A Look Back at the SS07 Chanel Ad Campaign

For many new models, it takes a lot of time and effort to break into the industry. However, every now and again you have a girl like Freja who breaks on to the scene and quickly rises, landing coveted blue chip campaigns and walking down all the major runways.

I believe Freja made her international debut as a Prada FW0506 exclusive in Milan. From there it was only a short time until she landed big-name campaigns like Hugo Boss (SS06), Jil Sander (FW0506), and Balenciaga (FW0506 and SS06). However, her biggest modeling coup came during the SS07 campaign season when she was picked to front the Chanel campaign as the only girl.

Sure, Freja and Chanel seem synonymous now. But back then, she was a very unconventional and very surprising choice. Chanel was coming off of a few seasons with Daria Werbowy as its face and when people thought of the typical Chanel woman, a punky, long-limbed, skinny teenager from Denmark with a sharp nose and strong jaw didn't automatically come to mind for anyone......except Karl Lagerfeld. And thank goodness for that!

See the results for yourself:


This is the reason why Freja's status has been cemented as a top model. I love the juxtaposition of the clothes against the austere background and electric blue sky. And Freja was really the perfect girl to front this campaign because her long-limbs are put to very good use.

Her following FW0708 Chanel campaign didn't produce quite the same results as this one, but you'll see that in another post. Hopefully the upcoming campaign will be as good as this one was!

Image Credits: All images are from the hardworking members of Freja's thread at tFS.

Official Site?

Word of an official site for Freja appeared today on various fashion forums. The URL frejabeha.com was a non-functional site the last time I visited it a few months ago, but now it's up and running with a gallery and forum. It appears to be legitimate and to be monitored by Freja's father, Ingmar. Freja herself is apparently registered there and already has a few posts answering questions from fans. Also, if you glance through the photo albums, some never before seen photos have been uploaded.

Which leads to the following question: Is this for real? I want to think it is, but my jaded self has learned that things can rarely be believed on the internet. So I really don't know. I guess we shall see with time. BUT if this is legitimate, what a nice way to reach out to fans! Marks a surprising change in Freja's fan interaction thus far. Maybe she's realized the size and fervor of her fan base? After all, she is consistently the most viewed model on tFS besides Kate Moss. And this past month, thanks to the amazing and dedicated work of tFS member candlebougie, we found out she overtook the #1 spot from Kate, who is arguably one of the most famous models in recent history. This is quite the accomplishment for someone who doesn't receive nearly the same amount of exposure and press.

Let's face it, we all know Freja isn't a Coco Rocha in terms of letting us fans know what she's been up to. Up until now with this official site, she has been pretty mysterious, which maybe explains why her fans are so enthralled with her. We really don't know much about her! We're lucky to even get a few street style shots per season, and the last FTV interview on record was from 2006 I think. But as a model, Freja really has no obligation to provide anything beyond what is presented through her work. And the fact that we as fans have come to expect more really speaks to the changing landscape of communication these days. With applications like facebook, twitter and blogger we have become used to (and we unfairly demand) a level of accessibility that has never existed before.

I doubt Freja will read this, but for those who do, what are your thoughts on this new official site? Real? Fake? Who cares as long as we get new pictures? Shut up and don't ruin this because you're making a fool of yourself with your analysis? :) Comments and thoughts appreciated.

And for your time, the new pictures from the site:

A Look Back at Chanel

*UPDATED to add the FW0506 ready to wear show. Thank you to the person who left the anonymous comment!!*

I woke up this morning to some incredible campaign news. Check out this excerpt from WWD via *Bianca* at tFS:

FEDERAL EXCESS: Karl Lagerfeld is getting in touch with his rural side. The designer just returned to Paris from Vermont, where he shot Chanel’s fall-winter campaign with models Heidi Mount and Freja Beha Erichsen. "It was very cold, the sky was blue and the light was stunning. And the people are so nice," Lagerfeld Said. Monday night at the opening of the “Court Pomp & Royal Ceremony” exhibition at Versailles. The backdrops for the shoot included a big wooden barn. “I’ve never seen such a beautiful barn in my life,” he enthused. Meanwhile, Lagerfeld marveled at the magnificent embroideries on display at Versailles from royal wardrobes from Germany, Austria, Russia, Sweden and Denmark. He noted they were all realized in France. “And it was not like shipping today. There was no DHL,” he said.

This upcoming FW0910 campaign will mark Freja's third time as a Chanel campaign girl. The first two times were solo spots, but this time out she'll be posing along side Heidi in a multi-girl campaign, which is a change for Chanel. I think Freja and Heidi have great chemistry together and they seem to be good friends off the catwalk. Their looks also compliment and enhance each other. They have a sort of yin-yang, light-dark thing going on, so it will be exciting to see how Karl incorporates that into the shoot considering that the Chanel collection was primarily black and white.

Anyway, in honor of this great news I thought now would be the perfect time to take a look back at Freja's runway career for Chanel. Be warned....it is long! Her Chanel campaign career will come in a later post.

Fall/Winter 2005/2006 Ready to Wear


Fall/Winter 2005 Haute Couture


Spring/Summer 2006 Ready to Wear


Spring/Summer 2006 Haute Couture
Freja does not walk.

Fall/Winter 2006/2007 Ready to Wear


Spring/Summer 2007 Resort


Fall/Winter 2006 Haute Couture


Spring/Summer 2007 Ready to Wear


Spring/Summer 2007 Haute Couture (Freja closed as the Chanel bride)


Fall/Winter 2007/2008 Ready to Wear (Freja opened)


Things get spotty here when Freja does not walk the following shows:
Spring/Summer 2008 Resort
Fall/Winter 2007 Haute Couture
Spring/Summer 2008 Ready to Wear

Pre Fall/Winter 2008/2009 Paris-Londres (Freja closed)


Spring/Summer 2008 Haute Couture
Freja does not walk

Fall/Winter 2008/2009 Ready to Wear


Again, she does not walk the following shows:
Spring/Summer 2009 Resort
Fall/Winter 2008 Haute Couture
Spring/Summer 2009 Ready to Wear
Pre Fall/Winter 2009/2010 Paris-Moscou

But she comes back with a bang!
Spring/Summer 2009 Haute Couture (Freja opened and closed as the Chanel bride)


Fall/Winter 2009/2010 Ready to Wear


What an amazing career partnership! Don't you love seeing the evolution of the clothes and of Freja? And with Karl's Chanel resort show coming up in Venice, I hope I can add one more to this list.

Image Credits: elle.com, nymag.com, style.com

Poked and Prodded

A model's life isn't all about glamour, all the time. When they're not rushing from shows to fittings to rehearsals at all hours of the day and night, they're being fussed over backstage as if they were life sized Barbies. Personal space is something that I really value and I don't think I could take a billion people in my face all the time without going psycho. So this is one aspect of the industry where I'm more than happy to be just a spectator.

Take a look at these backstage prep pictures from throughout Freja's career. They give us an interesting glimpse into the life of a model, and I also think they remind us that models are normal people. Yes, they're all super tall, thin and gorgeous, but when you get down to it they're people who experience the gamut of emotions and feelings and it's nice to have those captured backstage outside the veneer of the catwalk.


Freja looks SO young in some of these pictures!




Check out that mischievous smile in the center picture.


Wouldn't you looked pissed too if you had that many people pulling on your hair?


Backstage is the perfect time to catch up on your music.


Ouch!






Freja sees you!

Image Credits: Corbis, Firstview, Style.com, Vmagazine

A View from the Side

We always concentrate on how a model looks from the front, but we often forget about the side view. We are missing out because I think Freja has a really beautiful, distinctive side profile. I love how this picture highlights it, and also draws attention to the details we overlook when we only look at the front. Here we have a row of bobby pins, Freja's helix piercing, and her tattoo all gathered in the center of this photograph. A potentially straightforward photograph suddenly appears nuanced, textured and complex due to these three elements. Kudos to the photographer who had the view from the side.

Image Credits: corbis.com