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24 Unforgettable Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Looks From the ’90s and 2000s

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24 Unforgettable Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Looks From the ’90s and 2000s

When the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show debuted in 1995, it was a straightforward showcase of the lingerie brand’s offerings. But over the next 23 years, it evolved into something bigger and bolder, beyond a simple fashion show. By 2001, the show was opened by Andrea Bocelli and featured household names like Gisele Bündchen and Tyra Banks. Soon, the televised event created celebrities of its own, minting up-and-coming supermodels with the coveted status of Victoria’s Secret Angels. Stars like Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid were joined by A-list musical acts from Destiny’s Child to Taylor Swift and Rihanna.

The show went on a hiatus in 2019 after facing criticism over the company’s lack of diversity and inclusivity (the brand did not hire its first plus-sized model until 2019). With a major return scheduled for October 15, Victoria’s Secret has said that this year’s comeback will reflect where it stands today. Still, the show hints it’ll lean into nostalgia, bringing back supermodel favorites like Tyra Banks, Candice Swanepoel, and Gigi Hadid. Ahead of the show, airing on October 15 on Amazon Live and Prime Video, see its best looks and how it evolved from 1995 to now.

Angelika Kallio, 1995

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At the inaugural 1995 show held at New York City’s The Plaza Hotel, models wore dresses, slips, corsets, and robes. Unlike later shows, looks were highly wearable and rarely featured a bra and underwear alone. The wings and other accessories would come later, but there were pops of the brand’s soon-to-be signature pink silk.

Karen Mulder, 1997

Ron Galella, Ltd. / Getty Images


At the third annual show, Dutch supermodel Karen Mulder modeled a sheet, feather-trimmed jacket over simple black underwear. High-waisted was still the silhouette du jour.

Naomi Campbell, 1997

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By 1997, we saw touches of the show’s signature camp, from cascading capes to fuzzy red heart-shaped underwear that mimicked a box of chocolates. Naomi Campbell stunned in a sheer black ensemble with puff sleeves, a corset, and a witchy neckpiece.

Karen Mulder, 1998

Ron Galella, Ltd. / Getty Images


Wings were first introduced to the Victoria’s Secret runway in 1998, when their line of angel bras debuted. It would soon become a signature. Karen Mulder returned to the runway, wearing an early set of wings and a matching white bra and panty set.

Tyra Banks, 1999

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Tyra Banks was a mainstay of the show from 1998 through 2005 and is set to make a triumphant return in 2024. For the 1999 show, she donned a satin bra and underwear with a matching organza cape.

Gisele Bündchen, 2000

Getty Images.

Held in Cannes, the 2000 show marked the turn of the century, and with it, a stark pivot from soft femininity towards smaller, sleeker silhouettes. While high-waisted panties dominated the ’90s shows, this show marked the takeover of low-rise underwear with string bikini-style straps. Gisele opened the show in a teal sequin top with a cascading cape and matching, barely-there bottoms with nearly invisible straps.

Heidi Klum, 2001

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The brand began making fantasy bras in the mid-’90s but didn’t debut them on the runway until 2001, when Heidi Klum modeled the Heavenly Star bra. Designed by Mouawad, it features 1,200 pink sapphires and over 2,300 white diamonds, plus a 90-carat emerald cut diamond centerpiece. Today, the set is valued at over $12.5 million.

Adriana Lima, 2001

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A young Adriana Lima looked like a Barbie come to life in a pink satin corset and matching string bikini at the 2001 show.

Naomi Campbell, 2002

KMazur / Getty Images


Naomi Campbell wore a fire engine red set embellished with florals, along with a pair of red and black wings.

Naomi Campbell, 2003

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Naomi Campbell graced the runway once again in a shimmering fringe top and a high pony that would make Ariana Grande jealous, looking like the epitome of Y2K glamour.

Gisele Bündchen, 2005

M. Von Holden / Getty Images


In 2005, Gisele wore a Christmas theme Fantasy bra. It was her second time modeling the coveted bra and the first time on a runway. It featured a 101-carat diamond and was worth $12.5 million.

Adriana Lima, 2005

Tom Gisondi / Getty Images


Adriana Lima strutted down the runway dressed like a present, wrapped in a cartoonishly big teal bow. This year’s looks marked a tipping point towards full camp. While the show had evolved from a straightforward runway toward something more theatrical in the early 2000s, it was this show in which designers leaned into the given theme and created fantastical costumes as opposed to ready-to-wear lingerie looks.

Karolina Kurkova, 2006

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Karolina Kurkova wore the 2006 Hearts on Fire Diamond Fantasy Bra. It was embellished with more than 2,000 diamonds, including a floral pendant in the center. She wore matching wings fit for an ice queen. Victoria’s Secret Pink launched this year, adding a playful, youthful segment to the runway.

Selita Ebanks, 2007

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For the surreally sexy theme, Selita Ebanks wore a taxi-yellow bra and underwear set embellished with sequined gloves. The motif brings to mind a more recent Loewe look that Beyoncé wore on her Renaissance tour.

Heidi Klum, 2007

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For her 10th show in 2007, besides playing the roles of model and host, Heidi Klum performed a duet with her then-husband, Seal. She wore a larger-than-life set of snowflake wings with a corset and crown.

Heidi Klum, 2008

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Klum managed to outdo herself the following year with a red bra-and-panty set that featured bedazzled body chains. The look included a pair of oversized sequin bow wings in the era’s top color trend: hot pink.

Karolina Kurkova, 2010

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For 2010’s Wild Things segment, Karolina Kurkova wore larger-than-life peacock wings with a leopard print set.

Miranda Kerr, 2011

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Miranda Kerr modeled a teal $2 million Fantasy Bra adorned with diamonds and pearls, fitting for the Aquatic Angels theme.

Candice Swanepoel, 2013

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Candice Swanepoel modeled the royal Fantasy bra, which featured $10 million worth of diamonds, rubies, and yellow and blue sapphires set in 18-karat gold.

Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima, 2014

Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho / Getty Images


In 2014, Victoria’s Secret debuted two fantasy bras for the first and last time. They were modeled by Brazilian mainstays Adriana Lima and Alessandra Ambrosio. It was Lima’s third time wearing the fantasy bra, and Ambrosio’s second. Lima walked in every show between 1999 and 2018 (including the 2012 show, which she opened less than two weeks after giving birth) when she walked the runway solo for a final time during a special segment called “Thank You, Adriana.”

Karli Kloss and Taylor Swift, 2014

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2014 also brought musical guest Taylor Swift, who serenaded Angels like her (former) bestie Karlie Kloss. At the start of one segment, the friends walked the runway hand in hand in coordinating lace fits, before Swift performed her song “Style.”

Lais Ribeiro, 2017

Taylor Hill


Ribeiro wore a dream of a look: a Champagne Nights-themed Fantasy Bra with 6,000 white diamonds, yellow sapphires, and blue topazes totaling over 640 carats, all set in 18-karat yellow gold.

Gigi Hadid, 2018

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Hadid wore a parachute-like set of wings, part of the Celestial Angel theme, paired with a flower-printed bodysuit and matching bra.

Elsa Hosk, 2018

Stephane Cardinale – Corbis / Getty Images


By 2018, the Fantasy Bra was more of a bralette. But the extra surface area was all the more dazzling, featuring 2,100 Swarovski diamonds set in a silver casing.

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