Rachel Chan
With gorgeous women, extravagant sets, celebrities scattered everywhere, legendary artistes like Nicki Minaj and Maroon 5 performing, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is the most anticipated lingerie show every year. Indeed, it’s “the sexiest night on television”, with one full hour of ogling beautiful models with long gazelle-like legs, strutting down the runway in lingerie.
This year’s show featured 6 themes. They kicked off the show with a graceful pointe dance sequence for the Ballet section, followed by bright pops of colours and comic-printed capes in Super Angels. The show also included Passion, which seemed to take direction from haute couture designs, and had a touch of Indian influence with lots of beading patterned jewellery, Aquatic Angels, where the girls looked like they walked out of a Barbie movie, and New Orleans boudoir Lolita-esque designs in I Put A Spell On You.
The annual affair cost US $12 million altogether this year, with 38 runway models and 31 pairs of wings specially made.
The 2009 show was a momentous occasion for Asian models when Chinese fashion model, Liu Wen, who has walked for designers like Rodarte and Proenza Schouler, became the first Victoria’s Secret Angel of East Asian descent. This time she was joined by up and coming model, Sui He, who was the face of Ralph Lauren’s Fall Winter 2011/2012 collection earlier this year.
The long awaited performance by Kanye West, who had been scheduled to perform in 2007 but had to cancel due to his mother’s passing, definitely did not disappoint. Dedicating the song to his late mother, Donda West, he said that she was once his “Superhero” but is now his “Super Angel”. Yeezy (Kanye’s nickname) was later joined by Jay-Z to perform one of their new songs, “Niggas in Paris”.
These voluptuous ladies are definitely “Super Angels”. Look at ex-angel Heidi Klum, Doutzen Kroes and of course, Miranda Kerr for example. It seems that year after year, only these femme fatales can sashay down the runway in lingerie looking absolutely smoking hot even if some of them just gave birth few months ago.
And that’s not all; their angel wings weigh a ton. Rumours are that the heaviest pair of wings this year is almost 14kg.
Every year, there’s always one bra that is encrusted with jewels that are ridiculously expensive. Well, this year, it was bombshell Australian model, Miranda Kerr’s lucky turn to wear the Fantasy Treasure Bra, worth US $2.5 million.
We all remember that “Aww!” moment from the 2007 show where then Victoria’s Secret Angel, Heidi Klum, and her husband, Seal, shared the stage to perform a duet. This year’s must-watch moment was when Maroon 5’s Adam Levine planted a kiss on girlfriend and VS angel, Anne Vyalitsyna’s cheek, after walking down the runway hand in hand.
There has been debate that this year’s angels were a little too skinny. The annual lingerie show used to be about embracing women’s curves, with models like Tyra Banks, Marissa Miller and Gisele Bündchen gracing the runway.
American model, Chanel Iman gained almost 7kg in preparation for this year’s show by drinking protein shakes, working out and having a feast the night before.
Photos courtesy of xinmsn, Getty Images & Reuters.
Too skinny or not, all 38 angels looked their finest in their wings during the show. With so many outstanding moments like the kiss shared between Adam Levine and his beau, this year’s extravaganza is a definite must-watch.