Tom Ford Eyewear

In other news, add one more campaign to Freja's impressive list this season:

"Tom Ford liked directing actor Nicholas Hoult in “A Single Man” so much that he recast him again in the role of fashion model. Ford photographed Hoult and model Freja Beha Erichsen in London for his fall campaign, composing the images with ravens. Hoult models Tom Ford men’s wear and eyewear, while Erichsen wears only eyewear and a strategically placed scarf. The new campaign breaks in the International Herald Tribune during Men’s Fashion Week in Milan and will run in September books."

I believe this marks their first time working together, as Ford had already left Gucci by the time Freja started walking its runways. This is a rather interesting choice for Ford. No offense to Freja, but she doesn't really fit the mold of a typical Tom Ford beauty. But maybe that's what he's going for with this campaign; he wanted to put forth a different aesthetic and move away from the extremely glamorous and sexy vibe he's so well known for. Or maybe this campaign will see Freja transforming into someone we've never seen before. After all, this past year has given us lots of unexpected moments and pairings as we've seen Freja's career rise to heights and achievements previously thought to be unattainable for her.

Images should be released shortly so I guess we'll soon find out the reasoning behind this interesting casting choice. I'm thrilled of course, but I still find it pretty strange to go from girls like Anna Maria Jagodzinska and Caroline Murphy....to Freja. Whatever, get it girl!

High Praise

In a video interview about the February 2010 Vogue UK cover shoot featuring Natalia Vodianova, Nick Knight happens to bestow some high praise on Freja.

"Natalia is one of those models like Kate or Naomi or Freja who are just fantastic. They know how to express themselves. First of all they interpret the narrative of a piece of clothing really interestingly. And that's one of the main things the model does. Models are kind of an interesting mixture of very, very good actresses (oh really?) and very good sportspeople."

Check it out @1:20

That's quite the compliment coming from someone who's only photographed Freja for two editorials (Pop Hit for Vogue UK March 2007 and About a Boy for Vogue UK April 2008). She must have made quite the impression in order to have Nick lump her in with models like Kate, Naomi and Natalia (who are arguably the last of the supermodels). I hope this means that we'll be seeing a Knight lensed editorial sometime in Freja's near future. Or maybe they just recently worked together which is why Freja was so fresh on his mind? (Hmmmm.....keep those eyes peeled.)

Lately Freja has been expanding her oeuvre in terms of photographers who she's worked with (think Demarchelier, Meisel, Olins, Richardson, Summerton) so adding Knight to the list again would be quite lovely. If not for an editorial, then perhaps a multimedia project for SHOWstudio? It's been quite a while since the last one Freja did for Knight's online forum that has the the lofty goal of expanding fashion film parameters.

"Writing on the Wall"

Anyway, being a successful model has as much to do with the people who support you as it has to do with what qualities and talents you bring to the table. With regards to Freja, perhaps I focus too much on the later and not enough on the former. I've mentioned Freja fans in the industry before (Alexander Wang, Marcus and David of Rag & Bone, Stella McCartney and artist Chantal Joffe, Vogue UK's Jaime Perlman) but I've done so in a very flippant way. Well, not only are these people fans; they're also supporters and I'm guessing that a good measure of Freja's success is owed to them and the many others in the industry who have supported her since her early years. People like Russell Marsh who gave Freja her first runway exclusive with Prada her first season, Michelle Lee of KCD who repeatedly casts Freja for the Marc Jacobs shows, and Freja's mother agent Jeppe at Unique Copenhagen. Of course, you can have all the right people backing you, but if you don't have the goods as a model your career will fade away just as quickly as it lit up. Luckily, Freja has both components: a strong foundation of supporters and a huge reservoir of talent. This is why she's been successfully modeling for half a decade.

Nevertheless, I'm not so naive and caught up in my own fandom as to think that everyone loves Freja. I know that some people don't get her appeal and I have no trouble understanding and accepting that (but if you're reading this you're probably not one of those people). Luckily the people who count, in terms of models getting booked for work, do get it. The people that have a say in which model we see in whatever campaign, editorial, and runway show all seem to see what we Freja fans see. And knowing that doesn't make me feel so weird about having such a singularly focused blog. I get enough heartache and disappointment whenever I see my lesser known model favs fade, so it's good to be a part of the vast majority when it comes to Freja. You know...if she ever stops working or decides to pull a SS08/SS09 again and partially skip another season, a lot of people are going to be inconsolable. Fortunately things seem to be going in our favor.....for now.

Credits: Vogue UK video via rox_yr_sox @ tFS

Marc Jacobs? Maybe Not...

Casting rumors are rampant about the upcoming Marc Jacobs show. TI started the speculation that Marc was taking it to the streets to cast his show. Now, NY Mag chimes in with some more news:

"We're told he wants all the girls to look like Jamie Bochert, and that casting agents may have had a difficult time finding a whole army of them. The girls in the running to be in the show are models with model proportions and signed with agencies, but the Jacobs team may have looked on the street, as well. So the cast of models is likely to be entirely unknown girls."

I wonder what this means for Freja, who has never missed walking in a Marc Jacobs show since the SS06 season. The Marc cast is always very large though. Usually upwards of 40 girls, so despite the street casting and Jaime Bochert lookalikes, we might still see a few models. It would be a shame to see the streak end. Come on Michelle Lee, don't let us down!

The Economics of a Fashion Career

Craig Arend of modelsoffduty.com has another interesting interview with a fashion insider. Last time it was founder of Next Model Management, Faith Kates. This time it's Storm Models founder Sarah Doukas, aka the woman who discovered Kate Moss. Freja is never mentioned outright in these interviews, but I always think that what is being said naturally relates to her and to all models. If the models are what draw you to fashion, then it's so intriguing to hear insight and perspectives from the people who deal firsthand with bringing our favorite girls to light.

Here are some excerpts, but read the whole thing if you have the time and are interested in model development.

"...Look at our magazines. Look at the campaigns. They're all celebrities. Actresses. Somebody well known, they take up what, 80-90% of fabulous campaigns. You know that's because that's the power of somebody whose got a name....

But if you're in the business. If you see your chance that somebody can go that route and if they want to, you've got to take it because it's going to be a huge benefit financially to them and it's going to be a benefit to the agency...it feeds on itself. As soon as you do some press, it's unbelievable. You get so many opportunities open. People are calling. It opens doors." (my emphasis)

I know I've mentioned this little theory here before, but I think IMG and the recession are playing a huge hand in Freja's current career status. One thing I've never been able to wrap my head around is why Freja is seeing such a resurgence at this stage in her career. She started off really huge, booking exclusives and only-girl, blue chip campaigns. But as we all know, the lifespan of a model's career is usually pretty short. Most girls only get a few seasons before we unabashedly move on to the next it girl from the next it country. So this is how I see things: Freja had two really good years after her debut in 2005, but then she started to fade away as expected. By the end of 2007, she cut her signature long hair and fringe off, skipped lots of big shows and was booking less print work. By all accounts she should have been done. She should have faded away to the occasional Asian ad campaign and appearance in some random catalog. But she didn't. She came back stronger than ever, but nearly unrecognizable from the simple Danish girl in the Ksubis and keffiyeh that she once was. She was cooler, smoother and more part of the industry than she ever had been before.

She was doing more press, projecting a laid back yet untouchable image, and booking more campaigns than ever before. This career roundabout started happening towards the end of 2008 and gained full momentum during 2009, just as the economy was going bust. We could just chalk that up to coincidence, but I really think more was at play. IMG, being a huge, worldwide company, stood to lose a lot of money in the face of pecuniary caution brought about by worldwide economic panic. So what do they do? Step it up and really make their best girls work. Get the most out of them and really capitalize on their earning power in order to lessen the impact of the recession. After all, the FW0910 campaign season was Freja's best one yet. I know I'm not really doing a good job of explaining my theory, but it all makes sense in my head. And Sarah's quote above seems to give some backing to my thoughts. But of course, it's just a theory because how much can I possibly know about what really goes on?

Anyway, here is another quote from the interview that I think is quite unintentionally funny, especially if you're a Freja fan:

"You know you always get these girls that make a load of money. You know they're fantastic looking girls and they're doing brilliantly. And they're like, "you know what, I'm going to cut all my hair off. I'm going to go seriously edgy. I want you to get me into...." And I'm like "You're taking a massive risk. You're going to ruin your market in the short-term" And it happens. It does happen. I can mention lots of girls who it has happened....I always think, "You should be glad for what you've got. I understand wanting to aspire to better and greater things. But, you could in the short term lose your whole market "

Doesn't it sound like Sarah is specifically talking about Freja here? I know that some people still blame the short hair for her 2008 career slump. That could be the case, but things are rarely that simple and straightforward. I'm sure there were lots of other complex factors at play. Lots of other minute details all combining into one path that has led us Freja to the career she has today. All theories and musings aside, no one really knows what's happened and why but Freja herself. Isn't it fun to speculate though?

Fashion week now. I'll try to update as much as possible, but I'm only going to do updates on the first show Freja walks in each city, and then a recap on the entire city. It's just too repetitive to cover each show because I know all of you will be refreshing tFS every second. Of course, this is all assuming that Freja even walks. Only a few more days before we find out for sure. :)

On the Casting Horizon

With fashion shows now over and campaign season around the corner it seems like everyone has casting on the brain. The Imagist recently posted a very interesting piece on the model outlook for the upcoming campaign season.

He tells us that the "circle of power photographers who decide which models cross over from all that runway traction into blue chip work seem to be holding back on their campaign shooting. There is not the usual feeding frenzy to lock up those hyped new faces . No epic "New Faces" edit yet at W, no New Prada Contingent marching through Vogue Italia...yet. This is an indicator that the campaign castings are going to run even more conservatively than in recent years, skewing back to the Raquels, Sashas and Natashas, if there is even a model on the premises. Celebrities are going to continue to take a huge chunk of those choice bookings..."

And take this quote photographer Nick Knight gave in a recent interview: "To make money, the industry is increasingly catering to the lowest common denominator and, as far as the people who run the big companies are concerned, anything even slightly out of the ordinary frightens people. But anyone with a brain knows that it is the quirkiness and imperfection in a person that attracts other people. That is completely obvious to human beings; it's just when it gets to a corporate level that it all falls apart."

Reading all of this made me more than a bit disappointed. For one, I can't stand seeing the current crop of celebrities in ad campaigns. It's already bad enough that I have to see them on the covers of American fashion magazines month after month--leave modeling to the professionals please. Secondly, this season I really took notice of and a liking to many of the new girls so it will be sad to see most of them ravaged and tossed aside by the industry. Especially since they are so young and all so gorgeous in unique ways. They looked different enough that I could actually tell them apart for once.

Anyway, it's during times like these I'm so grateful that Freja has Karl firmly in her corner. Even if I complain about it sometimes, and even if she's just going to be relegated to his entourage, at least she's getting new work that we'll be able to see. And who knows...we might even see her in a few other campaigns despite the dire outlook for models. After all, she made a killing last season coming away with 5 campaigns, and she's coming off one of her stronger runway seasons in a long time. Hopefully Freja can channel all this momentum into some more results. And hopefully Karl will let her go long enough so that she can work with some other people.

All things considered, Freja is in a great position having just shot the Chanel campaign. And with her quirky and palatable looks to draw upon (providing a nice compromise between the corporate and creative sides of the industry), I think she could be poised for more. Unfortunately, that probably won't be the case for your other favorites. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Karmen and Karolin, and hoping that my new girl favs like Mirte and Lisanne emerge unscathed. What about you?

Stella Insight

Every time I see a Stella McCartney runway show, I always think back to this interview Stella did for Interview Magazine. More specifically, I zoom in on this excerpt about her casting process:

I choose them. I have a guy who does casting for me, but we work together. It's funny, because whenever someone else is excited about a girl who I am not keen on and I eventually give in, I always regret it when I see her on the runway. "Ugh, I knew I didn't like her. She's just not very me." I think it took me a little while to be true to myself as a designer, and in some ways I'm still trying to do that. I have to choose things that come naturally to me. Whenever I challenge something too much or try too hard, it never quite works out.

Freja has walked in countless of her shows, so I find it interesting that Stella sees her as embodying the Stella woman. And on the other hand, Karl sees her as embodying the modern Chanel woman as evidenced by their long-lasting work relationship. And while these associations are ongoing, Freja also simultaneously embodies the popular modern notion of androgynous edge.

Here you have two brands known for their femininity, using a model known and lauded for her androgyny. I think this is just another testament to Freja's modeling versatility, and it's actually quite amazing when you stop to ponder it. Who else can represent these extremes so well?

Anyway, I think Freja looks wonderful at Stella and this is the way I like to see her look. Breezy, feminine, glowing and lighthearted.

Image Credits: Style.it

Casting Intricacies

Prada was the first major runway show Freja ever walked in. Back during the FW0506 season she made her international runway debut as a semi-exclusive for the brand, and then promptly went on to Paris where she walked all the major shows. It's safe to say that Freja's never looked back. That initial casting decision by Russell March launched the amazing career that we know of today. In fact, it's exclusives and debuts like this that are responsible for the careers of many of our favorite models.

So what makes one girl different from another? Why did Russell choose Freja and what did he see in her? I guess he only knows the real answer to that, but I think we can gain some insight into his mind from this interesting interview of another influential casting director, Michelle Lee:

I guess what I look for in a model, are what differentiates one model as being good and one as being not so strong. It’s a model that has some sort of strength, whether it’s inside of them or it’s a physical characteristic. There has to be some element about them that grabs your attention. I think especially within the last year, casting has gone that way where people are less looking for that wet blanket, hanger body, no personality, no special kind of characteristic. Now people want these girls/women who embodies strength and power, it’s either somebody you want to look like or you believe them in these clothes. It’s much less about these new pile of 13, 14 year old, it’s more about these girls who have something that are slightly masculine about them, some sort of inner fortitude even if it’s a silent quiet strength, there’s something there. Or it could be something humorous or funny about their look or their personality. Something about them has to be extraordinary. There aren’t a lot of them out there but they exist!

Michelle of KCD is responsible for casting Marc Jacobs and Marc by Marc Jacobs (among a slew of other things). Yes, I realize that her casting process is probably totally different from Russell's, but I think the general idea of what she says applies across the board whether you're casting Prada or a local high school fashion show. There are just some concepts and universal truths applicable to all situations.

Isn't it amazing how the bolded parts above describe Freja to a T? It seems like Michelle had her in mind when she gave this interview because the qualities she describes are the very same qualities that attracted me to Freja. They are the same qualities that define her model persona: inner strength, power, silent fortitude, unwavering calm, slight masculinity...Freja embodies and is famous for it all.

So with Prada happening in a few hours and Freja likely to walk, you can bet I'll be watching the new exclusives and debuts to see what they bring to the table. Although I tend to think none of them will be able to hold a candle to Freja, only time will tell. Afterall, it did take a few seasons of practice for Freja to go from this green behind the ears, punky teen:

To this fierce as all hell, get in my way and I will stomp you woman:

Image Credits: style.com