After six years since the last iconic show, the beleaguered lingerie conglomerate
made a comeback at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The show was a celebration of the
brand's past and to signify the makings of the future Victoria Secret. For the first time
in the show's history, it was produced by women, who were not afraid to be vibrant
and bold. A-list celebrities were included in the show and musical lineup with the
likes of Cher, Tyla and Lisa from the K-pop group BlackPink. We were able to see a
blast from the past with some of the world's most iconic supermodels walking in the
show for the first time since 2005: Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Grace
Elizabeth, Taylor Hill and Tyra Banks just to name a few.
The show opened with an angelic pink princess look on Gigi Hadid, however, it's
clear the brand did not limit themselves to just one themed aesthetic; you see this
through the various materials used, including candy wrapped tulle, feathers, sequins,
lace, leather etc. The show’s close had a pink and red holiday theme and walked
alongside an iconic performance from Cher, of her songs “Strong Enough and
Believe"; The show incorporated lots of advertisements, and it was also live
streamed on multiple social media platforms, such as Amazon Live and TikTok just
to name a few. For the first time, immediately after the show, the lingerie that was
worn was available to purchase. An objective of the show was to display confident
women of many different shapes and sizes. It's refreshing to see this modern
ideology of wider representation of females in the public eye from a brand
notoriously known for idolising a more popular standard of beauty, although the show
only had two plus size models, Paloma Elesser and Ashley Graham, to represent the
new diversity that the brand wants to project: “Sexiness can celebrate the diverse
experiences of our customers, and that's what we were focused on.”.
Many who watched the show felt the wings were more lacklustre than the brands
usual standard of glamour, and the brands passion did not shine throughout the
duration of the show, from the lingerie to the wings. The straps were viewed as dated
and demonstrated a lack of creativity, leaving long-time fans disappointed, evident in
the significant reduction of viewership despite being more accessible than ever.
