She Will!

After all the speculation and worries, we only had to wait a few days for all our questions to be answered, for Freja finally made her FW1112 appearance today on the Paris runway of Hakaan.

It's great to see her in Paris, walking the shows. The break did her well, as I'm actually really happy to see her face. As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Anyway, as per my usual MO, I'll update on Freja's runway shows only at the end of the city/season, as updating for every show gets pretty repetitive and boring. But don't worry, I'll be keeping track......I'm sure all of us will be keeping track.

Until then, enjoy Paris and the prospect that Freja will walk more shows. :)

Image Credits: vogue.it

Will she or won't she?

It's been quite entertaining and informative to keep up with all of your comments on the previous post. I guess I didn't realize exactly how much some of you care if Freja walks this season or not. For me, I just kind of accepted the fact that she wasn't going to be walking, welcomed the break from chronicling her season, and took the opportunity to follow the shows more closely. But if Freja is your absolute, hands down favorite model, then I can absolutely understand the unwavering hope that she will eventually turn up this season.

So to stoke that hope even further, models.com has put up IMG's Paris showcards and Freja's is included in the bunch. But don't necessarily take this as confirmation of anything, for Freja had the same showcard for Milan and didn't show up at any shows. At this point, all we can do is wait and see.

Even if Freja ends up skipping the season entirely, her career won't be much affected. She's cemented her status as a top model, working icon and cult figure. She's reached the point that all models hope to reach: the point were her career is self sustaining based on her reputation, extensive oeuvre, and all the hard work she put in for 12 straight seasons. One missed catwalk season isn't going to push her out of the minds of the photographers, editors, and stylists who have worked with her before, and who want to work with her in the future.

Some of you might still remember SS08 when she missed most of Paris, or SS09 when she missed most of Milan and ALL of Paris. That was earlier in her career and she managed to bounce back, no problems. In fact, she came back stronger than ever. I guess if you're a seasoned Freja fan, you've come to expect and learned to deal with her runway absences.

So in the meantime, let's enjoy her Vogue Brasil cover shot by Henrique Gendre, and be happy that she's being given the opportunity to display all the other facets of her modeling abilities. Feminine Freja FTW! ;)

Image Credits: models.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!

NY Out, Europe In?

It's official. Freja is skipping New York Fashion Week for the first time in her career. The word comes to us from streetstyle photographer extraordinaire Bonae.

"A good source informed that Freja Beha Erichsen is skipping NYFW this season."

Now it remains to be seen if Freja will be skipping the entire FW1112 season, or just the city of New York. Will she show up in London? She didn't walk there last season and she doesn't have a showcard for this city either, but it's where Tom Ford is showing his intimate presentation this time around. Will she make it there? She's not necessarily a favorite of his, so I have my doubts.

That leaves us with Milan and Paris. If showcards are any indication (thanks to reader Julie for the tip!), she'll make her debut there. Possibly in grand style at Gucci, as a friend with a knack for crystal ball speculations jokingly predicted to me. :) All jokes aside, I really do think Freja will wait until Europe to walk. It's nearly impossible to think of her missing shows like Chanel, Fendi, Gucci and Valentino. Right?

So with a European showcard for reassurance, we'll just have to wait a little while to get our Freja fix. In the meantime, enjoy the shows and discover some new girls to follow. As usual, there's plenty of them stomping up and down the catwalks of NY.

Image Credits: imgmodels.com

Runway Randomness

Freja popped up in Berlin yesterday, making a runway appearance at the Hugo by Hugo Boss show where she had the honors of opening and closing. Random, no? Then again, to my memory, Hugo Boss always manages to snag a few big name models for their BFW show. I'm sure they pay very nicely. And it's nice to see the return of a sleek and clean runway version of Freja.

Brings back memories doesn't it? Memories from her earlier seasons....

In other runway news, the Haute Couture shows start next week and Chanel is showing on Tuesday, the 25th. So mark those calendars you avid Freja watchers. Bets on what role Freja will play this time? After being singled out during the Pre-Fall show, I wonder what Karl has in store for her this time, if anything at all. Another fact of note is that Karl is once again foregoing the epic proportions of the Grand Palais in favor of more intimate settings at 46 rue de Cambon; not to be confused with 31 rue Cambon, the address made famous by Coco Chanel. So no elaborately huge runway centerpiece this time around. The economy is only showing slight signs of recovery, so excessive consumption is still a bit taboo.

Anyway, all this runway randomness just adds to the excitement about the F/W 11/12 runway season peeking right around the corner.

Image Credits: scans by tFS member Alien Sex Friend, fmd1.com, elle.de

Gucci is a Go

After skipping the London show season, Freja is back on the catwalks in Milan. Already walking with three looks for Gucci, she's making her first day a busy one with appearances at Alberta Ferretti and possibly even No. 21 Allessandro dell Acqua. I guess she really was resting up for what will hopefully be a busy Milan Fashion Week.

It's great to see her relationship with the Gucci brand continue it's long run, but the big question on my mind is, will she walk for Prada tomorrow? After making her international debut on its runway over 5 years ago, Freja was bypassed for the show last season since she didn't fit the overall aesthetic. What will Miuccia be going for this season? Is Freja still a Russell Marsh favorite? All the answers to these questions and more come tomorrow.

Image Credits: style.it

In Milan?

The Burberry Prosum show was today and Freja didn't walk. Fashionologie has an interesting report up:

"According to rumors, last night, Gucci demanded all girls cast in their show fly into Milan, pronto. That means Burberry's usual all-star London lineup — Freja Beha Erichsen and Lily Donaldson among them — were already gone; Burberry did nab Jourdan Dunn and Lisanne De Jong, however."

We know that Freja is both a Burberry and Gucci favorite, walking in both shows countless times throughout her career. However, I suppose this means that she's more of a Gucci girl since she didn't show up at the Burberry show. Makes sense considering she's been a Gucci campaign girl many times while Burberry continues to stick with British faces.

Of course, Freja could have just skipped London altogether to get some much needed rest. She didn't walk in any of the week's other big shows: Julien MacDonald, Christopher Kane, Pringle of Scotland, Jaeger London (the last two being brands that she's done campaigns for in the past). Who knows? I guess we just wait and see until tomorrow if Freja shows up on the Gucci catwalk.....

A Record Stands Strong

For the 11th consecutive time in her career, Freja walked in the Marc Jacobs show last night. In fact, she closed the show wearing a shimmery, sequined dress while soft curls of hair fell around her face. I don't know how many of you even care, know or care to know, but Marc Jacobs is one of only two shows that Freja has never missed walking for during her long modeling career. Since her debut as a model over 5 years ago, she has diligently taken to that catwalk every single show season. For an industry predicated on change, trends, evolution and "the new" every few months, this is certainly an amazing feat for all those involved. Model, designer, and casting director have all worked in tandem, developing a rapport over the years that's cherished by me and hopefully by some of you as well.

As I was watching the livestream, I kept waiting to see Freja's face or straining to recognize her walk. As more and more looks came out I started to get worried, but then there she was at the very end. And it felt right that she should close the biggest show of NYFW. I have to admit that I haven't been as excited this season, but when I saw Freja at Marc I totally threw my hands up in the air and said "yes!" I said yes for the record, and yes for the lovely young woman that I saw. For fans who grew to love Freja at the beginning of her career, these past few months have been like a homecoming of sorts. She's looking as alluring, feminine and happy as she looked all those seasons ago. And maybe now the newer fans can begin to see her range and capabilities outside the very limiting stereotypes she was hindered by for so long.

Someone is most definitely having a moment, and she's been having it for the past year. And after last night, it seems as if this moment isn't even close to coming to an end.

Image Credits: style.it

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

London or Bust

I know it's way too early to be thinking about the SS11 runway season, but London has just announced it's schedule. Brands like Burberry, Matthew Williamson, Pringle of Scotland and Jonathan Saunders are set to show in the city again, while Swedish label Acne will be making it's London show debut. It was only a few seasons ago when the people behind LFW seemingly decided to amp it up to attract bigger names and more attention, and look where they are now. The city's fashion week definitely cannot be missed, especially for fans of Jonny Johansson.

I don't want to be presumptuous, but I hope this lineup means that we'll be seeing Freja on the London catwalks again and for the third time in her career. She only made her debut in the city during the SS10 season so she's still relatively new there. But it's a pattern that I'm beginning to see a lot more often; bigger name models aren't bypassing the city anymore, and neither are the press and the rest of the fashion flock. With the schedule being the way it is, can you blame them?

But of course, this is Freja who were talking about. So I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that she walks at all this upcoming season and doesn't disappear on us like before or decide to retire from runway a la Raquel and Lily D. And if she makes it to London again, and maybe even that Acne show, that will just be icing on the cake.

New Editorials and London

Here are two of Freja's March magazine madness editorials:

Chic Mystique
W Magazine March 2010
Ph: Mario Sorrenti

Love At First Sight
Vogue US March 2010
Ph: Steven Meisel

I'm just so happy to see Freja in US Vogue that I can't really say anything substantive or meaningful about the editorial. Usually I'm apathetic towards standard studio edits, but this one is special, obviously. And the rest of the cast is so great that I don't mind that Freja only has three shots. I like to think of this as a stepping stone to bigger and better things, hopefully. Finally US Vogue is changing up their model casting. In addition to Freja, this issue also boasts debuts for Abbey Lee, Patricia van der Vliet, and Mirte Maas! If Anna Wintour keeps this up I'll actually be looking forward to getting my copy of Vogue in the mail every month. Now...if we could just get her to do something about those awful celebrity covers....but even that might be changing in the near future. I swear, this entire month has seen the fashion world turned upside-down and inside out, especially for us Freja fans.

Anyway, as you all know by now, Freja is in London and she's already walked two shows, one of them a debut for her: Julien MacDonald and Acquascutum. The craziness continues, so if you thought this week was going to be a nice break between New York and Milan, think again. London is the place to be right now as a lot of models are walking there this season (think Anja, Abbey, Freja, Karlie, Sigrid, etc). I think this is great for a city that's generally overlooked. Collections have been strong so far so take a look when you get the chance.

Oh, and thanks to tFS member s'gnac, we have a preview of Freja's SPUR cover. I guess that means it's out in Japan and hopefully we'll be able to see some scans of the story eventually.

Image Credits: My scans, amazon.co.jp via s'gnac @ tFS

Femininity's Triumphal Return

After months of complaining, the fashion gods have heard my cries. Freja is finally moving away from the androgyny that has defined her for so long, and into a femininity that was more characteristic of her early modeling days. I couldn't be happier right now. Yes, she is more than just the tough girl. Yes, she is more than just androgyny. Yes, she can look like a woman. Finally, people are starting to see what we've known all along. And here's the proof:

She walked on the runways of Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta and Anna Sui; three designers best known for their feminine frocks. A change has come and I'm so very excited to see how it all plays out for the European shows!

Oh, and two shows on the schedule for today. Isaac Mizrahi for sure, as Cameo tells me, and another one....probably Tommy. So Freja will be present for the last day of New York shows, but her London prospects are still uncertain. Even without a showcard, I have my fingers crossed for an appearance at Burberry.

Also, here are some more lovely candid shots courtesy of Cameo, who has been so wonderful and gracious this season. Thanks once again for being our eyes and ears at the tents! (As usual, please remember to credit her if you're going to repost these pictures anywhere. These candids are a perk and not a right so please don't abuse them. Thanks!)

Before Oscar de la Renta


After Oscar de la Renta


Before Michael Kors


After Michael Kors


After Anna Sui

Image Credits: style.it, catwalking, candids taken by Cameo

More Word From the Tents....

I thought you all would want to know that I just got another update from Cameo, our intrepid Freja fan who's braving the cold and elements out at the tents. Keep your eyes peeled at Anna Sui, because word around Bryant Park is that a certain someone will be walking that show for the first time ever. This is the same someone that opened and closed Oscar de la Renta earlier today. :) So if things hold true, that will be two brand new runway debuts for two different designers. New York is just full of surprises.

For us Freja fans, all the things we thought would never happen are happening. It's almost too much to handle and too good to be true. Anyway, thanks again Cameo! We love hearing your updates about Freja and it's awesome of you to face the nasty weather in New York. Stay warm!

Her Reputation Precedes Her

Freja opened the Y-3 show last night and her "performance" is causing quite a stir. The show was a fun, laser light spectacle with fun being the operative word.

"I've done this job for 28 years and sometimes I feel like I've done everything," explained Mr. Yamamoto backstage. "This time I said to myself, Yohji, you must have fun!"

The show, which was an ode to masked heroes like Zorro, ended with Yohji fighting and beating a male model, only to be knocked down to the floor by Freja. I guess knightess in shining armor is something we should now add to her resume. :)

Anyway, check out what some press are saying about it:

fibre2fashion: The show closed with a bang and the superhero theme came full circle as Mr. Yamamoto and a masked male model duked it out in front of the audience. Yamamoto emerged as the winner after the hardcore scuffle. That is, until tough-as-nails supermodel Freja Beha knocked the designer back down to the ground.

Racked: Finale! Yohji Yamamoto just practiced self defense in a laser circle, taking down a male model but beat by Freja Beha Erichsen. Of course.

Telegraph: And he even staged a mock “fight” where he felled a male model with a katate (sic) kick, but was then knocked down by a feisty supermodel, Freja Beha.

I guess her tough, androgynous reputation is well known, but in this instance I don't mind. So surprise number 1 of fashion week has already happened with this comical spectacle. I wonder what other surprises are in store for us? You know Freja always has a few up her sleeve every fahsion week. Whether they're good (like this one) or bad (like missing Paris fashion week) they definitely keep us all interested.

Image Credits: elle.com

Alexander Live

Don't forget, Alexander Wang is live streaming his show today at 5pm EST (in about 2 hours). You can watch it at SHOWstudio, or if you're in New York you can watch it as it's projected onto the massive screen outside the American Eagle Outfitters at 46th and Broadway. For other shows doing live streams that Freja could possibly walk in, refer to this old post.

So as you all know by now, Freja did not walk in Rag & Bone yesterday night. But neither did a lot of regulars like Coco, Lily, Stam, Sheila, Maryna and Karolin. The direction of the casting went a lot younger and fresher, which I feel is inevitable for a brand expanding and getting as much hype as R&B is getting. Anyway, we'll just have to see if Freja shows up for Alex's show.

I have a gut feeling that she might be taking this season a little easy. And good for her if she is, because she obviously needs the break. 2009 was a busy year for her in terms of print work and runway work. She also traveled with Karl, seemingly everywhere he went, all over the world. So I wouldn't blame her for wanting to be more relaxed and selective about her runway work now. Especially seeing as some of her other peers are doing the same thing (Lily, Lara, Stam, Sasha). Hopefully we'll see her today, and then I think we'll only see her at Marc on Monday, Derek, Marc by Marc and Narciso on Tuesday, and Michael on Wednesday. Maybe another surprise show somewhere, but I really think that will be it, and I feel like I'm even being too hopeful here.

What do you think? Bets on what shows she walks in? On whether she shows up in NY again? On whether she makes it to London this season? On whether she disappears like she did during SS08 and SS09? I hope not because she'll be leaving lots of fans disappointed.

Surprises Keep Coming

EDIT: Nevermind, I got a little excited. Freja did not walk the show, so now we wait for Rag & Bone.

And here I thought Freja's first show in NY would be Rag & Bone later today. Well, I've been completely wrong and it looks like that will be her third (hopefully). Her first was Hexa by Kuho on Wednesday. Her second was most likely the Yigal Azrouel show earlier today, judging by the model board.

We won't know for sure until runway photos surface, but things are looking pretty good so far. As always, I've come to expect lots of surprises when it comes to fashion week.

Image Credits: elle.com/blog

Hexa by Kuho

Not only did Freja walk in the Hexa by Kuho show last night, she also had the honors of closing the show. Fashion week started early and with a nice bang for us fans.

But not all things are so positive. The world has lost a great talent and mind today. Rest In Peace Alexander McQueen. May you find all that you seek where ever you are now. You will be missed.

Fashion Week Has Begun

No pictures yet, but Freja has already made her first appearance for the FW1011 season at the Hexa by Kuho show. According to the New York Time's The Moment's twitter:

Rania opened the Haxa (sic) by Kuho and starred in the film. Also, Tanya D, Freja, Tao...lots of top girls at a cerebal, deconstructed show.

Sounds delightful! I love a good esoteric fashion show and I'm not being facetious here. Koreans are supposedly the next up and coming talents in fashion design so I can't wait to see what they bring. And the fact that Hexa by Kuho was able to get Nick Knight to do a film and book top models on a Wednesday night during a snow storm already speaks volumes to me.

Fashion week has officially begun and I hope you're ready for it!

Fashion Week Live

Marc Jacobs isn't the only one in New York who will be streaming his show live. Alexander Wang and Rodarte are the latest designers to join in on the democratization party. Like twitpic-ing blurry runway pics last season, the live streaming show seems to be this season's "it" thing to do. Isn't it amazing how fast things are changing? Before we know it, fashion week might be a thing that exists entirely and solely online. I hope not, but I wouldn't be surprised either.

Anyway, Freja will probably walk Alex's show so you'll get the chance to see her live on Saturday the 13th at 5pm. Rodarte is happening at noon on Tuesday the 16th, but I'm not sure if she'll be there. She walked the show last season, but that was her first time working for the Mulleavy sisters. At this point, who knows what type of runway season Freja will have? She's been working a ton lately so she could ride on her momentum into the shows and convert a good runway season into some nice campaigns (besides Chanel). Or she could decide to lay low, take a break and recover from her busy year (the busiest in a while).Whatever this season brings, I'm sure we'll be on the edge of our seats.