Italian tire manufacturer Pirelli unveiled its 2011 calendar yesterday in Moscow:

The 2011 Pirelli Calendar, now it its 38th edition, was presented to the world’s press and to other guests and collectors from around the world.  The event was held at the prestigious Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko theatre, which has, over the course of more than 90 years, been the site of operas and ballets that have become a part of the nation’s artistic heritage.

From his Paris studio, Karl Lagerfeld created “Mythology”, a calendar that reflects one of his deepest passions, that of Greek and Roman mythology, tales of the origins of humanity told through the adventures of gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines.  On a voyage back through time transported by the universal language of photography, “Mythology” takes us to the roots of classical civilisation and takes the Pirelli Calendar back to the Old World, where nearly 140 years ago a company was born that was to become a multinational organisation with operations in over 160 nations around the world.

The 36 photos that make up the 2011 Calendar show 24 different subjects, including gods, heroes and myths.  With his keen eye, Lagerfeld has ‘sculpted’ these photos both in terms of their aesthetic rigour and for the recurring references to the art of sculpture and its classical tenets.  All of the photos are in black and white, which lends character to the images, exalts the beauty of the figures represented in sharp chromatic contrast, and gives them a certain three-dimensionality through the careful use of light.

The calendar is published annually by the Pirelli company’s UK subsidiary and dates back to 1964, famous for its limited availability because it is not sold, but only given as a corporate gift to a limited number of important Pirelli customers and celebrity VIPs.  

“The Cal” was originally launched as a “great gift to motivate the sales force” and is renowned around the world for its stunning photos of beautiful women.  But over the years, it has been elevated from something to adorn a garage wall to high art.

Kate Moss was a previous model for the calendar and four years ago screen legend Sophia Loren made history when she posed in it at age 72.

This year’s calendar features 15 female models including Julianne Moore, Erin Wasson, Natasha Poly, Lara Stone, Isabeli Fontana and Bianca Balti, and five male models including Baptiste Giabiconi and Garrett Neff.

Further Reading:

• Official Site:  Pirelli Calendar Club
• New York magazine:  See Karl Lagerfeld’s 2011 Pirelli Calendar, with Hot Men and Julianne Moore
• Italy magazine:  Mythology Theme for Pirelli Calendar
• The Daily Mail:  Julianne Moore Unveiled as Face of New Pirelli Calendar
  

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This sleepy village, about 70 minutes from Palermo, seems to have the most fashionable residents in all of Italy, at least as shown in the promotional video below.  It is produced by Mosaicoon, the online media firm promoting the Sicily Fashion Village, which is scheduled to open November 26th.

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h/t Italy magazine

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From Katherine Wheelock in The Wall Street Journal:

At that point, it was fair to argue that certain corners of the fashion world were infatuated with food culture.  Then, this fall — wham! David Chang, the chef behind Momofuku, appeared in the September issue of Vogue for a feature on Fashion’s Night Out, sandwiched between Naomi Watts and Finnish model Kirsi Pyrhonen; Barneys New York announced that its holiday windows would star Anthony Bourdain and Paula Deen; and word came over the U.K. wires that Kate Moss was mothering pots of simmering fruit for her own homemade jam.  It was time to admit that a proper love affair was underway between fashion and food — and maybe not the kind that ends in December.

Read the whole thing.

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Italian luxury-goods mogul Diego Della Valle has increased his stake in Saks Inc. to 19.05%, becoming the biggest shareholder at the high-end U.S. retailer, according to filings with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Signor della Valle is a colorful fellow and very successful Italian businessman.  He made his fortune with two luxury shoe brands, Tod’s and Hogan.

Coincidentally, the Journal’s magazine ran an extensive article on the man and his company last week and had this to say:

Tod’s is the European carpetbagger of the American preppy look. The Italian luxury brand, which Della Valle built in the 1970s on the foundations of his family’s cobbler business, has become a staple of a way of dressing that idealizes weekends in the Hamptons and Cape Cod. Tod’s soft moccasins, their soles dotted with 133 rubber nubs, supplanted penny loafers to become the choice footwear pairing for all-American khakis and white button-down shirts.

As of 2:30 pm EDT today, Saks stock (SKS – NYSE) was up $0.86 or 8.5% since Wednesday’s close of $10.12.  Now that Della Valle is the department store’s largest shareholder, could he assume a new role in life — that of White Knight?

Background article:

The Independent:  Diego della Valle:  Meet the Italian Ralph Lauren

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