What Really Happens at a Victorias Secret Fashion Show?
During the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, I went in search of the loo, but Cher was waiting for me. Tyga, for some reason, a stylist dressed like my mum from the 1980s, a battalion of security guards, a caravan of hair and makeup artists and she was being led from one picture opportunity to another.
“Excuse me, kids,” the legendary musician politely said, as if I were impeding her car in a driveway in Hollywood. I took a step back. Walking, she persisted. Then a robe-clad woman named Candice Swanepoel came by and directed me to the closest lavatory. She wore star-print knickers and enormous swizzle sticks shaped like fairy wings as she strutted on a shimmering pink runway about thirty minutes later. She was closely followed by Cher.
In the world of haute couture, where opulent exhibitions take place in plain old warehouses and A-listers grab a bodega on the way to an ultra-exclusive party, this kind of cognitive dissonance is standard operating procedure. Additionally, this is the same degree of mind-bending surrealism that the much-anticipated 2024 Victoria’s Secret show—the lingerie retailer’s first since 2018—introduced. A portion of this was done on purpose. Not a lot was.
Set against a background of tyre piles, rusted anchors and construction cranes, the trip started in the Brooklyn Navy Yard on a pale-pink carpet. Waiters brought splashing glasses of sweet whisky as Cardi B whizzed by on a golf cart outside.
Before the show began, a small reality TV personality walked the aisles in an apparent attempt to get a front-row seat. Outer Banks resident Madison Bailey, who had a right to be in the first row, blocked her. Even though she appeared to be having a blast on Instagram, the reality star was actually rather unhappy.
Still, it was only a little drama. This pastel fantasy was riding high for Victoria’s Secret, since it represented a significant shift in their vibe. After sales crashed due to the pandemic, it just restocked its executive staff with a female-led C-suite.
Part of the reason for that is that the brand was almost axed in 2018 due to contentious remarks made by then-CEO Ed Razek in an interview that went viral. Part of the reason for this is that other businesses sold just as many high-quality leggings as Victoria’s Secret PINK.
With their 2024 fashion show, Victoria’s Secret hoped to stage a dramatic return. Ashley Graham was one of the curvaceous Angels. Graham was a prominent choice because she was the face of Lane Bryant’s 2015 lingerie campaign “I’m No Angel,” which criticised VS’s skinny-girl image.
Among the trans Angels who smouldered were Paloma Elsesser, Devyn Garcia, Alex Consani, and Valentina Sampaio. Carla Bruni (56 years old) and Eva Herzigova (50 years old) were among the 15% of models who were above the age of 40. Promising models Blésnya Minher and Imaan Hammam sported unstyled hair, flaunting their freckles and scars.
All of the models seemed calm and collected. The garments? Neutral chaos. Gigi Hadid stepped out in a pink silk teddy bear and matching feathered wings, both of which are available for purchase online. After a brief gesticulation that seemed to convey “I’m here, it’s cute, we’re good,” she slipped down a trap door in the floor.
She was succeeded by Kate Moss, who wore a black lace robe that cost $180 at the mall but looked like it had come from a groupie trunk sale on Portobello Road. Next up was Rianne Van Rompaey, a beloved model in European fashion circles known for her wide eyes and wispy figure. She sported a star-adorned harness and black chainmail trousers. It was a fantastically uncomfortable costume.
A number of the famous models reintroduced the informal pieces of the brand by donning pyjamas, boxer shorts, and leggings while wearing high heels. Among the other items on display were a glittering bra that would have been perfect for Dua Lipa and some bow-printed silk pyjamas that might have been purchased from LoveShackFancy.
You can tell what Victoria’s Secret wants to sell because of the “Shop The Show” advice on the homepage. Their assumptions about the beauty standards that customers will embrace are murkier. As if desiring to be desired were some form of treachery, the automatic assumption persists that everything intrinsically attractive is repressive to women. This is demoralising, insincere, and draining.
Every thing has its time and place; lace demi-cups are no exception. On the other hand, there was some lingerie that was forceful without being interesting. Even the full-body thongs that Adriana Lima and Swanepoel sported were too much for me to handle, never alone the sheer corset tops and push-up bras that were the runway’s dominant garments.
The presentation was capped off by Tyra Banks, a 50-year-old model who, for the first time in nearly 20 years, slashed her way down the runway in enormous steps while executing jagged spins with a silver-backed cape.
Over her black leggings, she sported a superhero corset with sprigs. A little cannon of pink confetti and some overwhelmed stares followed by cheers from the audience. We had used up all of our nostalgia. Plus, those leggings? A lot of people have bought them.
