CHRISSY TEIGEN COVERS OCEAN DRIVE

CHRISSY AND BOYFRIEND SINGER JOHN LEGEND

Despite the mermaid-like vibe of these photos, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue vet Chrissy Teigen admits, “I can’t swim.” Born to a Thai mother and Norwegian father in landlocked Delta, Utah, Teigen was raised in Seattle before moving to California during high school. She was discovered while working in a surf shop, but neither that experience nor shooting for SI in the Maldives inspired her to take to the sea; the New York-based model is a selfprofessed city girl. And that includes Miami, where she lived during swimsuit season for three years running. “I had a place on 14th and Ocean with my bulldog,” says Teigen, who will return for Ocean Drive’s kickoff of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim.

Her return, however, entails more than just a catwalk strut this time around. During Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim at the Raleigh penthouse, she’ll be launching a capsule collection with designer Neila Granzoti Rudden aptly named Chrissy Teigen for diNeila Brazil. The swimwear is uniquely inspired by Teigen’s Thai heritage. “The people, the beaches, the striking colors all around—it livens my senses every time I go back to Thailand,” she says. Rudden adds, “I was so inspired by her exotic and unique femininity as well as her great energy. It was only natural we join forces.”

Teigen’s great energy translated at the shoot, though she admits this visit to The Cove Atlantis resort was a little frustrating. “I’d hear everybody’s stories of the water slides and restaurants, and I missed everything,” she says. But Teigen vows to return and suit up for pleasure rather than business: “I’m determined to do all the fun stuff—hit up the shark tank, play with the dolphins.” See, there’s an inner mermaid in this urbanite, after all.