IMG & W

The upcoming June issue of W Magazine has an editorial featuring some of the many great models on the roster of IMG in a Fall fashion preview. Running the gamut from industry legend (Liya) to newly crowned it girls of the moment (Julija & Sam) and everyone in between, Freja manages to snag the opening shot for the whole story:

Best In Show
W Magazine June 2010
Ph: Craig McDean
Styling: Alex White

This marks only the fourth time that she's worked with McDean. The last time they worked together resulted in this brilliantly dynamic editorial for Interview magazine. And even though there's just this one shot for W, it's another great one. What better way to drawn in an audience than with a captivating, beautiful, and distinct face? Now frame that face with gloriously curly hair, and a fuzzy gray sweater and you have the perfect picture of Fall.

Even though I wish Freja and McDean would collaborate on more only-girl editorials (3 out of the 4 times they've worked together have resulted in one-shots like this), having something short but sweet is better than having nothing at all.

I also have to wonder if this is the last time we'll see Freja styled by Alex White? With Stefano Tonchi now at the helm of W, Alex's position there is uncertain as staff shuffles are likely to continue happening. And that's really too bad because Freja has been a consistent fixture in W under Alex's styling hands. But perhaps she'll continue styling for Karl and Chanel, and perhaps Freja will keep on landing Chanel campaigns. One can only hope for the best, since this is most likely the last time we'll see Freja in W for a while now that Tonchi wants to take the magazine in a different direction. Think more "lifestyle" (read: celebrities) and less "fashion" (not that there was even that much to being with). Yeah, I'm a little bitter.....

Oh well, more international magazines it is!

Image Credits: imgmodelsblog.wordpress.com

St. Tropez - 8 Months Later

Last week WWD and Fashionologie told us that Karl and Heidi Mount would be in St. Tropez this week to work on another short film for the Chanel Cruise Collection set to show in May.

"He’s zooming down to Saint-Tropez to shoot a minimovie for Chanel’s cruise show on May 11. It will feature model Heidi Mount and French actor Pascal Greggory."

Well it turns out that Freja and a handful of other models are in St. Tropez too, presumably all working on that Chanel short film. Pictures have surfaced of Abbey Lee, Freja, Heidi Mount, Karolina Kurkova, Leigh Lezark and Magdalena Frackowiak all walking around in what I assume are looks from the upcoming Cruise show:

Curiously missing from Karl's crew is Baptiste. But perhaps he's still hard at work on that upcoming album. That's the only reason I can come up with for his absence at both last month's Chanel campaign shoot and this month's set in St. Tropez.

I have all my extremities and appendages crossed in the hopes that this film will be better and more culturally sensitive than the last Chanel short film that Karl did for the Paris-Shanghai Pre-Fall Collection. Not that we have much to go by from the pictures above, but things are looking good so far.

Oh, and as the title of this post says, Freja was in St. Tropez about 8 months ago if you can remember. She was there last August with Karl, but I really can't recall why.

It must be nice to be a part of Karl's entourage. Gotta wonder though--with the Cruise collection showing on May 11th, and most European air travel currently debilitated by a cloud of volcanic ash, will Freja, Karl, Heidi and co. just stay in St. Tropez for the rest of the month? And since Leigh and Karolina are also in the film (and not Chanel runway regulars), can we expect to see them walk the Cruise runway as well? Sometimes the more you know, the more you realize how much you don't know. Oh well. At least we know what Abbey, Freja, Heidi and Magdalena will be doing May 11th.

Image Credits: bauergriffin via VogueElle Addict @ tFS, fashionologie, plejada.pl via slow_hands @ tfS, WENN via ERIKIMISUN @ tFS

Candids and Spy Cams

Candid pictures of Freja at fashion events are few and far between, so I just had to post this one I came across in the September 2009 issue of Interview Magazine. It was taken by Derek Blasberg back in July when Freja was in Venice for the Chanel Cruise collection. We saw another picture from the after party, but this one features Lara in addition to Freja and Heidi.

(Full page)

(Cropped version)

Talk about deadly stares...if looks could kill, these would definitely do the job. :)

And speaking of Chanel, you have to watch this video from the SS10 collection. Freja isn't in it, but it's the most interesting and entertaining 4 minutes I've seen in a long time. They put a hidden camera in the hair of model Nastya Karzan, and through this you get to see what it's like to be backstage amid all the craziness. I just love the contrast between the discombobulated flurry of activity behind the runway and then the organized composure of the crowd in front of the runway. Two very different sides to the same coin right?

I also love how small everything seems from Nastya's perspective. This is such a great idea that I'm surprised we haven't seen it done sooner. Leave it to Karl...no matter how bizarre he seems sometimes, he always manages to push the boundaries.

Backstage Fun

Fashion week can get hectic. Running around from show to show, making sure you're on time, going to fittings, trying to catch up with all the people you haven't seen since February. Freja seems to be taking this all in stride like the pro that she is. She can do her job, very well might I add, and still goof off and have fun backstage with her friends.

(Hmmm, where's your hand Heidi?)

And she's making new friends as well. Here she is with Karmen Pedaru.

That's my favorite shot so far. Two of my favorites together...just add Karolin and I'm done. Thanks for finding that picture slow_hands. The Heidi ones above are for you. :)

Image Credits: dazeddigital.com, wireimage

Gender Play in German Vogue

Thanks once again to the scanning prowess of tFS member candlebougie, we already have scans of one of Freja's Vogue Germany editorials.

Monokel Diele
Vogue Germany October 2009
Ph: Karl Lagerfeld

At first look the phrases "gender play" and "role reversal" pop into my mind. Using black and white photography and a neutral background, it seems to me as if Karl is making a statement on the fluidity of gender roles and how social constructions play a large part in how we determine who is male and who is female. Anatomy and physiology aside, there are certain social signifiers that we use to determine someone's gender; height, hair length, clothes, dominance, and passivity immediately come to mind. We rely on these signifiers to make assessments about the people around us, but when these signifiers are unexpectedly mixed around things get interesting. Take for example this particular shot from the editorial:

Freja is taller, has short hair and is wearing a bow tie - all things that suggest masculinity. Baptiste is shorter, has longer hair and is donning a corset - all things that suggest femininity. Here they are defying their gender roles; yet at the same time, they are playing into them as well. Freja is wearing a skirt and the highest of high heels. Baptiste is wearing pants and men's dress shoes. He is also taking Freja's hand in his own, exhibiting dominance over Freja's passivity. These are the elements that fit into our conventionally held notions of male and female.

Thus we have a simultaneous embracing and rejecting of traditional gender roles, colliding in the same image with androgyny as the end result. Perhaps it is no coincidence that this shot was the one that stuck out for me as the strongest in the set, because I think it has the most to say.

(Note: I wrote the above before I read the editorial summary: "Women, strong as men. Men, tender as women: In the legendary club of Berlin in the post war period the role of the sexes was completely turned upside down." So I guess my assessment was fairly accurate, except maybe I gave Karl too much credit in the intent of his concept. Maybe he wasn't looking to make some grand social commentary; he just wanted to re-create part of Germany's past, which is fitting for an anniversary issue such as this.)

Androgyny and the mixing of gender characteristics has been done before in fashion, so this editorial is nothing new. However, I think it's beautifully shot and all three models look absolutely stunning. You know that I'd take this overplayed concept any day over the shallow concept of having us gaze at pretty clothes on jumping models.

Lastly, I must say I'm so happy that Freja seems to be Karl's female model muse once again. I wonder what it is about her that draws Karl in? I have some thoughts, but I think those will be better suited to another post. It is amazing that their collaboration has lasted so long and presently shows no signs of slowing. At least someone is giving Freja her due as a model, for otherwise I think she is grossly underrated. While her modeling contemporaries show up at fancy fashion soirees, have the blessings of Anna Wintour (and consequently Vogue US) and Steven Meisel, have issues of magazines dedicated to them, and have fashion luminaries waxing poetic about their looks or bodies, Freja is left virtually unnoticed to occupy the role of the underdog. And I think I might prefer it this way. For the underdog is the one unconfined by conventions and traditions. The underdog is the one with the freedom to grow without the strain of public scrutiny. The underdog is the one who will defy all expectations to eventually come out on top. And that is exciting.

Image Credits: scans by candlebougie @ tFS

Chanel!

The first images for the Chanel campaign have arrived. A very large thank you is owed to tFS member Northern Star for scanning and posting the images. (If you're a member of tFS please remember to give him karma and/or say thanks.)

I literally gasped from surprise when I first saw the images. They're not what I was expecting at all after seeing the runway collection, but that isn't a bad thing. In fact, I'm happy to be caught off guard by Karl. I usually find his photography and concepts somewhat predictable and staid. But I think this concept is a departure for him.

It's quite difficult to determine what an entire campaign will end up looking like based on two images, but I think we have a good feel for things to come. What I'm most surprised about is the way the images appear to be from very old albums. There is a sepia tone effect; and that combined with the outdoor setting makes the images seem like snapshots of the American Old West.

Consequently, this causes a very interesting juxtaposition. If you can recall, the collection had many aspects of modernity and technology front and center. Most notably, these bags designed with compartments for your iPod, earphones and anything else you would need as a modern woman. The bag addresses the needs of today, yet the campaign images hark back to an bygone era. I don't really know what this means if anything but it's intriguing nonetheless.

I also wonder if there will be narrative development throughout the rest of the images? What's the story behind these two women? Why are they in such an embrace? Is Heidi exhibiting signs of Puritan restraint by keeping her hands in her pockets? I also get that Puritan vibe from the high, buttoned up collars and long skirts. And since we're dealing with two women I get a Children's Hour vibe as well. The Children's Hour is a famous play set at an all-girls boarding school in the 1930s. Two of the headmistresses are accused of having a lesbian affair and a lot of drama and tragedy ensue.

Goodness, as I think about it more there seem to be so many references contributing to these images. So far, I get the American Old West, Puritanism and the Children's Hour. But that could just be me and my tendency to over analyze. I really hope we get some sounds bytes or quotes from Karl citing his inspirations for this campaign. Any other thoughts out there? Do you see some obvious references that I miss?

One last thing I noticed right off the bat....this is the first ad campaign to so strikingly address the speculation around Freja's sexuality. She's locked in an embrace of questionable nature with another woman, and this is at the forefront of the image in a major label campaign. Are the other images going to address this as well? Is this why Karl went back to Freja for this campaign? Or maybe this reading is too colored by my prior assumptions so I'm seeing something that isn't necessarily there?

So many questions. I'll be able to edit down my thoughts as more images are released, which will hopefully be soon!

Image Credits: Scanned by tFS member Northern Star, style.com

Round 2

There was a decent response to round 1 so here is the next round. Vote for your favorite (either in name or in concept) by leaving a comment, anonymous or otherwise.

And just so you know, Freidi got the most votes last round but for each new round the slate is wiped clean.

Frily


McBeha


Frina


Freidi


Fragdalena

I'm still partial to Fragdalena so it gets my vote. I had to throw out Lareja and Crombeha because they didn't receive any votes. And instead of drawing this out, after this round there will only be one more round.

Thanks to all who voted and will vote. It's nice to be silly sometimes!

Also, RIP MJ. :(

Image Credits: coolhunt, fashion_shows, Firstview