Those Exclusive Nudes Go Public
The Pirelli calendar isn’t an ode to rubber any more than the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue is a display of beachwear. Published intermittently since 1964, the stylishly photographed calendar distributed to celebrities and friends of the Italian tire company has come to be known as the world’s most exclusive New Year’s gift.
An exhibit of 700 photographs from all 25 editions of the Pirelli calendar opened this week at Milan’s Royal Palace, a beautiful old building in the shadow of the city’s massive pinkish-gray cathedral. For those who consider a visit there a bit far to go, even to view a rare Cindy Crawford nude by Herb Ritts, Rizzoli has published the exhibition’s catalog in English and will sell it this spring at its stores in the States.
The retrospective offers a look at the distinct styles that the world’s best commercial photographers brought to studies of nude women. A flower-child innocence is evident in the ‘60s shots by British photographic messiahs Terence Donovan and Brian Duffy. The images became more eroticized and less plastic in the ‘70s, until two oil crises and resulting budget cuts in a no-nonsense European economy caused the calendar to fold.
It returned in the ‘80s, distinguished by stunning African models, including a startlingly aristocratic new girl named Iman. American stars like Richard Avedon, Arthur Elgort and Herb Ritts dominated the calendar in the ‘90s, using supermodels Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington and Helena Christensen in black-and-white portfolios. The lushly artistic nudes of these frequently seen models look very much at home in a museum setting.
Neighborhoods We Love: The golden rectangle of fabled shops and fashion houses anchored by the Via Montenapoleone isn’t the only place to find treasures in Milan. Brera, an area of curving, cobblestoned streets lined with 17th and 18th century palazzos, antique stores and art galleries, is home to some of the city’s more adventurous boutiques. Like La Vetrina, which is all the more unusual for featuring an international mix of designers, from Belgian Dries Van Noten to Brit Patrick Cox. (The French are often accused of being xenophobic, but outside the Chanel or Hermes outposts here, it’s rare to find clothes, not jeans, that weren’t made in Italy.)
Giorgio Armani was clever enough to plant roots in Brera several years ago. His corporate headquarters and the princely private residence he’s restoring to its Renaissance glory cover half of one of the area’s prettiest blocks.
You Mean You’re Supposed to Wear This Stuff?: Funny how the tourists jamming the Prada and Gucci boutiques here, waving their plastic currency at harried salesclerks as if to say, “Please, take my money,” are invariably dressed in tennis shoes and blue jeans. Do they scurry home with their purchases, only to install them in private museums of designer clothes and accessories?
One Way to Get a Good Seat: While researching a story on actresses with modeling backgrounds less than two years ago, I was warned, “Don’t even mention the word ‘model’ to Andie MacDowell. She hates talking about having been a model.”
Well, that was then. Now, the actress has signed on as the new celebrity image for J.P. Tod’s, the chic (and widely imitated) casual shoes made in Italy. In addition to being paid for posing in Tod’s ads, MacDowell was flown here for five days of shopping, sightseeing and fashion show-hopping. Such are the rewards of celebrity modeling.
