

APRIL
9. Madame Figaro #385, Unknown Title by Ben Watts

JULY
10. Vogue Nippon, "My Cowgirl Hero" by Solve Sundsbo

AUGUST
11. Vogue UK, "Milan" by Patrick Demarchelier also featuring Sasha Pivovarova

SEPTEMBER
12. Vogue UK, "Enter the Dinner Dress" by Javier Vallhonrat
13. Vogue Russia, "I Remember" by Willy Vanderperre
14. Purple Magazine Fall 2009, Cover and "Best of the Season" by Terry Richardson also featuring Abbey Lee Kershaw, Eniko Mihalik and Magdalena Frackowiak
15. V Magazine #61, "Copenhagen" by Christian Brylle also featuring various other models
16. V Magazine #61, "Live From New York" by Mario Sorrenti also featuring Sasha Pivovarova

OCTOBER
17. Vogue Germany, "Asta Nielsen" by Karl Lagerfeld
18. Vogue Germany, "Monokel Diele" by Karl Lagerfeld also featuring Heidi Mount
19. W Magazine, "Art and Commerce" by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin also featuring Raquel Zimmermann
20. Numero #107, "Too Cool for School" by Josh Olins

NOVEMBER
21. Harper's Bazaar US, "What's Glam Now" by Karl Lagerfeld
22. Twin Magazine #1 "Stand and Deliver" by Boo George

DECEMBER
23. Vogue Italia, "Feeling..." by Steven Meisel (!!!)

What's impressive to me is both the quantity and quality of Freja's work at this stage in her career. She debuted in 2005 and four years later she's still going strong. Perhaps this signals Freja as one of the few models who is able to transcend the trendy and transition into respected longevity? I guess only time will tell us for sure how indelible her mark on fashion will be.

After looking back at all the names and publications Freja worked with this year, my only wish is that we saw her working more with the three big Vogues--US, Paris, and Italia. I know we can completely discount Vogue US ever happening, but her omission from Vogue Paris and near omission from Vogue Italia is disappointing to me, especially when you consider the wonderful work she produced for them early on in her career. And this is why I think she's grossly underrated as a model when you compare her to colleagues of her status and popularity like Natasha, Sasha, Lily, Raquel and Lara.

Freja is well known enough but she hasn't quite reached that threshold where it's a given that she'll only be working with the best month after month. In fact, if it weren't for Karl I don't know how much work we'd be seeing from her. And often times I think her popularity among fans is mainly fueled by rumors, gossip and whatever personal ideals we see embodied in her, rather than by a grounding in her work and career development. Not that that's necessarily bad, but I just think the fandom is too extreme in one direction and not enough in the other. And if I've learned anything in life it's that balance is the key. Having dedicated fans is great, but without serious backing from people like Carine and Anna, how much longer can Freja last? And you'd think that with the fervor over her in China she'd at least have more coverage in Vogue China. Maybe someone should channel all that extraneous energy over there into a letter writing campaign for the Vogue China cover....just a thought.

With the luxury of retrospect at our disposal, it's much easier to see the variety and range of Freja's work. Any favorite eds? Least favorites? Who do you think she works best with? And whether you like it or not, retrospect also makes it easier to discern the androgynous thread that unrelentingly runs through most of Freja's work. Hopefully though, this upcoming year will allow her some opportunities to snip away at this thread.

Anyway, I think I've covered all the editorials, but if I've left something out please let me know. 2009 started off very well for Freja so let's hope 2010 will be the same. And if Freja can replicate the type of fabulous and diverse work she did during the month of September, I think she'll be well on her way towards cementing her status at the top and ensuring her longevity in the industry for as longs she wants...assuming that that's what she wants.

Definitely Dries

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that we each have a show forever associated with Freja in our own minds. It's the one that we can't think of without immediately recalling Freja as well. Whether it's because we feel she embodies the design aesthetic, she's always in the ad campaigns, or she represents their ideal, there's just that one show you expect Freja to walk in, and are hugely disappointed if she doesn't.

For me that show has to be Dries Van Noten. As much as I love seeing her ongoing runway relationships with Marni, Balenciaga, Chanel, Narciso, Chloe, etc...a Dries show just isn't complete if Freja isn't walking in it.

It's hard for me to describe why I have such a strong association between Dries and Freja in my mind. It's an implicit feeling I get from the clothes and the aura they create. I guess that to me, a woman who would wear Dries in real life would look like Freja. She would be tall, lanky and kind of awkward, yet totally self-possessed and assured. She would be a world traveler, taking bits of the places she's been too and leaving bits of her own self behind. Everywhere all at once, and yet extremely elusive. I know this association is kind of ironic since Freja's actual personal style is the complete polar opposite of the stereotypical Dries style. But it just works in my mind.

And I suspect that it works that way in Dries' mind as well. :) Since her debut, Freja has walked in every Dries show save one (oddly enough, that was my favorite Dries collection ever), and she's closed for him three different times.

Spring/Summer 2006 (Closed)


Fall/Winter 2006/2007


Spring/Summer 2007


Fall/Winter 2007/2008


Spring/Summer 2008 (Closed)


Fall/Winter 2008/2009


Spring/Summer 2009 (skipped)

Fall/Winter 2009/2010


Spring/Summer 2010 (Closed)


And check out the beautiful details from this season (click through for bigger images):

He is one of my favorite designers and I love how he crafts his clothes with true consideration for woman and her place within modern life. Even though I completely shrink away from prints and color in my own daily wardrobe, I still love and appreciate his beautiful collections. All the basics are there, just updated in ways you've never seen before.

This is a runway collaboration that I truly treasure and look forward to each and every season. It's one that I sincerely hope continues on for a good while because it's my version of fashion perfection. There are so few occasions when a model aligns perfectly with a brand (Sasha/Prada, Maria Carla/Givenchy), that I just wanted to take the time to revel in the moment. What is your fashion perfection for Freja? And don't all say Freja and Chanel at once. :)

Image Credits: style.com