sports illustrated: A touch of Class

Pirelli enlists the remarkable artistic talents of Karl Lagerfeld and a cast of 21 models for it's Mythology themed 2011 calendar. The calendar features Lara Stone, Bianca Balti, Natasha Poly, Lakshmi Menon, Isabeli Fontana, Anja Kneller, Abbey Lee Kershaw, Freja Beha Erichsen, Elisa Sedanoui, Jeneil Williams, Iris Strubegger, Magdalena Frackowiak, Erin Wasson Daria Werbowry, Heidi Mount, Brad Kroenig, Garett Neff, Baptiste Giabiconi, Sebastian Jondeau, Brad Davies and actress Julianne Moore, each posing as different ancient Greek and Roman deities in varying states of undress.

At the press conference for the unveiling of the calendar, Lagerfeld surmises "I wanted to do something different. I looked at all the other calendars," he said, adding that his had a message "of timeless beauty and youth." The 36 photos selected for the calendar, depict 24 different subjects, including gods, heroes and myths. Lagerfeld's series of black and white images take on a distinctly artistic slant with an emphasis on sculpture and form. Lagerfeld creates a luminous three dimensional quality to the images by contrasting stark backgrounds with light carefully positioned on the model's bodies. The resulting images are insanely beautiful and a welcome departure from the salacious pin-up style nudity of previous years.