Brooks Nader knows how to make an entrance — and a red dress with a barely-there back is a pretty good way to do it. The model and television personality turned up at the 2026 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show in Miami Beach on May 30 looking like she owned the place — because, in a lot of ways, she did.
The look that had everyone talking was a red off-the-shoulder dress with a dramatic open back that ran all the way down to her hips. Nothing subtle about it. The body-hugging silhouette showed off her sculpted figure, and she finished the look with black sunglasses and her platinum-blonde hair in loose, relaxed waves. She later shared the whole night in an Instagram photo dump that quickly filled up with flame emojis and heart-eyes in the comments.
Sports Illustrated named Nader “captain” of the show this year — a fitting title for someone appearing in her eighth consecutive issue. She walked alongside a strong lineup that included Alix Earle, Molly Sims, and Camille Kostek, but Nader was clearly in her element, both on the runway and off it.
It is also a big moment for her beyond the runway. Nader has been cast as a series regular in Fox’s upcoming Baywatch reboot, playing Selene — the sharp-tongued captain of the Zuma Beach lifeguards — opposite Stephen Amell. The role feels like something she genuinely called into existence. When she shot her 2023 Sports Illustrated cover in a red one-piece, she picked it specifically because it felt like Baywatch. It became the cover. Three years later, she is on the actual show.
The red backless dress moment was more than just a great outfit at a swimsuit show. For Nader, it fits right into a stretch where everything seems to be clicking at once — the Baywatch reboot, a second season of her Hulu reality series Love Thy Nader, and a runway where Sports Illustrated handed her the captain’s title. The fans in the comments clearly noticed.