Portraits

We have our first look at Freja's role in the Balenciaga F/W 10.11 campaign:

I really think I love this. If it looks this eye catching in these low-res images, then I can only imagine how great it will look in the magazines. Things always look better in print, especially Balenciaga ads that seem to be made with the two page magazine format in mind. Remember last season's cut and paste job? Perfect example of how to engage readers by utilizing the inherent qualities of the format at hand. Not everyone liked the ads visually, but as tactile and tangible pages, I felt they were immensely successful.

Anyway, I also really love the unconventional model choices. Each girl is unique enough on her own that you really don't think they will all mesh well together to create one coherent campaign. But when you see the full set of images, you begin to understand that it's their quirks that bind them together. It's like one magnificent family portrait series. The focus on each girl is so serious and intense that it feels like a psychological study. And even though the aesthetics are nothing alike, I get a sense of Johannes Vermeer and his portrait work. I feel it most in the quiet gravity of the atmosphere and the heavy presence of the individual persons. In the following comparison, the use of clothing is of particular interest.

Maybe I'm the only one that sees any relation, but I do. It's by no means obvious; just more about the feeling I get, the response I have and the associations my minds draws up. Modern day women wearing very modern clothes, yet posed and captured in such traditional ways. It's this collision (no pun intended) of old and new, traditional and progressive, classic and modern, that makes these images quite captivating. But enough analyzing for now. I can't wait to see these in HQ!

In other news, if you want to read a great piece of writing on Freja and the impact of her latest VP editorial, please check out Fashion Does It Better. It's thoughtful, beautiful and it really says it all.

"In the recent rush for breaking the rules or boundaries, many actually miss the start and often forget that the actual backbone of fashion (and fashion photography) is its ability to let one's face and body express and feelings explode."

When I read something like this I feel refreshed and inspired again by the insight and intelligence that fashion is capable of breeding.

Image Credits: balenciaga.com via tFS member tarsha, artnet.com

Coverage

I find it amusing and comical that the latest fashion "story" to break on all the fashion sites is about the appearance of the same Miu Miu F/W 10.11 dress on three different magazine covers for August, one of those covers being Freja's Vogue UK. The story broke on the Guardian Sunday, and by today it seems like every major site has picked up coverage of the story:

Coco Perez
Daily Mail
Fab Sugar
Fashionista
Huffington Post
NYMag's The Cut
Styleite
Stylist
The Frisky
The Telegraph

At first I thought this was all pretty ridiculous and being blown completely out of proportion (Not to mention that's it not even the exact same dress on all three covers, but two similar versions as shown above). I still think this is all pretty ludicrous, but now I also think there is a huge plus side to this regarding Freja. Her Vogue UK cover is getting free press all over the internet and people who aren't usually exposed to Vogue UK are seeing it....a lot, over and over especially if they read a lot of fashion sites. It's an attractive and enticing enough cover that it will probably get lots more people asking "who's that girl?"

I'm not so naive to think that Freja is popular enough to be considered a mainstream, household name model. 99.9% of the US population can't identify the models in the ads of their magazines, nor are they frequent visitors to tFS. So something like this, no matter how trivial and ridiculous it may seem to me, definitely helps in terms of exposure and good press coverage for a model like Freja. Especially right now as her star seems to be rising even higher. And if all of this leads to more copies of Vogue UK being bought both here in the US and abroad, then maybe Freja will land another cover in the future. And maybe more magazines will start to put models more frequently on their covers. For we can all bitch and moan as much as we want to about celebrities on magazines covers, but it's the numbers and the money that speak the loudest.

There is a silver lining to all things, so I say to all the fashion sites out there: keep re-posting this story over and over again! You're not going to win a Pulitzer for groundbreaking news, but you'll be helping out our favorite model. :)

Image Credits: guardian.co.uk, style.com

Follow Up

Sorry for the lack of updates recently. Chalk it up to a holiday weekend here in the states, lack of new Freja news, and the fact that I think I've been a bit paralyzed by the attention my post on Terry Richardson has received. Since I know most people visiting this blog are here for the Freja news, I really thought my thoughts on the whole scandal would slip by relatively unnoticed. Not to mention this blog only occupies a very, very tiny corner of the internet and the fashion consciousness. Though it didn't matter to me because I just wanted to get it all off my chest and I'm glad I did. I was furious then and I still am now, but I'm so happy that I'm not alone in my feelings. Far from it actually. Reading the comments on that post is both extremely illuminating and encouraging. So thank you to everyone for your insights and willingness to speak out and be heard. (If you feel strongly about this issue at all, I definitely recommend that you read those comments. You won't be disappointed.)

All of this has shown me that people are still really uncomfortable with the fact that Terry continues to work for major fashion publications without suffering any consequences for his actions. So hopefully we can take our discomfort and disgust and turn it into positive actions and results. With such well known, far-reaching bloggers like Jenna at Jezebel and Tavi continuing in their unrelenting and inspiring ways, and places like models.com and Racked NY willing to highlight the blogging debate, I'm hopeful that we can enact some change.

If you ever feel strongly about an issue, take a chance, be honest and express yourself. You never know who's reading your words. The internet is so powerful (and scary) that way. Anyway, regular Freja posts will return soon. We have new ad campaigns to look forward to (Chanel, Max Mara and Balencaiga) and Paris Haute Couture shows happening July 5th through the 8th. It's been pretty quiet recently, but I'm hoping that it's just because it's the start of the slow summer season.

In The Beginning

Wanted to take some time to revisit what are perhaps some of Freja's earliest test shots taken by photographer Jens Stoltze. Not sure how many people have seen these, but I think they're worth another look now especially in light of Freja's current career and what she's come to embody in the modeling world.

Test shots give you a good feel for how a girl photographs and what she's able to give to you in front of the camera. I think the mood and atmosphere set up in tests also play a part in establishing an upcoming girl's modeling niche. Play up her quirkiness and she'll most definitely go the high fashion/indie magazine route. Emphasize her beauty in a straightforward way and she's molded for another path.

This is why these tests are so interesting to me, for Freja is playing the role of a sexy, feminine vamp. With that sun-kissed skin and damp hair you half expect to see her rolling around on a beach for a swimsuit catalog. And she looks so soft and playful which is such a change from the hardened, stern look she tends to wear like armor now. So looking at these tests, would you have expected the model in them to ultimately become the very definition of androgynous chic? The one model who people laud for her casually cool, boyish streetstyle and praise for the toughness and strength she conveys in her work? So many people forget or simply don't even realize the feminine underpinnings of the early part of Freja's career.

Definitely makes me wonder what Freja's agents had in mind for her at the start of her career. But no matter....the passage of time brings change, and change necessitates adaptation and the evolution of ideas and expectations. To look at a model's early test shots is to take a glimpse into her past and recognize the familiarity but also acknowledge her growth and development. Search out the early tests of your other favorite models and see what I mean. You'll be surprised at how much, or how little they've change; or how far they've veered from or stayed the course on their initial aesthetic paths.

As much as I rag on the constant androgyny that permeates Freja's work, I know that it's a huge reason she's the model she is today. Still, I can't help but wonder how different things would have been if the alluring femininity displayed in these test shots had instead become the dominant theme in Freja's career. Ahhh, "what ifs" are fun to think about so long as you don't lose your grip on reality.

Also, this is unrelated but needs to be said. Big thanks to Models.com for the shout out and link love! I am beyond flattered, but also slightly embarrassed about the attention being called to my amateur musings. Nevertheless, it is truly, truly appreciated. The real credit for this blog goes to Freja and all the other fans out there who share their thoughts and words of encouragement to keep me going. So thank you too!

Image Credits: jensstoltze.com

Random Bits: Architects and Smart Models

-Are you curious about the gorgeous location in Freja's current W magazine editorial? Then click over to W magazine's Editor's blog, where they have an interview with Lee Mindel. Lee is an architect and owner of the home in which the editorial was shot.

-Freja gets the treatment on "Models are Smart"

Models know zombie worms.


Models know acronyms.

Models aren't above being made fun of every now and then. Models are Smart is a hilariously brilliant tumblr that riffs off the long-thought-to-be-true-cliche that models are dumb. The author takes photos of models and overlays them with her own captions, making for one very entertaining blog. Some of my favorites:

Models know Animal Collective.


Models understand the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility.


Models know good science writing.


Models know the lost generation.


Models know credit scores.

The way the captions and the models' expressions line up sometimes is pure genius. I kinda wish I had come up with the idea myself....much like all the blog links under my "Hodge Podge" section on the right side of this blog. Oh well.

Image Credits: wmagazine.com, modelsaresmart.tumblr.com

FDIB

Great little write up on Freja today over at Fashion Does It Better. Definitely make sure to check it out because it's intelligent, insightful and succinct (something I'm not capable of). My favorite part:

"Or simply that careers are not straight lines leading either to the top or to oblivion but made of u-turns and other spirals ? Labyriths, maybe. Who gets lost today will be found tomorrow."

How beautiful is that thought? The picture that it paints is just brilliant. The site is definitely on my list of "must-reads" everyday. It's always thought provoking and inspirational in a way. And it has it's own quirky signature style of writing that I love. FBID focuses mainly on very new girls who are relative unknowns to the majority of us, but occasionally they will spotlight a girl like Freja or Maryna if there is something insightful to be said about them and the impact they're having on the current landscape of fashion. And Freja is definitely having that moment right now.

What's in a Name?

Have you ever wondered about the origins of the name Freja? Copenhagen Cycle Chic lets us know that there's more meaning to "Freja Fridays" than just the happenstance of consonant accord.

The name for the kickoff day for the weekend in English originates with a Norse goddess, Freyja or Freja. Freja's Day became Friday.

Freyja is the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility and was described as blonde, blue-eyed, and beautiful. The fairest of all the goddesses, according to Norse mythology, people prayed to her for happiness in love.

How appropriate on so many levels. Talk about living up to your name, right? Happy Freja Friday. If you've adopted the concept and want to be linked like you see to the right, e-mail me or leave a comment with your blog.

Freja Fridays

I've added a new feature on the side of this blog. I'm linking to blogs I know of that do Freja Fridays. So far there are only three: Skinny Intern (the originator of this concept), Nova Style, and now You + Eye, the newest addition. The creator of this last blog has great backstage pictures of Freja that he will post until he runs out, so make sure to check back on fridays for his exclusive and beautiful shots.

It will be interesting to see if this list grows. Tips on more blogs are of course appreciated. :) I think it's such a great concept and also a wonderful way to reacquaint yourself with Freja's large oeuvre. Anyway, Happy Freja Friday!