Each year, the Pirelli Calendar is shown to VIPs, art collectors, and members of the press in Milan, but the mystery remains over who actually gets their hands on a physical copy of it. The exclusivity around this collection of images draws people to it year after year since its inception in 1964. However, the main reason it's still iconic and coveted is because it presents timeless sexiness, which comes from giving the best photographers, stylists, make-up artists, and models the creative freedom and budget to make something truly one-of-a-kind.
2015's fetish-themed calendar, titled Calendar Girls 2015, is photographed by Steven Meisel and styled by Carine Roitfeld. It's the first time both of these fashion legends have worked on the calendar, and the Nov. 18 launch coincides with the opening of the "Form and Desire — The Pirelli Calendar Collection" exhibition at the Palazzo Reale in Milan, showing 200 photographs spanning the 50-year history of the calendar.
Of his stunning work for Calendar Girls 2015, Steven Meisel told the press, "In my opinion, these are the key aesthetic models of today's world. They represent the stereotypes that the fashion and star system impose on us right now. I didn't want to make a conceptual calendar, or link it to some particular location, but rather to create 12 posters in which women, in all their sensuality, are the absolute protagonists of 12 very different images."
Carine Roitfeld adds, "We decided to abandon the idea of the seasons and ended up taking the photos just for the pleasure of taking them. We tried to convey an idea of fashion in the pictures by focusing on details that would make the models look even sexier than their bodies alone could do. We would not be content just to show naked girls."
When given a few minutes to speak with four of this year's 12 models—Sasha Luss, Gigi Hadid, Isabeli Fontana, and Candice Huffine—we asked them a simple but very necessary question: What do you want to see guys wearing in 2015? Here's what they said.
Visit "Form and Desire — The Pirelli Calendar Collection" at the Palazzo Reale in Milan from Nov. 21, 2014 - Feb. 19, 2015.
Gigi Hadid
“I love jeans, a button-up shirt, and Converse. I think it's cool when you can mix a casual look with something a little more dressed up. Even just a T-shirt, jeans, and a nicer pair of shoes. If you can add one thing to dress an outfit up a bit, that's fun.”
Sasha Luss
Isabeli Fontana
Candice Huffine
“A beard. I love a beard. From a fashion standpoint, get dressed up more! Go for it! I love a slim, amazing suit. I love a cropped pant and an exposed ankle, too.”