Christie Brinkley Nails Black Swimwear in These 6 Pics

The legendary SI Swimsuit model was most recently featured in the 2017 issue after a photoshoot in Turks and Caicos.

Cara O’Bleness | Dec 30, 2023

Christie Brinkley was photographed by Emmanuelle Hauguel in Turks and Caicos.

Emmanuelle Hauguel/Sports Illustrated

Christie Brinkley is synonymous with the SI Swimsuit brand. The legendary model first posed for the annual issue in 1975, when she traveled to Cancun, Mexico, with Walter Iooss Jr. The actress and entrepreneur went on to land the cover of the magazine three years in a row in 1979, ’80 and ’81.

Her most recent feature in the issue took place in 2017, when the then 63-year-old returned to the fold alongside her daughters, Alexa Ray Joel and Sailor Brinkley Cook, in Turks and Caicos.

Today, Brinkley, 69, is the founder of organic prosecco brand Bellissima, which she launched in 2020. In addition to her supermodel status, the mom of three is also a published author, having released her book, Timeless Beauty, in 2015.

“This is a real full-circle moment for me,” Brinkley said of posing for the SI Swimsuit Issue alongside two of her three children. She’s also mom to son Jack Brinkley Cook. “I can get very emotional about this. How many years ago, I was that insecure girl hoping that I would be good enough for the magazine. So to see my daughters now having the same thoughts I had, and to be able to see them actually be there on the job, was definitely a big moment.”

While in the tropics, Brinkley modeled several different swimsuits, but we can’t help but recall how expertly she reinvented the (anything but basic) black swimsuit. Below are a few of our favorite poses of the model clad in both neutral-colored bikinis and one-pieces.

Christie Brinkley — Emmanuelle Hauguel/Sports Illustrated

Make sure to follow SI Swimsuit on YouTube!

Published Dec 30, 2023

CARA O’BLENESS

Cara is a trending news writer/editor for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. A passionate writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience in print and online media, she loves storytelling and believes that words have the power to change the world. Prior to joining the team, Cara 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, Cara 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.