In the Pages

Freja may not be fashion's current it girl a la Lara Stone, and she may not be Inez and Vinoodh's muse of the moment a la Anja Rubik, but that doesn't mean we won't be seeing her in the pages of magazines.

If you pick up the August issue of W Magazine featuring Ms. Stone herself on the cover, you'll spot Freja three times throughout the issue. The benefits of having a great campaign season! Even if editorials and covers are slow, we have the ads (and a lot of them this time around).

I must say that all three shots are much better in real life. There is still something to be said for traditional print media, and this is why I hope magazines never become obsolete. Digitalization and the internet are great for quickly disseminating information and democratizing access, but you definitely lose something in the translation. Images just seem to pop more when you're holding them on paper in front of you.

That being said, here are the images digitally. :) We've seen them all before, but hopefully you'll get a better sense of how great they are in higher quality. Still doesn't compare to seeing it on paper though.

Chanel:



This one is really gorgeous on the page. The mood and tone of the image definitely sticks out among all the other campaigns. The anachronism of Chanel clothes in a bucolic setting really make you pause. (Sorry for cutting Heidi out. It's hard to scan double pages in W.)

Pollini:



Again, just stunning on the page. Freja's expression and face really make this ad for me.

J Brand:



So colorful and cheery. Seeing this ad just makes me smile. This is on the back inside cover of the magazine. Notice that they photo-shopped some, but not all, of Freja's tattoos out. Why the pick and choose? And also notice the double piercing in her ear lobe. New? I don't recall Freja having that before. Sometimes it's like "Where's Waldo" with her. You always have to keep your eyes open for new tattoos, piercings, haircuts, etc...

Take a good look at all three images. They're all in the same issue of W, but I just love how different Freja looks in all of them. The uninitiated masses probably can't even recognize that it's the same girl in all three ads. Chameleon-like versatility is the sign of a good model. No matter how many times Freja is labeled as the androgynous, tough girl, I'll always know that she's much more than that. This is why she's survived so long in the very fickle fashion industry.

Image Credits: My scans

Jumping for Joy in J Brand Jeans

Following up on this previous post, the rest of the images from Freja's J Brand Jeans ad campaign have been released along with a short statement via fashionweekdaily:

(NEW YORK) You may know Freja Beha Erichsen more for her turns down the runways than for her denim, but the leggy beauty is about to take a turn posing in blue jeans--and black jeans, and tie-dye jeans, and...you get the point. Photographer Jan Walters shot Erichsen for J Brand's Fall 2009 ad campaign, styled by Sophie de Rakoff. "We wanted people to look at the campaign and feel a sense of lightness and freedom," said Susie Crippen, J Brand's co-founder and creative director. "Happiness." Lightness and freedom we get--Erichsen's frolicking in the super-skinny, cropped, high-waisted, tie-dyed and distressed denim will inspire plenty of ladies to do the same. The ad campaign will appear in Elle, Vogue, W and Harper's Bazaar, as well as outdoor media in New York.

In my opinion, J Brand could not have chosen a better model for their campaign (although I admit to being a little biased). I think it's generally agreed upon that Freja has some of the best legs in the business, so they're the perfect apparatus for showcasing jeans. Lucky New Yorkers should definitely keep their eyes out for massive billboards featuring 100 feet tall Frejas. Also, do you think this means that Freja has to give up her trusty Ksubi Jeans now that she's J Brand's girl? :)

Out of the five images, my favorite is still the first one that we got to see.

Freja's slight smirk and body pose give the image a very whimsical, lighthearted feel that most deftly captures the campaign concept as stated in the quote above. The rest kind of seem like they belong in a US Vogue jumping editorial photographed by David Sims. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I just think it's something we're all tired of.

Also, seeing all of these images immediately brought to my mind this old Harper's Bazaar editorial:

Yes? Isn't it amazing how things can concurrently seem different, yet exactly the same? I guess there are only so many poses one can do while jumping in the air. And yet it makes you wonder why various fashion magazines will always feature the obligatory jumping model editorial? Maybe I wouldn't complain so much if they gave Freja a shot at one of those. :)

Image Credits: fashionweekdaily.com, bwgreyscale

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!