Lily Aldridge Proved Blue Is Her Color in These 7 Adventurous Images From Washington

The SI Swimsuit legend and cover girl has posed for the brand four separate years.

Ananya Panchal | Dec 18, 2024

Lily Aldridge was photographed by Yu Tsai in Washington. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Lily Aldridge certainly made a splash with her SI Swimsuit debut a decade ago. The supermodel first worked with the brand in 2014 and immediately landed on the front that year, posing alongside Nina Agdal and Chrissy Teigen in the Cook Islands for an iconic image by photographer James Macari. The trio ended up on the cover of the milestone 50th anniversary issue.

The 39-year-old, who will celebrate her milestone birthday next November, returned to the fold the following two years, traveling to Washington for her sophomore shoot with Yu Tsai, and Turks and Caicos in 2016.

Aldridge, who describes herself as a “lover of life,” returned to the fold again this year, posing alongside 26 fellow brand stalwarts in Hollywood, Fla. for a very special tryptic of group covers celebrating the magazine’s 60th anniversary issue.

“It means so much to me [to be an SI Swimsuit ‘legend’]. Growing up, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit was such an iconic magazine. So many of the women who graced the cover are inspirations to me and still are. To be following in their footsteps and be considered a Legend for this incredible brand is a huge honor,” she shared at the time. “What Sports Illustrated Swimsuit is doing, what MJ [Day, editor in chief] is doing, what she is pioneering in terms of elevating women and women’s stories, and inclusion, is so important. Being an incredible example of what it means to empower others and letting people have their platforms is crucial. And she’s just so wonderful at doing that.”

Today, the Southern California native is a runway and high fashion magazine staple. In September she became the face of Christian Louboutin Beauty’s latest fragrance, and in July she posed for a Beyond Yoga campaign. The former Victoria’s Secret Angel, who held the coveted title for eight years, is a mom to two kids, Dixie Pearl and Winston Roy, whom she shares with husband Caleb Followill. Aldridge has also cemented her status as a fashion icon, constantly sporting the most chic, elegant and timeless looks and showing off her effortless natural beauty.

“I don’t want to be perfect. I want to be me,” she said of her philosophy on beauty. “As I’m aging and wrinkling and all of these things, [I remind myself that it‘s all beautiful.”

Below are seven of our favorite images from her 2015 photo shoot in Washington. Aldridge rocked the most fun, playful series of blue swimsuits and we’re simply obsessed.

Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Published Dec 18, 2024

ANANYA PANCHAL

Ananya Panchal is a writer on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit, where she covers fashion, beauty, pop culture and the internet’s favorite personalities and trends. She joined the brand in 2022 after roles at Bustle, the San Francisco Chronicle and the TODAY Show. Panchal loves to write about fashion in all its forms—from standout runway moments and evolving street style to the best accessories to elevate each season’s wardrobe (she rarely goes anywhere without a stack of jewelry and a coffee in hand). A self-proclaimed beauty fanatic, she’s always on the hunt for must-have products and loves breaking down viral trends. Her favorite series at the moment is spotlighting female founders and the stories behind the brands they’ve built—especially those shaping the future of fashion, wellness and tech. She is based between New York City and San Francisco and, when she’s not writing, can be found rewatching One Tree Hill, playing sudoku, trying new restaurants or ranking her favorite Disney Channel Original Movies. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and journalism with a minor in criminal justice from Boston University.