Katie Austin Sports Adorable Bikini in This Summer’s Most Popular Pattern

Summer has just started but we’ve already identified the pattern of the season.

Katie Austin was photographed by Ben Watts in Bermuda. Swimsuit by Lybethras. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

And just like that, we’ve made it to another summer. This year’s warm-weather season kicked off last week and we’re already in-the-know on which trends will be owning the next few months. As seen in recent celebrity looks and during Swim Week in Miami, Fla., last month, polka dots is one of the hottest patterns for fashion lovers, and when it comes to swimwear, it’s simply everywhere.

One of the most classic patterns—if not the most—for swimwear, polka dots have seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years, and it’s fully back in trend this summer. Queue up the “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” song on Spotify, because it’s time to take part in this always-fun and flirty pattern again.

SI Swimsuit model Katie Austin is ahead of the curve, taking to Instagram this week to share stunning snaps from vacation at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo in Lake Como, Italy. Enjoying the luxurious, relaxing trip with her hubby, Lane Armstrong, the fitness instructor looked fabulous rocking a black polka dot bikini with a fashionable, feminine balconette top.

See Austin’s Instagram post here.

“it’s spritz season!!!🍊🍊🍊 here is my postcard from heaven aka day spent at @ghtlakecomo,” Austin wrote as the caption to her photos against the breathtaking Lake Como backdrop.

Katie Austin / John Parra/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated

“Summer of a lifetime!!!!!” Austin’s mom, fitness icon Denise Austin, commented.

“Heaven on earth!” added magazine editor and author Meaghan B Murphy.

“She is thriving!!!!! 😍😍😍,” tanning studio Be Bronze wrote—a statement you just can’t disagree with.

This is hardly the first time Austin opted to rock polka dots this year. While walking the 2025 SI Swimsuit Runway Show in late May, she stunned in a red and white high-hip string bikini from Toxic Sadie adorned with the classic pattern. Polka dots was a hot pattern during this year’s show, with fellow SI Swimsuit models Penny Lane, Ellie Thumann, Jena Sims, Olivia Dunne, Alix Earle and XANDRA all donning polka dot swimsuits on the catwalk.

Katie Austin and XANDRA / John Parra/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated

Publications such as Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan report that polka dots have fully taken over, not just the summer season, but the year as a whole. From the sweetest polka dot dresses to stylish polka dot accessories such as handbags, the pattern has come back in a big way—and we’re fully embracing it for swimwear here at SI Swimsuit.

While patterns like animal print and styles such as long-sleeved swimwear owned the 2025 SI Swimsuit Issue, we bet polka dot pieces will continue to make appearances in future shoots, celebrity fashion and during fashion weeks.

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