Camille Kostek Named This 2013 SI Swimsuit Cover As Her All-Time Favorite

Camille Kostek attends the Retrofête Holiday Pop-Up Shop Celebration in SoHo.Gotham/Getty Images

Camille Kostek was asked to pick her favorite SI Swimsuit magazine cover, other than her own in 2019, and with so many incredible covers over the years to choose from, the 30-year-old had a hard time deciding.

“Oh wow. There’s so many,” she said during Miami Swim Week 2022. “Uhhh … I would probably say … I mean I really liked Tyra Banks’ because I had that moment of getting to go to press tour together and seeing her back in the issue was unbelievable.”

Kostek, Banks and NWSL star Alex Morgan all landed a cover in 2019, but the former Victoria’s Secret angel’s shoot was particularly memorable because she came out of retirement for the feature.

After some more deliberation and thinking, Kostek decided that Kate Upton’s 2013 cover, photographed in Antarctica, is her all-time favorite. The iconic shot features  Upton wearing a puffy white winter jacket, with nothing besides a tiny white string bikini bottom underneath.

“This specific shot was on the boat. It was the last shot of the round and they gave me a coat, which, at the time, I thought was a miracle,” Upton explained. “At one point, I was sitting on the railing and then came down. The wind [was] blowing and they let me put my hood up and [who knew] that would’ve been the cover?”

Kate Upton.

SI/Derek Kettela

Upton was also on the SI Swimsuit Issue cover in 2012 and ‘17 and has been featured in the magazine six different years.

Kostek screamed and cried tears of joy when the Swim Team revealed her magazine cover—and the entire heartwarming moment was caught on camera. She has shot for the magazine every year since ‘19. 

You can view Camille Kostek’s 2019 photo shoot in Australia here.

“Oh my god. I don’t really feel like I’m here right now,” Kostek said while hugging SI Swimsuit editor in chief MJ Day. “This is me. And seeing this true Camille Kostek on here is just—I don’t know what to say for the first time in my life.”

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A post shared by Camille Kostek (@camillekostek)

“Love who you are, because when you do just that, the greatest things in your life will happen,” Kostek added between tears. “That is exactly what this is for me. I’m so happy. Yay.”