Friday, July 8, 2011

Hottest Bikini Shots

A couple months ago, the folks at Complex.com put together a list of the 50 Hottest Bikini Shots of All Time. Aside from a few inaccuracies (including a hazy idea of what constitutes a “bikini”), it’s a great list.



Predictably, there are lots of SI girls, and near the end of the list it’s almost a Tourette-style tirade of swimsuit issue covers.



#44: Paulina Porizkova
They refer to this shot as coming from 1987, but it’s from 1985. My first swimsuit issue, seared in my memory.



#43: Christie Brinkley
They list this as from 1975, but it's actually from 1981. It was good enough for SI to recreate it with Marisa Miller almost a quarter century later.

#41: Brooklyn Decker
The only SI girl in a non-SI setting. Nice choice.

#34: Kathy Ireland
From Complex’s description:

“This image was a cornerstone in Ms. Ireland’s career because it was a ridiculously long time coming for the S.I. vet. After 13 consecutive appearances in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issues, she had finally earned a solo cover.”



Welllllll, 1992 was Kathy’s ninth consecutive year, not her thirteenth. (She was in twelve altogether.)



Also, she had her first solo cover three years earlier, in 1989 (the 25th Anniversary issue).



Finally, by specifying that she “finally” had a “solo cover,” they seem to imply that the cover she shared with Elle Macpherson and Rachel Hunter came out earlier than this one. In fact, it came out two years later, in 1994.



#32: Babette March
Still a sexy photo. Babette is an artist with her own gallery now.

#30: Irina Shayk


#23: Elle Macpherson/Kathy Ireland/Rachel Hunter


#20: Niki Taylor
Not what I’d call a bikini, but certainly a good choice for One-Piece Wednesday.



#18: Marisa Miller


#17: Elsa Benitez


#16:ValeriaMazza/Tyra Banks


#15: Cheryl Tiegs
Yum. One of the giants on whose shoulders stand Irina, Marisa, Brooklyn, etc!



#14: Christie Brinkley
Another pioneer. This may have been the skimpiest bikini on the cover to date (1981).



#12: Petra Nemcova
Eight years later, and she’s still adjusting those strings.



#6: Beyoncé


#2: Tyra Banks
Tyra’s intro to the all-bikini 1997 issue is the highest-rated SI bikini shot on the list. (I call for an asterisk, as #1 is Farrah Fawcett in a red one piece.)

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