It is elevated to fine art, with famous models posing for top fashion photographers.
All little boys had seen them, stuck to pegboards at the back of a garage, the only bursts of color amid the dank light and grime and tools. Girlie calendars were there to sneak a guilty peek at while our fathers were talking to the mechanic about the ping in the family Chrysler. They spoke to feelings boys had but were thought not of a piece with polite middle-class life. Here, among working men and dirt, was where these thoughts belonged, even if the women on the calendars looked as if they were used to much classier surroundings.
All little boys had seen them, stuck to pegboards at the back of a garage, the only bursts of color amid the dank light and grime and tools. Girlie calendars were there to sneak a guilty peek at while our fathers were talking to the mechanic about the ping in the family Chrysler. They spoke to feelings boys had but were thought not of a piece with polite middle-class life. Here, among working men and dirt, was where these thoughts belonged, even if the women on the calendars looked as if they were used to much classier surroundings.
From 1964 to 1974 and then from 1984 to the present, Italian tire company Pirelli has lifted the girlie calendar from those grimy origins, sending its yearly version of the world's most famous models, actresses and other lovelies shot by the world's most famous fashion photographers to a select lucky group.Every few years, venerable art-book publisher Rizzoli compiles the calendars into ever bigger volumes. The latest edition, "The Complete Pirelli Calendars," weighs 10 1/2 pounds and retails for $85.
There's a case to be made for the Pirelli calendar as having its own niche among the best fashion and glamour photography of the last five decades. The great German fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh, who shot the calendar in 1996 and 2002, says that he has had editorial control to shoot the kind of photos he wants. A calendar initially conceived as a commercial venture has, as Lindbergh says, "become much more of an artistic endeavor."
Italian critic Edmondo Berselli, who contributes an essay to this latest collection of the Pirelli calendar, wrote in an e-mail that the calendar can be read as "the behavioral paradigm of our times: liberty, subjectivism, relativism, tolerance." Berselli's essay charts the increase of explicitness in the calendar over the years and notes the slow inclusion of women of color (an interesting omission because Terence Donovan's abandoned 1963 prototype is the most racially diverse of the calendars; Donovan shot the calendar with only black models in 1987, featuring teenage Naomi Campbell).
There can be little doubt that the legacy and ongoing glory of the calendar are the collaborations between artist and model -- and it's a tribute to the vividness of the women before the camera that they can be called collaborators. Mario Testino, with an obvious nod to the late Helmut Newton, essays portraits of upper-class decadence in his 2001 portfolio, most memorably Karen Elson, oblivious to the guests behind her, looking over her shoulder from beneath Veronica Lake bangs, pulling up her gown to reveal her charming bottom. The late Richard Avedon turned in a stunning 1995 essay on the seasons in which Campbell, daubed with gold leaf, stands for the dying intensity of late August, and Nadja Auermann, looking out from a face mask of icicles, is the frigidity of deep winter.
Lindbergh's two collections both attest to the fascination with behind-the-scenes that have characterized his work. ("Making is more interesting and more intriguing than the result," Lindbergh told me.) Lindbergh's series of models waiting in the desert to be photographed includes indelible images of the glorious Tatjana Patitz, who could be equally at home in Raymond Chandler or Dostoevsky, and, nude but for a pair of heels, an insouciant Kristen McNemeny sitting casually in a director's chair waiting to be summoned. Lindbergh's 2004 Hollywood portfolio features young actresses on a nearly deserted back lot.
If, as Berselli says, photography is about fetishism, then let me pay tribute to my favorite Pirelli image, Lindbergh's portrait of Julia Stiles. Defying convention, Lindbergh shoots her fully clothed in white dress shirt, black trousers and black tie. A plastic foam coffee cup and rolled-up script sit on the loading dock behind her. Standing with her hands in her pockets, Stiles flirts with both the eroticism of the shots of Dietrich in men's clothes and the casual elegance we associate with those off-camera shots of the likes of Gary Cooper. It's at once traditional and subversive, a perfect example of what Lindbergh means when he says he believes the most potent beauty is "grounded in context of the world" and an example of a Pirelli calendar's unabated ability to give pleasure.
Source : Los Angeles Times
Over three hundred male models from 28 agencies turned up at the audition for this year's China International Fashion Week. 60 survived the selection process. But designers still complain of a scarcity of well-trained male models.
Wu Song, vice manager of "Models' Line" Agency Company, said, "It is cut-throat competition. If 30 models are needed, hundreds come for the audition."
Ana Beatriz Barros
Trentini's trendy baby-cheeked elfish looks and trademark freckles have helped her snag coveted runway spots at shows such as Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Versace, Victoria's Secret, Chanel, Christian Dior, L.A.M.B., Baby Phat, Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and Dolce & Gabbana. She has appeared on the covers of magazines ELLE, Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, among others.
In the May 2007 issue of American Vogue she was featured on the cover with fellow models: Doutzen Kroes, Jessica Stam, Raquel Zimmermann, Sasha Pivovarova, Agyness Deyn, Coco Rocha, Hilary Rhoda, Chanel Iman, and Lily Donaldson as the new crop of supermodels.
Autumn/Winter 2004 {Alberta Ferretti, Alessandro Dell'Acqua, Alexander McQueen, Anna Molinari, Anna Sui, Antonio Berardi, Badgley Mischka, BCBG Max Azria, Blumarine, Bottega Veneta, Burberry, Cacharel, Celine, Chanel, Chloe, Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix, Costume National, Derek Lam, Carolina Herrera, Carlos Miele, Dolce e Gabbana, Emanuel Ungaro, Emilio Pucci, Just Cavalli, Heatherette, J Mendel, Jennifer Nicholson, Jill Stuart, La Mode En Images, Lancetti, Lanvin, Lawrence Steele, Luca Luca, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Martine Sitbon, Max Mara, Menichetti, Michael Kors, Missoni, Moschino, Nina Ricci, Oscar de la Renta, Peter Som, Reem Acra, Roberto Cavalli, Rochas, Roland Mouret, Sonia Rykiel, Sportmax, Stella McCartney, Valentino, Vera Wang, Versace, Walter Rodrigues, Y's, Yigal Azrouel, Yohji Yamamoto}
What began as a "just for fun" contest, turned into a life-altering event for the beautiful brunette. Heidi immediately signed a contract with the Metropolitan modeling agency, for a minimum of three years.
“I was not the person to fall in love easily. I am a difficult person from that standpoint,” Jaric told People magazine back in March. “Now, it's a little different situation.”
Magazine Covers:
Fashion Shows:
Ready to Wear - Fall/Winter 2004: {Alexander McQueen, Anna Sui, Blumarine, Borbonese, Burberry, Chanel, Christian Lacroix, Cividini, D&G, DKNY, Dolce & Gabbana, Emilio Pucci, Hermes, Isaac Mizrahi, J Mendel, Jeffrey Chow, Jennifer Nicholson, Jill Stuart, Kenzo, La Perla, Lanvin, Loewe, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Martine Sitbon, Michel Klein, Miu Miu, Moschino, Moschino Cheap and Chic, Nanette Lepore, Nina Ricci, PHI, Prada, Rick Owens, Sonia Rykiel, Stella McCartney}
Haute Couture - Spring/Summer 2005 : {Jean Paul Gaultier}
Ready to Wear - Fall/Winter 2006: {Alberta Ferretti, Alessandro Dell'Acqua, Anna Molinari, Anna Sui, BCBG Max Azria, Balenciaga, Belstaff, Burberry, Cacharel, Celine, Chloe, Christian Dior, D&G, DKNY, Dolce & Gabbana, Donna Karan, Dries van Noten, Dsquared2, Emanuel Ungaro, Emilio Pucci, Etro, Gai Mattiolo, Givenchy, Hermes, Iceberg, J. Mendel, Jasmine Di Milo, Jean Paul Gaultier, Jill Stuart, John Galliano, Kenzo, La Perla, Louis Vuitton, Luella Bartley, Malo, Marc Jacobs, Marc by Marc Jacobs, MaxMara, Miu Miu, Moschino Cheap & Chic, Nina Ricci, Oakley, Peter Som, Pringle of Scotland, Rag & Bone, Roberto Cavalli, Sonia Rykiel, Sportmax, Strenesse, Trend Les Copains, Valentino, Viktor & Rolf, Zac Posen}
Ready to Wear - Spring/Summer 2007: {6267, Alexander McQueen, Anna Molinari, Anna Sui, BCBG Max Azria, Balenciaga, Balmain, Belstaff, Blumarine, Burberry, Carolina Herrera, Celine, Chloe, Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix, D&G, DKNY, Dolce & Gabbana, Donna Karan, Dries van Noten, Dsquared2, Emanuel Ungaro, Emilio Pucci, Etro, Fendi, Gaetano Navarra, Givenchy, Gucci, Hermes, J. Mendel, Jasmine di Milo, Jean Paul Gaultier, Jenni Kayne, John Galliano, Karl Lagerfeld, Kenzo, La Perla, Lanvin, Louis Vuitton, Luella Bartley, Marc Jacobs, Max Azria, MaxMara, Michael Kors, Miss Sixty, Miu Miu, Narciso Rodriguez, Peter Som, Prada, Proenza Schouler, Rag & Bone, Roberto Cavalli, Sonia Rykiel, Sportmax, Stella McCartney, Temperley, Tibi, Tuleh, Valentino, Vera Wang, Versace, Viktor & Rolf, Zac Posen}
Haute Couture - Fall/Winter 2007: {Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix, Givenchy, Jean Paul Gaultier}
Thanks to her latin beauty, she quickly worked with famous brands or designers such as Lacoste, Hermés, Alain Manoukian, Bisou-Bisou, Olivier Strelli, Hanro and Wolford... She also appeared on the covers of prestigious magazines like Elle or Cosmopolitan.
Almudena left Spain for Paris where she spent 4 years. Now, she's currently living in New-York with her boyfriend, Cameron, who is a model too.
A move to the Big Apple and hectic work schedule ensued. It all paid off when Kurkova finally made her presence known in the February 2001 issue of Vogue. One of the youngest models ever to grace its cover, the magazine helped propel her to stardom. She was now recognized at haute couture fashion shows and Victoria's Secret swept her up and chose her to be part of that year's television special, in November. Even fashion houses like Yves Saint Laurent took note of the stunning beauty and proceeded to sign Kurkova to deals. Print campaigns for Tommy, Valentino and others helped expose Karolina Kurkova even more, while she headlined the second Victoria's Secret show the following year. The constant flow of work (she is said to have worked 23 weeks straight) was recognized by Vogue as they honored her with the "Model of the Year" title at the 2002 VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards.
The usual contracts with big designers such as Ralph Lauren, Oscar de la Renta and Balenciaga continued, and a recent tally put Kurkova's magazine cover appearances at 60 and counting. She is revered as much in the fashion world for her personality, which is described as intense and energetic, as for her looks. This attractive attitude leaves little doubt that Kurkova will emerge as a legendary supermodel; even Vogue editor Anna Wintour called her the "next supermodel." Living in New York's TriBeCa district with her longtime boyfriend, Karolina Kurkova is able to separate herself from modeling enough to enjoy courtside basketball games at Madison Square Garden. We only hope that she can keep up this frenetic work pace or realize that sometimes, less is more.
