Victoria’s Secret comeback: less porn than flashy parade

When nothing works anymore, the supermodels have to step in: six years after Victoria’s Secret last flapped its wings, the lingerie brand put on a major show again for the first time. In New York on Tuesday night, dozens of models walked the catwalk. The company had already revealed a few names on Instagram in advance: Gigi Hadid, Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Candice Swanepoel, as well as model legend Tyra Banks, who celebrated her angel comeback after 19 years. Big names – but no one was surprising.

Would Taylor Swift take the stage like she did in 2014 and give the struggling lingerie company a helping hand? Because there’s nothing Victoria’s Secret needs more urgently than a scoop right now. But the only notable surprise was the appearance of top models Kate Moss and Carla Bruni, who celebrated their angel debut.

Kate Moss takes after her daughter and Bruni misses her husband

To be a Victoria’s Secret model once in your life – a dream that even legends of the fashion world apparently still harbor. One would think that they had already achieved everything. Maybe the fee was so outrageously high that they couldn’t say no. Kate Moss appeared shortly after her daughter Lila, who wore pink lingerie and a fringed jacket. The 50-year-old, on the other hand, opted for a lot more material: she appeared in a high-slit slip dress made of black lace. Although her fluffy wings weren’t as big as Gigi Hadid’s, who opened the show, they were still enough for the angel look.

Carla Bruni, 56, also opted for lace and wore a catsuit, which she combined with a corsage. She told the New York Post: “It’s a lot of fun becoming an angel!” The only thing that displeased the French woman was that her husband couldn’t be there. Since Nicolas Sarkozy was convicted of bribery and illicit influence and is currently wearing an ankle bracelet, he had to stay at home. At the same time, Bruni also seemed relieved because she was sure: “He would have had a heart attack!”

Victoria’s Secret evening is like a shallow pop show

Sarkozy must have been easy to get going because the show was a spectacle, but it probably didn’t upset anyone’s heart muscle. Celebrities like Cher, K-pop star Lisa and rapper Tyla appeared, but the model cast was rather predictable. Gigi Hadid opened the show in a pink negligee, her sister Bella also appeared later, as did long-time Victoria’s Secret models Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio and Irina Shayk. While previously they wore a touch of nothing, this time they were conspicuously lavishly dressed. Nobody should be able to accuse the brand of only catering to men’s fantasies again. The evening resembled a shallow pop show – less porn than a shrill parade.

Even the model girlfriend scandal didn’t happen, although not only Bradley Cooper’s current flame Gigi Hadid was in New York, but also Irina Shayk, the US actor’s ex-girlfriend and mother of their daughter. Instead of cheering on the women, Cooper was at home looking after the child. “He’s fulfilling his fatherly duties,” said Hadid.

Victoria’s Secret: finally diverse?

Anyone who hadn’t fallen asleep was only kept awake by the diverse casting. Plus-size model Ashley Graham showed off her curves with a black corset, which she paired with a black cape and star-studded wings. Plus-size model Paloma Elsesser was also there, as was Tyra Banks. The 50-year-old celebrated her Victoria’s Secret comeback. Her last appearance as an angel was 19 years ago. Because she was gaining weight at the time, her wings were clipped. Banks no longer fit into the concept of the show, which relied primarily on thin, almost unattainably beautiful women until its spectacular decline.

From 2005 to 2018, Victoria’s Secret was successful with exactly this concept. But the MeToo movement and falling ratings caused cracks in the smooth image. When the “New York Times” was able to prove that Leslie Wexner, the CEO of Victoria’s Secret, had close ties to Jeffrey Epstein, and marketing boss Ed Razek spoke out against diversity and transgender models on the catwalk in an interview, the brand took a stand unprecedented rapid descent. When asked why Razek didn’t want transgender models, he said: “Why not? Because the show is a fantasy. A 42-minute entertainment spectacle. That’s why not!” The applause was even more frenetic when the transgender models Valentina Sampaio and Alex Consani appeared on the catwalk. Both wore probably the most revealing outfits of the evening.

Although the show was much more diverse, it is still essentially a copy of the old concept. And it’s no longer hot, it’s just warmed up. Rival companies like Kim Kardashian’s label “Skims” and Rihanna’s “Savage x Fenty” have long shown that you don’t need angels to help a brand soar. What sets them apart from Victoria’s Secret: They focus on the needs of their customers – and not primarily on those of their brand. A small but worldly difference.