The case of the missing showcard

IMG showcards are finally out, and curiously missing from the pile? Freja's. Maybe not so curious if Freja doesn't plan on walking NY this season, but I really have no idea. It wouldn't come as a huge surprise since missing NY seems to be in vogue, with Abbey Lee taking leave for London.

Or maybe Freja is just at the level where she doesn't need a show card anymore. After all, no showcard doesn't always mean no model. Luckily we only have a few days to find out for ourselves whether Freja will be walking down those Lincoln Center catwalks.

Disappointingly enough, the time that IMG finally decides to spring for a design team is the time that Freja either decides to sit out, or decides that she's too established for a showcard like the rest of them.

If anyone does know what the situation is, feel free to leave a comment.

New York SS11 Recap

New York Fashion Week S/S 11 - 13 Shows Total
2 Opening Slots
3 Closing Slots

Alexander Wang (C) - 1 Look
Anna Sui - 2 Looks
Carolina Herrera - 1 Look
Derek Lam - 2 Looks
Diesel Black Gold - 2 Looks
Marc Jacobs (C) - 1 Look
Michael Kors - 3 Looks
Narciso Rodriguez (C) - 2 Looks
Oscar de la Renta - 2 Looks
Ports 1961 (O) - 3 Looks
Rag & Bone (O) - 1 Look
Tom Ford - 1 Look
Vera Wang - 3 Looks

New season, new venue, and arguably a new Freja. With the Bryant Park tents long gone and the glamor of Lincoln Center now commonplace, I feel like we saw a new/old version of Freja this time around in New York.

Don't believe me? I'll let a few names explain what I mean: Carolina, Anna, Oscar, Vera and Tom. All designers known for a certain type of femininity and lauded for the way they can dress a woman. Yes, the model constantly heralded as the archetype of androgyny has grown up and returned to a softness and femininity that characterized the very early seasons of her career. I have to think that this new/old look is closely tied to the length of her hair, which is noticeably longer this show season than it has been since she first cut it all off in September of 2008. It's interesting how so much can ride on so little....but that's another story for another day.

The week started off strong with two shows on Friday, and two opening looks. After skipping last season's show due to illness, Freja came back to open this season's Rag & Bone show. In one day, she went from being strapped in and harnessed, to being soft and flouncy with three looks at Ports 1961, including the opening one. This would merely be the first instance in what I saw as a noticeable return to femininity that I mention above. Less pants and tough girl looks, more dresses and gowns.

Continuing on with her prominent placement in shows, Freja closed the Alexander Wang show on Saturday. She's always been a favorite of Alex's and the two seem to have developed a nice working relationship over the years. Not to mention that Freja is constantly seen wearing his clothes and carrying his bags, so we can assume the feelings of admiration are mutual.

Sunday brought with it two shows. Derek Lam in the morning, and the surprising Tom Ford at night. Freja is a fixture at Derek's shows now, but most people would never have pegged her for a Tom Ford woman. Things have a way of changing, yet remaining the same. A few years ago, Freja with the long hair and fringe would have fit in perfectly with the Ford aesthetic circa 2004. But as all modern woman are apt to do, she underwent changes and transformations in her life and appearance. It's those very changes that inform who she is today, and make her (in my mind) a great Tom Ford woman for the new decade. Different, yet still the same.

One of the things I like most about Freja is how versatile of a model she is. People don't give her enough credit for that, preferring to pigeonhole her into one role and niche. On Monday she displayed that versatility brilliantly with her three shows. At Caroline Herrera she showed us refined elegance. At Diesel Black Gold she showed us modern toughness. And at Marc Jacobs she showed us a glamorous throwback to decadent beauty. Only a few models can carry off such different images in one day. And to top it all off, she closed the MJ show, which is a really big deal because it's considered to be the marquee show of NYFW. Go Freja!

On Tuesday, Freja returned to the runway for Vera Wang, a show she last walked during the SS09 season two years ago. It was Vera's special 20th Anniversary show, so it was nice to see Freja take part with three looks. There are so many designers who seem to have good relationships with Freja that it might be easier to keep track of the ones who don't. ;) Late in the day, Freja walked in and closed the Narciso Rodriguez show in a stunningly beautiful look. The gown was minimal, yet it made such a powerful statement in it's simplicity and Freja just looked absolutely radiant. So many times during the week I felt like I was being transported back 4 years ago. Freja seems to have retained (or regained) the innocence and excitement that comes so naturally to the young models just starting out in their careers.

As the week went on, Freja slowed down just a bit, maybe in preparation for the rest of the cities? When I say slow down, I mean she stopped closing and opening shows and didn't walk in a few shows I thought she would be at. Anyway, Freja walked for Michael Kors and Anna Sui on Wednesday. If you haven't already seen it, you have to watch this cute pre-show video of fittings for the Kors show. Freja is featured prominently, along with an appearance by Karmen.

On the last day of NYFW, Freja walked the Oscar de la Renta runway for only the second time in her career. Last season was her debut and she opened and closed the show. This season she had two looks. I've noticed that as her career progresses, the type of shows Freja walks in changes as well--ODLR and Anna Sui being the two most prominent examples. But I guess that's a given for any model who's been around as long as Freja has. You have to change it and keep things interesting.

Now we're off to London! Actually, the shows have already started today. Will Freja walk? I'm not sure, but I'd like to think so. She doesn't have a showcard, but no showcard doesn't always mean no model. Especially when it comes to models of Freja's status and seniority. So stay tuned!

Image Credits: style.it, contributormagazine.com

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

The Time Has Come

Showcards are out, and true to IMG's usual form, there's little to be had in terms of bells and whistles here. The formula being: take a recent shot, slap it on a one color background, add stats and call it a day. Minimal effort....or should I say minimal "design." But when you're an agency as big and powerful as they are, I guess you don't need a lot of superfluous visuals. You can just let the overall image, power and attractiveness of your board speak for itself. With perennial powerhouses like Lara and Freja; rising stars like Jac and Frida; and new faces like Ajak and Barbara to manage, maybe IMG doesn't have the time to shoot, design and create anything other than what they did.

Still, it would have been nice to see some creativity in their cards, not that I was really expecting it. However, this season theirs looks even more mundane when compared to the plethora of other packages, each displaying its own personality, image, and crafted message. All the other agencies seemingly stepped up their game and IMG either refuses, or doesn't feel the need to take part in the new intricacies of show package gamesmanship.

I actually go back and forth in my mind as to which approach is best. And maybe there isn't necessarily a "best" approach; but rather, an approach best suited for each particular board. It is just a bit of a letdown though. Oh well....it's a safe bet that their models will make up for it on the runway. :) Thoughts? Do you think IMG should step it up?

Also, regarding the upcoming shows: I'll probably stick to my usual method of updating for the first show in a city, and then only doing another cumulative runway update at the end of said city. This way I can avoid repetitiveness and still retain some semblance of a normal life. If you happen to be in any of the cities during the shows, tips or pictures are always much appreciated. Sad to say my NY girl on the streets Cameo won't be there this season. :( I'm so grateful that we had your kind tips for a few seasons, and we'll miss you and your updates this time around Cameo!

Image Credits: imgmodels.com

Fashion Weeks

It's been very quiet lately, but that's definitely not unusual for the month of August. Nearly everyone is on vacation, resting up for the hectic month of September when models begin to descend en mass upon the cities of New York, London, Milan and Paris for the Spring/Summer 2011 runway season.

To get you excited (and prepared), you can browse the schedule for New York here. Those are just the designers showing at the tents (at Lincoln Center!!). Lots of designers are showing off-site so don't fret if you don't see Alexander, Marc, Jack or Lazaro on the list. Here's hoping Freja continues on with her amazing streak from last season. Any shows you're particularly excited to see her walk? Hoping to see her walk? Will be shocked if she walks? I'm excited for Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs and Narciso Rodriquez. I just love Alex always, and Marc and Narciso are the only two shows that Freja has never missed walking for since her debut. Talk about amazing streaks....those two can't end!

Even though it's been a quiet August, there's always a fashion week going on somewhere in the world. And this time it's happening in Freja's home country. Copenhagen Fashion Week starts today and lasts until Sunday. Freja won't be walking, but that's no excuse to miss out if you love fashion and models. After all, it's where Freja got her start before landing internationally on the Prada runway. And it's where we'll most likely see new talent trying to make their marks before the September shows begin. Caroline Brasch Nielsen had a good debut last season at CPH before breaking out in Paris, and subsequently making it on to many top ten newcomer lists. If you're a model watcher than I would definitely keep your eyes peeled. Those Danes are always quite lovely and perfectly in line with the modeling zeitgeist.

Maybe August won't be so quiet after all. :)

New York FW1011 Recap

New York Fashion Week F/W 10.11 - 14 Shows Total
4 Opening Slots
2 Closing Slots

Alexander Wang - 1 Look
Anna Sui - 2 Looks
Calvin Klein - 2 Looks
Carolina Herrera - 1 Look
Derek Lam (O) - 2 Looks
Diesel (O) - 2 Looks
Hexa by Kuho (C) - 2 Looks
Isaac Mizrahi - 2 Looks
Marc by Marc Jacobs - 1 Look
Marc Jacobs - 1 Look
Michael Kors - 1 Look
Narciso Rodriguez - 2 Looks
Oscar de la Renta (O) (C) - 3 Looks
Y-3 (O) - 1 Look

Wow, what a week it's been. I'm still rubbing my eyes in disbelief at Freja's showing in New York. The week started off earlier than expected with her first appearance at heretofore unknown Korean label Hexa. But after that bright start, things seemed to slow down when Freja missed Rag & Bone on Friday. With her only appearance way back on Wednesday, I wondered if she would be showing up much at all in New York.

Saturday brought the Alexander Wang show, and Freja's only appearance for the day. She was en route to what I predicted; a nice, relaxed, occasional appearance at all the big shows.

However, on Sunday we got our first (of many) surprise when Freja opened the Y-3 show and ended it by triumphantly knocking out Yohji himself.

On Monday the surprises continued when Freja walked Carolina Herrera, a show she last walked two years ago during the FW0809 season. The day ended as expected with Marc Jacobs, a beautifully understated and elegant show. I caught the live stream and it was just breathtaking. The perfect tone to compliment what everyone was feeling going into fashion week with the news of McQueen's death; melancholic and bittersweet, yet hopeful.

Freja continued her streak on Tuesday by opening Derek Lam, walking for Marc by Marc Jacobs, closing the Diesel show and walking for Narciso Rodriguez. Girl was on fire during her busiest day of the week, expertly demonstrating her versatility with the different timbres of each show.

Wednesday brought more surprises (notice a theme here?) in that Freja made her runway debut for two designers. First she walked for Michael Kors in the morning as usual. Then came her debut for Oscar de la Renta, where she opened and closed (!) the show wearing three total looks. You could hear the collective jaw droppings of Freja fans around the world in reaction to this news, but it didn't stop there. Later that night Freja made her debut for Anna Sui, a show I never thought we'd see her walk. But if I learned anything this New York fashion week, it's that anything is possible. All the things you deem impossible, all the limits you think insurmountable, all the boundaries you think impassable; these things are always subject to change. Freja is proof of that in fashion.

On the last day of NYFW, and the last day at Bryant Park, Freja walked for Isaac Mizrahi in the morning and Calvin Klein later during the day. Calvin was another surprise and my favorite appearance of the week. The complex simplicity and minimalistic design tendencies of CK fit sublimely with the angles of Freja's face. The line of the clothes and sleeked back hair style really highlighted her true beauty, and indeed the beauty of every model who walked in the show.

It was by far my favorite cast of models, with a wonderful mix of the old and new. It was risky, yet oh so appropriate for the collection. You can't go wrong with Kristy, Tanga, Stella and Kristen. And the new CK exclusives were amazing as well: Julia Nobis, Gwen Loos, and Melissa Tamarijn. I'll be keeping my eye out for those girls, especially Julia.

It was very fitting that Freja's last show at Bryant Park was Calvin Klein, a brand that she walked for early on in her career. It felt like things were coming around full circle, and I thought it was such a proper ending to her Bryant Park career. Now onto the Kennedy Center next season!

Which shows were your favorites? What was the best surprise for you? With NY taken into consideration, I really can't wait to see what London (hopefully), Milan and Paris have in store for us. Although, I don't think any surprise could top the ones we've already had.

Image Credits: style.it, wwd