Fan Recreates Kate Upton’s Iconic 2013 SI Swimsuit Cover in Antarctica for Halloween

The model and influencer put on her best white winter coat and bikini and posed like the magazine legend.

Carlie Whalen and Kate Upton.Courtesy of Carlie Whalen and Derek Kettela/Sports Illustrated

You know you have made it as a celebrity when people are dressing up as you for Halloween. Kate Upton has officially made it. 

The three-time SI Swimsuit cover star, who made her debut in 2011 and landed on the front of the 2012, ’13 and ’17 issues, was photographed 11 separate times over her six years with the brand.

One of her most iconic photos is from her photoshoot with Derek Kettela in Antarctica. Upton donned nothing but a massive white puffer jacket with a fur-lined hood and showed off her bold smolder and mostly-bare chest to the camera for the cover of the 2013 issue.

TikTok user Carlie Whalen recreated that jaw-dropping look, and we officially give her an SI Swimsuit A+ stamp of approval—not that she ever needed it. Her medium-length blonde-brown locks were smooth, voluminous and parted to one side just like the 31-year-old’s, and she was photographed by Anthony Evans.

“@Kate the great🤍 @SI SWIMSUIT 👙 #kateupton #kateuptonbikini #siswim #siswimsuit,” she captioned the slideshow shared on the video-based platform.

“You’re an absolute Goddess,” one fan commented.

“You are the new Kate Upton 😁,” another added.

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A post shared by CARLIE WHALEN (@carliewhalen)

“Kate has always been an idol to me. I remember watching the behind the scenes video of her Antarctica shoot on YouTube years ago, and I was absolutely fascinated,” Whalen tells SI Swimsuit. “I have always been a huge fan of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit and hoped one day I could somehow recreate this look. I recently got ahold of the magazine and with Halloween coming up, I thought it would be the perfect time to give it a shot. I searched everywhere to find the closest jacket to match the one Kate is wearing. It was definitely a process, but to see it all come together is such an amazing feeling.”

Whalen shared the recreation of the magazine’s cover photo, which was self-edited to include all the SI Swimsuit branding and magazine cover-esque text, on Instagram.

The model, who is represented by Elite Models and Front Management, also posed for a series of pics wearing a classic white triangle bikini top and matching string tie-side bottoms and held the original magazine as a prop.

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