The long-awaited 2013 Pirelli Calendar is here and it comes with one major surprise: the models are wearing clothes.
The calendar, undertaken by the Italian tire company each year, is typically filled with 12 models artfully stripped down to their birthday suits. The 2012 edition by Mario Sorrenti featured full-frontal nudity by the likes of Lara Stone, Karl Lagerfeld's 2011 version had Erin Wasson with nipple covers and Terry Richardson got Miranda Kerr to go topless in 2010.
But for the 2013 Pirelli Calendar, photographer Steve McCurry snapped 11 fully-clothed models, actresses and singers including Isabeli Fontana, Karlie Kloss, Petra Nemcova, Elisa Sednaoui and a pregnant Adriana Lima. Said McCurry of the Rio de Janeiro shoot:
“I would say I am a street photographer doing 'found situations.' You can photograph nudes anywhere. But these models are clothed, and each of them has her own charity. They are purposeful and idealistic people. So I wanted to photograph them in a special place, and Rio was perfect for this."
The calendar also includes photographs of regular Brazilian people and street art. "I tried to portray Brazil, its landscape, its economy and its culture, along with the human element," said McCurry, who's known for his memorable National Geographic photo of "the Afghan Girl." And although only some of the models are Brazilian, they all have one thing in common: all are involved in charitable or humanitarian work, something the calendar also hopes to highlight.
In other words, this is not your mother's Pirelli Calendar. Check out the decidedly non-NSFW photos below!
