May 24th, 2009

I Heart… The Snow Queen

I’m a fairy tale fanatic. There. I said it. I’m obsessed with fairy tales. From classic Western tales like Little Red Riding Hood and Rumpelstiltskin, and Russian tales like Little Daughter of the Snow and Baba Yaga, to modern adaptations like the Disney movies, or other films like Pan’s Labyrinth, there’s just something about them that I can’t get enough of. I’m not sure what inspired that love, but I’ve always enjoyed reading fairy tales all throughout my life. When I was younger, I was captivated by the magic and the fantasy, but now as I’m older, I’m finding I’m much more interested in the scholarly side to fairy tales. A recent hobby of mine has been searching out fairy and folk tales outside of the well-known Western tales. I purchased a book of Russian fairy tales (Arthur Ransom’s Old Peter’s Russian Tales) on Amazon back in October that I’m absolutely fascinated with, and I’ve been scouring book stores everywhere for anything pertaining to cultures outside of my own.

There’s so much out there in the art world, movie world, fashion world… everywhere really, that have ties back to simple folk and fairy tales, and I always find it interesting to see how they’re interpreted and represented in new ways. So I was definitely excited to stumble upon Tim Walker’s photo shoot for Vogue UK (March 2009) which is based on Hans Christian Andersen’s tale The Snow Queen. (For the interested, you can read the fairy tale online here.)

While the photos don’t necessarily capture the story of The Snow Queen, they do still possess that fantastical and dream-like fairy tale quality. You can still see links back to the tale in terms of mood and setting. And hey, who can say no to Caroline Trentini in all her gorgeousness? I know I can’t.

I like that the shoot didn’t try to make an exact replica of the Andersen story and chose to use it instead as a jumping point for creating something new and equally as beautiful. Why duplicate something when you don’t have to? With all these movie remakes coming out these days, it makes you wonder where all the creativity and originality in the world has disappeared to. Is that one unique and original idea completely lost on us in this day an age?

(Images via Foto_Decadent, scanned from Vogue UK March 2009)

Krissy

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11 comments · jump to comment form »

Crissy » 24 May 2009

:O The snow queen! I had almost forgot about it. I’m so bookmarking the link to read it later. Fairy tales are awesome <3
And gorgeous photoshoot too. I love the last three pictures :D

(reply to this comment)

Manda » 25 May 2009

“Is that one unique and original idea completely lost on us in this day an age?”

Hate to say it, but yes. D:

Anyway. That photoshoot is gorgeous! My favorite photo is the third one, with all the swans. So elegant.

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Krissy replied on 28 May 2009...

It’s such a shame, isn’t it. :(

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Isimma » 26 May 2009

If you’re ever vacationing in NYC, there’s a hotel there called Library Hotel. Each floor has a different theme and each room on that floor is a theme within that theme. When I went I was on the literature floor, in the fairy tales room. It was quite cute.

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Krissy replied on 28 May 2009...

Oh wow! That sounds like such an amazing hotel! If I ever go to NYC, I am definitely going to that hotel. If not to stay, but to look around and oogle at everything. :D

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Olga » 26 May 2009

I wonder how long it takes to tease a girl’s hair up that high?

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Krissy replied on 28 May 2009...

I’m scared to know! Haha.

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Mallory » 27 May 2009

Wow, that photoshoot is absolutely amazing … Coupled with your gorgeous Emma Watson layout, it was almost too much loveliness for my computer’s screen! :P

I love the picture where she’s holding the egg the best … She looks so awe-like/childlike, you know?

I miss seeing photoshoots that are more than just a chick standing around in painful looking poses against a white backdrop. Borrrrrrring. -_-;

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Krissy replied on 28 May 2009...

Aw, thank you! <3

The one where she’s holding the egg is my favourite, too. Like you said, it has such an air of innocence about it. :)

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Alice » 27 May 2009

Those are some scary eyebrows!

I love fairy tales too, I think you should watch or read The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship. I think you might like it :D

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Krissy replied on 28 May 2009...

I remember you mentioning there was a movie of it in your blog, and I keep meaning to try and find it!

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Elizabeth » 27 May 2009

I’m also bookmarking the link to read later!

My favorite fairy tale is Bluebeard–I’d kinda hate to see how that would turn out as a fashion photoshoot…. The Snow Queen seems to have made a really good transition though, those pictures are really nice.

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Krissy replied on 28 May 2009...

I’m actually curious now to see how a fashion photo shoot dedicated to Bluebeard would turn out! Haha. If nothing else, it would be interesting!

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Ally » 28 May 2009

I’ve been absent from commenting, so sorry, been busy. But all your posts have fascinated me.
This photo shoot is very beautiful although I’m not extremely familiar with The Snow Queen tale, I have a basic idea. And there is something about fairy tales that is captivating and timeless. I’ve actually been re-watching some Disney movies recently.

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MC » 30 May 2009

I agree with Elizabeth, I thought Bluebeard was a cool fairy tale too – I mean, they were all dark stories but this one seemed especially heinous to me. Plus, the book I had as a kid had really realistic drawings that frightened me, not graphic but the facial expression on Bluebeard scared the shit out of me.

Why do they always have to make the snow queen seem like such a frigid bitch, I dunno, I have a different imagination of her in my mind. More lively, less mopey.

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Morgan » 30 May 2009

That is gorgeous. I love the way you relate these gorgeous fashion and interior spreads to your posts, you do it so well. :)

That shoot is gorgeous and you’re right; I like the fact that they were inspired by it without doing an “in-your-face” interpretation.

Beautiful and inspiring, again. You are such a whimsical person, I love it.
-M.

(reply to this comment)

Krissy replied on 31 May 2009...

Aw, thank you! I’m flattered you think so. :D

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Avery » 18 April 2010

I found your blog recently and have been visiting it more often . I think your way of thinking is good. keep up the good work. I always find something very interesting here.

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