Swimsuit

Nicole Williams English and Jena Sims Agree on This Summer Beach Bag Essential

Here’s what the models always have on hand when they’re headed to the water.

Cara O’Bleness

Nicole Williams English and Jena Sims
Nicole Williams English and Jena Sims / Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images

While we’ve been in summer mode for a few weeks now, the season officially starts today. So, to celebrate, it’s time to pack our beach bags—and we’re looking to several SI Swimsuit models for inspiration.

Whether you’re carrying a tote from the Sports Illustrated x Oh Polly collection or are hauling your favorite carry-all to the sand this summer, there are a few staples that belong in everyone’s summer beach bag. For example, SPF, sunglasses, a towel and a hat are a few obvious essentials. If you’re SI Swimsuit models Jena Sims or Nicole Williams English, your beach bag also contains a crucial item: an extra bikini.

“I [always] have an extra bikini in my bag,” Sims told us during Swim Week events in Miami. In addition to sunscreen, setting spray and a charging block, she likes to have a spare suit on hand in case she wants to get in the water with her son, Crew. “You don’t want be walking around in a wet bathing suit,” she added of having a change of clothes at the ready.

Jena Sims
Jena Sims / Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated

Similarly, Williams English has an additional suit in her beach bag at all times, too.

“I always have, like, a bikini change,” she said. “I always bring a different top just in case, because you never know. You go swimming or you’re in the saltwater in the ocean and then you go to the pool, so I always have a change [of clothes].”

Nicole Williams English
Nicole Williams English / Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated

The 2023 SI Swimsuit Rookie of the Year is also ready to heal her sore feet with a first-aid kit in her beach bag. “I always have Band-Aids because I always somehow manage to wear uncomfortable shoes to a beach party, and so I always carry my little first-aid kit,” she added. “I always carry Band-Aids, a bottle of water [and] a digital camera.”

Buy Now. SIP July Swimsuit Issue. Sports Illustrated’s 2025 Swimsuit Issue. dark

Published
Cara O’Bleness
CARA O’BLENESS

Cara O’Bleness is a writer and editor on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit. Prior to joining SI Swimsuit in 2022, she 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, O’Bleness 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.

Home/SwimNews