No One Was Ready for Alix Earle’s Show-Stopping Look at the SI Swimsuit Launch Party

The two-time SI Swimsuit model owns the red carpet at the Hard Rock Hotel New York.

Alix Earle was photographed by Yu Tsai in Jamaica. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Is there any outfit Alix Earle doesn’t absolutely slay in? If there is, it’s safe to say the world hasn’t seen it yet, as the two-time SI Swimsuit model and content creator is absolutely glowing on the red carpet right now. The 24-year-old New Jersey native makes her debut in the physical SI Swimsuit magazine this year—after making history as the inaugural digital cover star in 2024—and is celebrating at the official 2025 launch party in Manhattan, N.Y.

Wearing a black Gucci by TOM FORD gown with a plunging deep v-neckline and golden accent around her hips, this red carpet ensemble screams pure elegance. Her tousled blonde locks only add to the cool vibes of the overall aesthetic, and her neutral makeup look made up of pinks and peaches allows her natural beauty to shine through.

Alix Earle / John Nacion/Variety/Getty Images

While chatting with SI Swimsuit on the red carpet, Earle touched on how “crazy” it was to be featured in the physical magazine this year, feeling so excited to be able to hold the magazine. When asked what boyfriend Braxton Berrios’s reaction was to her shoot, she stated, “He’s obsessed with it.”

For the 2025 SI Swimsuit Issue, Earle traveled to Jamaica, where she posed for Yu Tsai’s lens. Along with returning models Roshumba Williams, XANDRA, Christen Goff and Nicole Williams English, and rookies Denise Bidot, Parris Goebel, Nazanin Mandi, Ming Lee Simmons and Rayna Vallandingham, Earle delivered remarkable snaps, showcasing beauty that would make anyone speechless.

View Earle’s full Jamaica gallery here.

Alix Earle was photographed by Yu Tsai in Jamaica. Swimsuit by Lybethras. Body chain by Jacquie Aiche. Necklace by Lizzie Fortunato. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

This week, Earle has taken her Instagram fans on a behind the scenes journey, revealing what goes into making a SI Swimsuit shoot happen. Plus, the location actually had sentimental value for Earle, having visited the same resort during college.

“This place just has the best memories for me,” Earle expressed on TikTok. “Last time I was here, I had rum punch all day, every day. We were crawling around this resort. [...] It’s so nice here and quiet, like, you see the vibes. We were disrupting everything. It’s, like, three in the morning. We’re, like, jumping in the ocean. Like, ‘We’re going to get kicked out.’ So, like, terrible place for 15 college girls.”

At the end of the shoot, Earle provided a debrief through her YouTube vlog, stating, “That was, like, beyond what I expected.” And while she felt nervous at first, she eventually came around and had a moment of realization while changing for her next look.

“And halfway through I was in the tent, like changing, and I just started tearing up,” she recalled. “I was just like, ‘What is my life? What am I doing?’ And, like, ‘This is just insane, like, huh?’ And I really just felt confident out there, and it was just, like, a lot of fun. I can’t believe I’m doing this!”

From getting into glam to looking back fondly on her college days, Earle’s getting-ready process for an SI Swimsuit shoot was so fun to follow along with. Now, all that’s left to wonder is what her getting-ready process for the red carpet consists of.

The 2025 SI Swimsuit magazine is available online now and at select newsstands on May 17. Order your copy here.

https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/v1746761973/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/si_swimsuit/01jtsj0xy6m7nh9vncr2.jpg. All 2025 Models. https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/v1746761974/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/si_swimsuit/01jtsj0y08perf5sbjk9.jpg. Alix Earle’s 2025 Gallery. More Alix Earle. https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/v1746835813/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/si_swimsuit/01jtvrdh21zr3qrr351e.jpg. Alix Earle Launch Content