Calendar Girls, Revisited: 1993

So, it's looking more and more like the swimsuit issue will be later than normal this year. Normally we'd be a month out at this point, and there'd have been plenty of communications about it. But other than a bit of activity last year, there's been a whole lot of silence.

As long as this February won't bring us any new photos, we might as well look at a February past. A couple of under-the-radar models graced us on 2/19/93: Shana Zadrick was the calendar girl and Tanya Mityushina was born.

A couple weeks later, we got Bregje Heinen and Judit Masco on March 5.

After couple more weeks, we had a collaboration between two cover girls: Kathy Ireland welcomed Danielle Herrington on the 26th.

And on October 8, Ashley Richardson introduced us to Barbara Palvin, for which we should be quite grateful.

I can't leave without mentioning Adaora. I believe she was born in 1993, but I can't for the life of me find the actual date. So here she is, in all her loveliness.

Models Named in Suit

Seven years ago, SI made (nearly) all of the models wear gold necklaces bearing their names.

In 2016, they got out the label maker again, this time in the form of black one-piece swimsuits and only for the rookies.

They took a break from that in 2017, but this year they’re back: rookies with their names emblazoned proudly across their silver, black, or pink one-piecers.

I think it’s pretty sexy that they have their names on their suits. It’s like they’ve all been categorized and displayed for my inspection.

Happy One-Piece Wednesday.

That’s the Way the Rookie Crumbles 2017

Five babes enter. Three babes leave.

Biggest disappointment: We lost Sofia Resing, my favorite rookie from last year. I would have happily devoured more of this.

Wear that name proud, sweetheart.

We also lost Tanya Mityushina. For no reason I can explain, she didn’t leave much of an impression on me, though she’s beautiful.

She MAY have ripped off Kate Upton’s nun bikini for this last shot…

My favorite return is clearly Barbara Palvin, who gave us this INSTANT CLASSIC one-piece shot.

Oh. My. Goodness.

Babs seems much more comfortable this year than last. Definitely some of the best shots in the issue. Including lots of butt shots.

 
In fact, the whole issue seems to be rather butt-centric, which I am very happy about.

Hannah Ferguson, you destroy me.

I may crunch the numbers and see if there truly is a higher percentage of butt pics than in previous years. Though that would demand an arduous, thankless journey through hundreds of photos of beautiful, swimsuit-clad women. I wonder if I’m up for it.

Rookies crumbling 2016, 2015, 2013, 2012, 2011

A Breath of Fresh Erin

Let’s talk about Erin Heatherton.

At first glance, her photos are a little… odd? She has real wavy, almost frizzy hair that’s a jolt from the flowing locks she sports elsewhere.

But the more I look at them, the sexier I find them. They’re very warm and disarming. In fact, I’d now rank Erin’s shoot as one of my favorites from this year. I’m getting a late-80s/early-90s Rachel Hunter vibe.

I think that might be the thinking behind her whole look in this issue. The sunny feel, the natural and freckled face, the sky-high cut of this bikini bottom.

Once you get into that mental groove, the photos all fall into place and make sense.

Well, almost all of them. I can’t figure out what to make of this:

I think it was meant as a bold, weird experiment that MIGHT end up being iconic and MIGHT end up looking like a sexy Captain Caveman Halloween costume.

• • •

As long as we’re listing critiques…

Do we really need so many nearly-but-not-quite-identical shots? There seemed to be quite a spate of them this year.

Are we really still doing the “bikini model standing next to a native” thing?

And finally, I know I’m the only person who cares about this, but haven’t we figured out a better placement for SI logos?

(On a happier note, I predicted the luscious Barbara Palvin! Welcome, Babs. I’m splitting my Rookie of the Year voting between her and Sofia.)

But all in all, I’m real happy with this year’s offering.

(And Emily here, with her swimsuit straps wrapped around her wrists, is giving me a little something to fantasize about, right?)

Back into hiding!