It felt like déjà vu. Guests walked past a pink carpet into a cavernous arena awash in pink light. As the glow dimmed, a familiar voice spoke like an angel from above: “Hello, beautiful people, and welcome to the Victoria’s Secret fashion show,” proclaimed legendary supermodel Tyra Banks.
The return of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show brought gigantic wings, bedazzled lingerie, iconic supermodels, and even a Cher mini-concert. After six years off the air, the brand’s annual spectacle promised to deliver the glamour and entertainment that made it must-see TV in the aughts and 2010s. Only this time, there would be some changes, ushered in by a myriad of controversies (including the brand’s parent company founder Les Wexner’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein and former chief marketing officer Ed Razek’s transphobic and fatphobic comments).
As Banks announced at the start of the show, women would be at the forefront. The models would be not just the taller-than-tall and fitter-than-fit Angels of its past, but rather an inclusive group of 52 women from 25 countries. Then, there was the switch from pre-recorded to live, with the show staged in Brooklyn, New York, and streamed via Amazon Prime. Plus, there was the “see now, buy now” concept, which would make the show less camp and more wearable clothes, designed in collaboration with editor and stylist Emmanuelle Alt, costume designer Zady, and fashion designer Joseph Altuzarra. “We intend for the return of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show to be an undeniable celebration of women, with a women-led articulation championing the missions and values of the brand today at the forefront—without losing an ounce of the glamour and fashion our consumer knows and loves,” Janie Schaffer, chief design and creative officer of Victoria’s Secret, told InStyle via email before the show.
This was hardly Victoria’s Secret’s first attempt at a comeback. Since the brand’s implosion in 2019, the retailer has zigzagged between concepts to return it to its former glory. In 2021, Victoria’s Secret swapped its group of “angels” (previously criticized for promoting a singular idea of beauty) for the VS Collective, intended to be more representative of today’s American woman and made up of names including soccer player Megan Rapinoe, model Paloma Elsesser, and actress Priyanka Chopra-Jonas. It also expanded its offerings: Last year, the brand presented its first-ever adaptive intimates line in an attempt to welcome consumers with disabilities. Then, came 2023’s Victoria’s Secret Tour, a film that was part documentary, part fashion show, and featured the brand’s most diverse set of models up to that date. It also teased a resurrection of the brand’s in-person show format with longtime brand faces Adriana Lima and Candice Swanepoel.
By bringing back the original fashion show, Victoria’s Secret was seemingly saying that erasing its heritage is not the answer. So Victoria’s Secret went back to its roots—with a twist.
Looking at the runway, this wasn’t a carbon copy of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show of years past. Curve models including Ashley Graham walked along with trans models Alex Consani and Valentina Sampaio. Kate Moss and Carla Bruni—both in their 50s— made their Victoria’s Secret debuts. Of course, the show also played its greatest hits: former “Angels” Adriana Lima, Doutzen Kroes, Candice Swanepoel, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Behati Prinsloo appeared wearing VS’s signature wings, which used 3D-printing technology and did not feature any feathers, according to Schaffer.
For more than 20 years, the show created a fantasy for its viewers built on the idea that only a certain set of people could serve up their ideals of beauty and sex appeal. But in 2024, the fantasy looks more like accepting yourself and wearing lingerie because it makes you feel good. Audiences can love VS’s sex-forward and glam offerings; they just want to see themselves represented, too. The brand seems to finally realize that. That doesn’t mean there’s no more work to be done. There was still a prevailing body type on the runway: thin. And that needs to evolve for the brand to deliver on its promises.
The show felt like a blast from the past, a familiar record that brings you back to a moment in time by replaying the classics with a couple of remixes thrown in. Nostalgia had viewers dancing to Cher and screaming over Adriana Lima, Tyra Banks, and Alessandra Ambrosio. According to the popular fashion data analysis platform Data But Make It Fashion, the brand’s popularity spiked by 13 percent in the hours following the show. But upcycling their show is a needle Victoria’s Secret needs to thread carefully—constantly referencing their past may give consumers the idea that their best days are behind them.
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