Korea Gets It Right

Let's face it. If we could have our way Freja would be on the cover of every magazine in every country, every month. She came close to something like that in August with her three covers, two of them for major market editions of Vogue, but September is turning out pretty well too...especially if you live in Korea.

I know from past comments left on this blog that Freja has a pretty big fan base in Korea, so good job guys. Way to have her on the September covers of two of your country's magazines. September issues are always a big deal, so I suppose its a coup (and honor) to be on two of them in the same market.

As for the covers themselves, I think Allure made a great choice to reprint a shot from Freja's Vogue UK editorial shot by Josh Olins. It's a story that I've come to appreciate more after I learned about it's inspirations. And seeing it in the actual magazine is amazing as well.

My initial impressions about Vogue Korea are less than stellar. It's a striking image for a cover to be sure, but like someone on tFS pointed out, Freja really does look like an "angry mushroom." But maybe this is an instance where the visual appeal of the cover model is sacrificed for the visual impact of the whole cover image; because graphically, that is a cover that would definitely make me stop in my tracks.

One thing I can say for sure is that Freja continues to show her range and versatility, all while maintaining the essence of what makes her unique and identifiable to her fans. It's a fine balance to be able to strike so well. Going from soft, delicate and gentle, to menacing, forceful and strong. Only a few models can do it so well, and we should all be proud that Freja is one of them.

Image Credits: book.interpark.com via tFS member SheilaM, libro.co.kr via tFS member P i e t r i n n

On the Beauty of Magazines

I finally got around to picking up a copy of Freja's Vogue UK. My encounter with this particular issue is just going to reiterate how important I think it is to buy actual magazines because the viewing experience is so much more enriching and fulfilling than just seeing the images online. The colors seem more vibrant, the glossiness of the paper adds dimension and having a tangible object in your hands makes the images look better......at least to me. You're also privy to more information about the images you're viewing, making for a more robust experience. Case in point: The editor's letter and contributors pages tell us what people think about Freja, and they tell us about the context and inspiration for her editorial.

I feel like I was destined to love this editorial because it combines two of my (and probably the vast majority of twenty-something females') interests: art and fashion. I know this isn't a novel concept by any means, but I feel like rarely do we get to see the connection and conversation between the two so pronounced as it is in this editorial. Josh Olins took his cue from English figurative painter Euan Uglow. Knowing this tiny, but significant, fact changes things completely. I now look at the editorial with new eyes and the images take on new significance, especially when compared with their inspirational source:

If you read about Uglow and his artistic process, Olin's photographs don't seem so simple in their appearance anymore. My previous thoughts on the editorial read Freja's positions and poses as the best way to display the clothes. But I found this particular bit about Eglow's working methods particularly enlightening:

"Planes are articulated very precisely, edges are sharply defined, and colours are differentiated with great subtlety. His type of realism has its basis in geometry...."

That's from his Wikipedia page. (I have better researching skills but considering my lack of time and library resources, that will have to do.) Freja was posed that way to emulate the figures in Uglow's work. The planes, sharp edges and colors also happen to be great ways to show off new looks for the upcoming season. :) Fashion and art intersect in so many ways that it's a pity the same respect and scholarly seriousness hasn't been accorded to fashion like it has been to art....but that's a whole other story.

In case you want to know, here's what Josh said about Freja on the Contributors Page:

"I'm really glad my first cover is with Freja. She's beautiful but boyish, and has this great repertoire of innocent and feminine expressions. She'll sit down and look grumpy, but when you take the picture she looks captivating."

And here's what Alexandra Schulman said in her Editor's Letter:

"We all admire Freja for her distinctive looks, which stand out amoung the sea of pretty, tawny-haired models that often prevail on the catwalk. Photographer Josh Olins's shoot, featuring autumn's off-beat colour mixes, is the perfect vehicle for her boy/girl allure."

Mentioning Freja and "boyishness" has become too easy and trite that's it's completely lost all meaning for me. I wish people would start to move away from that because it dilutes the meaning of the term, and frankly I think it's a misuse. In her modeling work I really don't see how she's more boyish than any other model. Hilary Rhoda and Isabeli Fontana (no offense to them) have the manliest jaws in the industry but they're both considered "sexy." Maybe the term is in reference to her body, but in editorials where she's wearing clothes to cover that up it becomes a non-issue. Maybe it's in reference to her demeanor in person and on set, and for that I have no factual basis to judge that on. It just don't get it, so please someone enlighten me. Moving on....

This instance just strengthens my resolve to continue buying magazines because the industry cannot die out. If I had not bought this issue I never would have read about the Uglow reference. It would be a travesty to lose the print industry; not just magazines but books as well. Having something in my hands forces me to read it and absorb it more than I would have if it was just on the screen. (The irony of me using a digital method to communicate this message isn't lost on me.) Technology is wonderful and it gives us so many things, but to completely lose the preciousness and uniqueness of certain experiences in the haste towards progress and technological trends would be a huge mistake. It doesn't have to be one or the other. People can have i-Pads and e-readers and still buy magazines and books, with both mediums working in concert to create a complete and total experience. Or maybe I'm just too old-school and living in a dream world....

Image Credits: Scans by tFS member fearless123, artnet.com, marlboroughfineart.com, telegraph.co.uk

More Than a Clothes Hanger

Maybe my perception is a bit skewed, but doesn't it seem like models are once again back in the spotlight as individuals with personalities? Definitely not back to the level of the 1990's Supermodels, but no where near as cold and dismissive as the early 2000's felt. These days it feels like people everywhere want to hear what models have to say, wear what they wear, and follow every turn of their career.

I know this is all anecdotal evidence, but the model threads on tFS are exploding with hyper activity. Just think of a model (besides Freja) in your head and you can bet that someone has created a "fuckyeah" tumblr in her honor. It just feels like models at all levels of the industry are gaining in recognition and success (i.e. Rosie HW cast in the new Transformers movie and models edging out celebs in campaigns). Does it feel like this to anyone else, or is it just me?

I realize that my perception might be more than a bit skewed because I keep up with a lot of agencies and new models for fun (yes, for fun...I'm weird like that), so I always have models on my mind. And maybe this is why they seem to be more prominent to me, buoyed along by an internet culture conducive to the cultivation of niches that are otherwise too specialized to have warranted attention before. We can practically trace Freja's career from the very beginning, with only a few holes here and there. But with a model like Missy Rayder, who's career height came before the internet played such a huge role in fashion and models, the early days of her career aren't nearly as well documented. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I sense a new era where models are once again becoming celebrities in their own right.

The eminent Cathy Horyn seems to sense a small part of this as well. Just read the opening sentences of her write up on the Valentino HC show:

"A thick mob of people, mostly young and nearly all clutching cameras, stood in the blazing 6 p.m. sun outside the entrance to the Valentino Show in the Place Vendôme. They extended to the curb, and guests had to walk through a narrow path the onlookers seemed reluctant to provide. Liz Hurley was inside, in a pretty fuchsia slip dress, but most of the other V.I.P.’s were young socialites and, of course, models. The throng was waiting for them, a glimpse of someone famous and beautiful."

So maybe I'm not too off the mark here. For when did a model like Freja, a model who isn't Kate Moss or being touted as the next big thing a la Lara Stone, become popular enough to garner a two page cover feature in one of the big Vogues?? Just think about it for a moment, and you'll see how amazing it is all things considered. She's popular to be sure, but definitely not what you would call "mainstream." So the fact that Vogue UK put her on their cover and wrote a feature story on her says something, don't you think? Model as an individual. Model as a voice. Model as role model. Model as more than just a clothes hanger.

A few excerpts stuck out to me:

"Face to face, Freja's personality is harder to discern. Although she embodies an intoxicating cool, she's shy, reserved and defensive about her privacy in a way that doesn't invite girly conversation. While her slouch suggests someone who isn't entirely at east with her five feet 10 inches (she was 5ft 9in by the age of 12), she has fantastic command of her body in front of the camera."

Taking the above into account, I wonder how Freja would feel if she knew this blog existed? Now I'm SO glad that I've always made it a point to stay away from her private life and focus instead on her work. But if she's as private as they say she is, even such an intense focus on her work is probably disconcerting. People say work is work, but as a model your work is your body. You model long enough (do anything long enough for that matter) and it becomes part of you, nearly inseparable from the way you define yourself. So maybe the intense scrutiny over Freja's work on this blog constitutes a different kind of invasion of privacy? I don't know. I haven't received any ceased and desist letters yet so.....

"'Freja is entirely her own person,' says photographer Josh Olins. 'I love to photographer her. What you see at first is this tough boyishness, but then comes something else, a sensitive, softer side. She's beautifully androgynous.' For all this boy-talk, though, Freja is very pretty, with baby-soft olive skin, a high forehead and deep brown eyes that flicker when her fringe skims her lashes. 'Freja's innate sense of style somehow translates into the way she is photographed,' adds Vogue's fashion director Lucinda Chambers. 'She is one of only a handful of models who have this unique combination of a strong personality and look, while at the same time being a total chameleon.'"

I knew I loved Lucinda for a reason. This is exactly what I've been saying, and what I try to explore, on this blog. I feel justified, and not so crazy for posting all my long babbling posts. :) Anyway, the article is a great read so make sure to check it out if you haven't already. There are lots of great tidbits about Freja in there, including bits about her upbringing, her family and her hobbies. She comes across very well on the page, just like she did on film. Memorable, funny and endearing enough to convert the naysayers and win over new fans.

Image Credits: scans by tFS member fearless123

A Winning Combination

Great editorial to match a great cover. No complaints from me here. I love everything about this, especially the second shot with Freja reclining so haphazardly. She's looking as fresh faced and beautiful as ever, very much the woman I've always known her to be. Freja, Lucinda and Josh is a combination I can get used to:

Colour Shock
Vogue UK August 2010
Ph: Josh Olins
Styling: Lucinda Chambers

Part of the reason I love Freja's work with Josh is that he seems to draw out a fluidity of movement in her that no one else does. If you look at all three of their editorials together (first on here, second one here), Freja has expanded her posing repertoire and been more innovative in her movements. I really believe that's a result of Josh's direction and what he wants/requires from the models he shoots. This vibrancy is quite kinetic and maybe sometimes a little awkward, but always organic to the story at hand. The lines of the body draw your eye in, and while you look at the angle of limbs or the skewed positions of hands and feet, you also begin to see the clothing. It's a great way to display clothes on a model's body. A lot better than just dressing her up in one designer from head-to-toe and telling her to jump.

The styling is perhaps a little safe, but the first few editorials showcasing new season looks always have to be. These are the first time the clothes are displayed in the magazines and to the "general public," so of course you don't want to over style them or mix and match them too much to the point where they're unrecognizable. Expose them and show them in all their glory, and cultivate that desire for consumption that you do so well Fashion.

The colors are a dream though (as well as those Balenciaga heels), proving the talents of Lucinda once again. So bright, fresh and light. Not only does she manage to take Fall/Winter clothing and create a story appropriate for the summer release of this issue, she also makes the clothes express a whimsy and cool, refreshing quality that belies their colder weather purpose. Lucinda is the type of stylist who makes you realize that it isn't always just the photographer or model who makes or breaks an editorial. Styling plays a large, albeit much less obvious, role as well. From the first time Freja and Lucinda worked together back in September of 2005 to this time nearly 5 years later, I can honestly say it's a working relationship that I love and always look forward to seeing because it never disappoints me. Think of all the great work Freja has done for the magazine, and nearly every instance you'll see Lucinda credited as the stylist. It's really an amazing history and I never want to see it end.

Well folks, after a bit of a quiet spell for the months of May, June and July, it appears that Freja is back in full force and ready to tackle the Fall fashion months ahead! Couple this with all the ad campaigns breaking and Haute Couture shows starting shortly (Monday, July 5th!!) and we've got enough Freja news to hold us over until the SS10 runway show season.

Image Credits: scans via tFS member fearless123

A Long Time Coming

It's about damn time.

Vogue UK August 2010
Ph: Josh Olins

I love this cover and think Freja looks great. I tend to be overly critical sometimes, but my first immediate and visceral reaction after I saw this was utter joy. Maybe that was partly in reaction to the "finally!" aspect of this cover, but I also think it was in reaction to the fresh summer appeal of this cover.

So many times it seems like magazines forget to take into account the season/month they released their issues. But for the month of August, Vogue UK has produced a wonderfully light and appealing cover with a model generally known more for her edge and broodiness. The only one small complaint I have about this cover is in regards to the placement of the title text. It's a little unfortunate that the bottom curve of the "G" lines up with Freja's face in such a way as to make her eyebrow seem overly arched. It kind of makes it look like she's raising one brow in an expression of surprise or mischief. But the rest looks great, including her hair. For once it looks like a stylist did something with it, instead of just leaving it as one big, overwhelming mop (see Max Mara ads).

It's also wonderful to see Freja continuing to counter the old androgynous image that we had of her for so long. All of her work since this second career rejuvenation has shown us what a talented and versatile model she truly is. To only see her femininity now is to basically ignore and insult everything she's done for the past year or so (not to mention the entire beginning half of her career), and to denigrate her skills as a model. She has been expanding her modeling range and taking her image down new avenues for a while now....I just wish people would give her more credit for that.

Anyway, I love that Josh Olins shot this, and he's a photographer who I'm happy to see Freja work more with (unlike Terry but more on that later). Their last time together produced this little gem. Kudos Vogue UK for finally putting Freja on your cover! She's done a lot of good work for you throughout her career so it's definitely well deserved. Now, if only Vouge Paris will follow your lead and put Raquel on their cover....

Image Credit: scan via tFS member Chanelcouture09

Freja, Lucinda and Josh

Freja continues her long running Vogue UK relationship with a new editorial.

Cyber Tribe
Vogue UK, March 2010
Ph: Josh Olins

The colors! The feminine styling! Freja has finally moved firmly away from the androgyny that was (in my opinion) stifling her abilities and limiting the work she got. It's great to see her in a beautiful editorial like this. Even though it might not be the most inspired one ever, it's a welcome change of pace. And the people at Vogue UK sure do know how to do a studio editorial right.

A thing that immediately struck me about this is the prominence accorded to Freja's tattoos. In some pictures they seem to be as much of a focal point as the clothes are. I suppose when you've been in the industry for half a decade, the people who book you know what they're getting and are more apt to let your personal aspects shine through. Anyway, it takes an editorial like this to remind me what a great print model Freja is. Her face is just subtle enough that she can take a variety of looks, yet powerful enough that she doesn't get overwhelmed by her surroundings. All the different angles of her face photograph well, and she's gotten better at posing too. But that's probably partly attributable to the photographer. If you compare this editorial to the last one Freja shot with Josh, you'll see some similarities.

You rarely see Freja like this in, say, an editorial by Karl. So it shows us that she's capable of giving the photographer exactly what he/she wants, which is something all great models can do. It doesn't matter if you have the right look; if you can't work well with people then you're nothing more than a one-season wonder at best.

This piece was edited/styled by Lucinda Chambers, who also styled one of my favorite Freja eds from last year. I think she has this signature style that seems haphazard at first glance, but quickly moves into wonderful cohesion the more you look. Anyone can throw black on black on white together, but successfully styling prints, patterns and colors together is a completely different story. It takes a bold eye and lots of experience, which Lucinda has. After all, she's been working with Freja since the beginning of her career with the first editorial she shot for Vogue UK. Since then she's basically styled/edited almost everything Freja's done with the magazine. So with their amazing track record of working together (especially in what has to be my favorite Freja editorial ever), I truly look forward to the next thing they'll produce because you can bet it will be visual wonder.

Image Credits: Scans by tFS member fearless123 and tFS member Carla-A