49 and Sunny

Modelinia.com has decided to count down to the 50th anniversary swimsuit issue, revisiting one cover per week until February 2013.

This week: the delightfully named Sunny Bippus on the cover of the 1966 issue.

Sunny was one of just two models in the issue that year, and a one-hit wonder at that.

There is one problem with Modelinia's countdown. The 50th anniversary issue will be in 2014, not 2013.

I fell victim to this faulty reasoning too. 2013 will bring the 50th swimsuit issue, making it the 49th anniversary. If 1989 was the 25th anniversary, the 50th will be in 2014.

I'm sure it will be cleared up eventually, right?

Speaking of the 25th Anniversary issue, it had a nice little profile of Sunny.

"Even in her modeling days, Margaret Caroline Bippus, known as Sunny, was more than just a pretty face. The photographers and art directors with whom she worked in the 1960s quickly learned that she was also a good sport. Hence, they threw her from airplanes, submerged her in swamps and perched her on precipices wearing everything from swimsuits to ball gowns."

Sounds like a predecessor for Stacey Williams, who mentions in this clip, (2:35) "I always joke, if there's a shot, you know, that involves danger or torture, it's usually mine."

Cover: Blown

I just found a blog called "Inoubliable Model Army." The author is mainly interested in the world of high fashion and runways, but he has an affinity for the SI swimsuit issue. And he calls the 2012 cover a catastrophe.

I was cautious about the cover when it was first revealed, wanting a little more time to digest. I’ve had time, and I agree: It’s flawed.It seems like this image was stitched together from disparate elements instead of being selected for aesthetic value. People love Kate Upton! Kate Upton has become synonymous with breasts! The smaller the swimsuit, the sexier! You can’t go wrong with a blonde in a red bikini!

All of those things, taken separately, are perfectly logical. But the result is like design by committee. It’s too in-your-face, too cartoonish. It’s like making Jessica Rabbit into a real person. A sexy idea, but the result would be tinged with something “off.”

…Well okay, Heidi’s Jessica Rabbit is an exception. But even there, it’s played for novelty.And besides, it’s Heidi Klum.
I don’t think it’s “the worst cover in SI Swimsuit history” like the guy at Inoubliable does. But I think he’s onto something with this description:

The image, featuring a heavily airbrushed Upton in an unflattering, awkward pose with her upper anatomy spilling out of a bikini top and bottom, would have been more appropriate on the cover of Hustler magazine.

Upton's cover photo falls victim to its own extremes, subscribing too hard to the philosophies of “bigger is better” (boobs) and “smaller is better” (bikini).

What other photos from 2012 would have made better covers? I think any of these would have been beautiful.Still sexy, still skimpy, still Upton-y. But less hysterical about it. (Heck, the issue came out on Valentine’s Day, and her bikini in that last photo is pink and covered in hearts. Perfect!)

Anyway, we have a lot more Kate in store for us, and I bet we’ll get at least one more cover out of her before SI is done with her.

It Was Inevitable

Kate Upton is your 2012 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover girl.Wow. About a year and a half ago, I wondered if the trend was going to be toward larger bikini bottoms. This seems to be a resounding "no."

Frankly, I think those bottoms are a little too skimpy. They might have crossed over from "sexy" to "look what we can get away with." I don't know. Maybe I need time to digest. (And maybe swimsuit issue covers aren't the place to look for subtlety.)

Kate is not the first girl to jump from rookie one year to cover the next. She joins a small club of models who made the cover in their sophomore years.
Carol Alt
Debut: 1981. Cover: 1982.
Paulina Porizkova
Debut: 1983. Cover: 1984.
Elle Macpherson
Debut: 1985. Cover: 1986.
Vendela
Debut: 1992. Cover: 1993.
Tyra Banks*
Debut: 1993. Cover: 1996.*Tyra skipped a couple years after rookiehood, then came roaring back with two consecutive covers.

Carolyn Murphy
Debut: 2004. Cover: 2005.(And yes, there's a handful of models who have made the cover their first time out.)

In other news, Hot Clicks has revealed that Bar Refaeli will be posing with athletes this year.
(That face is Hot Clicks author Jimmy Traina, by the by.)

I have nothing against hunky, shirtless guys per se, but I do hope there are plenty of dude-free photos of Bar this year. It would be a shame to have any obstacles in the way of her.

According to the cover, there are 18 models this year. That's one more than last year. Here's a nice preview of Alyssa Miller.Her hair is significantly lighter.

What else? If you need a little appetizer, Kate has a new photoshoot, video, and interview at Esquire.com.Good grief. That girl is so sexy it isn't even funny.

A Bikini Addict is Jonesing

A new bikini-obsessed blog called The Bikini Addict has listed its predictions for the 2012 cover.

The author's picks are Kate Upton, Chrissy Teigen, or Hilary Rhoda.

I think the smart money is on Kate, myself.But it would be churlish of me not to post photos of the other girls.
Meanwhile, it might be fun to visit The Lowdown Blog's predictions from way back on February 22, 2011. The ink was still wet on last year's issue, but they made some long-term guesses on this year's, leading with Cintia Dicker. (Personally, I would love that.)They follow up, in descending order of likelihood, with Kate Upton, Chrissy Teigen, Julie Henderson, Genevieve Morton, Anne V, and Irina Shayk.

48 Years Ago Today

1/20/64: the cover date of the first swimsuit issue.

Kathy Coverage

Modelina has a nice little retrospective: "Looking Back at Sports Illustrated's 25th Anniversary Issue."They wonder if 2013's 50th Anniversary Issue will live up to Kathy's 25th Anniversary Issue.

Looks like they made the same blunder I did a while back. 2013 would be the 50th swimsuit issue, but only the 49th anniversary. (If 1989 was the 25th anniversary, then the 50th will be in 2014.)

Congratulations, Genevieve Morton

She's the cover model of the "swimwear issue" for Sports Illustrated South Africa, 2011.

White Swimsuit Week, 2011: Part Seven

The ultimate White Swimsuit Party was held for the 2006 cover.The ladies look great individually too (as evidenced by the hard-hitting journalism covering the shoot). So let’s enjoy them in chronological order of their first cover appearances.



Elle.

Rachel.

Daniela.

Rebecca.

Elsa.

Yamila.

Veronica.

Carolyn.

2011 in Review

So, we’re half a year past the 2011 issue. Let’s take a look back.

Weirdest SuitsBrooklyn Decker’s lion design.
Damaris Lewis’s “groped-by-shadows” one-piece.
Kenza Fourati’s bikini bottom constructed of jimmies.
Oddest TrendCoral as decorative fan.
Toplessest GirlJessica White appears without her top in 9 of her 42 online photos, which is over 21%.
Most Amazing OutieIzabel Goulart’s bellybutton enters a room a few seconds before the rest of her does.
Most Titillating RevelationShannan Click has done some bondage photography, and not just in the suggestive way my sick brain tends to see.A couple years ago, she did some sort of artsy/kinky fashion spread for something called Exit magazine. (NSFW)
Early 2012 Cover Predictions?#3: Brooklyn Decker
#2: Julie Henderson
#1: Kate Upton