Victoria’s Secret has made its famous return to New York after five years off the runway and came back more inclusive and diverse as promised.

The show was kicked off with Gigi rising up from under the runway in a soft pink playsuit and the classic Victoria’s Secret wings, followed by more Angels in an array of soft pinks and whites creating a charming and dreamy start to the show, including debut from plus-size model Devyn Garcia, who kickstarted Victoria’s Secret’s new image.

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As the first part drew to a close, Adriana Lima made her return as she wore a tartan co-ord, which really brought back that 2010s Victoria’s Secret nostalgia to fans.

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This year Victoria’s Secret was represented by two transgender models – Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio who has worked with them since 2019, and a new addition of Alex Cosani. As Victoria Secret promised to “celebrate all women”, plus size models Paloma Elsesser and Ashley Graham also strutted down the runway making multiple extravagant appearances.

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Kate Moss made a surprise debut on the runway in a powerful, dark, lace outfit, with feathered wings, joined by daughter, Lila, in a bouncy pink jacket with unique wings spelling out ‘Lila VS’ in cursive – the perfect way to assemble the mother-daughter duo.

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After Kate, a dark, metallic theme emerged and here is where we saw the inclusivity really begin and Victoria’s Secret fulfilling their promise to fans. We watched Valentina Sompaio walk the runway with giganantic bow-like wings, followed by plus-size model Kai Soleil, and later featuring Miss Tyra Banks closing the show.

As that section continued, we saw legendary Irina Shayk covered in stars followed by Joan Smalls in the most intricately carved wings, adding her finishing touch to that section.

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As the models walked, attendees couldn’t keep their eyes off the shoes, all meticulously created to correspond with one theme and match each specific outfit. The shoes wrapped around the models’ legs, some with flowers or wings, others in a diamante style or plain and simple.

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Plus-size model Ashley Graham opened the following section in a lace lingerie set with gold embellished wings and shoes to match. We got given a dark and sexy vibe, again heavily featuring red and black. Alessandra Ambrosio made her anticipated return in a sensual lingerie bodysuit, along with a debut from Jill Kortleve – another plus-size model feature this year, in a gorgeous flower number.

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The fourth and final section began with an unexpected Cher performance and a lot of red to strongly finish of the show. Here we saw an influx of the original Angels closing the show with a bang, including Candice Swanepoel, Grace Elizabeth and Adriana Lima, accompanied by the new faces of VS.

The show was thought to be closed by the second Hadid Sister – Bella, in a ‘black swan’ feathered robe, opposite to Gigi who embodied the white swan in the opening. However, as the audience wondered whether she was coming out, the OG Tyra Banks rose from beneath the stage in a shiny corset and robe, and closed the show surrounded by all the angels.

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The show reflected Victoria’s Secret in a new light, as they listened to criticisms and created a more inclusive and diverse show. We can’t wait to see more from them in the future.

Words By Zlata Gavula

The post Voir loves: The Angels are back appeared first on Voir Fashion.

Naomi, Christy, Kate, Tyra… the supermodels of the 1990s reached a dizzy height of fame so great that they have remained household names to this day. Iconic for their looks but also the glamourous lifestyles they led, the professional and personal lives of the nineties supermodels were all the world could talk about. 

There is perhaps no greater known runway moment than when Gianni Versace brought megastars Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista down the runway lip-syncing to the famous lyrics of George Micheal’s ‘Freedom! ‘90’.’ The only catwalk moment which might perhaps rival it was Naomi Campbell’s tumble on the Vivienne Westwood catwalk in 1993 after her extravagant platform heels teetered off balance.

While the likes of Gigi, Bella, Kendall and Kaia are certainly followed by millions and loved on Instagram, they do not belong to the same category of socialite allure that the original supers channelled so well. 

The lithe, slender Amazonians like Naomi and the ‘heroin chic’ Kate Moss who glided down the runways of Jean Paul Gautier and Chloe may have differed in height, but they all belonged within the parameters of one size and shape 34”23”34. There was a preconceived idea in the 1990s that designers would make clothes and then hire the models who would fit in them, not the other way around. 

What’s more, the likes of Karen Mulder, Heidi Klum and Tyra Banks all championed a very feminine and sexy kind of beauty, perhaps best epitomized by the emergence of the world-famous Victoria Secret fashion shows which became a major event in the fashion calendar.

But what about models now? In the wake of the third wave body positivity movement of 2012 and events like ‘The Real Catwalk’, fashion consumers have been more and more vocal about wanting to see bodies like theirs represented on the runway. The movement was spearheaded by black and ethnic minority women who wanted to celebrate self-love for the visibly fat bodies which just weren’t being shown.

In the past few years, we have seen a huge step forward for the plus-sized modelling industry, with role models like Ashley Graham on the cover of 2016’s Sports Illustrated and Paloma Elsesser’s cover for British Vogue. What’s more, TV has mirrored the movement towards body inclusivity with shows like Empire, Dumplin’ and Euphoria all working to unravel the preconceived ‘fat character’ stereotypes which have existed in the media for so long.

If we compare the silhouettes of the catwalk now to those of the nineties, it is difficult not to associate the slender frame which was so worshipped back then with feelings of aspiration at best and self-loathing at worst. Supermodels like Christy and Naomi were held aloft like goddesses; their bodies were unattainable and loyal to one idea of perfection.

Kate Moss was championed at the time for breaking this mould – her body was shorter than the others and waif-like, leading her to become the poster child for the grunge style of the nineties. Discovered at 14 in JFK airport, Kate emerged onto the supermodel scene with a new aesthetic that hadn’t been seen before and her pale skin, dark hair and lack of curves were coveted as ‘heroin chic’. With a string of highly publicised famous relationship and a party-going lifestyle, Moss was considered highly alternative.

This does not, however, take away from the fact that Kate Moss still embodied a very select body type, as she famously quipped herself “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” – fuel to light the fire of romanticised eating disorders. It was not problematic so much to celebrate Kate’s slender body, more instead that her angular appearance and lack of body fat enabled her to be labelled not just as a model, but a ‘super’ model. 

“Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”

Kate Moss

Concerning racial and ethnic diversity in fashion, Naomi Campbell broke through a barrier when she became the first black model to ever appear on the cover of TIME magazine, French Vogue and Russian Vogue, as well as the first British black model to ever feature on the cover of British Vogue. Still walking in shows today, there is no question that she is a living and breathing legend. Nevertheless, many fashion brands have been called up in the past ten years for tokenism when it comes to black and ethnic minority representation, so although Naomi may have opened doors, there is still a long way to go.

The true demise of the dazzling heights of nineties supermodel stardom seems to be rooted in the fact that people don’t want to just see models on magazine covers anymore. Readers now look to the covers of Vogue, Elle and Harper’s Bazaar for activism, inclusivity and new talent. The speedy turnover of social media means that people are always looking for the next best thing and the latest sign that society is moving forward in its ideas of what beauty is.

Brands like Chromat, Savage X Fenty and Moschino have taken the lead in welcoming more and more diverse models onto the runway. For their SS21 show, Versace made headlines when they featured plus-size models Jill Kortleve, Alva Claire and Precious Lee wearing neon garments.

The reality is that there is no longer a place for the concept of the original ‘supermodel’ in the current fashion landscape. People want fashion which is innovative and yes, aspirational, but also relatable. Models on the runway may not now be ‘super’ slim or ‘super’ famous – but actually, that’s a good thing.

Words by Becca Seib

The post What Defines A Supermodel? Catwalk Icons From The Nineties Until Now appeared first on Voir Fashion.