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.

Yes, THAT Hemingway

You may have noticed a couple of shots from the 2019 issue where Anne de Paula and Robin Holzken are posing on trucks labeled “Hemingways.”

This is part of the Hemingways Collection, a trio of luxury, amenity-filled resorts. SI made ample use of their safari experience for 2019’s Kenya shoot.

The name of the resorts is inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s fondness for Kenya, but something tells me Ernest probably roughed it more than this Simba Tent with enormous double bedrooms and on-site butler.

In any case, this truck is not the first Hemingway to appear in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. This is Margaux (née Margot) Hemingway. She was Ernest’s granddaughter.

She’s another Cindy/Amber/Sarah girl: one-hit wonder, and only one photo from that year.

Here she is as she was revealed to readers in 1975, nestled between already-established SI swimsuit royalty Cheryl Tiegs on the left, and rookie superstar-in-the-making Christie Brinkley on the right.

Her story has a sad end. She was mired in addiction, a faltering career, and depression, and she committed suicide in 1996.
 

I have occasionally wondered if she’s the only SI swimsuit model who is no longer living. She might be. I haven’t done any deep research into it, because it would be time-consuming and morbid. But it’s a magazine with over half a century’s worth of models. Margaux just might be the first casualty.

Fruit Friday: Cheryl Tiegs, 1978

 

One-Piece Wednesday: Returning Legends

Let's toast the titans over the years who returned triumphantly to the swimsuit issue to show a new generation of models how to rock a one-piece.

Cheryl, 1995

Elle, 2006

Heidi, 2014

Tyra, 2019

Paulina, 2019

DONATE TO HELP PUERTO RICO

Our idiot president is doing everything he can to be on the wrong side of this. So it’s up to us.

This is where I donated.
https://hispanicfederation.org/donate

Here are some photos of Jamee Becker, Erin Gray, and Vicky Howard from when the swimsuit issue shot in Puerto Rico for the 1969 issue.

DONATE TO HELP PUERTO RICO

• • •

Here are some photos of Cheryl Tiegs, Carol Latimer, and Libby Otis from when the swimsuit issue shot in Puerto Rico for the 1974 issue.

DONATE TO HELP PUERTO RICO

• • •

Here’s Olympic Gold Medal swimmer Amanda Beard in Puerto Rico for the 2005 swimsuit issue.

DONATE TO HELP PUERTO RICO

• • •

Here’s Yamila Diaz in 2002 stretched out out on a Puerto Rican flag in Spanish Harlem.

DONATE TO HELP PUERTO RICO

Beak-inis

Christie Brinkley apparently got attacked by a bird the other day. Black eye, hospital visit, the whole nine yards.

Let us look at some happier model/bird moments from the swimsuit issue. We covered parrots already, but there are so many other species to represent.

First, let’s get Christie on the path to rehabilitation.

• • •

UPDATE, 5/20/18

I've been in a Myla Dalbesio mood, so I thought I'd update this three-year-old post with a pic of her posing with flamingos in the 2018 issue. (I also added her to my hammocks post.)

• • • 

UPDATE, 10/18/19

Welcome to the flock, Kate Bock. Here she is in 2017.

Happy Birthday, Cheryl and Jessica

Hannah Ferguson’s Wet Net

This very suit has now been recreated twice, first by Marisa Miller, now by Hannah.

The wet/dry spots have been lovingly detailed by Joanne Gair, and I’ve stated before that I think this is one of the best bodypainting entries SI has given us.

I guess when you have a shot that’s this iconic, you have to pay it respect time and time again.

And man, I want Hannah back next year.

Happy Opposite Day

Enjoy some fully clothed swimsuit models.

White Swimsuit Week, 2013: Part Five

The always lovely Cheryl Tiegs, 1983.

Book It

Brooklyn Decker Fans tweeted this preview pic for "50 Years of Beautiful":

Great previously unseen shots from Christie’s 1979 cover!

This which led me to realize that the cover and a sizable preview are now up on Amazon. (Love the cover-bikini!)

“Click to look inside” the book. Not the bikini top.

Looks like a pretty beautiful, in-depth volume. I’m especially looking forward to all the alternate shots. Some months ago, I stumbled upon this alt fishnet shot of Cheryl Tiegs—I don’t even remember where—and wondered if we’d ever see a stash of high-quality alts from this shoot. We’ll see some in this book.

The preview is very heavy on post-2000 photos, but I hope they spend a good amount of time on earlier stuff.

Looking forward to October!