Serena Williams and Amy Schumer cuddle up to photographer Annie Leibovitz

Home Top

EXCLUSIVE PICTURES: How Rosemary Kennedy went from a vibrant young beauty smiling with brother John F Kennedy to a feeble spinster - after being forced to undergo a lobotomy
BREAKING: Four dead and at least 52 injured after amphibious Duck tour vehicle collides with bus full of students in Seattle
Department of Homeland Security to create 'brain chip' phone to constantly monitor users and SELF DESTRUCT if an unauthorised person tampers with it
Supermarket shoppers call police after couple are seen loading their three kids into the trunk of their car before driving 20-miles with them locked in the back
Repent! Pope Francis lectures America on gay marriage, abortion, immigration and the Syrian refugee crisis in first-ever Capitol Hill address by a sitting pontiff
It's the Pope vs. The Donald as Trump rejects pontiff's call for compassion on immigration and action on global warming
Want to see the pope? That will be $175: Outrage as scalpers list FREE tickets for Francis' tour online with major pricetags
Next stop, New York: Pope Francis takes off after two days in DC, greeting tens of thousands of well wishers and a historic Congressional address that brought John Boehner to tears
A divorced Fidel Castro fan who had a string of affairs, an abortion and spoke up for Ho Chi Minh: The VERY unusual American Catholic 'saint' praised by the Pope
British TV presenter sparks outrage after saying Barack Obama 'smiles like a watermelon' during report on Pope's visit to the US
PIERS MORGAN: The Pope's right - America doesn't have to be a country driven by gun-toting, blood-thirsty, planet-destroying bigots
'I saw the transplanted white trash and I lost it': Brooklyn jogger who screamed at parents that he 'settled' the neighborhood first says he moved there in 1997 and his 'blood mixes with the concrete'
What has happened to the hurricanes? Forecasters say NO severe storms have hit western Atlantic this year for the first time since 1914
Now you really CAN live like a celebrity! Emily Blunt's $2.5million Hollywood Hills home is now available to rent on Airbnb
Tip the porter, don't dress like a slob and NEVER take selfies with celebrity guests: The ultimate guide to behaving like you belong at a five-star hotel
Mother to leave hospital four months after flesh eating bacteria caused her to lose two legs and an arm
$Scary moment when security and police had to restrain a fan who tried to ambush Kerry Washington when she was taking pictures with fans outside of GMA in NYC.\n\nPictured: Kerry Washington\nRef: SPL1135775 240915 \nPicture by: XactpiX/Splash\n\nSplash News and Pictures\nLos Angeles: 310-821-2666\nNew York: 212-619-2666\nLondon: 870-934-2666\nphotodesk@splashnews.com\n$ Kerry Washington is left shaken after being ambushed by a crazed female fan trying to take her photograph before appearance on Good Morning America
Texas SUV packed with at least 15 people crashes during police chase killing six and injuring seven in 'possible human smuggling operation'
Why coughs and sneezes really DO spread disease: Scientists discover flu breeds in the roof of the mouth
A bridge too far: Terrified tourists struggle to walk across China's new glass-bottom walkway suspended 600 FEET above the ground
D'oh! Lena Dunham gets The Simpsons treatment but shockingly ends up in bed with Homer
Environmental Protection Agency official spent almost $70,000 flying more than 400 miles home EVERY weekend as well as charging mileage and meals to the taxpayer
Horror at the Hajj: At least 700 people are crushed to death and hundreds injured in stampede during Muslim pilgrimage in Mecca just two weeks after crane collapse killed 109
Voodoo gang who used black magic to force women to become prostitutes and thieves is busted by police in Majorca

For it's 2016 issue, the exclusive calendar had Ms Leibovitz photograph some of the world's most inspiring women, including artists and athletes
Serena and Amy were joined by Yoko Ono, Patti Smith, Fran Lebowitz, Tavi Gevinson and more during the photoshoot

By Valerie Siebert For Dailymail.com and Erica Tempesta For Dailymail.com

Published: 13:10 EST, 23 September 2015 | Updated: 15:29 EST, 23 September 2015

View
comments

Serena Williams, Amy Schumer, Yoko Ono and Tavi Gevinson are among the accomplished women who are replacing top models in this upcoming year's ground-breaking Pirelli calendar.

Usually known for featuring the most beautiful models of the year, the famed calendar has taken its 2016 issue in a whole new direction by opting for some of the world's most inspiring women - from artists to athletes and even to bloggers.

Newly-released images show the women behind-the-scenes of the exclusive photoshoot as they pose for legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz.

Scroll down for video

Looking good: Serena Williams (center), 33, is one of the one of many inspiring women to star in the 2016 Pirelli Calendar, which was photographed by Annie Leibovitz (right) in May

Say cheese: Amy Schumer, 34, donned a white robe, while she posed with the famous photographer in this behind-the-scenes image

New look: Tavi Gevinson, the 19-year-old fashion blogger-turned magazine mogul, revealed on Twitter that she cut her hair on the day of the photoshoot

Make a style statement with a cropped sweatshirt like Tavi

$50

Art Baby Girl statement 'Girls at Night on the Internet' sweatshirt

Buy it now at THE I IYV

Buy now

Tavi Gevinson is an internet wunderkid-fashion-it-girl turned into a taste-maker for her precocious ascent into the fashion world at 13 years of age. While she's grown up to become the same age as Kylie Jenner, she went a very different direction with her fame.

Tavi became a writer focused on pushing forth issues relevant to young women her age. Here she's pictured with a statement sweatshirt by Art Baby Girl. She never wastes a chance to show people what she's thinking and so should you.

Whether you're going to wear this to work out or just pairing it with a flippy leather mini, this is the perfect expression of your state of mind.

Head over to the HVY fast because this is a sell out item. It's cheeky and easy to wear. If you're looking for other cropped sweatshirts, check out our edit below. We're obsessed with the sequined version from Philippe Plein.

* PRICES MAY NOT BE AS ADVERTISED

...NOW GET ONE LIKE IT

'I started to think about the roles that women play, women who have achieved something. I wanted to make a classic set of portraits,' Ms Leibovitz said in a statement.

'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,' she added. 'This calendar is so completely different. It is a departure. The idea was not to have any pretense in these pictures and be very straightforward.'

While Serena, 33, and the photographer can be seen looking at an image on a cell phone, Amy, 34, and Ms Leibovitz posed for a picture together.

Rock royalty: Yoko Ono, 82, modeled a black leotard and matching blazer during the iconic calendar shoot

Tavi, the 19-year-old fashion blogger-turned magazine mogul, took to Twitter on Wednesday to proudly share her involvement in the shoot, tweeting: 'So excited to be in unreal company for the Pirelli calendar, shot by Annie Leibovitz (this was where I cut my hair).'

In a preview clip that was also released, the women were filmed working with Ms Leibovitz.

Although the video is deftly edited to only tease the star-studded cast of the 2016 shoot, many of the inspiring ladies can be seen between the stylists, shoot crew and Annie herself.

The project, which Pirelli apparently started shooting in May, was dubbed by the company as a 'radical and inspirational departure from previous years' - and it seems for good reason.

Tennis star Serena - who was at the center of a body-shaming controversy this summer after author JK Rowling shot down a Twitter troll who said Serena was 'built like a man' - is seen briefly in the clip stripped down and being directed by the photographer.

Deep in thought: Legendary singer and songwriter Patti Smith posed with hand to her chin as she looked towards the ground

Sardonic wit: Author and public speaker Fran Lebowitz removed her glasses, while posing for the inspiring images

Day job: Model-turned-philanthropist Natalia Vodianova smiled as her hair got a last minute touch-up

Serena has already confirmed her involvement in the project on Twitter, writing on Friday: 'Guess what?? I am so happy to be part of the next #PirelliCalendar shot by @AnnieLeibovitz!! #thecal.'

In one short clip, the widow of Beatle John Lennon, artist Yoko Ono, is spotted posing in a hat, round sunglasses and a leotard.

Other women seen in between the cutaway shots are Selma director Ava DuVernay and author Fran Lebowitz.

Natalia Vodianova, Agnes Gund, Kathleen Kennedy, Mellody Hobson, Shirin Neshat, and Yao Chen, are also featured in the upcoming calendar.

Many of the subjects have themselves posed for photos by the inimitable Annie - including Yoko, who Annie famously shot with her husband on December 8, 1980, mere hours before he was murdered.

Natural look: Yao Chen, who is a 35-year-old Chinese actress and a global superstar, donned a striped shirt and jeans as she posed for the camera

A beautiful work: Director Ava DuVernay, whose work on the film Selma has won her plenty of praise, is also be featured in the calendar

Taking direction: Iranian visual artist Shirin Neshat can be seen talking to Ms Leibovitz in between takes

Launched in 1964 and known for its risque nude photos, the calendars, released by Pirelli to a notoriously limited group of exclusive VIP customers, have had nearly every top model grace its pages.

The 2015 edition of the calendar, shot by renowned photographer Steven Meisel, was certainly no different, featuring models Gigi Hadid, Joan Smalls, Isabeli Fontana, and Adriana Lima in sultry fetish-themed photo shoots.

The series did make one small change in its cast last year, however, by including its first plus-size model: Candice Huffine.

That exciting edit aside, the 2016 edition was expected to be much of the same, but the new preview seems to be blowing that idea out of the water. Not only are the women of extremely varied ages and body types, but they are all renowned members of their - very different - respective fields.