Swimsuit

Alix Earle, Jena Sims and Other SI Swimsuit Models Are Beating the Winter Chill by Soaking Up Some Sun

From Mexico to the British Virgin Islands, here’s where our brand stars have been jetting off to lately.

Cara O’Bleness

Alix Earle and Jena Sims
Alix Earle and Jena Sims / Michael Buckner/Getty Images and Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images

While we’re still technically two days away from the first day of winter, temperatures are dropping and in many parts of the country, snow is falling. And while we love a snow day as much as the next gal, there’s something to be said about leaving the dreary cold behind for sunny skies overhead and sand beneath your feet.

Clearly, several SI Swimsuit models past and present are of the same mindset, as plenty of brand stars have been finding themselves somewhere warm lately. Whether ringing in a milestone birthday with some girlfriends or turning a poolside afternoon into a photo opp, here are a few of our favorite models moments of the week.

Jena Sims

Sims, SI Swimsuit’s reigning Rookie of the Year, shared a carousel of images with her 334,000 Instagram followers on Monday in which she showcased an “Après beach” aesthetic. Clad in an ISMÊ Swim string bikini, the model and mom wore a beautifully patterned DOTTO two-piece set over top and accessorized with black sunnies by DIFF Eyewear. Shop her look here.

Alix Earle

Alix Earle was photographed by Yu Tsai in Jamaica. Swimsuit by Lybethras. Body Chain by Jacquie Aiche x Tropic of C.
Alix Earle was photographed by Yu Tsai in Jamaica. Swimsuit by Lybethras. Body Chain by Jacquie Aiche x Tropic of C. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Earle rang in her 25th birthday on Dec. 16, and to celebrate, she and her girls jetted off to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The two-time SI Swimsuit model’s special trip included a fireworks show, hot dog birthday cake and plenty of bikinis.

Check out Earle’s animal print two-piece here.

Tunde Oyeneyin

Oyeneyin, a Peloton instructor and winner of the 2025 Swim Search, reminded her Instagram following that she is, in fact, a 2026 SI Swimsuit rookie with a trio of stunning swimwear snaps. In her post, Oyeneyin wore a gorgeous chartreuse and black patterned bikini, which she accessorized with a sheer black cover-up and a sun hat.

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Sloane Stephens

A professional tennis player, Stephens swapped her racket for a series of black swimsuits when she posed for the issue in Aruba in 2018. Seven years later, the athlete rocks a one-piece just as well, this time on the beaches of the British Virgin Islands, as evidenced on her IG account.

Genie Bouchard

Genie Bouchard poses in Aruba.
Genie Bouchard was photographed by James Macari in Aruba. Swimsuit by Andi Bagus. / James Macari/Sports Illustrated

Bouchard was also spotted sunbathing in the British Virgin Islands recently, and quipped in a Dec. 15 Instagram caption that she was “not not having fun.” Clad in a rust-colored zebra print two-piece, the athlete leisurely chomped on a fruit skewer in several slides. Bouchard, who retired from professional tennis over the summer, was featured in back-to-back SI Swimsuit Issues in 2017 and 2018, in Turks and Caicos and Aruba, respectively.

See Bouchard’s Instagram post here.

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Cara O’Bleness
CARA O’BLENESS

Cara O’Bleness is a writer and editor on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit. Prior to joining SI Swimsuit in 2022, she worked as a writer and editor across a number of content verticals, including food, lifestyle, health and wellness, and small business and entrepreneurship. In her free time, O’Bleness loves reading, spending time with her family and making her way through Michigan’s many microbreweries. She is a graduate of Michigan State University’s School of Journalism.

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