Harry Winston Continued

Since it is the Monday after a holiday weekend (and these kind of Mondays are usually the worst) I thought I'd start it off with a new Harry Winston ad that I saw in the May issue of Harper's Bazaar:

Yup, it's Freja once again proving how versatile and so beyond stereotypes she is now in terms of her modeling. Don't mind her....she's just being fabulous, looking gorgeous, flashing that million dollar smile, selling that high end jewelry and making bank. Glad they decided to keep her around for another cycle of ads. She's proven her worth to them, so it would have been stupid of them to let her go. Now if only a big time beauty company could realize what they're missing out on.......

Image Credits: My scans

Coming to a TV Near You

We first got word back in November, and then confirmation back in December. Now, finally, the H&M TV spots are here.

Freja is accessible, commercial, yet still totally herself. Which one do you like better? I prefer the first spot myself, because at the end of the second one Freja looks like she wants to kill me, or hurt me, or beat me in a staring contest, or all of the above. It would have been nice to see a more playful expression from her to match the youthfulness of the clothing. After all, yellow ruffles and semi jazz hands are pretty incongruous with death stares.

But maybe it's the unexpected pairing that makes it work? Maybe that's what makes people linger over it....what sells the clothes? I don't know, but I do know that I have a sudden hankering for some yellow ruffles to mix into my all-black wardrobe. Or maybe just a black t-shirt with some yellow on it. ;)

Video Credit: hm.com via youtube user BijuBRANDO

H&M

Are you there fashion gods? It's me, Margaret. Ok, seriously, my name's not really Margaret, but someone must have heard my repetitive musings on the triteness of Freja and androgyny, because this is everything that I could have ever hoped for and wanted in terms of an antidote.

Smiling and frolicking (sort of) in ruffles and lace? Why yes, of course. Looking easy, breezy and oh so commercial? Most definitely. This is a far, far cry from the rough and tough tomboyish image that made Freja "famous" and won her the adoration of drooling fan girls everywhere. But this is much, much closer to the image of Freja that I fell in love with all those years ago. If this is a sign of things to come in 2011, then color me excited. With a refreshed image comes refreshed ideas. :)

By the way, I must say that Raquel looks amazing with her new short hair. The two of them together in this ad is giving me serious nostalgia for the fashion landscape circa 2006. Those were simpler, purer times; but then again, everything seems that way in hindsight.

Image Credits: zinio.com via tFS member FRANCY ITALY

More Harry Winston

Thanks to a few lovely anonymous commenters in my previous post, I was directed to some more shots of Freja's Harry Winston Jewelry campaign, shot by Patrick Demarchelier.

Freja looks so great in these, albeit a bit too airbrushed. But whatever...she's smiling and positively radiant! WWD just came out with a report about Harry Winston's earnings, and now I think I have an idea as to why they went with Freja for the campaign; being the unconventional, but brilliant, choice that she was.

"Increased demand for luxury goods and higher sales from Asian consumers helped the luxury jeweler post a profit of $3.9 million..."

"The engine of this recovery is being fueled by the Far East as Chinese citizens become consumers not only at home, but also in the luxury shopping districts of the developed world,” chairman and chief executive officer Robert Gannicott said on a call with analysts."

Call me crazy, but it seems to me like Freja was picked to front the campaign because she has appeal to the Asian consumer. We all know how popular she is over there, so this just makes sense to me. I don't know, maybe I'm just making connections where there are no connections to make. But all of this is still interesting to say the least....

Image Credits: harrywinston.com via Noctilux tumblr

Going Commercial?

Here's something new and possibly commercial. Freja recently shot some sort of TV ad with fellow models Anne Vyalitsyna and Martha Streck. Both Martha and Anne exist more firmly in the commercial fashion sphere, so it will be exciting and interesting to see what kind of project could possibly have these three girls working together. Via Martha's Twitter:

One the one hand you have Freja: androgynous poster girl, high fashion doyenne and a Karl Lagerfeld fav. On the other you have Anne V: current girlfriend of Maroon 5's Adam Levine and frequent model for the utterly mass market Victoria's Secret catalog. Then you have Martha: not necessarily notable for anything in particular, but a model in Victoria's Secret catalogs and on Givenchy runways. The three together certainly make for strange bedfellows, but my interest is definitely peaked! Fingers crossed that it's something uber commercial just for fun of it and for the sake of seeing something different.

(Is that a flowery, feminine dress I see on Freja!? Whoa.)

Also, thank goodness Martha confirmed what a lot of us already knew; the frejabe twitter is complete bullshit and a fake. So report it as spam and maybe then we can get rid of it and its embarrassingly immature tweets.

Anyway, guesses as to what the ad could be for? What do you want it to be for? H&M? Gap? Cadbury candy? What else? And am I the only one dying to see Freja cheese out in some over-the-top holiday ad campaign? Just me? Oh, ok....

Image Credits: twitter.com/marthastreck

Changing Tides

I know I seem to be stuck on this subject (considering I just wrote something in the same vein two posts ago), but I think it's a pretty huge deal. Especially to all the longtime Freja fans out there. So what's the big deal? Freja is officially a modeling icon, or about as close as one can get to becoming a modeling icon these days under modern circumstances. She's no longer obscure, fringe or merely a cult hit. The tide has changed and she's mainstream, well known and recognizable now. I know, I know, we'll never return to the era of the supermodels. But at the same time, we shouldn't use that as the barometer against which we measure all subsequent modeling successes by. For the past is past, and we are firmly in the present. That past can never be replicated so long as the world evolves and things change. And if there is one certainty in life it's that things do change. The fact that a heavily tattooed, spotlight avoiding, tomboyish model sits at the top of a modeling industry predicated on long held feminine ideals of beauty should tell you as much. It's hard to imagine such a thing happening 10 years ago or even 5 years ago. But it's happening now.

We do get modeling waves: the Brazilians, the Russians, and (currently) the Dutchies. But the remarkable thing about Freja is that she doesn't belong to any of those waves. She didn't ride on the coat tails of an industry wide modeling trend. She started out when doll-like, blond models were all the rage. And so she got to where she is based on her uniqueness, personality, likability, authenticity and genuine appeal. That's what makes her an icon in today's fashion climate. That, and the fact that her career is stronger than ever five (almost six) years in.

Most of us had the fortune of witnessing the turnaround Freja's career has gone through this past year. She was a big name within the industry before, but now she's an even bigger name who has begun to transcend the boundaries that usually limit models like her to the high fashion sphere. So along with her high fashion cred, Freja has slowly earned commercial viability and mainstream appeal. She isn't a household name, but everyone seems to know her. And the work she's getting is beginning to reflect that.

Even Vogue Italia's editor in chief Franca Sozzani recognizes and write about it in her editor's blog on vogue.it:

"On July, 2010, three fashion magazines used the same Miu Miu dress, Vogue Uk, Elle Uk and W in America. Vogue UK had a model on the cover, Elle UK a singer - Lily Allen - and W Eva Mendes. In England sales were higher. Freja is the new icon for models. Eva Mendes didn't have an impact on W."

Freja can sell magazines! In a time where all American publications (cough, US Vogue, cough) tell us that celebrities are the only people who matter or who can move units off the newsstands, Freja is proving otherwise. Imagine that....a fresh, appealing face who isn't so completely overexposed that you're actually intrigued enough to see what she might have to say. Wow....I'm shocked (insert sarcastic smiley here). Anna Wintour take note; the general public might actually want to see someone besides a typical Hollywood starlet a la Blake Lively on the cover of Vogue. And to hit home on the idea of Freja's broader appeal, she'll be selling jewelry now as well.

Harry Winston Jewelry
Ph: Patrick Demarchelier

It's a bold move for Harry Winston, but a great coup for Freja. If I were her, I'd be going around to everyone I know saying "whatnowbitches...booyah!" But that's just me. I think that to a certain extent we've all underestimated Freja. Whether we think she can't pull off femininity or that she can't ever reach a high level of popularity, this campaign proves us all wrong. This is the type of campaign I've been waiting for. It gives her a completely new image, but one I always knew she was capable of. The irony of the images will not be lost on ardent fans, and the absence of tattoos might disappoint others; but the significance of this campaign is what's important here. And if all goes well, I think we could see Freja transcending even more boundaries in the future. So congrats to her. As she turns 23 and enters into a new stage of life, it's only fitting that her career should grow and mature as she has so beautifully done before our eyes.

Image Credits: bbs.sfileydy.com, twitter.com/amandaweiner, passionluxe.com via tFS member candlebougie

Moving into the Mainstream

I was flipping through the latest issue of Vanity Fair and a picture of Karl and Freja caught my eye. It was taken at the Chanel Soho party back during New York Fashion Week, and I was totally surprised to see Freja referred to by name in the caption. Usually in "society" pictures like these in magazines like VF, the so-called plebeians surrounding the main (famous) focus of the pic are left unnamed and unnoticed. "They know who she is? Really?" Maybe I'm underestimating Freja's popularity, but throughout all her career she's shied away from public events and lived her life firmly outside the public spotlight despite all her successes as a model. She only (finally) moved to NY about a year ago, and she's only been in American Vogue once earlier this year. So yes, I find it strange to read Freja's name in the pages of VF.

First, Rolling Stone; now Vanity Fair. I know it's not a huge deal, but to me it signals a shift. From fringe to mainstream. Up until a year ago, Freja wasn't the type of model who was referenced in these types of magazines. Up until a year ago, it was the likes of Kate and Giselle, and maybe even Lara. And sure, maybe I'm making this more of a big deal then it actually is; but Freja is known enough to be referred to by name in Vanity Fair? She's known enough to be featured in Rolling Stone? WTF? Talk about Twilight Zone. If you had asked me back when I started this blog if Freja would ever work with Meisel, I would have undoubtedly said no. If you had asked me back then if Freja would ever "break into" the mainstream, I would have emphatically said no. Skinny girl, boyish figure, multiple visible tattoos, short hair, hard stare, reluctance to show up at public functions....those things aren't exactly exalted for women in mainstream American media.

But despite all that, Freja seems to be moving into that very mainstream, and it's leaving me a bit dumbfounded. I guess sticking to your guns and being yourself pays off in the end. Maybe that honestly and authenticity she carries so naturally with her is too enticing a thing to resist. I just hope this new visibility doesn't cause Freja to become more self-conscious or contrived, thereby ruining the very thing that got her to this level in the first place. (Isn't that always a risk though? A plight that will always come with notoriety?)

All I can say is that these next few months will be very interesting in terms of the direction Freja's career takes. So much has already happened this past year that I can't even begin to fathom the new possibilities. Can we expect even more exposure and more mentions of Freja in unexpected publications? Or is this it? 2010 has really been a banner year that's it difficult (and even selfish) to imagine or hope for anything more. But right now the possibilities do seem kind of endless.....

Image Credits: My scans

J Brand Jeans

New Ad! Hooray! Thanks to tFS member s'ngac we have this preview of Freja jumping for J Brand jeans. I didn't even know that J Brand had ads. Maybe they just run them in other countries because I don't think I've seen them in magazines here in the US.

Freja looks wonderful and so vibrant here. The movement is dynamic and not awkward at all. You know how jumping pictures can sometimes distort the jumper's face? That doesn't happen here because Freja looks as gorgeous as ever. I have several pairs of J Brands so I can most definitely attest that they make a fabulous pair of jeans. They have various cuts and lengths but their 10" skinnies are my favorite. They fit like a dream and really do elongate and slim down your silhouette. I love seeing Freja as the campaign girl for a brand that I trust and know very well.

But enough of my gushing. This ad campaign adds to an already stellar campaign season for Freja. Things are quite different from even just one year ago. If you had told me back then that Freja would have an official website with blog, be the Chanel and Gucci girl again, and be in Gap and J Brand ads (both very commercial brands) I would have thought you were crazy. Amazing how things can turn around in such a short time.

Makes me wonder what role IMG and the recession has in all of this. When Forbes released their list of top earning models for this year, everyone could see that there was a significant drop in the amount of money brought in by all top earners compared to last year. (Giselle alone made $10 million less.) The recession is real and the financial crisis is being felt in all industries by all people. Fashion and it's models are no exception.

With this in mind, we know Freja is one of the top girls at IMG. She's had perfume contracts and many blue chip campaigns. She isn't on the level of Giselle, but a model like Freja is for sure a cash cow for IMG. Sorry to be so blunt, but that's the way it is. I wonder if they had anything to do with her growing out her hair again and starting a website? Perhaps they are nudging her away from the androgynous, rebel image she's had for a while now, and pushing her towards an image of commercial viability once again? Gap isn't high fashion, but it sure does bring in a lot of money and that's what IMG needs right now. And regardless of what we'd all like to think, IMG is a business first and foremost and they have a bottom line. I've touched on these thoughts before. But maybe I'm being paranoid and over-analyzing things. Any thoughts?

Image Credits: Picture taken by tFS member s'ngac!