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Victoria Secret & Their Evolution

  • Writer: Rain Hashimoto
    Rain Hashimoto
  • Nov 15, 2024
  • 7 min read

Updated: Nov 15, 2024

November 15th 2024


Hello my lovely readers! I apologize for the delay, I've been on vacation the past weeks and it's been a bit hectic. Today I'm super excited to talk about the journey that Victoria Secret has gone through and their recent fashion show they put on in October.


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If we're being honest I was a bit skeptical of this upcoming show for numerous reasons. Victoria Secret has been under some heat lately from the public with their quality in products, rebrand, and criticism of their last show. If you aren't aware, Victoria Secret had to close up to 250 of their stores in 2020 and will be closing an additional 35 stores this year. Their market share started declining in 2020 when they were getting drowned by their competitors and changing Gen-Z consumer preferences.


2000s Victoria Secret Show


But what happened? If we look back at the 2000s and early 2010s Victoria Secret was all anyone could ever talk about. Their brand was about selling a sexy fantasy, with the retail stores showcasing dramatic "bedroom" lighting, skimpy lingerie, and revealing photos of their models. Their "Angels" were the highlight of the brand. Victoria Secret shows had hit stars like Rihanna and Justin Bieber performing next to the angels and hundreds of people attending to watch these. Their shows were known for being captivating and fun, with their models being adorned in creative and showstopping angel wings, hence the name "angels". Victoria Secret chose the best of the best models for their runways, everyone wanted to either be with them or wanted to be them.


I'm sure we all know as women, beauty standards and expectations change constantly. And as the late 2010s approached, the heroine chic body that was pushed so heavily in the 2000s started becoming less popular. The 2000s saw the rise of toxic diet culture, body shaming, and an obsession with being thin. However the 2010s saw the rise of curvier models and more body positivity. Because of this, it caused a bigger demographic of consumers wanting to see their own body represented in the media.

Aerie Ad Campaign


Companies like Aerie started rising in popularity, with their brand message being about "real women", showcasing lifestyle photoshoots with little to no editing and a more down to earth vibe. This was the start of the downfall of Victoria Secret, with many people finding their fantasy too unrealistic and that their aesthetic catered too much towards the male gaze.


In 2021 they announced their rebrand, officially stripping the core of Victoria Secret's brand identity. Stores went from dramatic and sexy to bright and open. Taking down their perfectly posed angels from their walls, replacing the bedroom eyes with models seen smiling and laughing. Instead of having only one body type being showcased in their stores, Victoria Secret showcased all different types of models.


Victoria Secret Store Post-Rebrand (Above) Victoria Secret Store Pre-Rebrand (Below) https://wwd.com/fashion-news/intimates/vs-store-of-the-future-1235022776/


However, this didn't work. Why? It's simple.


Victoria Secret couldn't incorporate diversity within their fantasy aesthetic. People mainly went to their brand to purchase lingerie that was sexy and skimpy, not necessarily for comfort. Aerie succeeded because while they incorporated diversity in their campaigns, they stayed true to their brand image, focusing on comfort and everyday wear. When Victoria Secret tried to rebrand, they got rid of almost everything that made them, well, Victoria Secret. With their diverse model section came more campaigns for comfortable t-shirt bras and everyday sets, straying further and further away from their sensual and dramatic aesthetic.



Many people complained that they only wanted their brand to have more diverse models, not necessarily change everything about their aesthetic. Some people even criticized the brand for implying that plus size models couldn't be desirable, by putting them mainly in casual bras and underwear sets. People didn't want them to be simple and boring but rather stop promoting toxic diet culture and body image.


Victoria Secret 2023 Show Ad


In 2023, Victoria Secret released a Runway Show that you could watch online. This show in the nicest words possible was, a mess. It felt like Victoria Secret didn't know who they were as a brand anymore. Stripping away the color, glitz and glamour, and everything that made Victoria Secret, Victoria Secret. The show instead was a confusing mess that seemed like it was trying too hard to be artistic and meaningful. Instead of having women strut down the runway, the show featured half music video with Doja Cat, half "artistic" shots of random people seemingly with no connection to Victoria Secret, and half voiceover ramble by Gigi Hadid. The whole thing felt messy, uncoordinated, and trying too hard. Consumers took to social media to share their distaste, with many people confused with what direction the brand was trying to go into. No one in either the plus size community or long time shoppers at Victoria Secret felt satisfied. Some even called it a knock off of the Savage x Fenty show. However, Rihanna's brand had done what Victoria Secret should've, incorporated diversity in their shows and campaigns while still remaining desirable and sexy.


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Let's talk about the most recent runway show that Victoria Secret put on last month in October. Many people were anticipating what the brand would come back with, especially after the last several fails and flops they were producing. I'll be listing what I think Victoria Secret did well and what I believe they could've improved on.


Bringing Back the OG Runway Format

Still from the 2024 Victoria Secret Show


Learning from their last show, Victoria Secret gave the people what they wanted. A full runway and stage for their models to catwalk across. People online praised this decision and stated that it felt like the format of their older shows pre-2019. The jump from 2023 to 2024 was extremely different and I enjoyed seeing some of their OG brand come back to life.



Gigi & Bella Hadid, Adriana Lima, & Other Icons

Bella Hadid Making Her Runway Comeback to Victoria Secret https://www.vogue.com/article/bella-gigi-hadid-victorias-secret-fashion-show-return


Victoria Secret also made the wise decision to include iconic models in fashion during their runway. Even though they did some of this last year, the format of the show didn't really give time for those models to shine.


The 2024 show saw Gigi Hadid as the opening model, with Bella Hadid being the second to last model to close the show. Many fans were excited to see Adriana Lima make her return to the Victoria Secret Show as well, with her angel career spawning from 1999-2018. Victoria Secret also had its first inclusion of a transgender model, Alex Consani, one of the most popular Gen-Z models currently. Kate Moss and her daughter Lila Moss were also seen strutting the stage adorned with angel wings. Lastly, to close the show they brought out none other than Tyra Banks. Including all of these icons in the show definitely generated more buzz around their brand and got people talking.


Outstanding Performances

Of course it's not a Victoria Secret show without live music to go with it, and this year saw many iconic performances from different artists. Tyla came out and performed two songs, one of them being her hit song "Water". People were loving her strut and outfit, taking to social media to comment that VS models are lucky she's short because she would be a showstopping model. Lisa from Blackpink also performed her new song, "Rockstar" and a cover or "Moonlit Floor". Her outfits were my favorite out of all the performers, and I thought she emulated such captivating stage presence.


Lastly, one and only fashion and music icon Cher came out to perform "Believe" and "Strong Enough", adorning a pair of glittery cargo pants. Each singer gave such unique performances and brought an element of fun and upbeat energy to the show.


The Wings?

One of my critiques is I do wish that the wings had a little more "umph" to it. I felt that some of the designs were lackluster or a little cheap. When you watch previous shows, all the wings are extremely creative, grand, or tie in with the rest of the outfit in some aspect. While some wings, like the pair that Gigi Hadid wore, were absolutely stunning, I felt like some of the designs could be taken back to the drawing board.


Stills from the 2024 Victoria Secret Show (Above) Stills from Previous Shows (Below)


I think if they bring back some of the wings from the 2000s-2010s more people would get hyped about the show in the future.


Outfits & Styling

I also think that the outfits and styling weren't as strong as previous shows. In the past, their themes were a lot stronger. In 2011 they had Aquatic Angels and in 2012 it was a fantasy whimsical theme. I understand that they're trying to make the show more interesting and engaging but I would love to see them bring back themes similar to this. In my opinion, this show's outfits felt incohesive and I think visually it would've been more satisfying to see a better connection.


Stills from the Victoria Secret 2011 Show (Above) Stills from the Victoria Secret 2024 Show (Below)


I also feel that some of the designs looked a bit cheap or not as complex. In previous shows, each piece felt stunning and unique but the slapped on wings to the heels in this show was a let down. I really enjoyed some of the pieces that graced the runway but overall I hope to see more next year.


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I hope you guys enjoyed my take on the show as well as learning more about the challenges Victoria Secret has been facing. Let me know if you still shop there or you're a fan of their products! Personally I'll still go in but nothing beats the nostalgia and aesthetic from the 2010s. I hope they bring more of that sexy element back and return to their original aesthetic while still including diverse models.


Thank you to my readers who were so patient to wait for this next one!

Till Monday, bye my fashion and beauty baddies. <3


☆Rain☆





 
 
 

1 Comment

ShinAe
Nov 17, 2024

Bravo! As always thank you for the insight!

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