Nicole Williams English’s Throwback SI Swimsuit Photos Have Us Longing for a Trip to Mexico

The 2023 Rookie of the Year traveled to Cancún for her feature in this year’s 60th anniversary issue.

Nicole Williams English was photographed by Yu Tsai in Mexico. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Model, entrepreneur and designer Nicole Williams English returned to the fold in this year’s 60th anniversary SI Swimsuit Issue with a bang. Following her rookie feature in Dominica in the 2023 magazine, she was named Rookie of the Year, a moment that the model described as her “ultimate goal throughout [her] whole career.”

For the 2024 publication, Williams English traveled to Mexico, where she was photographed by Yu Tsai in a series of 1980s-inspired swimwear looks. SI Swimsuit’s fashion team opted for dramatic and bold looks featuring cut-outs and vibrant colors, paired with lots of statement jewelry. The resulting gallery is truly stunning, and when Williams English shared a snapshot and a behind the scenes video from the feature with her 2.3 million Instagram followers on Sunday, we knew it was time to revisit the photo shoot.

Nicole Williams English was photographed by Yu Tsai in Mexico. Swimsuit by Minimale Animale. Necklace by Alexis Bittar. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

In the striking image, the mom of one struck a pose in a purple Minimale Animale one-piece with a scoop neck and high leg, which was paired with a chunky gold necklace by Alexis Bittar. Meanwhile, the video snippet showcased Williams English posing in the sand in various looks while on set, including a white bikini by Oceanus, a bright orange two-piece courtesy of Ark Swimwear, a blue one-piece by ANALINA WOMAN, a striped cut-out suit by Poster Girl and others.

“Take me back! 💜 @si_swimsuit,” Williams English pleaded in the caption of her Oct. 6 post.

“Wow love 💜,” Tatianna Merritt gushed in the comments section.

“GOALS ON GOALS 😍,” someone else wrote.

“just a gal livin her dreams 💫,” another user noted.

“Will never be over this shoot 🔥,” a fan stated.

When the model landed in Cancún for her sophomore SI Swimsuit brand feature, Williams English had no idea the surprise that was in store for her. She was informed the evening before her photo shoot that she had in fact won 2023 Rookie of the Year honors, which made her shoot the next day even more special.

“I didn’t even know I was getting Rookie of the Year actually [until] the night before my shoot [for the 2024 issue],” Williams English told us on the magazine’s launch party red carpet in New York City in May. “So I felt like super amazing, super empowered. The next day I was so excited, and it was like a celebration shoot. So it was really, really fun.”