When Serena Williams announced she was part of Pirelli’s famously sexy calendar lineup for 2016, it was a bit of a signal this year would be different from the past. The serious athlete is a bit of a departure from last year’s fetish-themed latex-clad high-fashion models, after all.
But now it’s clear 2016 photographer Annie Leibovitz is taking an altogether different approach to the iconic calendar. For one, no one is going to be naked. Another point of differentiation: only one of the 12 women is a model.
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Instead, Emmy-winning comedian Amy Schumer will feature alongside artist Yoko Ono, author Fran Lebowitz, musician Patti Smith, film producer Kathleen Kennedy and our favorite teenage writer/actress Tavi Gevinson, among others. The only true professional model: Natalia Vodianova, who also happens to be a model citizen and philanthropist. The theme, apparently, is achievement.
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Leibovitz explained her vision in a statement, saying “I started to think about the roles that women play, women who have achieved something. I wanted to make a classic set of portraits. I thought that the women should look strong but natural and I decided to keep it a very simple exercise of shooting in the studio.”
Indeed, the sneak peek video revealed this week showed very basic setups against plain backdrops. “This calendar is so completely different,” continued Leibovitz. “It is a departure. The idea was not to have any pretense in these pictures and be very straightforward.” Sounds like for once the calendar won’t be NSFW. We can’t wait.
