Everything We Know About The 2018 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show So Far (Including Why Everyone’s Mad At Their Chief Marketing Officer)
Every year, millions of viewers turn in to watch the Victoria's Secret Angels walk the runway. This isn't just a fashion show — it's a concert, it's an event, it's a fantasy. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about the show before it officially airs, including who walked, who wore the fantasy bra, who performed, and what themes were featured.
The VS Fashion Show is a Christmas time staple, and we're here to fill you in on all the details, including the things that chief marketing officer Ed Razek said that ruffled a few feathers.
When Did It Happen?
While the show doesn't air until December 2nd, it was actually filmed on November 8th.
That gives the production team enough time to cut the show together and edit out any missteps (like in 2014 when Ariana Grande got hit in the face with an angel wing).
Where Did It Happen?
In previous years the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show has been held in London, Miami, Shanghai, Paris, and Los Angeles. This year, the models walked the runway in New York City.
The Empire State Building was lit up pink in honor of the iconic event. New York knows how to throw a part Victoria's Secret style.
Who Walked The Runway?
Ok, here's a question we all want answered. Which models are back? Which new models have been included? Who's sitting out this year?
Yes, Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner both returned to the runway. They were joined by Cindy Bruna, Devon Windsor, Leomie Anderson, and Shanina Shaik. Toni Garrn returned to the show after being gone for five years. Drake's 'real friend' Winnie Harlow made her VS debut, along with new face Duckie Thot.
Who Performed?
The performers at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show have historically been artists who have become emblematic of a particular year. You can look back at past shows and relive the music that was popular at the time.
This year was clearly Ariana's year, but she didn't perform at the show. Her life's been pretty busy lately. Shawn Mendes performed, though. He looks like he's having a good time.
More Performances
Bebe Rexha lent her vocal talents to the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show this year. She looks absolutely stunning in this head to toe pink outfit.
I can't wait to see her performance when the show actually airs in December. It looks like she might have performed for the Pink segment of the show, Victoria's Secret's youth brand.
Halsey Fits Right In
I'm super excited to watch Halsey's performance at the VS Fashion Show. She looks like she could be one of the models. I like that she's wearing angel feathers on her eyebrows. She looks super ethereal.
Harry Styles is great and all, and he performed well last year, but I think Halsey is way more exciting.
Pumping Up The Crowd
Rita Ora also performed at this year's VS Fashion Show.
Victoria's Secret's executive producer, Ed Razek told Vogue, "The show is a year-long production, and 2018 promises to be our most ambitious yet. We have more musical guests, more fashion and more stories than ever; and, of course, 60 of the world's top models."
A Whole Choir
American soul and R&B singer Leela James performed on the VS runway, and she even sang a song from the popular movie The Greatest Showman.
At one point she brought out an entire choir to sing with her. Other performers at this year's fashion show include The Chainsmokers, Kelsea Ballerini, and The Struts.
What About The Fantasy Bra?
Alright, you heard it here first — this is a picture of Elsa Hosk wearing the 2018 VS Fantasy Bra. Every year a different model is given this unique honor.
This piece was made with 100% Swarovski Creted Diamonds and responsibly sourced topaz. It's valued at one million dollars and it took approximately 930 hours to make.
What Were The Themes?
We don't know the official names of the different themed segments yet, but it looks like there was a Scotland-inspired plaid segment.
There was also a Floral Fantasy segment that featured huge wearable floral backdrops. It also looks like there was an urban angel segment.
Who Else Was Involved?
If you're at all interested in the beauty industry, you know that Charlotte Tilbury is a makeup powerhouse. This year, she was the exclusive makeup sponsor of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
Charlotte told Vogue, "I am beyond excited to officially announce that I am the exclusive makeup sponsor of the heavenly, world-famous, iconic Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2018, in one of my favorite cities – New York!"
Another Big Name In Fashion
Lots of designers helped this extravagant show come together, but this year the brand collaborated with iconic designer Mary Karantzou. She's been called the Queen of Prints, and she definitely brought her A-game to this year's show.
Mary told Vogue, "Everything that Victoria's Secret creates is about a woman feeling confident and empowered - and also having fun with what she is wearing. This collaboration is going to be bold, fun and playful."
Saying Goodbye
This year, veteran VS model Adriana Lima walked the Victoria's Secret runway for the very last time.
This year marked her eighteenth time walking in the show. She announced her retirement from the VS Fashion Show and walked for the final time while the audience gave her a standing ovation.
Romee Strijd Wore The Swarovski Outfit
Model Romee Strijd wore this year's Swarovski outfit called "Shooting Star." She wore a 27-pound star on her back in place of the classic Victoria's Secret wings, and a sheer black bodysuit with over 125,000 crystals on it.
Strijd has walked the Victoria's Secret runway five times now, so this seems like a good way to celebrate her commitment to the brand.
Ed Razek Ruffles Feathers
In an interview with Vogue, Victoria's Secret's chief marketing officer, Ed Razek, said a few things about branding that made some people uncomfortable.
When asked about diversity in the show, Razek said, "By the way, in 1999, 2000, after we'd done the show for a few years, none of the designers who did shows would use any of our girls. They were too 'fat' was the prevailing wisdom of fashion at the time. You probably remember that. At the time the conversation was 'they’re too big for us, we can’t possibly put them in our show."
He's Not Done
Ed continued, "Progress gets made, and part of what's happened in our show is that the girls have just continued to get more physically fit. We don’t tell them to; they compete with one another and they work hard, they work in pairs, they work in threes. Many of them work out at the same gyms; they have complex routines.
They shouldn’t have to apologize for that. Everybody keeps talking about Rihanna’s show. If we had done Rihanna’s show, we would be accused of pandering without question."
Ed On The #MeToo Movement
When asked about how the #MeToo movement would affect his brand, Ed Razek took a hard stance. I actually admire him for this one:
"The two stories that broke, let me be specific about them, one of them was about a photographer who had dated a woman, had nothing to do with us, who was offended by him. We stopped working with him and did a full investigation. The other one—I had a model complain to me that she felt uncomfortable with him and I fired him an hour later. I didn't investigate it; I didn’t do due diligence. I fired him an hour later, because the models’ comfort is important to me. Nothing matters more. Over 25 years, 7,500 photo shoots, we had one incident and handled it immediately. I’d take that record. I had a hairstylist on a shoot who was rude to one of the models and I fired him on the spot. He asked, 'How do I go home?' I said, 'Swim."
A Sick Burn
When Ed was asked about VS sales being down, he admitted that the brand did see a dip in profitability. He then added, "But how do we have this one bra that outsells the [entire offering] of this noisy little competitor on its own? One bra that happens to have a Victoria's Secret strap on it? What that tells me: Women want the brand to win. They want to buy the brand. And it is their first love and their first choice."
Third Love is another lingerie brand that's rising in the industry right now. I hope they don't mind a bit of healthy competition. Ed later added, "we're nobody’s third love."
Hold Your Horses, Ed
When asked about whether or not Victoria's Secret would change its image in this new Instagram climate, Ed responded, "30A to 40DDD is our range. So it's like, why don’t you do 50? Why don’t you do 60? Why don’t you do 24? It’s like, why doesn’t your show do this? Shouldn’t you have transsexuals in the show? No. No, I don’t think we should. Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy."
Woah there Ed, are you implying that diverse bodies make the show less of a fantasy? I can see why people were angry about that comment.
Is Victoria's Secret Here To Stay?
Victoria's Secret is undoubtedly a strong brand. It's been around for decades and it's still going strong. New lingerie companies are challenging Victoria's Secret's long-held monopoly, though. It's no longer enough to show beautiful models, you have to be culturally relevant and inclusive of all body types.
I think Victoria's Secret is here to stay, but Ed Razek's days as chief marketing officer may be numbered.
