Victoria’s Secret Soars Back But Can It Truly Reimagine the Angel Era?
- Luxe magazine Switzerland
- Oct 17
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 31
Victoria’s Secret Soars Back But Can It Truly Reimagine the Angel Era?
New York, October 16, 2025 Last night’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2025, staged at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn, marked yet another bold attempt by the lingerie giant to reclaim its position in the haute-glamour pantheon. After a hiatus and a highly scrutinized rebirth in 2024, the spectacle returned, shimmering with sequins, dramatic wings, and a cast blending legacy icons and bold newcomers. The question now: does this revival transcend nostalgia and speak to the evolving ideals of modern fashion?
A Lavish Return, With All Eyes On It
The evening’s production was every bit the spectacle Victoria’s Secret is known for glittering lights, theatrical entrances, and layers of fantasy woven into lingerie.
Musical performances punctuated the runway with energy: Missy Elliott closed out the show with a medley of her hits, delivering electrifying choreography and commanding presence. Meanwhile, Karol G, Madison Beer, and K-pop group TWICE elevated the ambiance with dynamic setpieces.
Jasmine Tookes opened the show in a deeply symbolic moment: nine months pregnant, she walked with poise and confidence, moving the audience as she embodied both motherhood and glamour.
On the runway itself, stars like Gigi Hadid, Adriana Lima, Bella Hadid, Alex Consani, Ashley Graham, and Irina Shayk returned, forming a bridge between the brand’s iconic past and its aspirational future. New additions like Angel Reese, the WNBA star, made their own mark, exemplifying the brand’s push toward diverse casting.
One striking trend was the revival of “boy short” styles: Gigi Hadid, Alex Consani, and Adriana Lima embraced this more modest silhouette a subtle return to variety in lingerie cuts.
Between Nostalgia and Reinvention
Victoria’s Secret is navigating a razor’s-edge path. The show leaned into familiar fantasy tropes wings, glam, spectacle while trying to infuse contemporary values: inclusion, body positivity, diverse faces.
But not all applause was unanimous. Critics and fashion commentators argued that the attempts at diversity sometimes felt surface-level. Some models in marginalized demographics were styled more conservatively than their peers, prompting critiques of a double standard. Others appreciated the balance the show tried to maintain that it didn’t abandon the dramatic base that made the brand a cultural force.
The underlying struggle remains: can Victoria’s Secret reconcile its past, heavily tied to idealized sensuality and narrow beauty standards, with an era of more fluid, inclusive fashion? The 2025 show suggests the answer is still in progress.
Spotlight on Angel Reese & Other Standouts
Angel Reese’s debut as a Victoria’s Secret Angel was one of the show’s most talked-about moments. The athlete walked confidently, carrying angel wings and draped in floral-adorned lingerie. Her mother, present in the audience, caught the moment on video and cheered: “That’s my baby!” Reese has spoken about this milestone as a full-circle moment once manifesting from the audience to commanding the runway.
Bella Hadid drew social media concern for her walk in one segment: viewers suggested she appeared unsteady beneath heavy wings some even speculated health fatigue or the weight of the costume might have contributed.
Gigi Hadid, reflecting on her journey in a recent interview, became emotional recounting the scrutiny she endured after first joining the show years ago. Her return feels to many like both a landmark and a reclamation.
Another standout moment: Valentina Castro, a Colombian model, made history as the first from her nation to walk the show.
The Big Picture: Brand, Identity, Future
In resuming its marquee annual show, Victoria’s Secret is doing more than putting on lingerie it is attempting to resurrect and transform its narrative. This is a brand seeking to merge spectacle with social relevance, tradition with progress.
Yet the reception remains mixed. For longtime fans, the return of iconic wings and bombshell energy offers nostalgia. For critics, it risks being style over substance a glossy shell that doesn’t fully resolve past inequities.
What remains certain: Victoria’s Secret 2025 has reignited conversation. In the seasons ahead, the brand’s true test will be whether its runway statements translate into deeper, authentic changes in its products, messaging, and culture.
For Lux Magazine, this show is more than spectacle it’s a cultural barometer, measuring how legacy brands adapt or resist in a shifting fashion paradigm.
