Denise Bidot Turns This Unexpected Accessory Into a Bikini Top for Fabulous ‘Fit

The SI Swimsuit rookie put her creativity on display in her newest Instagram snapshots.

Denise Bidot / John Parra/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated

Denise Bidot cured any “Monday Blues” with this dreamy denim ’fit. The brand rookie—who made her debut in the magazine’s 2025 issue before strutting the catwalk of the SI Swimsuit Runway Show—looked magical in this monochromatic look shared to Instagram.

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In an eight-slide carousel, the model used a sky blue scarf as an impromptu halter top, knotting its center and tying its ends around her neck. She paired the statement top with a light-washed denim mini skirt ($65) from HYPEACH—which she kept unbuttoned—and completed the look with black sandals and oversized hoops.

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A post shared by Denise Marie Bidot (@denisebidot)

“hi you’re hot, can i be you?” fellow SI Swimsuit model Ming Lee Simmons questioned.

“I hate that I can’t like this moreeeeee,” another commenter exclaimed.

“Wow!!!” One fan commented. “Look at youuuuuu🔥❤️”

The 39-year-old is not shy about breaking barriers in her personal style and her profession. As the first Latina plus-size model to walk in New York Fashion Week and the first plus-size model to walk for straight-size brands on the same catwalk, the Miami, Fla., native is a trailblazer.

“There was a handful of [plus-size models] back in the day, and there’s a big pool right now,” Bidot told PEOPLE in 2015. “It’s nice to see. I think there’s room for everyone. A lot of girls get caught up looking at what other people are doing. You’ve just got to stay in your lane. You’ve just got to go forward and know that whatever is meant for you is going to come your way.”

Denise Bidot was photographed by Yu Tsai in Jamaica. Swimsuit by Swim Like A Mermaid. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

A decade later, she would grace the pages of the fold alongside an ultra-talented rookie class. But even when the model’s first feature hit newsstands in May, the milestone still needed time to settle in.

“Being a part of Sports Illustrated [Swimsuit] is an absolute dream come true,” Bidot told the magazine that month. “I still feel like I need to pinch myself.”

Photographed by Yu Tsai, the model was stunning on the beaches of Jamaica, and notes that the SI Swimsuit team aided in her comfort on set.

Denise Marie Bidot in Jamaica / SI Staff

“As a rookie, you walk in there and you don’t know what to expect,” Bidot recalled on her debut shoot. “I was so scared, and every single swimsuit that [stylists Margot Zamet and Liz Wentworth] made me try on, I felt more and more beautiful.”

It was a day that Bidot says was simply unforgettable, adding, “I’ll remember [that shoot] for the rest of my life [...] They say SI [Swimsuit] family for a reason—it is that.”

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