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

Vogue Brasil?

These days I find that I have less and less time to scour the internet for Freja news. Luckily all you wonderful and amazing fellow fans out there never miss a beat and I'm so thankful for that. Today's news comes thanks to long time reader (since nearly the beginning!!) Rian via Vogue Brasil's blog and Google translate:

"In passing through the room of our editorial director Daniela Falcão, gave some of the pages ready March issue of the magazine and praised a lot to cover with the top Freja Beha."

If the translation and my interpretive skills are to be trusted, then Freja will be on the cover of the March issue, with an editorial inside to boot. Can any Portuguese readers out there confirm for sure?

All of this seems very plausible since Freja was only in Brazil for the first time back in December shooting the Santa Lolla campaign. Coverage and news from back then made it seem like she had quite the busy schedule. And if I recall correctly, Brazil's fashion flock caused a bit of fanfare over her. Seeing that she is one of today's top models, it only makes sense that they would take full advantage of her first visit.

So the land of Giselle, Raquel and Isabeli welcomes Freja with open arms. Proof that you don't have to have sexy curves and a sashaying runway walk to gain admirers down there. :)

It's Going to be a Good Year

No time for excessive words, other than to say that we're being spoiled with a wonderful start to the new year:

The new model of the moment and the veteran model of the moment, together on the cover of Vogue Italia shot by Steven Meisel. Old school, vintage, and nostalgia are just some of the words that come to mind. So how perfect to combine those ideas with two models whose features stand out for their modern sensibilities.

Anyway, no time for over analysis today! Just enjoy the cover and the feeling that Freja isn't going to fade away anytime soon. And enjoy your New Year celebrations! It's the last time to let loose before real life and real responsibilities return on Monday.

Image Credit: vogue.it via IAmLordZen @ tFS

Unstoppable

Vogue Italia November 2010 by Steven Meisel, also featuring Iselin Steiro

Beautiful, fresh, alluring, enchanting, intelligent, arresting....employ whatever adjective you want, but for me this is the best of Freja's covers this year. I love everything about it. I love the pairing of Iselin and Freja, I love the contrast of their hair colors, I love the way their bodies are interwoven, I love how their poses seem so haphazard but you just know everything was planned right down to the placement of their fingers, and I love the combination of leather and fur--two fashion trends that never seem to fade away.

I really can't stop looking at this image. Every time I glance at it, I feel like I see something new. I'm dying to get this in my hands so I can turn it up side down and right side up again. This is breaking stereotypes and giving us a new view of Freja (literally and figuratively), and I love Meisel because of it. He broke stereotypes with Freja and her March VI cover, and he does it again with this cover. Through his lens we finally get to see Freja in a new way, and I just hope the editorial lives up to the expectations this cover has set.

Image Credit: vogue.it via tFS member Pedro

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

Poetics of Body

Not quite sure what to say about this. I actually haven't had much to say about a lot of things recently, which is pretty strange for me and this blog because I do love a good rambling. Readers who've been with me for a while can attest to that. Anyway, I guess I should first let the work speak for itself. As for what it says, that's open for interpretation.

Poetics of Body
Vogue Korea September 2010
Ph: Rafael Stahelin
Styling: Ye Young Kim

I do have to say one thing. With the title "Poetics of Body" you'd think they would put more effort into making Freja look poetical or lyrical instead of making her look like she was attacked by piles of black clothing. But maybe that's an issue of language, translation and semantics. Either way, I really would have liked to have seen more elegance and subtlety. Don't drum up my expectations with words, only to counter them with your images. I can't say I'm a big fan of this. It's not her best work, but it's not her worst work either. To my mind, it's really just....work.

Now that people have finally moved away from pigeonholing her with the androgyny shtick, we've seemed to move into a newly dominant "too cool for school" characterization that also does no justice to Freja's full capabilities and talents as a model. But c'est la vie in the modeling world. Part of being successful is occupying a role and niche in the market. You do your character and you do it well. But to a fan like me, this gets old pretty quickly. Seeing the same thing over and over again doesn't inspire me. It doesn't enrage me. It just makes me feel apathy, which is a far more dangerous thing to feel when it comes to your favorite model. I mean, I can't be the only one dying to see Freja in full haute couture acting super delicate and feminine in a field of daisies, right? Or am I? Maybe I am.....

As with most things in life, we go through stages of ups and down, likes and dislikes. Regardless of what you might think of me since I do run this blog dedicated to her, I don't always like everything that Freja does and I don't worship the ground she walks on. I write about her because I find her and her work interesting and intellectually intriguing; although I will admit that her second "career rejuvenation" has made those things seem less so to me. How ironic that the more work I have to look at, the less I find myself inspired to say something about it. A lot of the intrigue and mystery that I was so drawn to two years ago when I started this blog is being eaten up and replaced by her ubiquity and extreme success. I'm happy for her of course (!!) but it's a bittersweet feeling that I'm not quite sure how to express without alienating some of you, so sorry about that.

I guess I'm going through one of those dips instead of hitting one of those high crests. Saw previews of both the upcoming Vogue Paris and V Magazine edits and I'm not too impressed with either. But maybe HQ images will change that. So until then, I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter. Maybe some other long term fans who feel differently? Or the same? Is it inevitable to fall into some sort of apathy after literally years of following someone's work? Hopefully the SS11 shows around the corner are just the thing to get me excited again.

Image Credits: cheny1117 @ sfileydy.com

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

Coverage

I find it amusing and comical that the latest fashion "story" to break on all the fashion sites is about the appearance of the same Miu Miu F/W 10.11 dress on three different magazine covers for August, one of those covers being Freja's Vogue UK. The story broke on the Guardian Sunday, and by today it seems like every major site has picked up coverage of the story:

Coco Perez
Daily Mail
Fab Sugar
Fashionista
Huffington Post
NYMag's The Cut
Styleite
Stylist
The Frisky
The Telegraph

At first I thought this was all pretty ridiculous and being blown completely out of proportion (Not to mention that's it not even the exact same dress on all three covers, but two similar versions as shown above). I still think this is all pretty ludicrous, but now I also think there is a huge plus side to this regarding Freja. Her Vogue UK cover is getting free press all over the internet and people who aren't usually exposed to Vogue UK are seeing it....a lot, over and over especially if they read a lot of fashion sites. It's an attractive and enticing enough cover that it will probably get lots more people asking "who's that girl?"

I'm not so naive to think that Freja is popular enough to be considered a mainstream, household name model. 99.9% of the US population can't identify the models in the ads of their magazines, nor are they frequent visitors to tFS. So something like this, no matter how trivial and ridiculous it may seem to me, definitely helps in terms of exposure and good press coverage for a model like Freja. Especially right now as her star seems to be rising even higher. And if all of this leads to more copies of Vogue UK being bought both here in the US and abroad, then maybe Freja will land another cover in the future. And maybe more magazines will start to put models more frequently on their covers. For we can all bitch and moan as much as we want to about celebrities on magazines covers, but it's the numbers and the money that speak the loudest.

There is a silver lining to all things, so I say to all the fashion sites out there: keep re-posting this story over and over again! You're not going to win a Pulitzer for groundbreaking news, but you'll be helping out our favorite model. :)

Image Credits: guardian.co.uk, style.com

Covered

It's been a fantastic year so far and it's only July (or already July depending on how you look at it). We have 6 more months and another show season to get through before we can definitively say that Freja is the model of the year. But with a Vogue Italia cover by Meisel, 6 FW1011 campaigns (including an unprecedented 5th run as a Chanel girl), a move up the models.com rankings to number 2, and 3 covers for the month of August (two of them for major market Vogues) on her list of accomplishment, it seems like Freja is leaving all other models in the dust.

It was only about one year ago when Freja began her rapid climb back to the top of the industry. She had 5 campaigns for the FW0910 season, and the month of September 2009 produced a major uptick in her editorial work that has not seemed to slow down yet. But if you would have asked me a year ago what I thought about Freja's career prospects, I wouldn't have been very optimistic. I mean, how often do you see a model having the best moment of her career five years and 11 show seasons after her debut? Sure, you get small comebacks here and there, but nothing to the degree of Freja's revival in all aspects of the industry. Whether it's runway, editorial or campaign work, Freja is there at the highest levels. She's even being interviewed and spotlighted as a model/fashion figure/celebrity in her own right.

So I know the who, what, where and when, but I have no clue as to the why. And frankly I couldn't care less as long as Freja stays consistent (which I know is a lot to ask from an industry that feeds off constant change). Maybe it was Meisel's blessing that finally did it, or the move to New York that made Freja more accessible to clients. Maybe it was the longer length of her hair, or maybe it was a just a private decision influenced by personal matters. We'll never know the cause (and it really isn't our place to know), but at least we get to reap the benefits. So enjoy the versatility, elegance and beauty of Freja's covers for the year (so far):

More to come? Your guess is as good as mine. I've underestimated Freja before so......

Image Credits: Scans by tFS members elsaskywalker, Diciassette (17), PENG, vogue28, fashion_screen livejournal, vogue.co.uk, relay.fr, book.interpark.com

Vogue Paris Cover

2010 is turning out to be the year of Freja. Five years after her debut, she's as strong, ubiquitous, and popular as ever. Congrats to Freja and congrats to all the old fans who have stuck with her through thick and thin, and to all the new fans who are just discovering her many facets.

Vogue Paris August 2010 Cover
Ph: David Sims

I'm of course overjoyed that Freja has landed her first solo Vogue Paris cover! But the moment is bittersweet for me because I keep thinking, "What about Raquel!? When is she going to get her cover?" Nevertheless, if the model isn't Raquel then I'm so happy it's Freja for she was long overdue for a solo cover as well.

My initial reactions on the visual appeal of the cover are too affected by my sheer excitement. That stare can sure kill you. However, I will say that I think the cover looks kind of shopped. The fur of the clothes blur Freja's silhouette, making it appear as if her image was cut out and pasted over the background. Maybe HQs will remedy this. I also think Freja is capable of more than what she's conveying on this cover. Perhaps this just isn't living up to my expectations in a month where the Vogue UK cover took me completely by surprise in the best way possible.

Anyway, all of this success couldn't be happening to a more deserving, humble and fantastic model. It's days like these when I'm SO proud to be a fan and proud to run this tiny blog.

Image Credits: relay.fr via tFS member t-rex

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

Covering the Possibility

Been thinking about this for a while now....do you think Freja will land on the cover of Vogue Paris any time soon? I keep going back and forth in my mind, making arguments that say "yes," then promptly defeating them with counter-arguments that say "no." So I thought I'd lay it out.

-Her first and only cover was nearly 5 years ago in November of 2005. Shot by Testino, it was a multi-girl cover also featuring Maria Carla, Natasha, Solange, Vlada and Tasha. Needless to say, a solo spot and proper cover is long overdue.

-The recent issue of Vogue Paris Collections was dedicated to her, resulting in a cover image composed literally of an army of Frejas.

-Not only does Freja have an editorial in the current June/July issue of Vogue Paris, she's also one of the five girls featured in a special supplementary DVD movie shot by the venerable Loic Prigent of "The Day Before" documentary series fame. Short preview clip is up at vogue.fr, and posted below for your quick viewing pleasure. Freja's bit begins at around 4:08, but the whole thing is an interesting watch:

(Translation of what Carine says thanks to tFS member French Cactus: I recently got interested in Freja. She is very aristocratic in her mannerisms, her poses, her walk. She is naturally elegant. She is very professional on the runway, yet she has a certain nonchalance. She has a certain something, she is extraordinary.)

-Freja is the face of Chanel, Max Mara and Balenciaga for the upcoming campaign season so she's sure to be one of the industry's most recognizable models in the coming months. What better way for a magazine to appear on trend than to feature an esteemed model who's career is going just as strong five years in as it was when it first started?

All these factors considered, you'd think she was being primed for a cover right? But maybe it's because of all these factors that Freja won't be getting a cover. Let me rephrase it this way. Are these things indicators that that cover is forthcoming? Or are they consolation prizes in lieu of one? Your guess is as good as mine.

Image Credits: models.com, scan by tFS member vogue28

Dedicated?

The FW1011 issue of the Vogue Paris Collections is seemingly dedicated to Freja. At least that's what you can surmise by looking at the cover above. Army of Frejas in the foreground, huge Freja face looming in the background. All Freja, all the time. I'm not complaining, but I do find it very strange. The cover images for these issues are usually divided between many different models, so I wonder why this one is all Freja?

Perhaps we can expect something else big coming up? Like a cover? Perhaps Carine et al are anointing Freja as the new Daria and so we can expect to see her shot by Inez and Vinoodh for every issue? Perhaps someone at VP is a huge Freja fan like we are? Or perhaps they're just trying to capitalize on the Freja-mania that seems to be so prevalent of late? Am I missing any "perhaps's"? What do you think?

Image Credits: vogue.fr via tFS member CrisGalaxy

Springtime Will Punch You in the Face

At least that's what comes to my mind when I see Freja's latest cover for the Spring 2010 issue of i-D Magazine. Nothing about this says "spring" to me except for the bright green background. Maybe that explains why it seems photoshopped in at the last minute. Quick! How do we make this look more spring-y? I know! Make the background green. Genius.

The cover was shot by Emma Summerton, who is a wonderful photographer. Therefore, I have a hard time believing that this was the best option for a cover shot out of all the images that she took. It doesn't really bear the distinctive and defining characteristics of her usual work. The hair is an overwhelming mop, the angle is distracting (making Freja look even thinner than she already is) and the styling is bland. Freja also looks rather menacing. I just don't believe in this image as a cover hailing the arrival of Spring. i-D covers are usually a complete hit or miss for me though. And compared to the last cover that Freja had, this one's shortcomings become even more obvious to me:

Then again, I'd be a very happy women if the words androgynous and/or boy and Freja never appeared in the same sentence ever again. At the very least I'm thrilled that Freja is working with Emma! Their first and only other collaboration yielded this lovely editorial with Lily. So hopefully the inside story will be a bit more inspired and polished in it's execution and aesthetic. One thing that I do kind of like about this cover is that it seems to capture the essence of who Freja appears to be off the runway. It seems like it could be a candid shot of her backstage during the shows; but ironically enough, that's also a reason why this cover doesn't work for me as a cover. It just seems amateurish. What do you think? Am I just too biased against anything androgynous when it comes to Freja, or do I have some legitimate concerns here?

And good god Freja...when was the last time you took a break from working? The rate at which you're putting out new work is alarmingly fast....not that I'm complaining. But still, I think my wallet and typing fingers could use a rest and I'm sure you could too.

Image Credits: ftape.com via tFS member Flashbang, scan by tfS member Diciassette (17)

A Grand Style Five Years in the Making

Sometimes you just can't beat an editorial that's beautifully conceived and executed. Regardless of the fact that this was 5 years in the making and marks the first major collaboration (in every sense of the word) for Freja and Meisel, it's a beautiful set of images that any model and photographer would be proud to include in their body of work. This partnership has lived up to my expectations and that is perhaps the greatest and most difficult task to accomplish.

In Grande Stile
Vogue Italia March 2010
Ph: Steven Meisel

The thing I find most interesting and striking about this whole piece is the dissimilarity between the cover and story inside. After all, the cover connotes ideas of elegance, feminine beauty, and delicacy. You're led to expect a main editorial story much in the same vein; but what you get instead is delightfully surprising in that it's the antithesis of everything the cover stands for. Inside, you get an electric and tumultuous story replete with sexual perversity, passion, rage, tenderness, derision, apathy, comfort and reconciliation. Mathias and Freja go through nearly every possible stage of a relationship in a mere 16 pages, and it's quite a whirlwind.

Compare this to the cover with Freja's calm and perhaps mischievous stare, and you're left reeling. Our expectations are turned upside-down and and I feel like this is the larger theme at play here. As fans, we never expected Meisel to work with Freja because we heard all the gossip and knew that they had never done anything together (up until the beginning of this year). We never expected her to land a Vogue Italia cover because it seemed like if she didn't have one by now, she wouldn't be getting one 5 years into her career. We never expected to see her styled femininely again because she seemed to be stuck in the role of the androgynous model. Yet, take a look at where all those "expectations" stand now.

I'd like to think Meisel was aware of all of this, and so it's no coincidence that he choose Freja for this story concept. He's playing with our expectations in real life and within the magazine, and everything is made the better for it. Once you see how perverse and dramatic the story is, the cover comes to mean much more than what you initially thought. It's a cyclical relationship that continues to build upon itself. Just take a look at the cover, then the story, then the cover, and then the story. At least for me, each time I look I see new meaning because the context and how the two components relate to each other create a whole new dimension of possibility.

Another thing I enjoy about this editorial is how kinetic the images seem to be. You can almost feel Mathais' hands around your wrists as he grabs Freja. You can almost hear the discordant notes emanating from the piano as Freja bangs away while Mathias crouches in reproach down below. In each image, you can feel what Freja and Mathias are supposed to be feeling. You see something as powerful as this and you can't help but to draw from your own reserve of similar emotions and experiences. I've always thought that the best images and editorials are the ones that establish a rapport like this with their audience.

This type of editorial is what I live for and look forward to. For me, this is Meisel at his finest. When he sets his work to a cohesive narrative, the results are always electrifying (Side Note: my favorite ed in recent memory is his "Cottage by the Sea" with Katrin and Toni for the Nov08 VI, as seen here and here.) Yes it's beautiful and yes Freja and Mathias are perfectly cast, but the beauty is derived just as much from context and our inferences as it is from the clothes, models and settings.

It also nice to see two mature models who are comfortable and confident in their roles. I do love new girls, but sometimes you just need a veteran to do the job right. And as much as I hate to admit it, I don't think Freja would have been capable of carrying out this editorial at the beginning of her career. I think it really did take a few years of life experience for her to deliver what Meisel wanted from her. Either that, or perhaps I'm just trying to justify why it took so long for this to happen. ;) But Freja is in wonderful form here. She looks utterly natural, alluring and so confident. When she delivers something like this and shows just how versatile she is, I'm reminded of why I started this blog in the first place--to celebrate that in a meaningful manner instead of dwelling on petty matters like her personal life. I hope I'm not in the minority, but to me, her work is far, far more interesting.

I really think that we've only skimmed the surface of what Meisel and Freja are capable of as collaborators, and so I hope with all my heart that they will continue to explore this working relationship. I just have to say how proud I am to be Freja fan right now. She's earned her success and status through steady perseverance and hard work, all on her own terms while staying true to herself, yet still maturing and changing with the years. All of her accomplishments and all that she stands for have really made Freja into a force all her own. And this is a force that can't be resisted....not even by Meisel.

Image Credits: Beautiful scans by tFS member Diciassete (17)!!