Comeback or Cop-Out?: My Takes on Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2025
- Jenna Bodek
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
On Wednesday, October 15, Victoria’s Secret hosted its iconic fashion show in New York City. This is the second consecutive year the brand has hosted the event, following a break between 2019 to 2023. VS’s runway revival reshaped the brand’s identity, showcasing a more diverse range of models both on the runway and in campaigns, while distancing itself from previous leadership and bringing more women into executive roles. They successfully made the shift while preserving elements of the Victoria’s Secret many of us grew up with, such as the return of former angels like Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel, and the iconic wings, a main staple of VS shows.
The moment I watched Jasmine Tookes, a former Angel, open the show, I immediately felt a wave of nostalgia for the Gilded Angels segment from the 2014 show. Amidst darklighting, the runway served as a golden beacon, illuminating models showcasing outfits adorned with hues of gold, shimmery detailing, and more neutral-toned lingerie sets. However, unlike 2014, this show’s outfits included more shades of amber and brown (such as those worn by Barbara Palvin and Lily Aldridge).
In this year’s opening and other segments of the show, Victoria’s Secret introduced headpieces as statement accessories, including the amber crown of angel wings worn by Joan Smalls. Of course, VSFS’s looks over the years have included various accessories, but nothing quite like this. I personally liked this addition, as it allows the designers to play with creativity. I’m very excited to see more of these in the future.
Another “blast from the past” returning to the show was the PINK segment, which was absent in 2024. Four members of the KPOP group Twice performed as models, often in pairs, strutting down the pink-colored football field runway. Unlike the past where VS built costumes around clothes which acted as a base, this year with PINK, VS focused on the clothes themselves. For example, flipping back to Pink Ball in 2012, models walked down to the song “Beauty and a Beat” (performed live!) dressed as anything from a sock monkey to a paper doll, robot, and cowgirl. However, this year, many models wore outfits that you’d see someone walking down the street in, like a sweat set or a pair of jeans, something Victoria’s Secret has been relaunching in recent years.
One of my favorite parts of the show was when Karol G performed her songs “Ivonny Bonita” and “Latina Foreva” during the segment “Hot Pursuit.” I loved the creativity in having her start by singing a slower song to switching to a faster-paced one. To me, it’s symbolic of Victoria’s Secret painting their image of “What defines an Angel?” She can be both powerful, assertive, strut her stuff, and be graceful at the same time. She doesn’t need to choose one or the other, nor have to justify it.
Stylistically, I like how they had a red, monochromatic color palette for the segment. Although Victoria’s Secret isn’t new to this. They switched it up by using different materials for the outfits, such as Yasmin Wijnaldum’s sequin ensemble.
Overall, Victoria’s Secret is using its iconic fashion show to experiment with how to move forward while keeping core aspects of its brand identity, a.k.a. the “VS that many of us grew up with.” I think we’ll continue to see designers experimenting with styles across different segments, along with more former Victoria’s Secret Angels and models returning to the runway. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the future!
Written by: Jenna Bodek
Edited by: Angelina Dang
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