A Record Falls

Most of you know that Marc Jacobs showed his F/W 11/12 collection tonight. What most of you may not know is that tonight also marks the first time in Freja's career that she did not walk down Marc's runway. Yes, a record falls tonight.....and another will fall tomorrow night at Narciso Rodriguez.

Marc and Narciso are the only two shows that Freja has walked for every, single season; eleven times in a row. Every September and every February, we could expect to see her grace those designers' catwalks, but her NY absence this season breaks the consecutive appearances. In a small way, it's like the end of an era. Maybe era isn't the right word.....whatever the word is, I find myself swimming in bittersweet nostalgia and lamenting a record broken. But instead of being sad or disappointed, we should reflect on the amazing feat. Eleven. Seasons. In. A. Row. In an industry that likes to change itself every few months, for something to last this long is truly amazing.

How many models do you think have come and gone during that time? How many brands have shuttered? How many new faces have been heralded one season only to be forgotten the next? How much change has happened in these 6 years? I'm not as intimately acquainted with any other model's career, so I don't know what the record is for consecutive seasons walked for a particular designer, but I have to think Freja's 11 for Marc (and Narciso) is pretty high up there. So lets take a walk down memory lane, and appreciate the 11 seasons that we already got, instead of frowning over the one skipped tonight:

SS06


FW0607


SS07


FW0708


SS08


FW0809


SS09


FW0910


SS10


FW1011


SS11 (C)

You were missed tonight Freja, but we'll be looking forward to next season. :)

Image Credits: style.com

Model Turned Designer

To add to the files of "I never thought that would happen," Freja's trying her hand at designing jewelry for Danish brand Georg Jensen. The (interesting) news comes via WWD:

"Fans of Freja Beha Erichsen’s style will soon have access to a line of jewelry designed by the model for the Danish silver house Georg Jensen. Beha stars in the house’s just-released spring ad campaign. “It’s an exciting project. There’s a certain customer that relates to Freja and what she represents,” said Ulrik Garde Due, Georg Jensen’s president and chief executive officer. Featuring gold and silver pieces, the collection will hit the Scandinavian market and the brand’s website in April."

So not only is Freja fronting their ad campaign, she's designing their jewelry. Is there anything she can't do? It will indeed be intriguing to see how the jewelry pieces turn out, as we'll get to see Freja's aesthetic take on things. Will the pieces be minimal, clean and sleek? Or will Freja show us another side to her sensibilities?

What's even more interesting is what this move signifies for Freja and her career. Of course this could just be simple side project done to support a Danish brand. However, I have a sense this is just the beginning of Freja segueing into other things and slowly leaving the wear and tear of the catwalk circuit behind. All that traveling, fittings at all hours of the day, time changes and jet lag.....all of that takes it toll. And after nearly six years pounding the pavement, Freja has more than earned the prerogative to pursue other interests and projects. Fittingly enough, it does seem like a given that once a model reaches a certain level of establishment in her career, she'll try her hand at design. The list of model-cum-designer is almost too long to recall.

So maybe the missing showcard isn't all that confusing after all. Maybe it's just part of a larger picture that has yet to be unveiled to us. In any case, as long as Freja's still in the public eye one way or another, I'm sure all her fans will be happy. And as always, she'll give us plenty to talk about.

Freja Speaks

Most of the time I post about things that other people have said about Freja. Whether it's from regular fans, photographers, designers or models, there has been a plethora of good things said in regards to Freja. But rare is the time that the tables are turned and Freja gets to do the talking.

The February issue of US Harper's Bazaar contains a story about IMG model manager Jen Ramey. She's at the top of her business and if her name sounds familiar, its because she's guided the careers of Kate Moss and Daria Werbowy. Just think of any top girl at the powerhouse agency and odds are Jen stands behind her success. Lily D? Check. And yes, Freja? Check.

The article is your typical "how I overcame [insert obstacle here] and feel great about myself now" story that fashion magazines are apt to give us every single issue. That being said, Jen admirably lost 120 pounds and overcame a breast-cancer scare. A few of her model clients are interviewed for the article and here's what Freja had to say:

"Jen is one of the strongest women I know. I'm not surprised that she succeeded in what she put her mind to..."

"Jen manages to cut straight to the core. There's never any BS with her..."

Ok, yeah...Freja's not going to win any oratory prizes for her input here, but it was pretty surprising to see her name when I read this story. I knew that Jen was her manager, but I guess I just wasn't expecting any words from the (previously) press shy Freja. I've spent the better part of over two years covering Freja and her career, and in those earlier days backstage interviews, style features, appearances at parties, anything that didn't solely relate to the catwalk or the editorial, were near impossibilities. All I can say is that Freja's come a long way. Now as she enters the ripening phase of her career, I hope she gets the chance to speak more often. It would be nice to cover the things she says, instead of just the things people say about her. :) Anyway, congrats Jen!

Kind Words

Remember this one shot in the New York Times T Style Magazine that came at the very end of 2010? Well, I just stumbled on some words the photographer (Alice O'Malley) said about Freja and the experience of shooting her. They're so lovely that I just had to share.

"Over the years you have developed an amazing body of work featuring your friends, an extended circle of downtown New York artists. How is it for you shooting people you don't know? Is it important for you to create some sort of intimacy? And how do you do this when you only have the subject for say, 40 minutes - or less?

Less! I had 10 minutes with Freja [Beha Erichsen]. She arrived at the Chelsea off a runway show at twilight, and we ran up to the roof to catch the last drops of sun. That’s when I understood the skill of a professional model. Her genius in front of the camera meant that we could make a great picture in only a few minutes. And somehow we found time to talk about the first wave of feminism in America. I always make a connection with my subjects; that's what I photograph, our connection."

Writing this blog makes me forget sometimes (ironically enough) why I like Freja so much. Maybe I get too focused on the words, or trying to come up with something to say. But whenever I read stuff like this, no matter how small or insignificant it might seem, it gives me a jolt and makes me remember "oh yeah, that's why." :) Because she's a great model and she can talk about feminism. But of course, those are just a few of the many reasons why.

Image Credit: nytimes.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

Random Bits: Inspiration, Encounters and Candids

-Molly Girard Coonan and Alice Barlow, the two people behind new label Barlow, are just like us in that they find a source of inspiration in Freja. Her picture is apparently up on their inspiration board, and they told NY Mag's The Cut that they "like to mix in elements that are both masculine and sexy." Well, if you ask me they couldn't have picked a more perfect source for that type of inspiration.

-I came across a lovely (but oldish) Freja encounter. During the shooting of the editorial "Before the Fall" for Vogue UK August 2008, fashion intern Rebecca got to meet Freja and just recently posted about the experience (complete with pictures) on her blog. Here's a snippet of what she had to say:

"Anyway in between camera flashes and set manoeuvres I found myself, the overzealous intern, engrossed in conversation with Freja and mesmerised by how laid back she was. Personally, I was overwhelmed by the whole experience. I’d acquired my own chauffeur for the day to ferry me to and from the studio, I was immersed in a sea of designer shoes and garments that, no doubt, amounted to more than what I would earn in my life time and I had drinks, CHOCOLATE, and first class food on tap. Freja was, obviously, used to what I wasn’t! and seemed so happy to sit and chat with me about me – oh and tatoos. She has ‘Float’ scrawled across her neck amidst numerous other skin engravings. She informed me that she just floats through life – like I hadn’t noticed."

You can see the pictures over on her blog as I don't feel comfortable posting them on here because I really only came across them by chance.

-Lastly, here's a candid picture of Freja, Abbey Lee and Leigh Lezark back in May at the Chanel Cruise show that was held in St. Tropez. It's still slightly odd to see Freja wearing a "color" other than black. ;)

Image Credits: My Scan

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

Tom and Rick

-Thanks to two anonymous commentators in this post, I was able to track down some new (to me at least) images of Freja taken by photographer Tom Munro. If anyone has any idea what project they are for, please enlighten us. To my knowledge this is the only time they have worked together and the shots appear to be test shots of some sort:

The thing that confuses me is that they were taken at a time during Freja's career when she wouldn't need to take any test shots. I'd place the images circa 2008 judging by the short hair. But they were categorized under "Beauty" on Tom's agency's site so maybe they were for a campaign somewhere....maybe in Asia? I'm just generally confused because I haven't seen the images until now, and if they were for some kind of campaign I think they would have been more well known.

Sorry for being so ignorant about these images, their origin and their purpose. I normally try not to post about something I can't fully credit and explain, but these shots are so interesting and quite unique in Freja's oeuvre that I just wanted to share. If you look at them long enough they're also quite freaky, and that only adds to their mystery.

-We know Freja is a fan of Rick Owens because she's sports one of his leather jackets in nearly every street style shot, but now it seems like Rick is a fan of Freja's too. Her face is decorating the front of one of his jersey t-shirts.

If any of you huge fans out there have an extra $200 lying around, feel free to knock yourself out. Sorry but I think my $200 will be better off being put towards acquiring anything from this collection. In particular, this complete look. A girl can dream right? I'm sure $200 would get me half of the belt.....

Anyway, not only are designers naming their designs after Freja, they're also putting her on their designs. I guess you know you've made it as a model when you can truly fill a closet with items bearing your name and face. Do you think Freja gets anything in return for her face being used like that? Maybe free leather jackets for life? If so, then I'll gladly lend my visage to Rick anytime.

Image Credits: managementartists.com, luisaviaroma.com via tFS member Psylocke

Aussie Love

Freja seems to have a knack for connecting with Australians. Not only is she good friends with Abbey Lee, but it appears that she's also taken newbie Aussie model Julia Nobis under her wing. Julia made quite the impression this past season with her laid-back, tomboyish demeanor when she debuted as a Calvin Klein exclusive in New York. Watch the following interview with her starting at 1:00 for the Freja shout out:

Stuff like this makes me happy. I always love hearing good things about the models I admire, and I'm just so glad that Freja isn't too jaded or apathetic after half a decade of modeling to care about guiding the younger generation. After all, I'm sure she's just a well of knowledge considering all her experiences at such a high international level for all those 5 years. Lucky Julia. Lucky any new model who gets to pick the brain of a successful model like Freja.

We hear so many stories about how hard it is for young models to start out, how hard it is to adjust to the crazy lifestyle, how hard it is to keep the momentum and hype going without losing your head, how hard it is to keep your feet on the ground. I'm super relieved and glad that some of the veterans are watching out for the young ones because somebody has to. Makes you wonder what other mentoring relationships exist out there. I think I've heard Anja and Karlie? Have you heard of any?

Anyway, speaking of Australia...if you miss the excitement that comes with fashion week and you need your model fix, you can take comfort and solace in the fact that Australia's Rosemount Fashion Week has started. So check it out. Lots of girls are walking. Granted they're not huge model names, but girls who made impressions during FW1011 like Lauren Brown and Ali Carr are there. If you're interested you can see looks from the shows at vogue.com.au. And maybe it will tide you over until May 11th and the Chanel Cruise show. :)

Random Bits

-A big thank you goes to reader Tima for directing me to the Luisaviaroma blog and the Freja pictures posted there:

After Fendi

After Celine


After Dolce & Gabbana

In case you don't know, Luisaviaroma is a super high-end luxury online retailer. I've spent many hours browsing the site, making completely unattainable wish-lists. Sigh. But it looks like their buyers started a blog just last fashion week and documented some of their experiences at the shows. Various model pics abound so take a look. And thanks again Tima!

-I came across a small feature on Blouson Noir in the March 2010 issue of Jalouse. It's in French, so if you can read it, I'm sure it will be very informative. I'm posting it mostly because we haven't seen the smaller picture yet. (But now that I stop to think about it, I'm pretty sure this was already posted on tFS a while ago. Aaah, oh well....)

Image Credits: dayzebook.com, blog.luisaviaroma.com

Random Bits: Architects and Smart Models

-Are you curious about the gorgeous location in Freja's current W magazine editorial? Then click over to W magazine's Editor's blog, where they have an interview with Lee Mindel. Lee is an architect and owner of the home in which the editorial was shot.

-Freja gets the treatment on "Models are Smart"

Models know zombie worms.


Models know acronyms.

Models aren't above being made fun of every now and then. Models are Smart is a hilariously brilliant tumblr that riffs off the long-thought-to-be-true-cliche that models are dumb. The author takes photos of models and overlays them with her own captions, making for one very entertaining blog. Some of my favorites:

Models know Animal Collective.


Models understand the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility.


Models know good science writing.


Models know the lost generation.


Models know credit scores.

The way the captions and the models' expressions line up sometimes is pure genius. I kinda wish I had come up with the idea myself....much like all the blog links under my "Hodge Podge" section on the right side of this blog. Oh well.

Image Credits: wmagazine.com, modelsaresmart.tumblr.com

On A Roll

Despite how I may or may not feel, I'm still happy that Freja has been landing some great work lately. It's actually quite impressive to look at her track record for the year so far.

-Vogue Italia with Meisel
-Vogue Paris with Inez and Vinoodh
-Vogue Nippon with Terry
-Vogue UK with Josh Olins

It doesn't really get any better than that folks. No other model so far can boast of these high caliber accomplishments for 2010, so brava Freja. Whether you've changed or not, you sure are working your ass off.

Tailor Made

Perhaps these temporary Chanel tattoos are just another reason why Karl can't seem to get enough of Freja these days. In addition to being one of his muses, perhaps she was the inspiration for these showing up on the runway? Who knows? At least we know that tattoos aren't a hindrance for Freja. Instead they seem to be her boon.

Either way, Freja is totally on point right now, and in fact was years ahead of the fashion game with her tattoos. Of course, her's aren't trends to be here one day, gone the next. They're always visible and very permanent. The temporary kind showed up not only at Chanel, but also at Rodarte and Jean Paul Gaultier this past runway season, making them a verifiable trend. So tattoos seems to be having their fashion moment right now. So much so that even us "masses" (i.e those who can afford to buy anything by Chanel) can indulge any inking desires we may have. Lucky for Freja and lucky for tattoo lovers out there like myself.

On the Webpages Of

Freja may never appear in the pages of Vogue (other than in ads) but at least she makes the occasional appearance online. Funny that they would chose that picture to illustrate that news clip. Especially since, if I'm remembering correctly, Freja had a friend cut her hair for her back in July of 2007. God, was it really that long ago? Time flies.