Well played, Victoria’s Secret. Since its fall from grace in 2019, the lingerie behemoth has been staging a slow rehabilitation, accumulating with an iconic return to its blockbuster runway show in New York last night. How to stage the mother of all comebacks? By tapping the original Mother, Ms Moss, to don her Angel wings for the very first time.
It’s been 6 years since the "Angels” last wore their wings atop mile-long legs in the prime-time TV spectacle. A coveted title, for which the girls were generously remunerated (Gisele was the highest paid Angel ever; she reportedly walked away in 2007 after the brand didn’t pay her the $10 million annually she sought), at the height of the brand’s 1990s and 2000s heyday, they were globally lauded as symbols of physical perfection. An Angel’s journey from mostly obscurity to household name represented the great American dream, with a wardrobe of lacey, skimpy underwear by her side.
If Victoria’s Secret was synonymous with Amazonian, glossy goddesses, last night the pint-sized Brit – the epitome of rock n’ roll, rather than sex appeal - helped the lingerie behemoth shed its pageant-esque legacy for something money can’t buy: an effortless sense of cool. The OG supermodel joined Victoria Secret's darlings Tyra Banks (who last walked in 2005) and Adriana Lima - the longest-standing Angel, with 18 shows under her diamanté belt. Doutzen Kroes, who first became an Angel a decade ago, made her homecoming, with both Gigi and Bella Hadid reuniting on the runway. The star-studded show, live-streamed on Amazon Prime, YouTube and social channels, had an all-female entertainment line-up, led by Cher, Tyla and BLACKPINK’s Lisa, who arrived on a motorbike. Styling it all was Emmanuelle Alt, the former editor of Vogue Paris with - whisper it - some actual clothing. (There were still push-up bras, skimpy knickers and plenty of sparkle – after all, it is Victoria’s Secret).
In a VS first, models Devyn Garcia, Paloma Elsesser and Ashley Graham, who, by industry standards are deemed plus-size, joined the line-up. (Graham, in a promotion video, proudly notes she’s in her late 30s, has just had 3 children and felt ‘snatched’ in her look). For curve supermodel Jil Kortleve, who has worked with Victoria’s Secret for several years now, this marked her first runway show as an Angel. ‘The VS show was always so legendary so I was always hoping it would come back. I like that it's the old concept, but just more inclusive with different body types. It's empowering women. I think before it was more about the male gaze, and now it’s about giving ourselves and other girls confidence,’ Kortleve told Grazia. ‘At first I was a bit nervous to be walking in the runway in lingerie, but they really asked how we felt at the fittings and they were open to adjustments so I felt 100% comfortable and I love my look,’ she said.
Whether a more inclusive approach can get more people buying bras remains to be seen, but there’s no question Victoria’s Secret can throw a feel-good runway show. In a post-Barbie era where lip-gloss sales are booming, 90s fashion trends prevail and Nicole and Paris are returning to our screens, camp fashion as entertainment is pop culture catnip and Victoria’s Secret, arguably, is the original showman. Does the world need a VS show right now? Judging by the flurry of sparkle-clad guests, exiting under a display of pink fireworks - perhaps, yes, it does.