SI Swimsuit Celebrates 60th Anniversary in Los Angeles With Digital Cover Star Ilona Maher

The Nov. 14 event, sponsored by Maybelline and PopSockets, brought plenty of A-listers out to Dante Beverly Hills.

Ilona Maher / Jason Sean Weiss/BFA.com

If anyone is having a great year, it’s Ilona Maher. The professional rugby player took home a bronze medal in the rugby sevens event at the Paris Olympics this summer, was named SI Swimsuit’s September digital issue cover model, and is currently competing on Season 33 of Dancing With the Stars.

The 28-year-old athlete took a brief break from ballroom rehearsals yesterday, Nov. 14, to celebrate SI Swimsuit’s 60th anniversary during an unforgettable event at Italian eatery Dante Beverly Hills. The evening’s private event featured delicious food and drinks, surprise guests and plenty of fun in Los Angeles.

Nicole Williams English, MJ Day, Camille Kostek, Kamie Crawford and Jasmine Sanders / Jason Sean Weiss/BFA.com

A-lister red carpet

After getting glam with Maybelline (in her signature Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick in “Pioneer,” of course), Maher arrived red carpet-ready ahead of the 8 p.m. event to mingle with other guests and pose for photographers. Unsurprisingly, the professional athlete’s signature bold lip color stayed perfectly in tact throughout the evening full of food, drinks and chatting.

SI Swimsuit models Brooks Nader, Camille Kostek, Danielle Herrington, Ellie Thumann, Katie Austin, Lorena Durán, Christen Harper, Nicole Williams English, Roshumba Williams, Halima Aden, Natalie Mariduena, Jasmine Sanders and Kamie Crawford were all in attendance, as well as 2024 rookies Xandra Pohl, Jena Sims and Berkleigh Wright and 2025 featured athlete Jordan Chiles.

Christen Harper / Jason Sean Weiss/BFA.com

Katie Austin, Brooks Nader and Camille Kostek / Jason Sean Weiss/BFA.com

Xandra Pohl / Jason Sean Weiss/BFA.com

Maher’s sisters, Olivia and Adrianna, were also present to support their sibling, as were the athlete’s Dancing With the Stars colleagues and friends Alan Bersten, Joey Graziadei, Jenna Johnson and Valentin Chmerkovskiy.

Alan Bersten and Ilona Maher / Jason Sean Weiss/BFA.com

“She is the most down to earth person ever,” Bersten told us on last night’s red carpet of Maher, his DWTS partner and friend. “She works really hard. She just exudes vibrance and energy and just makes everyone smile.”

The main event

Following the red carpet, celebrity guests chatted poolside at the outdoor venue and sipped on espresso mar-kinis, one of the event’s five signature cocktails. Fresh brick oven pizzas kept models and their guests fueled throughout the night, as well as the content creators, athletes and A-lister guests who all had the opportunity to mingle as DJ Millie provided the soundtrack.

SI Swimsuit poolside / Jason Sean Weiss/BFA.com

There were also plenty of photo activations inside, where models and guests posed alongside a collage of images from the past 60 years of SI Swimsuit issues.

Nicole Williams English / Jason Sean Weiss/BFA.com

SI Swimsuit’s 60th anniversary celebration was an incredible success, and would not have been possible without sponsors Maybelline and PopSockets. While the cosmetics brand was on hand for gifting and touch-ups throughout the night, the electronics accessory company provided guests with phone accents, including wristlet chains, wallets and signature PopSockets.

Maybelline activation / Jason Sean Weiss/BFA.com

While the night of festivities may be over, you can relive some of the highlights over on SI Swimsuit’s official Instagram account.