The Discreet Charm of Bourgeoisie - YSL

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Yves Saint Laurent Winter 2011/12 - Stefano Pilati played with those Christobal Balenciaga volumes with mushrooming boule-shaped capes and the chicest parka - while here and there he literally evoked moments of Saint Laurent history.

 

Pilati's finale of sleek white dresses, touched with gold in a chain belt or fine top stitching had a sly sexuality to them, the hint of excitement beneath the deceptively prim exterior. But while these clothes are a persuasively chic proposition for the modern woman, with just enough edgy glamour, the inspiring exhibition "Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, La Révolution de la Mode," makes one long for something of the sheer joyous exubernace that is the house's legacy.

Yves Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2011/12

Paris Fashion Week

Source: Vogue

Photography by Marcus Tondo/GoRunway

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Random Bits: Royal Wedding Edition

-I know this isn't Freja related, but damn! How beautiful was that dress? And how absolutely, stunningly, breathtakingly gorgeous did TRH Catherine look!? I'm not one to buy into wedding hype at all, but I couldn't help but to get swept away in the emotion and significance of it all. Yes, I got up early to watch. Yes, I teared up a bit (much to my surprise). Yes, I'm ready for a nap.


-More details about Freja's second consecutive Harry Winston campaign have surfaced. According to WWD:

"In May, Harry Winston is set to launch a new diamond, platinum and yellow gold collection, Lily Cluster, inspired by a Forties floral motif pulled from the company’s own archives. The news here: It’s the first time the company has offered designs in flaxen hues — aside from the occasional special request — since the Nineties...........The Lily Cluster ad campaign, shot by Patrick Demarchelier, will feature Freja Beha Erichsen."

You can see these new jewelry designs in the campaign shot I posted here.


-Freja will be part of the grand, multi-girl editorial for VP's August photographed by Inez and Vinoodh. The week long shoot is taking place in Los Angeles right now, and Inez and Vinoodh have been tumblr-ing candid shots of models all week long. However, the candid of Freja comes from another source (by way of 50mmf12l.tumblr.com):

So far the model lineup for this shoot includes: Lara Stone, Anja Rubik, Arizona Muse, Isabeli Fontana, and Raquel Zimmermann. So basically, all the big guns. If you'll recall, Freja was also included in the editorial for last year's August issue shot by David Sims. She also happened to land that cover. So maybe she'll get a cover shot once again? (Though I think it's high time for a cover to go to Raquel.) In any case, it seems like Alt isn't straying out of her comfort zone in terms of model choice. That's a good thing if your favorites happen to be her favorites. It's not such a good thing if you were hoping to see new and fresh faces (cough Aymeline cough) in the pages of VP.


Now off I go to find super HQ detail shots of that dress.....!

Royal Wedding Day

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Alexander Mcqueen for Kate Middleton's Wedding Day? 

                                                                     Hopefully!!!

'The Wedding Gown of the Century' 

designed by Sarah Burton

Sarah Burton designed Kate Middleton's 'Grace Kelly'-styled Wedding Gown!!! And, Pippa Middleton's dress, too.

"It has been the experience of a lifetime to work with Catherine Middleton to create her wedding-dress", said Sarah Burton.

"I was thinking about an ice queen. Someone strong and noble and romantically powerful,"  said Sarah Burton

Sarah Burton's 'Ice Queen' for Alexander McQueen 

Fall/Winter 2011/12

Source: Vogue
Photography by Yannis Vlamos/GoRunway 

'The Wedding Gown of the Century'  by Alexander McQueen's creative director Sarah Burton

Princesse Kate in Sarah Burton's 'Grace Kelly'-inspired Wedding Gown - Ivory with lace applications of  floral details - Pippa Middleton, her sister, in Sarah Burton's design, too.

Amazing necklace of HRH Duchesse of Cambridge

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Conventional

Everything about this editorial is conventional, but for some reason I still like it. It's just a very nice change of pace to see Freja occupying such a feminine, common-place, standard role here (whoa, never thought I'd be so receptive to traditional stereotypes.....I must be getting old). In fact, it's kind of weird to see her in such a hetero-normative coupling. So for me, this unexpectedness makes up for any stylistic shortfalls the editorial may have. The novelty of it is exciting since Freja has never been the go-to girl for couple editorials.

State of Grace
Interview Magazine May 2011
Ph: Mikael Jansson
Styling: Karl Templer
Other Model: Tomek Szczukiecki

These images accompany an article about Valentino, so they're meant more as a display of fashion in the most literal sense. It's not necessarily about telling a story or getting the reader lost in some esoteric concept. It's about showing the reader what the article is all about. And so it makes sense that Freja was cast for this story, seeing how she has been a face for the brand two seasons in a row and is set to debut a new fragrance campaign any day now.

I still can't get over the fact that Freja is now pretty much synonymous with the Valentino brand. It just goes to show you that fashion houses, in addition to models, can change their image too. Some people might think they're strange bedfellows, but I've explained before why I think they're a really good fit. And like someone on Fashin so aptly pointed out, "accusing freja of doing only masculinity well is so 2 years ago." Amen to that.

Image Credits: courtesy of fashion_screen livejournal

Tangential News

Here are two news bits indirectly related to Freja. I normally don't post about stuff like this, but I think both bits are pretty important and could potentially impact Freja's future projects.


-Model Whispers broke the news earlier today that Steven Meisel is shooting this year's Pirelli calendar. He's already booked Anna Selezneva to star, giving us good reason to believe he's favoring a more high fashion girl instead of the expected VS/Sports Illustrated bombshell type. (Good news for Freja and flat chested models everywhere...lol) Now that Freja and Meisel are regular collaborators, maybe we'll see Freja in the calendar again this year. We'll have to wait until more news is leaked, but her chances are as good as anyone else's. From always being stereotyped as the androgynous tomboy, to possibly (hopefully) two appearances in the Pirelli calendar? Transformation and career 180 indeed.

EDIT: Apparently now it's Mario Sorrenti. Ugh, this is why I usually stay away from news posts. Boo.


-Fashionista reports that Alex White is leaving W Magazine. It's still a rumor, but if it's true I'll be disappointed for sure. WWD has confirmed it. :( Freja and Alex have worked a lot together, going all the way back to 2005 with this editorial (the second one by M&M). In addition to styling nearly everything that Freja has done for W (including this beautiful gem), she has also styled Freja's Chanel campaigns. It's a pretty big shake up, though perhaps not entirely unexpected. (I think Enninful replacing her is unexpected, but very exciting.) There have been lots of changes at W since Tonchi took over, and rumors of Alex leaving have floated around before. I just thought this was interesting seeing as how Alex and Freja work together quite a bit. So with this news, and news that Carine is taking over styling duties for the upcoming Chanel campaign, I'm not sure where things stand now or if any of this even really matters for Freja. But it's interesting nonetheless....at least to me it is. Tell me I'm not the only freak who's more intrigued by behind-the-scenes wheelings and dealings than I am by simple editorials. I can't be the only over-analyzer, right? ;)


So that's it for now.....like I said, tangential news to Freja, but news still worth paying attention to if you're intent on tracking her career options.

"The irrational, inexplicable Desire" for LV

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LOUIS VUITTON Fall/Winter 2011/12 Collection by Marc Jacobs

Breakfast time in the real world, but there we were, being greeted by lines of uniformed maids poffering trays of vodka shots, champagne, and espresso in black-marbled faux hotel foyer, with an ornate grilled elevator at its center, at some indetermine hour of darkness. ...

But where - dare we ask? - had the idea for the night-porter peaked caps, rubber boots, and stocking-tops, which were sequenced among tailoring and prim white-collared dresses, sruck him? Mayfair, it turned out. "I stay at Claridge's in London," Jacobs said backstage after a show whose kinkiness formed a continuum with the hobble-skirted strictness of his own collection, "I love it when I see all these exquisite creatures - socialites; maids; people you don't know if they're hookers or not - stepping out of the lift all hours of the day and night". As it happens, one of them might easily have been Kate Moss.

Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2011/12 by Marc Jacobs 

Source: VOGUE
Photography by Monica Feudi

Enjoy my Paris Fashion Week post -

'New Look "Bar" by LOUIS VUITTON' 
Spring/Summer Collection 2012

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