Sports Illustrated Swimsuit models are an exclusive club, but now it’s a club that’s open to everyone. For the first time ever, they had an open casting call. It all went down in SoFlo over the weekend — and we got inside.
Christie Brinkley, Kate Upton … the Sports Illustrated cover girls and models Kate Bock and Hailey Clauson made a splash in the 305 for Swim Week.
Christie Brinkley, model: “It really feels so great to be able to give this Sports Illustrated opportunity to so many girls.”
You heard her!
They were just some of the magazine’s most recognizable faces who helped make dreams come true this weekend at Swim Search — the magazine’s first ever open auditions at the W South Beach.
Camille Kostek, model: “This is an opportunity to be a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model. I’m getting chills just saying it.”
Thousands lined up for the auditions that included posing and interviews with the pros.
Each woman hoped to be one of the lucky 16 to make the cut and walk the runway at a big bash Sunday night.
For MJ Day, the magazine’s editor, that was the hardest part.
MJ Day, SI editor: “Narrowing it down to 16 is the most gut-wrenching thing I’ve done in a really long time, because so many women come with really powerful stories.”
Other pros like Olivia Culpo played mentor. Her duties also extended to helping with some fashion 911s backstage.
Olivia Culpo: “It’s drying nicely. I think we did it.”
But of all the cover girls and babes in bikinis on hand, one rookie stole the show, walking the runway while breastfeeding her 5-month-old baby.
MJ Day: “Such a huge variety of women represented, that felt validated by our existence, and they felt beautiful, and they felt that they deserved to be in the issue.”
Speaking of babies, the SI family is growing! Kate Upton announced her pregnancy with an Instagram post, as she prepared to guide the thousands of hopefuls to stardom.
FOR MORE INFO:
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit
https://www.si.com/swimsuit/
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.