The Birds

Tom Ford Eyewear F/W 10.11
Ph: Tom Ford
Other Models: Nicholas Hoult

Now that the full campaign has been released, you can see why Ford went with a model like Freja this season. The eccentric, yet gorgeous qualities of her face perfectly mirror the dichotomy contained within the campaign images. There's a dialogue (and maybe even struggle) between maliciousness and absurd camp. The ravens are clearly meant to be a threatening element. Anyone who has seen Hitchcock's The Birds can attest to that.

Yet the facial expressions of both Freja and Nicholas betray, and even embrace the menacing aspect of their surroundings. "Why yes, birds are about to peck my body but I'll just act like they're nothing more than some harmless butterflies. And look! I'm even going to kiss one. Nevermind that another one just tried to eat my nipple."

Freja is just the type of model to carry this off. She's gorgeous no doubt (as 5 years in the industry and countless campaigns and eyewear ads can attest), but she's also quirky enough that she's not just another boring, beautiful face. There's an intelligence in her look that some people often write off because they just can't comprehend it. Or maybe they've only ever known Freja as the androgynous, tomboy model so they can't look past thair narrow way of thinking. Yet, all of the work she's done for the past year or so has countered that old image of herself, and some people still won't see her as anything more than the androgynous one. Sigh. I guess that's the power of having a unique image while all your peers kind of blend into one big blond hair, blue eyed Eastern European mass. But I digress...

The campaign aesthetic is a bit unexpected, but overall the images still retain some of the glamor we've come to associated with Ford's name. Chalk it up to the styling and dark, moody nature of the setting. All of this sure makes for one memorable campaign. I have a feeling that people are either going to love this or hate it, but one thing they won't feel is apathy. You have to love that about Tom Ford and his campaigns, for they always push boundaries. And in the cautiously recovering economic climate, isn't that a good thing? Isn't passion the one thing that all designers are trying to ignite in their customer base and the general public?

Image Credits: tomford.com, thepassionatemoviegoer.blogspot.com, best-horror-movies.com