Monthly Mashup

So there have been a few things that have popped up in the last few weeks that may be of interest... This is what I've managed to gather:

Elite has released another preview shot from Caroline's editorial from LOVE, shot by Alastair McLellan. The issue has been out on stands for a little while now, but I'm still waiting on a full scan of the editorial before dedicating a full post to it. It is looking a little intriguing though, very Studio 54. I'm glad she's in this issue in particular though: with all the press it's generating due to the Kate Moss + Lea T cover, and the added audience that Katie Grand is hoping to capitalize on with the Justin Bieber cover, not to mention that the specific editorial also features Duran Duran, this should be a good boost for Caroline's notoriety. Granted, people are more likely to be talking about her costars in the issue, but she'll have a foot in the door at the very least. 

We also have a behind the scenes video from the Valentino S/S 2011 campaign. It's basically just a montage of clips set to epic background music, but it's always interesting to see models at work, especially top ones like Freja. You get the sense that they are incredibly aware of their own presence and bodies in front of the camera, and understand the changes that even the most subtle of movements have on the dynamic and emotion of a photograph.

This excerpt from Vogue Russia was posted in Caroline's tFS thread. The poster indicates that it is from the April 2011 issue, but where the cover was given to Abbey Lee Kershaw, I'm not entirely sure what this is. Gill Ford (thank you!) has kindly translated "Читайте в Апрельском" as meaning "Read in April", and that the rest of the text is discussing the trends for summer 2011. She's thinking that it is likely a preview for the May issue, which should be out in April (you know, because fashion is all about getting tomorrow's look today). 


Regardless of where this shot comes from, and whether we'll be seeing more, I'm glad to see The Brasch is continuing a string of performances with Vogue Russia. By no means is she getting an editorial every issue a la Lara Stone with Vogue Paris, but she had that great shoot for September 2010 and another just the past January. It's good to see that she's getting more work with the magazine, which is always creative and entertaining in the editorial department. This shot is the handy work of Claudia Knoepfel & Stefan Indlekofer, who Caroline has previously worked with for Vogue Paris. Looking forward for what's to come (Numero and Vogue Nippon ;) )!

Photos courtesy of tFS posters mousyy and Stereo Flo

The Ruffles Have It

Caroline's advertisements for Valentino have just arrived in my inbox courtesy of one very efficient user (thank you oh so very much!). Without wasting any time (because I know you're all just dying to see these), allow me to present Valentino S/S 2011:

After having just seen the photos from Nina Ricci, I am feeling a little as though more could have been done here. But then, there are important differences between ad campaigns, look books, and editorials. Not to mention there are different aesthetics at Valentino than Nina Ricci. Personally, I'm not a big fan of these shots, but then, I've never had much of a penchant for advertisements. My favorite of the lot is the one where she's facing away from the camera, which I don't mean as a slight to her face, but simply because it makes me want to ask questions about it. Who's she? Why is she not facing the camera? Is it that she is shy? Upset? Distant?

I find the photo where she is opening the doors interesting because I'm not just getting the picture, I'm getting a little video in my head (Camera zooming as she bursts through the doors, if you were wondering. Sort of like the time when Aragorn threw open the doors at Helm's Deep in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.) The clutch shot feels like an ad to me. Like a legitimate ad, of the sort we see all the time. It's very commercial, something of an editorial vibe I suppose, but the overarching feeling is that it's meant to sell the clutch, and that's it.  The shot with the bag feels a little too contrived. And to be sure, these sorts of things alway are, but some photographers and models have the ability to make contrived moments look like real ones.

I don't know, perhaps I'm being a little too critical? Maybe I'm just still dealing with the Nina Ricci looks, and am not ready to come back to reality and admit that not everything is going to meet my lofty standards of what is totes brill. Meh. Don't get me wrong, as an ad campaign, I'm convinced. It sells the clothes, it sells the bags. Yeah, don't mind me at all actually, I think I need to invest in a lower horse. :)

If you're wanting to look at Freja and Julia's adverts from the campaign you can find them here at the Valentino website. Valentino Pre-Fall 2011 is on its way!

Photos courtesy of valentino.com

Valentino's Day Comes Early

While we all wait in avid anticipation for the Fall/Winter 2011 shows in March, spending time with family and friends over the holidays (by the way, happy New Year to you all!), the fashion world has been quite quiet (well, minus the releases of Pre-Fall 2011 collections, but you get my meaning). I have been busy with a lot of things over the past few weeks, and news about Caroline has been quite slow. But just today, it was revealed that she's bagged another campaign for the Spring/Summer 2011 season: Valentino! You may remember, the Brasch opened Valentino's F/W 2010 show, and closed couture the past July:

In October, she also closed for S/S 2011 RTW, and appeared in the lookbook for Valentino's collaboration with American sportswear giants The GAP. In light of this, booking the campaign might not come as much of a surprise, but it is still a great achievement for Caroline. She will appear alongside Julia Saner and (wait for it) Freja Beha Erichsen in the campaign, shot by David Sims.

For their Spring 2011 ad campaign, Valentino’s Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli tapped three of the hottest models of the moment—Freja Beha Erichsen, Caroline Brasch Nielsen, and Julia Saner—to showcase their gossamer-light collection. David Sims shot the black-and-white images in Valentino Garavani’s Place Vendôme home—what the designers call “a poetic and ultra-chic Paris setting.” It is Sims’ second campaign for the house.

“These dreamy black-and-white shots show three different beauties, each with something unique,” Chiuri and Piccioli explain to Style.com. “This is a very feminine, stylish campaign, with a light, playful twist that reveals the Spring 2011 collection’s airy atmosphere and captures the brand’s lifestyle. In cinematic style, we wanted to tell the stories of three different women enjoying private moments in the comfort of their homes.”

So far, only one shot from the campaign has been shown (Julia's, that is), which you can see at the link posted. Caroline and Freja's shot(s) should be along soon enough, and I'll be sure to post them as soon as they are made available. Until then, here are Caroline's looks from the S/S 2011 RTW shows:

Photos courtesy of style.com

BANG

So... guess who booked Marc Jacobs?

I cannot tell you how pleased this makes me. Caro has done so well on the runways since starting, but her lack of frequent printwork has definitely had me wondering if runway is all she really has going for her in the business. But getting the Marc Jacobs S/S 2011 campaign? That is huge. Major. Fantastic. Bombastic.

I know she booked Balenciaga F/W 2010, and that was a major gold star for her as well, but it was a group feature, which unfortunately forced her to share the spotlight in each of her shots. Contrast that to this Marc Jacobs campaign, where she features more prominently, and the effect is completely different. Not only is this a coup for her snagging such an enormous brand, it will also be extremely good exposure for her as a model. Combine that with her 3rd place ranking on FashionTV's First Face countdown for the past fashion weeks, and The Brasch is well on her way to a very prolific next few months.

Another thing I want to mention is that we have a more concrete notch on the Freja pattern here: Marc Jacobs has been a big fan of Freja for the duration of her career, and now we see Miss Caroline appearing in a campaign for him. Oh, did I mention Freja was also featured in Balenciaga? Yeah... feel free to condemn me a conspiracy feeder. But I'm a blogger. Conspiracy and reading into insignificant things? It's a forte.

Photos courtesy of fashiongonerogue.com and tFS user Carla-A

Paris-Byzance

The Brasch was in Paris on Tuesday to walk for Chanel's pre-fall 2011 show. She had two looks in the Byzantine-inspired collection:

I was not surprised to see her at the show, but I was definitely pleased to see that she's maintaining her pace from the S/S 2011 shows. I don't think I need to tell you how big a deal it is to walk for a house like Chanel, and the fact that she's strutted for Karl in every show since she appeared on international runways a year ago (excluding the Resort 2011 show, but hey, St Tropez was always going to be pretty exclusive) earns her a big gold star.

I wonder if this is entirely coincidental? It seems to me that Caroline has a number of features that are similar to those of Freja, the eyes in particular. Could it be that this is working to her advantage in this burgeoning relationship with Chanel and Karl's other brands (she also walked for Fendi the past October)? Where she's still just starting out, it's very soon to be making judgments of that nature, but keep an eye on that anyway: with Karl pushing Freja consistently into a more masculine role, he may find himself in need of a more feminine contrast than bosom buddy Baptiste... Not something I'm stating as a serious possibility, but you have to admit, it would be an interesting turn of events, don't you reckon?

WWD featured her second look at Chanel in their issue for December 8th on the Pre-Fall collections, so we have a bit of exposure for her there. Mind you, that was one of the most notable looks from the show, so we'll give Karl most of the credit on that.

We've also got a few backstage photos from the show, so I'll leave you with those! In fact, I'd encourage you to check out the full set over at stylerumor.com, they are well shot, and give you a closer look at the clothes as well as the beauty component of the show.

Pictures courtesy of vogue.fr, elitemodelblog.wordpress.com, stylerumor.com