Long Awaited

This is another one of those times I'm cursing myself for not checking off the box next to "French" on the list of courses to take in school. If anyone has any significant insight into what the narrator, designers or other people in the video say about Freja, please feel free to share. In the meantime, just some thoughts on "Les Filles en Vogue" and huge thanks to tFS members Valentine27 and FrenchCactus for graciously taking the time and effort to upload the film and share it with all of us.

PART 1:

PART 2:

PART 3:

Models are poked and prodded backstage so much more than I ever thought they were. It must drive them crazy to basically have no personal space for the duration of the shows. And it's interesting to note that three is Freja's lucky number. Hence the three lines tattooed on her finger and the three circles on her wrist. Any other threes you can think of?

PART 4:

Freja is so relaxed and so nonchalant about everything. I can see why she's so appealing to the people she works with and for. There is a calming, soothing nature about her that comes across so well here. I can only imagine how attractive it is to be around in real life especially during a hectic show season. But I think it's important to note that this nonchalance should not be confused with apathy. Even though Freja may not show it in conventional ways, I do believe that she is invested in and enjoys her job as a model. In the past five years I think we've seen her accept her own role in the industry on her own terms. It was a process that took time and the onset of maturity--two things not often granted to models.

PART 5:

She's deeply entrenched in the midst of all the action, but her demeanor is such that she appears to be floating above it all, slightly detached. She personifies the meaning of her tattoo "float" to such a perfect degree. And now I understand why it's on such a prominent location of her body.

PART 6:

After watching this all, the following quote is what particularly stuck out to me:

"I don't think you should let anyone dictate what you should do with your own body. You do sell your body as a product but it's still yours. I mean.....my body....I get to do with it what I want."

What an interesting thing for a model to say, and perhaps the reason why Freja has been labeled as the "rebel" throughout her career. You can sense the conflict that she must feel towards her role as a model. One the one hand, it's a job that has given her success and access to the comforts life can offer. On the other, it has required her to give up part of her autonomy and individuality. Relatively speaking, it's a tough position to be in and there's an implicit struggle in Freja's words and a yearning to reconcile the two conflicting factors.

The sentiment Freja shares about her body is a perfect microcosm of the feeling that I (and I think many of you) have towards the fashion industry as whole. There's an internal conflict that perhaps all of us feel towards fashion at one point or another. Assuming that you're open-minded and liberal (as most people in fashion tend to be) the industry's tendencies towards sexism, racism, ageism, and sizeism are all political and social issues we fight against in our daily lives and denounce in our beliefs. Of course women should be treated equally and schools should be integrated. The color of skin shouldn't affect a person's place in life, nor should the size of their waist or the wrinkles on their face. Yet you look at the fashion industry and all those things are reflected back in the worst possible ways. (i.e. Terry Richardson, white-washed runways, the fact that a size 4 is considered to be "curvy," etc...) But because this is fashion and we love it and get so much enjoyment from it, we accept it's negative aspects in ways that we'd never allow in other avenues of our lives.

I don't know....maybe I'm only speaking for myself here. Although I do feel that this is the same type of conflict that Freja expresses in regards towards a model's relationship to her own body. We might appear to be complicit with the industry's discriminations, but hopefully we'll actually end up being subversive in the end. Just like Freja tattoos her body to regain the autonomy she loses every time she's required to become the "blank slate," I hope that some of us will leave positive marks that eventually change the industry's way of doing business.

On a less serious note, I have to say that I'm in love with Sasha now. I nearly died from laughter when they show her at the very end trying to close her beat up suitcase plastered with random stickers. She comes across as such a lovable, genuine, fragile, yet strong woman. She's an individual through and through and I find her personality incredibly endearing and addictive. As a matter of fact, all the models come across very well. Vogue Paris has a wonderful feature on their hands, and I sincerely hope they decide to do this at least every year, if not every show cycle. It's a win-win for everyone. More press for the magazine, more press for the models, and more fodder for the increasingly model-obsessed fans like us out here.

And Freja, I know it's your body and all, but geez girl.....at least try to pace yourself with the smoking. Your fans want you around for a long time to come!

All in all, my expectations were met with this film. It was entertaining but also thought provoking. It changed some of my opinions, but for the better. And it instilled in me an even deeper sense of respect and awe for the models who are able to endure and persevere season after season. What about you? Your thoughts? Changed opinions? Anything?

The Possiblity of Pirelli

WWD broke the news early last month that Karl Lagerfeld was picked to shoot the next Pirelli Calendar.

A TIRE POWER: Karl Lagerfeld has been tapped to shoot the next Pirelli calendar. “I’ll do it in my studio in Paris. It’s too obvious to have a beach setting,” the designer said backstage at his signature show on Sunday. Shooting is to take place in April, and “all of the top girls” will be booked for the coveted calendar, which has been lensed by the likes of Patrick Demarchelier, Bruce Weber and Mario Testino since it was established in 1964.

Of course this news probably had Freja fans speculating, since we all know that Karl can't shoot anything without featuring her in some way (God love him for it). However, Pirelli isn't something you'd usually associate with Freja, who has a body and demeanor more suited for high fashion rather than a calendar known for sultry femininity and ample amounts of robust nudity.

With the calendar shoot taking place right now, casting bits have been leaking out over the internet. Models confirmed so far include Bianca Balti, Heidi Mount, Isabeli Fontana, Magdalena Frackowiak, and Natasha Poly. Fashionologie also tells us that Lara Stone is rumored to be booked as well. So with two of Karl's favs seemingly present and accounted for (Heidi and Lara), it remains to be seen whether Freja will also be included. After all, she is undoubtedly Karl's favorite female model to work with, so her omission would be unexpected and strange even if she is an unorthodox choice for Pirelli calendar pin-up girl.

I've read that Freja will be included, but nothing is ever 100%. As they say, pics or it didn't happen, right? :) I also want to tread lightly just in case. Anyway, I'm not sure how I feel about this, assuming that it's true. On the one hand, it's great because Freja continues to buck her androgynous stereotype and show her many facets as a model. On the other hand, I'm not sure if she's really the best fit for the type of femininity we've come to associate with Pirelli. And then you also have to worry that Karl will just put her in pants next to Baptiste like he did for the Chanel SS10 runway show. In case you're wondering, Freja doesn't look too shabby in a bikini so maybe I shouldn't feel so dubious about the whole thing:

Besides, Magdalena doesn't necessarily scream sultry, voluptuous calendar girl to me either. And who knows what concept Karl has in mind for the calendar, since the photographer is usually given complete creative control. He could take things in a different direction since he's doing a studio shoot instead of a location shoot like past years'. Regardless of what will or won't happen, it's something on the horizon to look out for. And if Freja is indeed shot for the Pirelli calendar, that's just one more tick off the amazing checklist that is her career. Seriously, is there anything that she hasn't done as a model? Maybe walk a VS show....but that's a whole different story.

Thoughts? Do you want to see Freja in the calendar, or is it too weird to even imagine?

Gucci Girl

The rumors can finally be put to rest because it is official: Freja is a Gucci campaign girl for the fifth time! She's been cast in the upcoming FW0910 campaign along with Raquel Zimmerman, Natasha Poly and Jacquetta Wheeler. Those are the only confirmed names so far. Earlier speculation put the total model count at nine, so if those rumors are to be believed, we are still missing five names. Members at tFS have thrown around the likes of Anja Rubik, Lily Donaldson, and Abbey Lee Kershaw as possibilities for the other models. And considering that Inez and Vinoodh are shooting, I wouldn't be surprised to see Eniko Mihalik either. But we'll have to wait for more official word.

After going through a slight slump campaign wise these last few seasons, Freja is back in top form nabbing both the Chanel and Gucci campaigns. A total coup for any model as both are big name, blue-chip campaigns. This is a repeat of her SS07 campaign season and I couldn't be happier. It's just reassuring to see that Freja is still at the top after all these seasons, without the help of Steven Meisel I might add. (Yes, I am still bitter about the fact that he won't work with her, but that's another story.) Freja's looks fit perfectly with the Gucci brand, and while many people are already complaining about the boring casting, I am excited about the reunion of the three Gucci by Gucci perfume campaign models.

Anyway, the official news was broken by tFS member JSYK but there have been whsipers around the internet for weeks that Freja was in. And just yesterday I came across more evidence that I feel I can post about now. While I was reading this article in the NY Times about Frida Giannini and the return of the boyfriend suit, this quote immediately stuck out in my mind:

But she has an ability to hit on the mood of the moment, whether it is the new advertising campaign she is shooting in London with the photographic duo Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin or her “fetish,” thigh-high boots.

Then I was browsing Freja's "official website" and came across this answer from her in response to a fan question:

i was actually in london when my family celebrated easter, but ive been home for a day now hanging out with my friends, cooking, jammin, had a lot of fun, but tomorrow im off to new york, city ive missed!

I don't think Freja travels to London a lot unless it's for work, so here we have even more evidence if you're willing to believe that the official site is legitimate. And New York? Wonder what Freja could be doing there? Shooting another campaign perhaps? Or maybe an editorial? It's fun to think about the possibilities, isn't it?