Since 1964 supermodels have been posing for the most notable photographers in the industry, baring it all for one of the most tantalizing and coveted calendars in the world—the Pirelli Calendar. Originally designed as a marketing effort in the ‘60s (women and cars always sell) the brand offered the calendar exclusively to high-profile clients and VIPs, which meant anyone not worthy of Pirelli’s affection was sentenced to miss out on years of scantily-clad supermodels. Until now. To celebrate the anniversary of the calendar, the brand will be releasing a retrospective book, Pirelli: The Calendar 50 Years and More, on August 10.
In addition to showcasing the feature shots from each month, the book will also reveal the covers, the credit pages, unseen behind-the-scenes moments and censored photos originally deemed too risqué during their prospective time periods. This is the stuff even calendar collectors have yet to see. In its pages photographers like Annie Leibovitz, Terence Donovan, Mert and Marcus, Richard Avedon, and Inez and Vinoodh captured the passage of time over five decades of fashion, beauty and sexuality.
