A growing swell of backlash around a lack of body diversity forced Victoria’s Secret to cancel its annual fashion show in 2019. When the retailer brought it back in 2024, it was with a wider variety of bodies, but consumers complained that the show lacked the glamour and oomph of the original version.
This year, the brand tried to meet in the middle.
On Wednesday night at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Victoria’s Secret staged the second iteration of its retooled fashion show, the first true effort under chief executive Hillary Super, who had only been in her role for a month at the time of last year’s event. And while this cast was notably more diverse than in the show’s past life (both in terms of body type and background), it also presented a take on sexiness that felt more filtered through a female gaze. That was all topped off with a heavy dose of glamour — the most visible distinguishing factor from its most formidable competitor, Skims.
“The goal now is to … honour the heritage of the brand, the things that make the brand special — the sexy, the glamour, the luxurious — but evolve that for a new generation,” chief marketing officer Elizabeth Preis said.
Consumers’ verdict? The show still doesn’t reach the grandeur of what it used to — but it’s getting closer.
Like last year, there were more casual looks, as well as more apparel generally, from mini-dresses to silk cargo pants, but everything was dialed up a notch. Pajama pants were worn underneath a dress made out of ropes of rhinestones. Models walked down the runway in baggy jeans and sweatshirts, but cropped and dusted with glitter. While not all models wore wings (some had feathered headpieces), there was a greater number of over-the-top accessories, from Gigi Hadid’s sweeping opera coat covered in pink peonies to her sister Bella’s life-size wings and silver fringed getup. There wasn’t a single understated slicked-back bun in sight.
And while there were plenty of women strutting down the runway in a bra and barely-there panties, there were also ensembles that felt more catered to a woman’s interpretation of sexiness. To start, veteran angel Jasmine Tookes opened the show highlighting her nine-month pregnant belly. Liu Wen walked in a sheer sequined crop top and coordinating pants, one of several sparkling looks that looked equally suited for attending a Sabrina Carpenter concert. “Euphoria” actress Barbie Ferreira’s red bikini and whistle, yes, felt very “Baywatch,” but topped off with a denim jacket with the sleeves pushed up, evoked a glammed-up beach moment.
As far as Victoria’s Secret’s stalled turnaround goes, the looks Wednesday night can only go so far.
“You can do the big hair, the makeup and make it bold, but the way to make it modern is with the women in the show and what they represent,” said retail consultant Gabriella Santaniello.
In that sense, the brand nailed the assignment. The runway featured the standard array of top models, including veterans like Adriana Lima, Gigi Hadid and Alessandra Ambrosio, as well as of-the-moment names like Anok Yai and Alex Consani (who, last year, became the show’s first transgender model). There were also standout plus-size models like Paloma Elsesser, Precious Lee and Ashley Graham, plus a few who weren’t models at all, including Olympic gymnast Suni Lee and WNBA star Angel Reese also walked.
According to Preis, the hope is that the entirety of the production will be enough to bring back the shoppers who have defected elsewhere and lure in younger ones just discovering the brand.
“If you want to connect with more people … oftentimes it’s through more people, more personalities,” said Preis.
A New-Yet-Familiar Version of Sexy
Celebrity casting is not a revolutionary tactic in fashion marketing. Still, it makes sense that Victoria’s Secret deployed the strategy this go round.
Perhaps even more than in 2024, there was immense pressure to get this year’s show right. The company’s market cap has more than halved since the end of 2021 — today it sits around $2 billion — and in 2025, has faced accusations of mismanagement from activist investors.
This time, feedback from last year provided an advantage: Consumers were clear that they wanted more of what made the show such a phenomenon at the peak of Victoria’s Secret’s success in the aughts.
Even before Wednesday night, it was clear the company was listening: A pre-show Instagram announcement that the bouncy blowouts would return received near-universal praise in the comments. At the same time, there was a new team in place, overseeing Super’s vision for the show and the brand at large. Preis, for instance, joined just four months ago, while executive creative director Adam Selman, who led the show’s production, was also hired earlier this year.
They brought forth a balance of striking a nostalgic chord while also staging an event that felt fit for 2025. That was evident in casting a mix of veterans and fresh faces, but also in the performances. The show opened with Gen-Z pop star Madison Beer and ended with Millennial favourite Missy Elliott. The performances also appealed to the brand’s global customer base. Colombian musician Karol G sang entirely in Spanish, while the K-pop group Twice soundtracked the Pink portion of the show.
Start to finish, the show was rooted in selling Victoria’s Secret’s idea of sexy, from the “Bombshell” T-shirts worn by the bartenders outside the arena to the ultra-sparkly looks on the runway.
But throughout, it was also clear the retailer was pushing what would actually sell. Bras, which Super has said is a particular focus for the company, were a visible part of nearly every look. There was an entire segment devoted to Pink, the company’s teen sub-brand, an aughts hit and a recent sales high point. Through a partnership with Amazon Prime, viewers at home could shop the looks online.
Still, it remains to be seen if the fanfare will result in conversions.
“The stakes are high to get it right, but they’re never going to please everybody,” said Santaniello