Joanne Gair Celebrates Rebecca Romijn’s Birthday With Sweet Message and Unseen Bodypainting Shoot Pics

The SI Swimsuit cover model was featured in the magazine seven separate years.

Rebecca Romijn.Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images

American actress Rebecca Romijn turned 51 today, and artist Joanne Gair, who worked with the supermodel on one of SI Swimsuit’s first bodypainting shoots, commemorated the day with a sweet IG throwback.

The SI Swimsuit model, who was featured on the cover of the ’99 issue following her photoshoot with Antoine Verglas in Necker Island, BVI, double dipped that year for a fun, unique and colorful artistic shoot in Benjamin Island.

The X-Men actress, who plays Mystique in the film trilogy, made her debut with the brand in 1994, with photographer Mike Reinhardt in Pantelleria, Italy. Romijn’s most recent magazine feature was an in-studio legends shoot to celebrate SI Swimsuit’s 50th anniversary in 2014. 

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A post shared by Joanne Gair (@joannegair)

“Birthday girl @RebeccaRomijn in 🎨 body painted birthday suit, wishing you another fun, happy healthy year. ♥️🌹♥️🌹♥️🌹♥️🌹♥️🌹♥️🌹,” Gair wrote on Instagram on Nov. 6. “#RebeccaRomijn was definitely the WINNER 👙 that year in my eyes, of not only the most challenging swimsuits for me to PAINT, like the #Pucci design shirt and swimsuit but her stamina and zen personality throughout all as she went through the process of being painted 4 times! Thank you dear Rebecca you were even to this day the most swimsuits I ever painted in one spread over twenty years of working with Sports Illustrated.”

The California native also graced the cover of the 2006 issue, including a fabulous topless group photo of eight brand icons.

SI Swimsuit models photographed by Raphael Mazzucco in the Bahamas for the cover of the 2006 issue.

Raphael Mazzucco/Sports Illustrated

Gair added that this particular groovy color blocked number was extra cool as an artist because of how different it looked on Romjin’s figure compared to as a shirt on a hanger.

“The reason why the Pucci was exciting and challenging was when you see a shirt on a hanger with a pattern it reads how the pattern is, but when you put it on a body and drape it so it has curves, puckers and interest to the eye of course new information of what now happens to the pattern is like working out a puzzle. 😂 Rebecca made each of these swimsuits come to life,” she continued. “For Rebecca we had leopard print, chiffon and tie-dye swimsuits. Look closely at the last image where I painted her finger to appear she had it under the swimsuit. Each suit I felt I needed to give it its own personality to give each designer a chance to be extra special when it hit the news stand...This was one of 13 BodyPainted swimsuits that happened that year. Very happy memories with the wonderful team at SI.”

Rebecca Romijn was photographed by Antoine Verglas in Necker Island, British Virgin Islands.

Antoine Verglas/Sports Illustrated

Today, Romijn and husband and Stark Trek alum Jerry O’Connel are parents to two teenage twin girls, Charlie Tamara Tulip and Dolly Rebecca Rose.

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