Carine Roitfeld compares Kate Upton to Marilyn Monroe, casts her in first ever CR Men’s Book

Kate Upton has come a long way in her career since appearing as a bikini clad model on Sports Illustrated. The blonde beauty has been cast for the first ever issue of “CR Men’s Book,” a special edition of Carine Roitfeld's “CR Fashion Book.”

Roitfeld, who is the former editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris, says the choice was an easy but nostalgic one, considering how much of a hit Upton was with both men and women when she became the first ever cover star of CR Fashion Book’s rebirth issue in 2012.

Roitfeld also compared Upton's iconic beauty to that of Marilyn Monroe. "Kate is like a Marilyn of today," Roitfeld wrote on Twitter alongside Upton's picture from the shoot. The picture, shot by photographer Sebastian Faena, shows Upton wearing a pale silk Carine Gilson gown with lace embroidery and a Gucci satin shirt thrown over. She has also tied another bottle green shirt on her hips.

"Kate has always been everything I love," Roitfeld said on the CR Fashion Book website. “For my new CR Men's Book, she represents different types of beauty and the sexual fantasies of all men. Enjoy!"

For the first issue of CR Men's Book, Roitfeld was also inspired by the idea of “traditional pinup calendars” and thought Upton would be an apt choice for it.

Upton has previously expressed her gratitude to Roitfeld, saying in a 2013 interview with Page Six that she was the first ever editor to put her on the cover wearing clothes. After appearing in the CR Fashion Book issue, the American model was flooded with assignments from high-end fashion magazines including Vogue, Elle and Vanity Fair.

The theme for the September issue of CR Men's Fashion Book is Rebirth, so there is yet another picture of Upton holding baby chicks, Huffington Post writes. Other celebrities appearing on the cover include Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, who shows off her baby bump. Models Marte Mei van Haaster and Marie Piovesan are also seen holding a baby.