What's sexy now? Victoria's Secret is drawing on its past and making a comeback on the runway

Victoria's Secret is going for bombs again.

Over more than 20 years on the runway, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show catapulted the brand into the collective global consciousness, elevating generations of its Angels while promoting a narrow, male-driven definition of sexy that left little room for diversity. Facing cultural change and a dwindling audience, the show was canceled in 2019 with the promise that the company would evolve its marketing.

Over the next few years, the company did this by assembling a voice cast that included Megan Rapinoe and Naomi Osaka and expanding its product offerings and size range. In 2023, Victoria's Secret produced a documentary that sought to further reshape the dialogue around the brand – through the female gaze of female directors and creators. Director Margot Bowman said at the time: “I see this as an opportunity to create a new series of images that more people can see themselves in.”

In the background, however, the brand was under constant surveillance. Matt Tyrnauers Victoria's Secret: Angels and Demons Documentary and the book by Lauren Sherman and Chantal Fernandez Selling Sexy: Victoria's Secret and the Unraveling of an American Iconturned their attention to the company's failings, from former owner Les Wexner's association with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein to the slow realization that the company was letting trends pass it by.

Backstage at the show.

Photographed by Hunter Abrams

Backstage at the show.

Photographed by Hunter Abrams

Tonight the brand changed course again and brought back the fashion show without much fanfare. Cher, Lisa from Blackpink and Tyla all performed with backup dancers and the evening was capped off with fireworks. Her Instagram account read: “The wait is over” as Candace Swanepoel strutted down Fifth Avenue in a black lace bralette, pencil skirt and gold wings. In another social media clip, Adriana Lima got into a taxi and, with a lot of emotion in her voice, told the driver, “I'm going home” – home, meaning the Victoria's Secret runway.

“Part of our transformation is putting our customers at the heart of everything we do, and our customers have told us loud and clear that they missed the fashion show. That was the starting point,” said Sarah Sylvester, the brand’s executive vice president of marketing. As Ubers lined up at the Brooklyn Navy Yard location and the crowd mingled outside during a lively pre-show cocktail hour, the questions arose: Would the show return to form or would it be a more inclusive, welcoming space ? And would the six years between the last runway and this one impact the overall aesthetic? The answers were yes and no.