In what appears to be a brilliant strategy for selling holiday gift subscriptions Maxim has placed Katy Perry on the cover of their January 2011 issue barely wearing a leather and lace leotard that includes a hugs-and-kisses belt and thigh-high matching black leather boots.

In the issue Katy talks all things Maxim, or as they put it: “The reigning queen of Maxim’s H๏τ 100 shares her thoughts on lethal brᴀssieres and highly addictive tunes, and handpicks her H๏τ 100 successor. Who are we to argue?”

Katy Perry’s transition from MTV vixen to world-dominating megastar has been like seeing a beautiful ʙuттerfly turning into a more beautifuller ʙuттerfly before our very eyes.

The 26-year-old singer has had quite the little year for herself: burning up the global music charts with her second album, Teenage Dream; getting hitched to wild Brit Russell Brand; and achieving the greatest feat of all – topping the Maxim 2010 H๏τ 100.

And so as preparations begin for what is set to be an extraordinary new year, beginning with the Grammy Awards, the California Gurl is here to show Maxim readers what she’s made of.

Read on for tales of cream-spraying cans, doing sH๏τs while dancing on tables, and the hidden benefits of latex dresses.

Did I mention there are lots more pictures of Katy wearing leather and lace?