Two-Pièce de Résistance: Cheryl Tiegs, 1983

I’ve mentioned that the huge number of photos (40+) we get of each model nowadays is a double-edged sword. It’s great to have the quantity, but it’s harder to find that one iconic shot that comes from having to select one picture of one girl in one swimsuit.

I thought I’d pay homage to some of my favorite shots, those I’d consider “classics.” Most, if not all, have been featured on the blog before, but I’ve been feeling nostalgic, and I have an urge to shake my head free of the Larger Questions that have started attaching themselves to this simple girlie mag.

They won’t all be bikinis, but the title “Two-Pièce de Résistance” was just too irresistible.

• • •

I’ve always been partial to this photo of Cheryl.

Photo: Walter Iooss Jr.

 

I think part of the reason is its timelessness. Cheryl is beautiful, but because of certain signifiers — hair, swimsuit style, photography — she usually seems rooted in the 70s. Since that was before my puberty, I have to admit that my love for her photos sometimes feels like an appreciation for museum pieces.

But this shot is gorgeous in any decade.

Those big, smoky eyes; that Mona Lisa smirk; that clingy wet one-piece. For my money, it's a sexier shot than her landmark fishnet photo.

But let us pay respect to the fishnet, nevertheless.