Kate Upton Lived ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ With SI Swim in Fiji in a Sequin One-Piece

The SI Swimsuit model and repeat cover star brought glitz and glam to the beach in 2017.

Kate Upton was photographed by Yu Tsai in Fiji. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

If Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl had a visual twin, it just might be Kate Upton’s unforgettable 2017 SI Swimsuit shoot in Fiji. Sequins, confidence, a dramatic plunge and all eyes on her? That’s major main character energy. And Upton brought it—times three.

Kate Upton was photographed by Yu Tsai in Fiji. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

That year, the SI Swimsuit Legend did something never done before: she graced all three covers of the annual issue, photographed by Yu Tsai. However, in one of her standout looks that didn’t make the front page, the Michigan native posed beachside in a glittering one-piece from Haus of Pink Lemonaid—a high-cut, string-back swimsuit with a daring deep V neckline and peek-a-boo seams. Think sheer, sculpted and spotlight-ready.

Shop the suit

Kate Upton was photographed by Yu Tsai in Fiji. Swimsuit by HAUS OF PINKLEMONAID. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

The Grace Shimmery One Piece ($134) is a sequin dream. Crafted from imported Italian fabric, it features a barely-there bare back, plunging neckline and sheer finish that catches the light at every angle. It’s sexy, sophisticated and dripping in “curtain call” energy. It also gives us major Dancing With the Stars mirrorball trophy vibes.

Her SI Swimsuit story

Upton’s SI Swimsuit legacy spans over a decade—and every shoot reads like a show-stopping chapter. From her debut in the Philippines in 2011 to her zero-gravity photo shoot at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in 2014, she’s pushed the boundaries of what it means to be a model.

Kate Upton was photographed by Yu Tsai in Fiji. Swimsuit by milkbaby bikini by Cat Thordarson. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Her first cover, captured by Walter Iooss Jr. in Australia in 2012, sparked conversation and controversy—challenging narrow beauty standards and catapulting her into icon status. Then came her viral, ever-iconic icy Antarctica cover in 2013, followed by Fiji in 2017, where she made history with her triple takeover.

In 2024, she returned to the fold for the magazine’s 60th anniversary, marking her seventh year posing for the brand and fourth solo cover feature. She posed for photographer Yu Tsai in Mexico, and double-dipped for an additional extra special group shoot alongside 26 fellow SI Swimsuit “Legends”

“This year was really special because I got to reconnect with MJ [Day, editor in chief],” she shared at the time. “To now see where she’s taken this magazine, the mission she’s been on, and to work with Yu Tsai, who just always celebrates women [has been incredible]”.

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Where she is now

Today, the 33-year-old is the host of Hulu’s Dress My Tour reality fashion competition series and a co-owner of the vodka seltzer brand Vosa Spirits. She quietly welcomed her second child with husband Justin Verlander in June, and is already a mom to 6-year-old Genevieve.

Kate Upton was photographed by Yu Tsai in Fiji. Swimsuit by d.bleu.dazzled. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

But she hasn’t slowed down.

These days, Upton is focused on motherhood, advocacy and the occasional modeling mic-drop. Whether she’s bundling up in Antarctica, floating in zero gravity or on a beach somewhere in your memory, one thing’s certain: Upton has always known how to steal the show.

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