View from the Red Carpet: Do 'SI' Models Really Wear String Bikinis?

Allure Daily Beauty Reporter

by Jeffrey Slonim

Getty Images
Getty Images

On the cover of the new Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, Chrissy Teigen, Nina Agdal, and Lily Aldrich bare their Jessica Rabbit-like back ends covered only by infinitesimal string bikinis. But what do the models wear to the beach in real life? To find out, we dropped in on the launch of the 50th Anniversary issue at the Swimsuitbeach House in Soho. I know, tough job.

Lily Aldridge: "I took every one of my swimsuits home with me. The swimsuits they get for Sports Illustrated are tiny and tinier, and you can't really find those in stores. I honestly think a small bikini is more flattering on a woman."

Nina Agdal: "As tiny as possible. It's just about feeling good about yourself. And a small bikini doesn't give you tan marks, that's the main reason."

Petra Nemcova: "It depends where I am, and if I'm with many people. I definitely used to wear tinier bikinis than I do now. It takes a lot of confidence, and who is around plays a role."

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Sara Sampaio: "I wear the really tiny bikinis, the smallest ones. I don't like tan lines. So I just have the moms looking at me and judging me with their eyes on the beach."
Allure: "I'm sure the husbands are looking."
Sampaio: "That's why the moms look."

Kate Bok: "We are lucky enough to get most of the suits at the end of the job, so I have a bucket of them in my apartment. I've been wearing two that were in the shoot this year a lot. I really love them. You get adjusted to the mini bikini when you work for Sport Illustrated. But when you get back to the real world, I do realize that people don't wear them so much. So it definitely gets you some stares. But I'm used to it now, so that doesn't bother me."

Lauren Mellor: "My own bikinis are quite a bit different. I need a bikini with a little more boob support. I normally find one that's actually got underwire in it, because for me, support on the beach is crucial."

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Anne V: "Oh my God, Sport Illustrated turned me on to bathing suits. And they keep getting smaller and smaller, and I feel like as I get older, I should cover up. But the smaller, the better. If you work out really hard, that's the one time you can feel really proud of your body. I might as well show as much as I can."

Christie Brinkley: "It depends on the beach, but I probably have more bikinis than one pieces because of the tan lines and work. But I like to wear a one piece when I'm body surfing, paddle boarding, or sailing."

Hannah Ferguson (rookie from Texas): "I cover up a bit, I'm not super flashy."

Rachael Hunter: "I'm past the stringy now, I'll leave that to my daughter. I do a thicker tie on the side."

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