Tyra Banks’s Bright Yellow String-Two Piece Is Your 2025 Swimwear Inspo

The brand icon made a triumphant return to modeling in 2019—and we’re still thinking about that incredible cover look.

Tyra Banks was photographed by Laretta Houston in Great Exuma, Bahamas. Swimsuit by Andi Bagus. / Laretta Houston/Sports Illustrated

Trailblazing supermodel, actress and author Tyra Banks has been a household name for decades now. The 51-year-old, who made history when becoming the first Black woman to land a solo cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit in 1997, is a multi-talented celeb, gracing the pages of notable magazines, creating the long-running reality show America’s Next Top Model and appearing in beloved series like Gossip Girl, Glee and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. There’s truly nothing Banks can’t do if she sets her mind to it, and she continues to bring her audience jaw-dropping moments as she makes her mark in pop culture history.

In 2005, Banks announced her retirement from modeling after walking the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show—an event she starred in for multiple years—though she’s made a comeback a few times since. In 2019, she came out of retirement with an absolutely breathtaking photo shoot in Great Exuma, Bahamas and landed the cover of SI Swimsuit. That year, Alex Morgan and Camille Kostek also appeared on covers of the issue.

Photographed by Laretta Houston, Banks looked like she never missed a beat and blew us away with her lifelong skills in front of the camera. As a new year begins, we’re looking back at some of the most iconic swimsuits featured in the magazine and figuring out which stand the test of time. Though this bright yellow two-piece was worn by Banks six years ago, it still should be a staple in everyone’s closets. Going on a trip in the new year? Let this Andi Bagus micro bikini, which hugged Banks’s every curve, be your ultimate inspiration. Lucky for you, it’s available to buy right now.

Tiga Bikini, $59 (andi-bagus.com)

Tyra Banks was photographed by Laretta Houston in Great Exuma, Bahamas. Swimsuit by Andi Bagus / Laretta Houston/Sports Illustrated

Tyra Banks was photographed by Laretta Houston in Great Exuma, Bahamas. Swimsuit by Andi Bagus / Laretta Houston/Sports Illustrated

Tyra Banks was photographed by Laretta Houston in Great Exuma, Bahamas. Swimsuit by Andi Bagus / Laretta Houston/Sports Illustrated

The cheerful and sexy two-piece Banks rocked is in the color Shades of Yellow—but if yellow isn’t your favorite to wear, don’t worry. This set comes in a whopping 19 different colors for you to sift through. Time to get to shopping as you look ahead to all your beachwear needs of the year!

This year, Banks came out of retirement again to walk the runway at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which served as a milestone comeback for both the model and the event. “I never in a million years thought that I would be back on the runway, but I am so beyond excited and so ready for this,” she told Harper’s Bazaar ahead of the October show. She also appeared in SI Swimsuit for the special 60th anniversary “Legends” feature earlier this year, posing alongside 26 other brand icons. The photo shoot is what Banks considers as “probably [in her] top five days of [her] career.”