Swimsuit

The Story Behind the Famous SI Swimsuit Photo of Chrissy Teigen Covered in Nothing But Seashells

The supermodel was featured in the magazine seven years in a row.

Ananya Panchal

Chrissy Teigen was photographed in the Philippines by Raphael Mazzucco.

Chrissy Teigen made her SI Swimsuit debut in 2010 when she won Rookie of the Year and was photographed by Walter Iooss Jr. in the Maldives. She was featured in the magazine each year through 2017, including the brand’s 50th anniversary cover alongside Nina Agdal and Lily Aldridge in 2014. Her latest feature was in 2017 in Indonesia.

The 37-year-old was the star of an iconic 2011 photograph that went viral. Teigen was covered in nothing but seashells on the beaches of the Philippines.

Chrissy Teigen was photographed in the Philippines by Raphael Mazzucco.

Chrissy Teigen was photographed in the Philippines by Raphael Mazzucco.

“This is my first time in the Philippines, which I can’t believe. I love it here. Everyone is so ridiculously sweet but also I’m Thai and its pretty close to Southeast Asia, so I feel at home,” the “Cravings by Chrissy Teigen” founder said at the time. “Raphael is amazing. He’s definitely one of my favorite people I’ve ever worked with. He’s so reassuring. You can’t feel not sexy around him. He’s really creative too.”

The mom of three gushed about the exciting moment the seashell photograph was taken.

“That very first shot happened so fast. We just walked over to the beach and saw the shells on the ground. For some reason it all came together,” she explained. ”Just looking down we were like ‘this has to be done.’ They were strategically placed everywhere and [there was] very little movement. It ended up being so pretty. The light was so perfect that morning for the very first shot we were shocked, but sometimes amazing things happen when you just lay down on the ground naked.”

Here are more of our favorite photos from Teigen’s 2011 photo shoot with Raphael Mazzucco.

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Ananya Panchal
ANANYA PANCHAL

Ananya Panchal is a writer on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit. Before joining SI Swimsuit in 2022, she worked at Bustle, the San Francisco Chronicle and the TODAY Show. When she is not writing or doom-scrolling on social media, Panchal can be found playing sudoku, rewatching One Tree Hill or trying new restaurants. She's also a coffee and chocolate (separately) enthusiast. Panchal has a bachelor’s in communications and journalism from Boston University.

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