The World Tied in the Palm of Her Hand

Never let the doubt get you down friends. It was only a matter of days ago when everyone was proclaiming the end of Freja's professional relationship with Karl Lagerfeld, but to say such preconceived notions of demise were premature were obviously, well, premature. I think it's time we all surrendered ourselves to the fact that in the Kaiserchief's band, Freja is the metaphorical cowbell, and we just can't get enough (re: we just can't get enough).

All of this is a roundabout way of retelling you all how the Great Dane is now featured in the newest Karl-shot campaign for French luxury department store, Printemps. I'm sure you will all be pleased to hear that Freja is bedecked in the glory of Chanel for the campaign, so that connection seems to remain semi-stable as well.

The Christmas campaign, which is visible even now on Printemps' website, depicts Karl's eternal muse holding the world, like every other heavily-depended-upon individual, in the palms of her hands. If you didn't catch the subliminal message I projected there, the moral of the story is that Karl thinks Freja's awesome, Printemps thinks Freja's awesome, and the advertising world thinks Freja's awesome, so I still have a job, and you lot still have orgasms. What seems to have been lost along the way are Freja's pants, but that's okay, because it means I can mention Lady Gaga in what is becoming a stream of pop music/culture references.

If any of you are interested, Karl is also designing the store windows for la grand magasin. You can have a peek at the frightful results (I'm not going to be judgmental, but there are dolls. So I judge "psychologically disturbed".) and Vanessa Paradis (who is there for no apparent reason, beyond being a pretty, French lady, or a pretty French lady) over at the linked website, or by clicking here. You can also rock on over and check out the windows for previous seasons, which were more fun, and will inspire less mental distress.

But for those of you only here for Freja, here's the making of for her side of the campaign. It is documented proof of everything I have said in this post. It's also always interesting to see the interactions between model and photographer. Personally, I was expecting Karl's instructions to be much more descriptive, as opposed to whistling and to-the-pointedness, but the man is German, after all.

So given the theme of the campaign (globe-trotting and stuff), what are you all doing for Christmas/the holidays? Any big plans? Please keep in mind that if you are leaving your present location for the tropics in order to avoid the snow, I will have no choice but to think of you as less than a person. Even Karl's evil little clone dolls like snow.

Peace, love, and floating,
Gill Ford

*"Spirit" is a totes brill song from Eric Burdon & War. It is one of the few songs in history that should never be criticized for a lack of cowbell. Incidentally, if you haven't heard of War, it will be declared upon you. Here's a Copenhagen performance from 1971, because we love Denmark so much.


Photos courtesy of printemps.com

The Tale of a Fairy: A Study in Frejanomics and the Catherine McNeil Effect

So, the reviews are already pouring into my inbox and the comment section, and I'm happy to report that you all love me. My ego and I agree that we like you, Freja fans. To be precise, we think each and every individual one of you are a cornucopia of awesomeness (that one's for you, Canadians).

Because I'm just raring to go, I'll chuck this article at you. Written back around the time this blog stopped being updated, it is my own reaction to Karl Lagerfeld's The Tale of a Fairy. On my blog, it generated a fair bit of discussion, and that was just a small group of Freja followers, so no doubt putting it here will give you all something to mull over.

I mentioned a little while ago that this blog would not be about Freja's personal life. I suppose this post makes me a liar, but I think it is necessary to confront this topic specifically at this point in Freja's career, which is quite clearly reaching a tipping point. While initially a sort of cult model, Freja is moving fast towards supermodel status, and with that comes a host of new factors with the potential to influence the future of her life in the fashion world.

So chew on this for a little while. Spit it out if you don't like it. But when you're done, come back and post the bits that got stuck in your teeth. I want to know what the after taste was.

*******

There is little else in the world of fashion that is more exciting than the Chanel Cruise collections, which are shown in wealth-laden/fantastic/breath-taking locations each year. But this event is not anticipated for the clothes so much as for the inevitable euphoria that comes in the form of Kaiser Karl's endeavours into the world of cinema. Last year, he took us to St Tropez with the gripping feature Remember Now. But for 2012, he has really given it his all, travelling down the coast to the Antibes for The Tale of a Fairy (Part 1, Part 2), starring a frighteningly high-strung Kristen McMenamy, a gorgeous-as-ever Anna Mouglalis, and a curiously talkative Freja Beha Erichsen. There's some pretty boys as well.

Karl's filmmaking skills have certainly improved since last season; in terms of the cinematography, it was very well done, and the acting wasn't quite as horrendously embarrassing and discomforting as it was last time around. Of course, nobody really payed any attention to any of that sort of thing. I mean, I would totes magotes have found those facets interesting. I might even have paid attention to the clothes if Anna's numerous admirers were ever wearing any. As it was, I was distracted by the same thing as everyone else, being the Sapphic shenanigans that completely dominated the final 25% of the film, during which 90% of Freja Beha's fans sighed with cathartic satisfaction.

I mean, as scandalous as it is, who really gives a shit that Kristen McMenamy is apparently carrying on with Baptiste Giabiconi, who is apparently her godson? Who cares about how 'pretty' the film looked, or how 'creative' the collection was, or how 'improved' Karl's cinematic skills are? Keeping in mind that we have not been enticed to look forward to this annual event in the expectation of anything Oscar worthy, one would think that the latter might have been noted more by all the highly educated, realistic, and critical viewers who turned up for the affair. As this was not the case, The Tale of a Fairy will be from hereafter referred to as The Time Where Freja and Anna were Pashing in the Lou. Or, for a multitude of others, The Time Where Freja Was Pashing Someone I Didn't Know, But Imagined was Me, in the Lou. 

I don't know what Chanel herself would have to say about all of this, but I have a feeling that it's not really a good sign when the clothes you have made are not just overshadowed, but entirely ignored because you've filmed FBE enjoying the taste of another girl's cherry chapstick. I read an article a few days ago that I found rather interesting, and actually quite relevant to this case here. Under the title "Skinny Again, Crystal Renn," David P Dykes (the irony is killing you all right now, I know) of fashionising.com muses over the famous anorexic-turned-plus-sized model's recent shoot for TUSH with Ellen von Unwerth, and the concept of the "celebrity model," pioneered by (who else) Kate Moss and attempted by various others, none of whom have managed similar success. He notes that "the Catherine McNeil effect" (a.k.a., when the celebrity of a model takes precedence over their work) is one that a number of models have unfortunately fallen victim to as models become ever more interesting to the public. Renn, who is perhaps the most well known plus sized model in fashion right now (seriously, Tyra, shut the fuck up), is remarkably un-plus sized in the shoot. I would particularly like to draw attention to the final part of the article:

[...] when you're a model your career is dependent on helping fashion houses sell clothing and accessories but their target market sees your photos and take in solely the shape of your body, there's a danger for your career.

In the same vein, I am wondering whether Freja's personal life may threaten the longevity of her career. There are many brands making money off of her at the moment (Georg Jensen and Harry Winston, to name a few), and I am curious to know what about her appeal appears to be driving the sales (assuming that there are no confounding variables in the correlations between her being the face of a brand and that brand's sales spikes). Does Freja sell because of her 'look', or does she sell because of the asterix note that reads "lesbian"?

I find it hard to believe that enough people are aware of the numerous rumours surrounding her personal life for there to be any reason but the former. She is (in)famous across the fashion industry and it's followers, but I think it would be ridiculous at this point to suppose that the majority of the general public even know what her name is, let alone what team she purportedly bats for, and that seems to be the best thing for a model. But with Freja's ever-rising popularity and notoriety, I fear that she may find herself falling victim to a similar fate as her rumoured ex (Side note: if this ends up happening, how incredibly tragic is the tale of McBeha? Someone tell Karl. Sure, a tragic film might get you a SAG award, but a tragic film about lesbians? Charlize Theron and Natalie Portman will be the first to attest that those ones win freaking Oscars.). What happens when people do know her name, and even more dauntingly, care enough to investigate what's going on behind the scenes? How will designers (other than Karl, obviously) react to a model who the public views increasingly as "the lesbian model"?

If the most recent pigeon-holing of Freja as "the androgynous model" is anything to go by, labels are hard to shake in an industry where models are meant to be blank canvasses. The boyish cut Freja sported for a couple of years resulted in a drop in her workload that rattled her loyal fanbase. But hair grows back, and once hers did, the pigeon-holing began to happen less frequently, to the point where she is now garnering more attention from designers with more feminine aesthetics. It is my hope that the growing publicity surrounding Freja and her sexuality does not become a limiting factor in what is an already stellar career, but as Dykes so eloquently indicated, fashion is not supposed to be about the model, but the clothes and the message of the brand that model is promoting. Freja is a good model to be sure, but is she good enough for designers to risk including the (sometimes dangerous) term "lesbian" in their list of attributes? I certainly don't care, but then, I am not a market scientist.

Cometh the Catherine, cometh the Freja.

Peace, love, and floating,
Gill Ford

The Full Film

Without further ado, the critical masterpiece that we've all been waiting for:

I was expecting to be be delightfully entertained from second-hand embarrassment, but I actually think Karl made a decent film this time around. I wasn't cringing (that much) and everyone played their roles well. I guess no one was really playing too far out of their comfort zone (unlike Freja as a Chinese peasant girl) so that helped with the flow and execution of this film. Things were more believable and realistic, keeping in mind that the "reality" portrayed is true for like .0001% of the human population. But that's Karl Lagerfeld for you. It's about the glamor, the luxury, the unattainable, and the fantasy.

Would we expect anything less from the Kaiser? No, of course not. And that's what attracts us to high fashion. We can get lost in a world far away from our own. It's interesting that fashion itself can simultaneously occupy a very basic utilitarian role and an escapist role in our lives. It's operating on two ends of the spectrum, which of course brings me back to Freja and the many paradoxes that seem to contribute to her being: modern yet classic, commercial yet high end, distinct yet malleable, and so on and so on. I'm digressing.....I thought she played the Fairy role as best as she could and she did a good job. She looked gorgeous and I'm sure many girls are questioning their sexualities as we speak. Although I wish Karl would stop using her as a gimmick so much. But Freja's obviously more comfortable with it than she was at the beginning of her career, so good for her!

In any case, your thoughts? Did you love it? Hate it? Find yourself wishing you could teleport into Anna Mouglalis's body? Find yourself unable to stop drooling over Mark Vanderloo? Who am I kidding....I know my audience here, so I'm pretty sure I was the only one looking at him and not Freja. ;)

Videos courtesy of Chanel.com and FataleFashionII Youtube

The Tale of a Fairy

Chanel has just released the trailer for it's upcoming short film "The Tale of a Fairy." It looks deliciously full of lolz and I for one can't wait to see it. I need a good laugh right about now.....I think we all do after the craziness that life has thrown at the world: Japan, tornadoes in Alabama, Osama, etc... Freja plays the title role, which of course requires her to frolic around half naked, kissing random women. I guess Karl wanted her to feel comfortable with her role.

Anyway, the film will be shown Monday May 9th in conjunction with the Chanel Cruise show in Antibes. Us plebians will get to view the sure to be masterpiece on Tuesday, May 10th when it plays on Chanel.com. Until then, for your pleasure:

Edit: omg, Mark Vanderloo is going to be in this! I had the biggest crush on him when he did those DKNY ads with Ester Canadas. And I have to say that he's still looks amazing. Ahhhh flashbacks.

One Girl

Seven Chanel campaigns overall

Five in a row

Three solo campaigns

One girl

It really doesn't get any better than that. As WWD tells us, the F/W 11 12 Chanel campaign was shot in Paris and styled by none other than Carine Roitfeld. With the darker and tougher collection, Carine styling and Freja modeling, the results should be nothing short of amazing.

But wait, it does get better.....kind of. Depends on whether you enjoy Karl's short films, because he's shooting another one for the upcoming Chanel Cruise collection.

"To wit: Lagerfeld has assembled a slew of his favorite ladies — including Erichsen, Lady Amanda Harlech, Anna Mouglalis and Kristen McMenamy — to star in a movie he is making in tandem with the Chanel cruise collection he will show in Antibes on May 9. It will be shot in Monaco and other locations in the South of France."

With this 7th Chanel campaign under her belt, Freja sits firmly at the top of the modeling world. I started this blog partly so I could vent about what I saw as her wasted potential back in '08 and '09, but now that she's so successful I really don't know what this blog stands for anymore. Maybe it's segued into an homage, or a place to talk about the work free from petty gossip, or a force of writing habit, or.....I don't know. Whatever it is, I'm just so happy and proud that we've all been able to witness the changes, the ups and downs, and the transformations as they've happened.

Lagerfeld Loyalty

For three years in row now, Freja has been the face of Karl Lagerfeld eyewear. So even though the clothing part of Karl's namesake line has folded, the eyewear component is still going strong as evidenced by these new SS11 campaign images:

Ph: Karl Lagerfeld
Styling: Felipe Mendes
Other Models: Baptiste Giabiconi

It's refreshing to see this kind of loyalty. Yeah I'm biased, and yeah if it were another model I'd probably be annoyed as hell. But there is something to be said for this type of devotion, reliance and familiarity. Especially when everything else in fashion seems to change faster and faster with each passing season. Change is good, but we do need some constant anchors keeping us grounded with our heads on straight. Otherwise, we're just flying about all over the place with nothing to cling on to. So for me, Freja by Karl is a constant. It's a soothing comfort. It is always good? No. Does it always make me feel good? Yes. It's like mac and cheese, chicken pot pie, ice cream sundaes or any other thing we indulge in whenever we just want to shut the world out. Your "comfort food" might not always be good for you, but it always makes you happy. And when (heaven forbid) the day comes that Freja and Karl stop working together, I will be crushed. So let's just hope that day is a long way off into the future. For at a time when the fate of Dior, Givenchy, and possibly a few other design houses lie in such uncertainty, I want my constant now more than ever before.

SS09

SS10

So I say thank you Karl! For your impeccable taste in models, and for your loyalty and support of said models. Now may Freja get the Chanel F/W 1112 campaign....amen.

Image Credits: designscene.net, karllagerfeld.com, 2b Management Facebook via tFS member tentalicious

Numero and Videos

Hooray! We finally have some proper scans of Freja's Numero editorial:

Bal de la Couture
Numero #121 March 2011
Ph: Karl Lagerfeld
Styling: Capucine Safyurtlu
Other Models: Arizona Muse

No wonder Freja and Arizona were photographed together so much this past runway season in Paris. They probably became fast friends after working in such close and intimate conditions. "Why yes, you're naked and pressed up against me....where are you from again? And what's your son's name?" Nothing like some good old fashion nudity and gender bending to bring people together and get them to drop their pretenses.

Starting with a Vogue Italia cover and editorial back in January, editorials in Vogue US and W magazine for March, and now this Numero cover and editorial, Freja and Arizona have worked together so much I'm beginning to wonder if they're a package deal or something. If they were actually at the same agency, the idea wouldn't seem too far fetched.

Anyway, I don't mind Arizona at all. In fact, I'm quite in love with her print work. She's wonderful in front of the camera and I have a soft spot, lots of admiration and respect for single mothers. Every time I see her in another editorial or campaign or whatever, I have the urge to yell "you go girl, you get that money," while Destiny's Child's Independent Women Part 1 plays in my head......but I'm just weird like that. Damn, I used to love that song. Still do!

So back to the work. This editorial is nothing to write home about aesthetically. Though I do think it's quite beautiful in it's simplicity. Nothing to distract from the clothes, yet the subtle interactions of the models make things interesting enough. (And is it just me, or does Karl have a thing for Freja as a guy and conversely, Baptiste as a woman?) I'm just happy to see Freja being photographed for an editorial by Karl again. Maybe he's getting ready for another Chanel campaign? ;) I sure hope so...... And I also hope for more work with Freja and Arizona because they have good chemistry on the page, and they compliment each other pretty well.

In other, semi related news, I have a few videos to post. The first is a behind-the-scenes look at the recent Chanel F/W 11 show via vogue.co.uk. You get a good sense of the atmosphere and a glimpse of Freja towards the end during the runway rehearsal:

The second video is yet another H&M tv spot. I swear they churn these things out like butter, but it's nice to see Freja finally getting her due and recognition on the commercial front. It's something that I've wanted to have happen for quite a while now, so it's awesome to actually see it come to fruition:

Image Credits: scans by tFS member skalty, videos courtesy of vogue.co.uk and hm.com

Skipping the Season

This post is brought to you entirely by the courtesy of the readers of this blog. :) In the comments section of yesterday's post, some news bits came to light:

-According to a tweet by one of Freja's mother agents, she's skipping the entire show season. The tweet has not been found or linked to yet. I don't know how to even go about searching the vast twitterverse for it, so put as much stock into this as you want. But with her absences at Gucci and Fendi, I believe it to be true. So enjoy the break Freja. It's completely well deserved.


-Apparently there was exhibition of Karl's photographs in Rome on the 15th of February. Video has surfaced from the event, and in it you can catch glimpses of a lot of the work Freja has done with Karl including some never before seen Chanel SS11 ad campaign shots/outtakes.

Screengrab:

Video:

Thanks to the anonymous commenters for the tips!

Numero

Elsewhere and otherwise, it's not all quiet on the Freja front, for she just landed the new Numero #121 cover with Arizona Muse, shot by Karl Lagerfeld.

The sly smirk on Freja's face gives the cover just the right amount of intrigue. And it plays in nice contrast with Arizona's hard stare. So what would otherwise be a simple, straightforward cover concept is made quite interesting with the interplay of the models' gazes. Don't you feel like you could be intruding on a moment? Like they were just about to whisper secrets to each other. But Arizona is pissed off at your intrusion, while Freja invites it with her coy look.

And how great is it to see Freja being photographed by Karl again? If my memory serves me right, the last time they worked together off the runway was back in December for the Pirelli calendar. But the last time they worked together editorially was all the way back in April for Vogue Germany....nearly one year ago. I have to admit I was getting a bit worried about their editorial hiatus. I don't care if Karl isn't the best photographer, or if his fashion stories can be boring and hackneyed; I just like to know that Freja's still one of his favorites. What can I say? It's brings me comfort and stability when everything else around me changes faster than I can flick through a collection on style.com.

Anyway, are Freja and Arizona fashion's newest "it" pairing? Cover of January's Vogue Italia, editorial in March's US Vogue, and now this? I definitely don't mind as their looks mesh well together, and they seem to be good friends off the catwalk too. And maybe it's only appropriate to pair the two, as Arizona's new star status shines brighter and brighter each day, while Freja's never seems to diminish. Put the two together and it results in a wattage nearly too powerful to resist. And no one seems to be trying.

Image Credits: nmpp.fr via tFS member Dieselmax, vogue.it via tFS member IamLordZen

A Flood of Ads

When it rains, it really pours. Much like the deluge that those in California experienced these past few weeks, the fashion industry has seen an out pouring of the campaign variety. And not one to be left out these days, Freja makes her (newly cheery) presence known in campaigns for three brands:

Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld
(Nothing too special, but I guess the formula works for Chanel customers, which is why Karl has stuck with it for the past few seasons. Last two shots are my favorites.)

Louis Vuitton by Steven Meisel

Georg Jensen by Unknown Sebastian Faena

Sometimes I still can't believe how popular Freja got. All of these campaigns? Three Vogue Italia covers within a year? Status as a Meisel favorite? A few years ago all of this would have been unimaginable to me as a fan, and maybe that's partly why I started this blog. Because I just couldn't understand why such a wonderful, versatile, enthralling and intriguing model was being overlooked by nearly everyone except Karl Lagerfeld. So I just had to write about it. And now here we are and Freja is definitely no longer overlooked (but I do not take credit for this, lest you misread my words). She has worked with nearly all the top photographers and been featured in nearly all the major magazines. She also has plenty of stans, tumblrs and sites dedicated to her; enough that I continually question myself about keeping this one running because it feels like there's less and less of a reason to do so.

Anyway, lots of people say that she is overexposed and I actually completely agree. But you know what? I'm just going to go with it because she is a great model (those who say otherwise have no knowledge of her complete oeuvre) who deserves to be acknowledged after 6 years of hard work in the industry, and truth be told I'd rather see her face plastered everywhere than some 16 year old's. The requisite backlash and bashing that comes with this kind of model success has already started in the tFS campaign threads, and I only expect it to get worse. But c'est la vie. You don't survive for half a decade in the industry without developing a very thick skin. And let's face it, most of that anger is displaced disappointment about people's own favorite models not getting certain campaigns or not being featured in certain magazines.

It's no secret that I have my own love/hate relationship with Freja's image in the modeling industry. Maybe hate isn't the right word....annoyance is more like it. I've been guilty of expressing my fair share of criticism, but it comes from a place of respect, admiration and a complete belief that Freja is capable of being more than just the stereotype that she's been saddled with. I think we're seeing signs of a sea change now, as a few of these ads show a new direction for Freja. A direction where she is allowed to be happy and radiant instead of only tough and morose. If so, then this underexposed aspect of her modeling is another welcomed chapter in her already illustrious career. And I hope it means that 2011 will be a year of continued evolution and more surprises, instead of overexposure and hackneyed concepts. Whether I'll write about it as much as I have been is up in the air, and I guess subject to my own whims and boughts of inspiration. Then again, maybe this is all just the post-holidays blues talking, so we'll see!

Image Credits: scans by tFS members gossiping, rox_yr_sox, style_expert

Pirelli

All images from the Pirelli Calendar have been leaked. I feel a bit strange posting all of Freja's shots outright on this blog, so you can see the pictures here. (I think I have an irrational fear that the Pirelli police will shut me down, or someone will inevitably contact Google and "flag" this blog for "objectionable" content, ie nudity. Although in my opinion nudity is far less objectionable than violence, but that's neither here nor there.)

Anyway, the good news is Freja is on the Calendar cover! The bad news (at least to me) is Freja is on the Calendar cover wearing a codpiece. A codpiece similar to the one Baptiste is wearing here. In the immortal words of Homer Simpson, "Doh!" I don't really feel like there's any point in elaborating any further on my thoughts about these images. If you've been reading the blog, you'll know what I think. If you haven't been reading this blog, then you're probably just here for the pictures anyway so it doesn't really matter what I think. And anyway, I'm more interested in hearing what you all out there think.

On the bright side, this is yet another fashion accomplishment that Freja can notch on her belt: Calendar pin up girl......sort of? (Not sure how to address it since she's a female playing a male. So Calendar pin up person?) And it is great that she can play both feminine and masculine roles because that ability opens up another 50% of job possibilities to her. More job possibilities means more work. But I just hope to god Freja doesn't dig herself so deep into one role, one stereotype, one image, that she can never get herself out. I have my fingers crossed that the upcoming Chanel and Louis Vuitton campaigns can begin to swing the pendulum back towards the other side so that we can see some kind of balance and a settling at the center. Because after this Calendar, the Vman editorial, Star Girls in Vogue UK, and Think Punk, I'm looking forward to seeing some other facets of Freja. And I'm looking forward to seeing her model some clothes for once. ;) The Freja Exposure Rate is literally off the charts now after this.

Image Credits: pirelli.com originally via tFS member testinofan, before images were deleted from tFS.

Mythology

Big news of the day is the release of the annual Pirelli calendar in Moscow. With Karl at the helm, is it any surprise that Freja is included this year? You gotta love him for being so loyal.

Back when the news broke in April that Karl would be the photographer, I'll admit I was a bit skeptical about Freja's odds of being included. After all, the Pirelli Calendar is about sexy pin-ups with a high fashion twist. And no matter how versatile I think Freja is as a model, the last thing that people associate her with is sexy pin-up girl. But no matter now, since Karl has managed to pick a theme that allows him to integrate all his favorite models into the calendar: Greek and Roman mythology.

And no surprise here, Freja plays the male roles of Apollo, Pollux and Orpheus. So Karl has managed to both exceed and let down my expectations. Exceed in the sense of his unconventional casting choice of Freja (and even Iris) for this calendar; let down in the sense of his trite role assignment. Freja in a masculine role....wow, never saw that one coming (rolls eyes). At least there is some unexpected gender-bending going on with Abbey as Castor and Anja as Hermes. I like to see models taking on new roles and challenges, and at this point I feel like Freja (through no fault of her own) hasn't been given much opportunity to do so. C'est la vie I guess.

Regardless, I am excited to see what the final images will look like. The images that have been released so far are really beautiful. They're classical in all the right ways, and everyone looks gorgeous--real, physical embodiments of the gods they're asked to play. So I'm leaving myself open to the possibility that I'll be pleasantly surprised, and that roles won't matter in the face of beauty. Your thoughts on Freja and the calendar?

ETA: Here's the first image of Freja

Image Credits: pedestrian.tv

I Love You Karl

Yes, you Karl Lagerfeld. You, who have been the biggest and most loyal supporter of Freja. You, designer of Chanel, Fendi and up until this season Karl Lagerfeld. You, drinker of Diet Coke and wearer of sunglasses inside.

It's because of you Freja never faded away, even when she wasn't doing too well a few years ago. It's because of you that we get to see her in magazine ads every season. It's because of you that we can take comfort knowing she'll always be at at least one runway show during Resort and Couture seasons.

Thank you Karl and I love you Karl, no matter how ridiculous you may seem. My favorite model owes a large part of her career status and a record 4th consecutive Chanel campaign, amazing 6th overall, to your constant, unwavering support. I was a little bit worried when it seemed like your favor had swung over to Natasha, but I should know better than to doubt you.

Congrats on six Chanel campaigns Freja. You're a true Chanel woman and the perfect modern embodiment of the brand. I think you've most definitely secured your place in fashion history with this.

Direct from the source:

"Inès de la Fressange, the face of Chanel in the Eighties, will be back on the runway for the French brand at its show on Oct. 5, WWD has learned.

What’s more, Karl Lagerfeld has booked her to appear in Chanel’s spring/summer campaign, along with modeling greats from the two subsequent decades, Stella Tennant and Freja Beha Erichsen.

“She is beyond stunning,” Lagerfeld enthused about De la Fressange. “Also, she is the Parisienne.” Lagerfeld said the advertising shoot would take place in the south of France.

De la Fressange parted ways with Chanel in 1989 after a fracas over her lending her likeness to the French republic. But Lagerfeld and his former muse have recently enjoyed warm relations.

Today, De la Fressange is Roger Vivier’s brand ambassador."

Hello New York

Freja's first show of the season and first show in New York was Rag & Bone, where she did the honors of opening. Guess she's making up for missing the show last season due to illness or something of that nature.

Rag & Bone recently debuted a short documentary film directed by R. J. Cutler (of The September Issue fame) about their F/W 10.11 show held last February. In the film you can clearly see Freja's showcard on their model board, meaning she was most definitely slated to walk.

And all of the other models shown in the above screen cap definitely walked the show. But as we already established from the Hexa by Kuho behind the scenes videos, Freja was out sick. What's past is past, but it's always nice to know what really happened. There are so many unpredictable factors that sometimes it just feels good to be able to get a hold of one old mystery. :)

Anyway, Freja is definitely on the runways of NY but this time she's also out celebrating on its streets. She made an appearance last night at Karl's Chanel dinner feting the re-opening of the Chanel Soho Boutique, just like I hoped she would. Wearing her usual all-black ensemble, Freja looked a bit out of place among the other models who were dressed up in their very best dresses. But hey, would you expect anything else from Freja? Gotta hand it to her....she's consistent and loyal when it comes to her sartorial choices. An old interview she did comes to my mind, where she said that as a young girl she only wore one outfit consisting of Wrangler jeans and white tees. I guess you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink. ;)

New York is well on it's way so enjoy the shows! And have a great Fashion's Night Out!

Image Credits: vogue.it, style.it

Random Bits: The Start of SS11 Edition

Fashion week hasn't even officially started and I'm already overwhelmed. :/ Anyway, Freja's week is definitely starting off right!

-She's nabbed the cover of the latest issue of The Last Magazine, along with Anja Rubik. Photographed by Maciek Kobielski, Freja is sporting the ever so chic "deer in headlights" look. Not her best cover, but in a year filled with so many, does it really matter at this point? Just in case you're counting, this marks Freja's 12th cover appearance for 2010, and we still have 4 months to go before the year's end. Yikes! As a fan, I'm definitely thrilled when my favorite model is having a banner year. But I can understand if non-fans are getting tired of this....even I'm getting tired of this just a bit. Maybe Freja's image/persona/aura/whatever you want to call it is getting overexposed. At this point she's completely saturated all corners of the fashion market and I totally get how that can be overkill. But hey, if it had to happen to one model, at least it's happening to one of the most deserving, humble, approachable and relatable ones.

-While 2010 has been Freja's year in terms of magazine covers, style.com seems to think that the past 10 years have been Freja's years in terms of modeling. She's one of their top ten models of the decade alongside Giselle, Stella, Agyness, Daria, Chanel, Miranda, Lara, Natalia and Kate. Congrats Freja! It's well deserved, for I can't think of another model who has been able to take such a no-compromising, yet (ironically) laid-back attitude and still achieve such heights of success. 16 tattoos...check. Disregard for hair length restrictions...check. Unwavering dedication to a wardrobe of all black...check. Moving to NY 4 years into your career instead of at the beginning of it...check. Stubborn refusal to discuss personal life in depth...check. Reluctance to show up at major fashion events and galas aside from fashion week...check. Legions of fans both within and outside of the industry who are drawn to all these one of a kind traits...check!

But one thing has to be said: Where's Raquel!? Glaring omission if you ask me. In the words of a very wise person, "Big mistake. Big. Huge....I have to go shopping now."

-Not everything is coming up roses this week. Here's some sad news to keep us in check. Karl Lagerfeld has canceled his Paris show, so that means one less runway appearance for Freja and your other favs.

"Karl Lagerfeld will not show his signature collection during Paris Fashion Week and is instead readying a new “masstige” ready-to-wear collection to be sold online.

Lagerfeld had been scheduled to show here on Oct. 3.

His signature collection, produced and distributed by Italian manufacturer Vaprio Stile since 2008, will now take a more commercial tack, with less involvement from Lagerfeld, according to a spokeswoman for Lagerfeld. It will be sold in showrooms in Milan and Paris."

Poor Karl....you could always sense that his eponymous line was the closest to his heart and his design sensibilities. At least he has plenty to keep him busy with Chanel, Fendi and now Hogan.

Anyway, the week has already started with a bang, and hopefully there will be plenty more to come. So stay tuned.....

Image Credits: models.com

Is the "Freja" the new "Rachel"?

Apparently Freja's current hairstyle is all the rage. Dubbed "The Freja" by The Irish Times, it's gaining notoriety in the UK as well:

"The haircut of the season is undoubtedly the Freja, after model du jour Freja Beha Erichsen. The fresh-faced Dane sums up the mood of the season with her choppy, laissez-faire, shoulder-length style, which is given definition and volume with layers and texture, and cut using a sharp-edged razor. It suits pretty much any face shape and doesn't take much upkeep."

I also got a tip recently from one of you lovely readers informing me about a piece in Grazia (not online unfortunately) also touting the "Freja" as the next big thing in hair care. (Thanks Natalie!)

Since when did her hair become a thing? I always just thought it was messy and disheveled because she was growing it out and couldn't be bothered to deal with it. It fits her casual, effortless, just throw on some jeans and a t-shirt look very well. So it's really hilarious to me that it's now apparently become a style that other people strive for. I mean, just go to sleep, wake up and voila! Oh the irony. Maybe "The Freja" is the next "The Rachel." Yes? Yes? Regardless of my condescension, this is just another example of how notable and recognizable Freja is becoming, perhaps even outside fashion circles. Cult personality model indeed.

On a somewhat related note in speaking of things I find hilarious, I'm sure you've all seen the recent pictures of Baptiste in short booty shorts out and about with Karl in St. Tropez. Well, Freja was with them too, but she opted for Balmain jeans. I guess there's only room for one pair of booty shorts in St. Tropez...

Even though there's really nothing notable about these pics, I'm just happy that Freja's still in Karl's good graces. We haven't seen any work from the two of them in a while. Instead Karl's been working a lot with Natasha, and it had me slightly worried. I know not everyone likes Karl, his photography, and the work he does with Chanel, but he's been a constant supporter of Freja and her career, even during 2008 when things weren't going quite as well. It's just nice to be able to rely on certain things and relationships when everything else in the world seems so tenuous and uncertain. (Hello upcoming mid-term elections, high unemployment rates, and the possibility of another recession.) So I hope this means we'll be seeing a new editorial or collaboration soon!

Image Credits: afashiontale.dk, hola.com, zimbio.com

First Glimpse of Chanel

Here are the first snaps of the Chanel F/W 10.11 campaign:

Way too early to make my judgment yet, but I will venture to say that things don't look so bad. I don't know what I was expecting with the outrageous collection, but the contrast of the soft furs against the hard, brick and mortar NYC landscape is quite nice. It seems to be one of those odd pairings that end up working--the qualities of one offsetting and enhancing the other's.

I just love the shot of Freja and Abbey together. Their embrace mimics the enveloping embrace of the clothing, and their facial expressions are quite wonderful in their contrast as well. A smirk on Freja's; and impenetrable gaze on Abbey's. Maybe "contrast" is the wider theme at play here. But I won't know for sure until we see the whole set.

Speaking of, I always end up liking the complete campaign after I get to look at all the images, so I'm hoping Chanel sets up a section on their website like they did for last season's Latin Lover campaign. Just from these quick snaps I can already tell that I'm inclined to like this campaign way more than the Max Mara campaign. And yes, if Fashion Week Daily is to be believed, those images are indeed the Max Mara campaign and not part of a lookbook. What a letdown....

Image Credits: snaps by tFS member nothingless

This or That?

It's a battle of the SS10 Eyewear campaigns. Both feature Freja and Baptiste. Both photographed by Karl. But one is dark, the other is light. One is sleek, the other is tousled. Which do you choose?

Karl Lagerfeld SS10:

Chanel SS10:

I think both sets make for striking images, especially when you see them in magazines. Haven't seen the KL ads yet, but the Chanel ones definitely stick out to me because of their insistent brightness. Interesting that Karl would choose to go completely dark for his namesake brand. I think it's rather fitting as I've always thought KL had a darker, more severe (in the German tradition) type of aesthetic message. And since the same two models are featured, the use of light and dark serves to develop a much needed distinction between the two brands. Although, if forced to choose, I'd probably go with the KL ads. I love how Freja and Baptiste's faces stand out against the black. And those ads really show how well they can work together.

Image Credits: designscene.net, my scans

Shout Outs

A few mentions of Freja lately in the fashion atmosphere.

Fellow Dane and model Amanda Norgaard talked with vogue.co.uk about walking the SS10 Chanel show:

"There were such incredible models - like Natasha Poly and Freja Beha - backstage and I started to think, 'Ok, this is really good'!"

And Kaiser Karl told WWD why he likes working with Freja so much:

“I just think she is the most modern girl and the most elegant person...”

It's always nice to hear good things about your favorite models. I'm not one for cattiness and drama, so I'd rather hear nice stuff like this instead of backstage dirt. Although....if you know any I would mind it too much if you shared. ;)

And to go along with the small discussion taking place on this previous post about eyewear vs. mainline Chanel campaigns, it seems like Freja will one again reprise her staring role in the former, in addition to sharing the role with Abbey in the later. I definitely can't wait to see what both campaigns will look like. As established by an anonymous commenter in that previous post, Chanel has a history of making the two campaigns entirely different in style and aesthetic. So for all the people out there who were disappointed at the news that Abbey would also be in the mainline campaign, you can take comfort knowing that Freja's lovely face is the only one you'll see staring back at you from under chic Chanel sunglasses.

What a great season this is turning out to be: Chanel Mainline, Max Mara and Chanel Eyewear. And with May 11th and the Chanel Cruise show fast approaching, I can safely say that there won't be any dearth of Freja news.

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