One-Piece Wednesday: Maria von Hartz, 1989

True fact: I dreamed last night that this suit was Kate Middleton's official swimsuit for the Royal Wedding, and they were selling replicas of it online.Ladies, snatch one up if you want to wear a piece of history.

National Tennis Month: Steffi Graf, 1997

May is National Tennis Month. There’s something alluring about a tennis player, and the sport has provided more athletes to the swimsuit issue than all others combined.This is a pretty incredible picture. Look at that body—it’s not the body of a model, it’s the body of an athlete. The superhero pose, and thighs you could bounce a brick off of...

This was an early foray into featuring athletes in the swimsuit issue (Gabrielle Reece was also featured that year), and Steffi provides a stark contrast to the softer curves of the Niki Taylors and Naomi Campbells and Stacey Williamses.

One-Piece Wednesday: Kathy Ireland, 198-something

I can't remember what year this pic is from.I'm guessing 1987 or 1988, because I recognize the shot from a wall calendar I had when I was in junior high.

[EDIT: Tracked it down. Looks like 1986 issue, 1987 wall calendar.]

One-Hit Wonder: Dominique Piek, 2010

Psst, Dominique…You’re today's featured model.Atta girl.
I suppose I’m a little ethnocentric, because I keep forgetting that other nations have their own editions of Sports Illustrated, and that those editions have their own swimsuit issues. Dominique Piek, 2010 rookie, did not come out of nowhere. She was the cover girl for SI South Africa in 2007:Bar Refaeli and Dominique’s fellow Sayth Iffrican model Genevieve Morton have also appeared.I have to say, Dominique was the most surprising 2010 rookie not to return. I don’t think she had the makings of one of the Immortals, like an Elle or a Paulina. But she could have been a good, solid, go-to presence, like a Lujan Fernandez or an Ingrid Seynhaeve.She rocked a yellow bikini, that’s for sure.

One-Hit Wonder: Julie Ordon, 2010

I would have readily welcomed back this intense Swiss model… even though New York magazine’s online fashion bio skips right over her SI appearance. (2009: Signs with Elite. Mar 2010: Featured on the cover of French Marie Claire.)Her feral mane can look blonde:…or brunette:…or red:…depending on the angle and the light. And man, does she rock those jewel tones SI brought to India.Apparently, she gave birth in August of 2009, which means she must have been pregnant during her photo shoot for the 2010 issue.I don’t see it. And I’m really looking.
And, she posed for French Playboy back in 2007, giving us this rather kinky photo:

One-Piece Wednesday: The 2010 Rookies

Sonia Dara
Zoe Duchesne
Genevieve Morton
Julie Ordon
Dominique Piek
Chrissy Teigen

One-Hit Wonder: Zoe Duchesne, 2010

I have to say, I’m not surprised Zoe didn’t return. She didn’t seem like a great fit.Her face wavers from smartass biker chick to impassive mannequin.When she does smile, I don’t really buy it.This is her best shot from the issue, in my opinion:…and that’s because she summons Daniella Sarahyba.

She seems like she’d be a better fit for a pouty lingerie photo shoot, and sure enough, that’s what she seems to do for the most part.Much as was the case with Jessica Hart, I find her non-SI pictures more alluring.