It’s that time of the year where everything sparkles, stars shine bright, and people cheer with joy.
Oh, I’m not talking about the changing of seasons, I’m talking about stars like Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel, Kendall Jenner, and Gigi Hadid alongside with real life Angels walking the hottest runway – Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
This runway extravaganza televised event is broadcasted to almost two hundred countries and cost twelve million dollars to produce.
The fashion show is considered one of the most prestigious gigs a model can land. Not to mention, some made it to the world’s highest paid models.
But why watch it this year if it happens every year? Because…
“We have more musical guests, more fashion and more stories than ever; and, of course, 60 of the world’s top models,” said Victoria’s Secret executive producer Ed Razek.
The show is coming back to United States in New York City. It might have a lot to do with the fact that last year, models were not able to attend the show that was held in China due to denied visas. Not only that, authorities shut down the afterparty before midnight.
Lily Aldridge was absent due to her second pregnancy and Alessandra Ambrosio no longer walks for the brand after walking consecutively for twelve years. Last year, Ambrosso decided it was time to retire as an Angel.
With all the beautiful styles, wings, and models, the beauty makeup artist, Charlotte Tilbury, does the final touch with new makeup products to create the Angelic looks. Charlotte has been lead makeup artist at the VS show before, but 2018 marks Charlotte Tilbury Beauty’s 5th Anniversary.
This year’s event already happened on November 8, 2018, but it was aired on December 2nd on ABC. There were eight live performers including Shawn Mendes, The Chainttsmokers, Halsey, Kelsea Ballerini, Rita Ora, Bebe Rexha, and The Struts -the most performers ever seen on the show.
Angels Behati Prinsloo and Candice Swanepoel returned to the show after giving birth to their second children, Tony Garrn, Barbara Palvin, and Shanina Shaik, and Veterans: Martha Hunt, Stella Maxwell, Lais Ribeiro, Leomie Anderson, Devon Windsor, Grace Elizabeth, Cindy Bruna, Georgia Fowler, and Ming Xi all strut the runway once again.
Unfortunately, Adrianna Lima, the legendary Angel, hangs up her wings after 18 years of walking for the brand to shift her focus to more projects dedicated to female empowerment and to spend more time with her family.
Adriana has walked in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show more times than any other model. A highlight reel of Lima’s best moments was shown as the 37-year-old model made her tearful final walk in burst of white feathered wings with crystal details.
Though some favorites will be missed, this year Victoria Secret chose 60 of the world’s top models to walk their brand, including Bella and Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner, as well as new aspiring models Winnie Harlow, Lorena Rae, Kelsey Merritt, who made history as the first Filipino woman to walk the runway at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, Duckie Thot, Yasmin Wijnaldum, and few others.
Winnie Harlow has an exceptional and unique appearance that captured the modeling industry’s attention. She is a Canadian fashion model and public spokesperson on skin condition called vitiligo. She first made an appearance on America’s Next Top Model and has since then worked all the way up to the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
For the first time ever, there were groups of six models walking to the end of the runway at the finale, instead of all the models walking in at once. This way, viewers on TV were able to get a last glance at who was walking in the show and the outfits they were wearing.
Each year, the costumes are designed around a few themes. They range from the relatively simple pairing of lingerie and stilettos to sculptural wings and elaborate headdresses.
In the past, there have been styles like VS Pink, Fairy Tale, Dreams, Punk Angels, and many more. They have an exclusive collaboration with a designer, and this year, Victoria Secret chose Mary Katrantzou, a London-based fashion designer that features a different set of wings, or better yet, parachutes!
Once a model becomes a Victoria’s Secret Angel and wears her wings, there is only one more goal to achieve, and that goal is to wear the Fantasy Bra. Elsa Hosk had the honor to wear the Victoria’s Secret Fantasy Bra.
This year’s show-stopping piece was created using 100% Swarovski Created Diamonds and responsibly sourced topaz set in sterling silver. Valued at one million dollars, the 2018 Dream Angels Fantasy Bra and body chain are bejeweled with over 2,100 Swarovski Created Diamonds in a sterling silver Dream Angels bra silhouette. The set took over 930 hours to create, and has over 71 carats with the centerpiece.
“It’s just very cool, very simple, modern, and so sparkly—If I would have designed it, it would have looked just like this. I put it on and I was like, ‘It looks like someone just made magic and put it on my body,” said Elsa Hosk.
Customers were able to purchase a version of the Victoria’s Secret Dream Angels Fantasy Bra made with Swarovski crystals for $250 on Thursday, Nov. 29.
The model of the year, Romee Strijd, was chosen to show off the Shooting Star Swarovski crystal-covered look during the Celestial Angel portion of the runway show. This brilliant style is made out of 125,000 Swarovski crystals with 70,000 on the sheer bodysuit alone. Underneath, she wore a lacy black bra and underwear set.
The look was decorated with Shooting Sar wings and crystal-covered boots. Marian Hose designed the 3D star wing. It is shaped like a seven-point star and covered with more than 55,000 crystals.
Angelika Rol
Features Reporter