America’s favorite models, the Victoria’s Secret angels, work 365 days a year to walk in the hour-long fashion show. On October 15th, the original angels took on New York City with new legacies and hit the runway to musical performances from popular female artists.
THE SOCIAL MEDIA HYPE
If you’ve even opened the TikTok app recently, your “For You Page” has probably been full of trends about the 2025 VS Fashion Show being this year’s Super Bowl, serving as our annual reminder to celebrate female empowerment, inner beauty, and confidence. Getting ready in their VS robes, making hot girl snacks plates, and doing their hair and makeup to go absolutely nowhere—it’s the ultimate self care dream. If I weren’t at my favorite artist’s concert, Tate McRae, I would have joined in on all the cool girl activities. Although, for me, it was cool enough knowing that Tate’s hit, “Sports Car,” had the angels like the Hadids, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Adriana Lima walking down the runway, so it felt like we all got to share her music that night.
THE INSANE INTRODUCTION
Before the annually anticipated show even started, a montage of backstage beauty and chaos played for the millions of viewers watching at home and hundreds in the building. A symphony of bells was heard as the angels stood still in time, showcasing the types of looks the viewers could expect in the night ahead.
It all led to the shadow of Jasmine Tookes standing before the bright light, taking a step forward in her gold, pearly peacock look, disappearing into the abyss. The camera followed her into the other side as she opened up the show, as if we’re seeing her enter the gates of heaven. “Angel” by Gavin Friday began to play and her silhouette soon became a figure of shimmer as she strutted down the runway gracefully with shiny chains flowing down her body, turning to the side, showing off her baby bump and gift of life.
Seeing her as the opening model set the tone for this year’s show, representing different models in their unique shapes, sizes, colors, and walks of life. A projected motion picture of a universe lit up behind Jasmine, setting the stage for the rest of the golden angels that would soon appear. The beat picks up, and Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima appears with a full body suit gleaming on the stage; the crowd goes absolutely crazy for her.
SO MANY WINGS
From fluff to feathers, this show surely felt like 2016 again with the big blowouts and wings, a look that anyone can spot from clouds away. The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is known for its sexy twist on typical runway walks. With dazzling performances by female artists, the glitz and glam of diverse models, and a new look every year, what’s not to look forward to when VS does it best?!
POWER MOVE PERFORMANCES
From K-Pop group TWICE, Karol G to Missy Elliot and Madison Beer, there were no disappointments in the musical department this year. Beer, the first opener this year, wore wings of her own while singing a magical setlist with three of her hits like “Make You Mine,” “bittersweet,” and “yes baby,” making the crowd yearn for more. As Beer owned the stage during “Make You Mine,” so did Gigi Hadid, walking down the runway, her jacket of pink roses revealing her matching lacy lounge wear set, pointing to the viewers at home and blowing a flirty kiss. I’m sure it was just as monumental for Madison performing her two new singles for the first time on the VS stage, following her flawless strut down the catwalk after teasing her next album, “Locket,” to be released on January 16th, 2026.
The transition between Madison’s and the next act was nothing but seamless. As “yes baby” lingered in the background, a Victoria’s Secret angel kept the audience engaged by posing in the mirror backstage. K-pop group TWICE then performed two songs, “This Is For” and “Strategy.” They didn’t need wings to bring the sass, instead they danced around the stage in cute bodysuits and matching mini sets with baby pink fluffy boots, such angel energy. As models, athletes, and social media influencers walked to their beats on the runway, they all gathered for a group photo before exiting the stage in all directions.
Karol G soon entered the stage with her seductive song “Ivonny Bonita” in her red lacy body suit. The (now) Blonde bombshell, Bella Hadid, hit the runway for the first time in the night wearing red lingerie. During this segment, the angels stuck to their red theme, similar to the golden from the beginning, and the pink, silver and black during Madison Beer and TWICE. The screen switched back and forth from Karol’s sexy shadow to the emphasized lyrics in her songs like, “icónica.” As the song “Latina Foreva” picked up, and large sequence of angels started appearing out of thin air, Karol G disappeared before her grand opening onto the catwalk with her big red wings as the word “Latina” was spotted on the screen and on the catwalk in bold letters.
Taking a break with performances, Britney Spears could be heard playing “Toxic” as an abundance of new collections were introduced with models like Alex Consani, Candice Swanepoel, Ashley Graham, and Emily Ratajkowski, and during the second half of the show, appearing in several wardrobe changes for the different themes of walks. One being a paparazzi themed line that kicked off with a slow-motion and highly anticipated video of what was next to come. Flashes from cameras with hairspray and hair flips everywhere, making a dramatic moment for the models that would set the stage for Missy Elliot, the final performance of the night.
The final countdown appeared on the screen, starting from five, before she played four songs. As her mantra of “One Minute Man” played for exactly one minute, her platform came down in preparation for her performance. To get the crowd ready, she performed “Get Ur Freak On” so they could “Work it,” really “Lose Control.” The theme of Missy’s performance was the fearless reinvention and cultural impact, the best message to send out after this year’s fashion show hit all the marks of what it means to be inclusive of all diversities, what a boss lady!
Hearts of Hadids
We all know that Gigi and Bella Hadid are some of the most iconic angels, being sisters and all. They have this dynamic about them that’s rare in celebrities, even more sacred as supermodels, and always lead with love on and off the runway for one another.
Bella suffered medical issues this past year, battling chronic Lyme Disease, and it’s being undermined that she still showed up for this event at all. People online criticized Bella for not being able to walk perfectly straight with 50lb wings, but the reality is, most healthy people wouldn’t even be able to pull this off. While I saw Bella struggle with stamina towards the end, I believe that was the best Bella ever looked on the catwalk, considering her rough year.
Bella tweeted: “Girl I got my period that morning and my stamina is not up yet after the whole hospital sitch but I tried my best and I LOVEEEE you for this I’m ok I swear I’m sorry if I let u down Love you I mean it!!”
This just proves that no matter how beautiful, famous, or dedicated you are to your craft, people will always have things to say, even if you went through hell in the hospital. The next time you compare yourself to the star on the screen, just know not everything is perfect as they make it seem on the runway.
INFLUENCERS & ATHLETES
VS made history of what diversity will look like in future other shows, collections and select models, by also integrating other famous and influential figures into their iconic fashion show like influencers and athletes. WNBA Star Angel Reese joined Olympian gymnast Suni Lee on the runway during the same time frame as influencers Quenlin Blackwell and Gabi Moura—not comparing their talent, but showing off that they are included in the VS legacy too. They all strut down wearing more comfy athleisure sets from the VS brand PINK during the performances from TWICE, showcasing the fact that not everyone has to be a model to look good in their pieces.
FAN FEEDBACK
From years of picture-perfect models to “too much body positivity,” it seems like Victoria’s Secret finally unlocked their secret in this year’s show. Since the start of the first fashion show in 1995 and controversy from a lack of diversity and inclusion, the decrease in ratings in the late 2000s led to the show’s cancellation in 2019. In 2024, the show resumed, but not in the ways people wanted it to. Their comeback was disappointing for many, as they gave into generational trends like slick back hair instead of blowouts and took away their wings in their attempt reversing their controversy for only using skinny tan models.
This year, the show received healthy responses from viewers and consumers who tuned into the show. Their YouTube channel, where the show streamed, is flooded with comments like “VICTORIA’S SECRET PRIME IS BACK!!”, “Plus size models are gorgeous,” and “Now THIS IS VICTORIA’S SECRET!!!!”, proving that it isn’t about perfect, it’s about balance.
PINK confetti rained down on the models who glowed from the work full of blood, sweat and tears into their walks this year, as they took in their final moments with VS lovers.
If you missed your favorite angel’s walk, your favorite artists’ appearance, or wish to relive any of these angelic moments from the night, you can watch the full stream from here: