An Exclusive Look Inside the 2024 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show

But that was a minor drama. For Victoria’s Secret, a major vibe shift was riding on this pink-painted fantasy. It recently replaced its executive team with a female-led C-suite after sales plummeted during the pandemic. That’s partly because the brand got canceled-ish in 2018, after then-CEO Ed Razek made controversial comments in a viral interview. And it’s partly because while Victoria’s Secret PINK sold some good leggings, other brands did, too.

Paloma Elsesser

Devyn Garcia

Victoria’s Secret tried to engineer its 2024 fashion show as a major comeback. There were curvy Angels like Ashley Graham—a notable choice, since the model memorably starred in Lane Bryant’s “I’m No Angel” lingerie campaign in 2015, specifically to rebuke VS’s skinny-girl persona. Paloma Elsesser and Devyn Garcia smoldered, too, along with trans Angels like Alex Consani and Valentina Sampaio. Fifteen percent of the models were over 40, including Carla Bruni, 56, and Eva Herzigova, 50. Models like Imaan Hammam and Blésnya Minher wore their natural hair texture; freckles and scars were kept uncovered.

Alessandro Ambrosio backstage.

The energy among the models was serene. The clothes? Chaotic neutral. Gigi Hadid appeared in a pink silk teddy—available to shop online—and matching feathered wings. She stuck her hand up in the air and did a little wave, as if to say “I’m here, it’s cute, we’re good,” then descended through a trap door in the floor. She was replaced by Kate Moss in a black lace robe that could have come from a groupie trunk sale on Portobello Road but actually costs $180 at the mall. Then came Rianne Van Rompaey—a wispy, wide-eyed model favored in European fashion circles—in a pair of black chainmail pants and a star-spangled harness. The outfit was inconvenient and amazing. To reintroduce the brand’s casual pieces, many of the big-name models wore pajama bottoms, boxer shorts, and leggings with their heels. There were also bow-print silk pajamas that look like something one might pick up at LoveShackFancy, as well as a metallic bra fit for Dua Lipa.

Kate Moss’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show debut.

Thanks to a “Shop The Show” guide on Victoria’s Secret’s homepage, it’s clear what items the brand wants to sell. It’s less clear what ideas of beauty they think consumers will buy into. There’s still the knee-jerk idea that anything inherently sexy is oppressive to women, as if wanting to be wanted is some kind of betrayal. This feels bad, and false, and exhausting. To everything there is a season, including a lace demi-cup, etc. At the same time, some lingerie felt aggressive but not exciting. I can’t imagine wearing the sheer corset tops and push-up bras that dominated the runway, much less the full-body thongs that laced across the torsos of Swanepoel and Adriana Lima.

Tyra Banks makes her triumphant return to the runway.

When Tyra Banks closed the show, for the first time in nearly 20 years, the 50-year-old model took giant, air-slashing steps down the catwalk and did jagged turns with a silver-backed cape. She wore a spangled superhero corset and black leggings. Cheers erupted from the crowd, along with some overwhelmed stares and a small canon of pink confetti. The nostalgia had been fully tapped into. And the leggings? They’re already sold out.

Faran Krentcil is a fashion journalist and critic based in New York City. She is the founding editor of Fashionista and a graduate of Duke University. Her work has been published in the Wall Street Journal, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and more.