The Return of the Fantasy: Victoria’s Secret 2025
Models walking the runway at Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2025. Photo/REUTERS
New York had that certain glow again last night. The pink carpet stretched across Brooklyn, cameras flashing, smoke machines low and the sound of Missy Elliott pulsing through the room like a heartbeat. Victoria’s Secret returned to the runway; not quietly, not shy, but with a kind of hunger that felt exciting.
The cast was impossible to ignore. Gigi and Bella Hadid back together under the same lights. Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio and Candice Swanepoel. Living proof that legacy doesn’t age. Alongside them: Paloma Elsesser, Precious Lee, Ashley Graham and Yumi Nu, beautiful bodies that finally look like the world outside. The new generation from Alex Consani, Amelia Gray, Abény Nhial, Iris Law to Quenlin Blackwell, brought humor and something raw. It was more than angels this time. It was pure energy.
On stage, an all-female lineup pushed the night higher: Missy Elliott, Karol G, Madison Beer and TWICE. Four different sounds, same kind of power. Between sets, the runway moved like a fever dream; satin against skin and reimagined wings. Every walk felt personal, like the women were reclaiming the same stage that once defined them. It was impossible not to think about where the brand stood a few years ago. The quiet rebrand, the promise of change, the question of whether inclusivity could ever feel real in a place built on perfection. Last night was the answer in motion. There was softness, strength and something less polished. It already started before the show. Behind the scene footage all over Social Media, funny interviews and scenes with models, make up and hair artists. The energy was loud. Backstage, Quenlin Blackwell blasted rave music on her phone. Old school angels hugged new ones.
On the Runway, the show opened with pregnant Jasmine Tookes glowing in pearls, a powerful start that set the tone for what followed. Bella Hadid, blonde and in red lace, was pure bombshell energy, while Gigi brought a softer, playful contrast in blush pink and flowers. The concept moved through time, from morning light to black-tie evening, a visual evolution of womanhood itself. It was the most diverse cast the brand has ever shown, with women of different ages, bodies and skin tones all owning the same spotlight. The creative direction by Adam Selman, known for the iconic Savage x Fenty show, carried through that same sense of inclusivity and spectacle, but filtered through Victoria’s Secret nostalgia. The hair was classic big, bouncy, free, no ponytails, just movement. It was fun, young, fresh and absolutely iconic. Proof that the fantasy can grow up without losing its magic. Highlights on the runway were Barbara Palvin walking with husband Dylan Sprouse cheering from the front row. Irina Shayk and Joan Smalls owned the lights like usual. Adut Akech, Imaan Hammam, Maty Fall, Liu Wen; names that now shape what beauty actually looks like. Even the first-timers, like Angel Reese and Suni Lee, walked with that fearless calm that comes when the world is watching, cheering and you already know who you are.
The reactions came fast and divided. Some called it a confident return; others said it felt half-awake. “Lazy energy,” saying the models looked unbothered and under-rehearsed. Even Bella Hadid, stunning in her first look, seemed weighed down by the heavy wings in her second, her discomfort visible with every step. The walks at times felt uneven, more chaos than choreography, as if rehearsal had been replaced by “just here for the good pay check”. Still, beneath the criticism, people were watching closely. Love it or hate it, the casting, the sound, the storytelling, all of it showed a brand finally aware of the world it exists in. There’s a new kind of sexy now, the one that breathes, sweats, laughs. Victoria’s Secret didn’t just come back. It became self-aware.