Everyone's talking about Gigi Hadid. As the model bringing boobs back to the catwalk, she's ahead of the curve

Hot for Hadid: has the long-standing appetite for models with a pre-pubescent look waned among the fashion crowd?

Everyone's talking about Gigi Hadid. As the model bringing boobs back to the catwalk, she's ahead of the curve

 KAREN DACRE, FASHION EDITOR 

20 JANUARY 2015

Fitting the brief: Hadid stars in the Pirelli calendar (Picture: Steven Meisel for Pirelli 2015)

Less than three weeks into the new year and already the gods of fashion have set their sights on 2015's chosen one. Primed, ready and making progress in her quest to steal the modelling crown from Kendall Jenner, 19-year-old Gigi Hadid is this season's bright, young, beautiful thing.

Born and raised in California, Hadid signed to New York-based agency IMG in 2011 and has already walked for a host of catwalk greats including Marc Jacobs, Jean Paul Gaultier and Chanel.

The model, who made several appearances on trash TV show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, has also racked up a host of major campaign deals and has appeared in ads by the likes of Tom Ford, Victoria's Secret and Guess Jeans. Last week Hadid, who is of Palestinian and Dutch descent, was announced as the new face of cosmetics giant Maybelline.

So far, so standard for a  beautiful bombshell  on the rise to fame - but here’s the twist: Hadid is a glamour model first and fashion-industry fodder second.

Blossoming movement: Gigi Hadid walks in Chanel's spring/summer 15 show
Picture: Catwalking.com  

Hailed as one of Sports Illustrated's "rookie" models of 2014, Hadid's selling point among the fashion fraternity is her point of difference. Thanks to her relative curves and dewy, Californian girl-next-door complexion, Hadid joins a blossoming movement for fuller-figured models that has been growing in popularity. She follows in the footsteps of Vogue cover girl Kate Upton, who was declared most Googled model of 2014. Other models on similar journeys include fellow Victoria's Secret model Jourdan Dunn, who is a master at flaunting her sexuality before the camera lens, and St Louis-born model Devon Windsor, who regularly swaps the Chanel catwalk for the Victoria’s Secret runway.

But does this mean the long-standing appetite for models with a pre-pubescent look has waned among the fashion crowd? Not entirely - there will always be designers who like to see their clothes hanging on women with bodies to rival beanpoles. But this renewed compassion for the curve is undoubtedly indicative of a cultural shift towards boobs and bums. 

That mood is harnessed by stylist Carine Roitfeld and photographer Steven Meisel in the latest calendar for Italian tyre giant Pirelli. Joining forces with some of the hottest women in the business — Hadid included - to create an iconic set of images, the duo combine an eye for masterful fashion editorial with a determination to create something that screams sexual allure. 

Hand-picked: Hadid was chosen to star in the Pirelli calendar
Picture: Steven Meisel for Pirelli 2015  

Thanks to Roitfeld's desire to showcase nudity with "no trace of vulgarity", as was her practice during her reign at French Vogue, the Pirelli calendar is a celebration of curvy women. "Personally, I've always loved shapely models, who often turn out to be more at ease with their bodies than normal ones," said Roitfeld following the calendar's launch last autumn. "That’s precisely why I like them."

While some feminists will struggle with Roitfeld's vision, just as they do with the bank-busting boobfest that is the Victoria’s Secret show, there is a school of thought that stylists and casting directors are empowering women by inviting them to capitalise fully on their most precious feminine assets.

Gigi Hadid, Isabeli Fontana, Joan Smalls, Adriana Lima and Anna Evers strip off as the iconic Pirelli calendar gets a fashionable makeover

Here come the girls! Gigi Hadid and Isabeli Fontana strip off as the iconic Pirelli calendar gets a fashionable makeover

By LUCY MAPSTONE FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 12:15, 18 November 2014 | UPDATED: 14:39, 18 November 2014

It's one of the most iconic calendars in the world and also one of the most exclusive, only being given to a select few people every year.

And next year's Pirelli calendar looks set to be one of the most stylish yet, with the likes of models Joan Smalls, Isabeli Fontana, Adriana Lima and Gigi Hadid among those in the new release.

Launched in 1964, the calendars, released by Pirelli to a notoriously limited group of exclusive VIP customers, have featured nearly every top model of the past decades.

Scroll down for video 

Miss November: Gigi Hadid posed in a black, plastic corset with a defined waist, as she appears in the 2015 edition of the Pirelli calendar, entitled Calendar Girls 2015

The highly-stylised set of pictures, taken by renowned photographer Steven Meisel, were revealed in Milan on Tuesday, showing the stunning models posing in an array of striking outfits. 

Gigi Hadid - who appears as Miss November in the item, which is simply entitled Calendar Girls 2015 - posed in a plastic corset with a defined waist  on a shiny black chair, in a sultry pose.

The unique garment also featured a piercing through the breast of the top, which was cut into a rounded, plunging neckline. 

The 19-year-old, who has risen to fame in recent years as a Guess model and TV personality, and also as the best friend of Kendall Jenner, wore her hair styled in a plait across the top of her head and a black choker around her neck.

Incredibly sexy photo shoot for the Pirelli 2015 Calendar

Miss October: Isabeli Fontana displayed her long legs in a barely-there outfit, as she worked a cow-girl look

Miss March: Joan Smalls showed off her best smouldering look as she posed in a boxing ring while topless

The blonde star's eyes were heavily made-up in a deep purple tone, accentuating her natural beauty.

Revered make-up artist Pat McGrath worked her talents on the stunning models for the photo shoot, which took place in New York - while the styling was given a helping hand by former Vogue France editor Carine Roitfeld.

Brazilian model Isabeli Fontana, who appeared in last year's 50th anniversary calendar, wore a barely-there outfit, in a cow-girl style, completed with a fringed apron over black PVC underwear.

She displayed her seemingly endless legs in a pair of black heeled ankle boots, while striking a pose with a jaunty hat on her head.

Appearing as Miss October, heating up autumn for those who get to own the calendar, the 31-year-old finished her look with her light brunette tresses styled in bouncy curls.

Joan Smalls, one of the world's top supermodels, revealed her slender frame as she posed topless on a boxing ring.

Miss June: Anna Ewers made good work of a bike as her prop in a barely-there outfit

Miss January: Top model Adriana Lima oozed sex appeal in this behind-the-scenes shot during the Steven Meisel photo shoot for the calendar

The 26-year-old Puerto Rican model was styled by Carine in a red PVC suspender belt and black and red shiny thigh-high boots, adding to the boxing theme with a pair of red gloves on her hands.

Wearing her short hairstyle in a 1960s-style flicky bob, she appears in the 2015 calendar as Miss March. 

In a series of behind-the-scenes shots, the likes of Anna Ewers, Adriana Lima and Raquel Zimmerman are seen getting ready for their close-ups. 

German beauty Anna - Miss June - displayed her model figure while on a bike, wearing little more than red underwear, knee-high socks and a white sports t-shirt.

Natural beauty: The stunning 33-year-old needed just a touch of make-up on the shoot

Seeing red: Joan covered up in this behind-the-scenes shot in a matching red PVC jacket

Pumped: The 26-year-old model posed with her hands in fists, getting ready for her turn in the boxing ring

The 21-year-old star's blonde locks were transformed into an elegant and beehive 'do and, when combined with her heavy eye make-up, invoked a retro aesthetic.

For the 2013 edition, 33-year-old Adriana became the first model to be photographed for the calendar while pregnant.

But this time, she went for a sexier image, as she is seen wearing a black patent bra, elbow-length black gloves and a cap on her head, getting ready for her role as Miss January.

And Brazilian model Raquel Zimmerman - who is on the last page of the calendar as Miss December -pouted for the camera with her auburn locks teased into a lightly curled style, wearing what appears to be a red bra.

The 31-year-old, who often graces the catwalks at the top fashion shows across the world, looked barely recognisable in her snap.

The aim of Steven Meisel's takeover of the 42nd issue of the calendar was to reveal a different side to his subjects, and showing off the 'explicit rebelliousness of fashion'.

The images of the models were taken during a five-day shoot at a studio location in New York by the world-renowned fashion photographer. 

Yee-haw! Isabeli Fontana worked her hat well, while revealing a tattoo of a flower on her arm

'In my opinion, these are the key aesthetic models of today's world,' he said of his work on the calendar, which has also been shot by famed photographers including Patrick Demarchalier, Karl Lagerfeld and Helmut Newton. 

'They represent the stereotypes that the fashion and star system impose upon us right now. I didn't want to make a conceptual calendar, or link it to some particular location, but rather to create 12 posters in which women, in all their sensuality, are the absolute protagonists of 12 very different images. 

'Since I wanted to limit the use of clothes and accessories and since I had absolute creative freedom, I found it very exciting to play with the colours, the makeup, and the materials. It was a very rewarding experience.'

Proud of herself: The daughter of Yolanda Foster showed off the calendar on Monday evening

Happy! 19-year-old Gigi Hadid covered up in a large robe in-between takes, while wearing a huge grin on her face

Abs fab: 21-year-old Anna proudly showed off her enviable abs as she got herself ready 

Speaking of her experience working with the set of models and Meisel for the Pirelli calendar, Carine Roitfeld said: 'Steven chose some absolutely stunning women and made them truly beguiling.

'Personally, I’ve always loved shapely models, who often turn out to be more at ease with their bodies than normal ones. That’s precisely why I like them. Beauty inhabits different worlds and different ideas of beauty.'

The calendar also features the esteemed likes of Karen Elson, Natalia Vodianova and Cameron Russell.

Miss December: Raquel Zimmerman is the last of the Calendar Girls in the latest issue of the Pirelli calendar

Emerging star: Gigi Hadid is one of the modelling world's rising stars, and certainly looked stunning for her debut in the Pirelli calendar

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2839171/Here-come-girls-Gigi-Hadid-Isabeli-Fontana-lead-way-iconic-Pirelli-calendar-gets-fashionable-makeover.html#ixzz3JQx2T93C
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook