• by Tanya Gazdik , October 16, 2024

After a six-year break, Victoria’s Secret is back with its legendary fashion show, complete with supermodels wearing lingerie and giant feather angel wings. 

This year’s show was held Oct. 15 in New York and included Gigi Hadid, 29, who wore a pink outfit.

“A verse from the INXS hit ‘Never Tear Us Apart’ played as Hadid walked, with the lyric ‘We all have wings but some of us don't know why,’ hitting extra hard,” according to People. “‘We are back,’ the screen read, before Hadid descended back into the runway.”

This year’s show felt more empowering to women rather than demeaning, according to some who watched it. 

“The presence of the female gaze was felt throughout the evening with a production that featured an all-women musical lineup, and a diverse cast of models wearing more sophisticated — and in some cases, more comfortable-looking lingerie, including leggings and sheer coverups,” according to CNN Style. “There appeared to be more Brown and Black faces on the runway than at any time in the show’s history, many of whom wore natural hairstyles, as well as some plus-sized and older models walking.”

Even the feathers were more PC. The brand’s signature angel wings were made of faux feathers and were PETA-approved.

“All the ingredients were there for the rebrand of the rebrand of the Victoria’s Secret show, six years after the whole shebang was canceled under a cloud of shame and in the wake of #MeToo,” according to The New York Times. “That was when the world suddenly woke up to the fact that what had been billed as a camp spectacle of madonna/whore kitsch was actually complicit in creating a culture that prioritized a certain body type over all others and that treated women simply as vehicles of male fantasy.”

This year, British supermodel Kate Moss, 50, made her debut at the event. The show also featured musical performances from Cher, Tyla and Blackpink's Lisa.

“This year's comeback promised to ‘celebrate all women,’” according to the BBC. “Those on the catwalk on Tuesday included Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio, who became the first transgender model to represent Victoria's Secret in 2019. There was also an appearance from another transgender model, Alex Consani.”

The company's British chief design and creative officer Janie Schaffer told WWD Victoria's Secret had changed.

“We have moved on as a business so much over the last three years, and we have really been transforming hugely,” Schaffer says. “We are very comfortable with where we are getting to as a brand, and feeling super confident. This is really a celebration of everything we’ve been doing.”