The Victoria Secret Fashion Show has moved into its new era: gigantic styling, pop performances, streamable, and a runway lineup that is intended to rejuvenate more of the people who actually are buying the brand.
The 2025 edition, streamed live across Prime Video, Amazon Live and the company’s social channels, leaned into spectacle while spotlighting personal milestones some joyful, some gritty, all camera-ready in that uniquely Victoria’s Secret way.
1. The first barrier was broken by Angel Reese at the runway
WNBA star Angel Reese was the first pro athlete to set foot on the catwalk when she walked the Victoria Secret runway substituting her game day attitude with high heels and wings. Her own pre-show social posts also positioned it as a years-long dream and not a surprise booking, which aligned with the overall campaign of the event to make you feel like you belong here.
Her image further served to highlight how the brand has been inclusive of who has been allowed to live its fantasy – not according to one uniform, but crossover culture where sports and fashion coexist on the same platform.
2. Barbara Palvin made a headline out of an injury
Barbara Palvin has been walking several times when she suffered a serious injury; the broken foot. Her husband Dylan Sprouse announced that she had fractured her foot four weeks prior to the show, and that she was going to do it anyway saying the adrenaline would take over and she will be fine walking but at the same time, I am worried about her.
He also informed a pink-carpet host that he loved him, baby. Break a leg to-night,–then I thought I would say, by way of adding, that she broke off and broke her foot four weeks ago, so she is going to walk on a half-healed foot to-night. So, I wish you luck. I love you. I know you are going to kill it. The moment was like old backstage allure, but the lesson was simple, the runway was still a place of work, even when it was as glittery as gold.
3. Jasmine Tookes introduced the show with an apparent baby bump
Jasmine Tookes opened the show nine months pregnant, which immediately became viral: the clip opened the night. At the end of the runway she stopped to hold her belly, balancing the drama characteristic of the brand with a highly real-life situation.
It was gilded, mythical in the styling, with its gilt aspect, its decorative detail, its wing-like design, which suggested more the work of a work of art than a cameo role.
4. The pink segment of Suni Lee combined sport and styling
Olympic gymnast Suni Lee left the gym floor to model a Pink ensemble based on sporty layers: a bubblegum-colored sportswear look shorts, and glittery heels, and a hoodie keeping it in the realm of the youth-based brand. She referred to the runway experience on Instagram as a dream come true, and the show has made it its business to present it as an achievement badge throughout the pop culture, not just within the modeling field.
Her look reflected a broader shift in undergarments: athleisure crossover as a runway language rather than something out of service.
5. Ashley Graham came back with a straight forward message on body confidence
The second consecutive appearance of Ashley Graham at the show came with a darker style – black lingerie, black wings, and with an unmistakably on-brand theme to claim the gaze without the need to apologize about shape. During one of the brand videos, she stated that it was important to come back because Victoria Secret informed her that they were creating sizes that were actually inclusive.
She also clarified the reason why the visibility matters I also know that there are young girls, looking at this, they are also watching images (and) watching videos, and I want them to know that I am happy in my body. The quote was personal and strategic, the type of quote that exists outside the runway clip.
6. Gigi Hadid provided some of the best pink fantasy styling
The Gigi Hadid appearance served as a mood board of the whole production: cozy pink lingerie and a huge robe, a shift to an all-white outfit with massive wings. The fashionable styling was created to stream close-ups texture, movement and color that can be read at a glance, even on a mobile phone.
In a show that depends on the rapid bursts of action, the wardrobe that she used was something to remind that Victoria Secret still cares about how much fabric and spectacle are part of its very essence.
7. Bella Hadid has bright blonde hair that got involved in the discussion
Bella Hadid also came with a much lighter and ultra-blond appearance, which is a drastic change compared to the brunette appearance that many fans associate with her. She had entered with a red slipping lingerie which only enhanced the transformation and her hair change did not seem an accidental incident.
Her look was also the result of her posting the photos of receiving unknown medical attention in recent weeks, which provides a softer touch to the runway return without altering the glossy feel of the show.
8. The introduction of Emily Ratajkowski increased the factor of who is new
The first appearance of Emily Ratajkowski on the Victoria Secret Fashion Show stage was lacy pink with bead gladiator sandals, as she was part of a cast that was both an industry habitual and a newcomer. The appearance was not as much a surprise; the hint: the reinstated show is developing a rotating roster, more of a modern entertainment franchise than an established yearly tradition.
It also brought the night a turn of first-time buzz to it- a flavor that the previous versions of the television show were counting on when new Angels and breakout models were involved in the hype.
9. The music program used the runway as a concert stage
The performances of the all-female band were positioned as the headline pieces in the show with KAROL G, Madison Beer, Missy Elliott and TWICE turning the runway into a stage that moves. Missy Elliott ended the evening with a mash up that encompassed Get Ur Freak On, Work It, and Lose Control fitting the largest lighting and dancing beats of the production to the final part of the event.
It was not as intermission entertainment, more co-headliner power, music as the throbbing engine that made the show feel like a live-stream event and not a throwback special.
Throughout the night, the most powerful scenes were the ones where gloss was mixed with something definite; a debut, an observable pregnancy, an injury being bullied, a quote about body-image being said without irony. No more than that combination, spectacle grounded in personal detail, has turned out to be the most obvious formula of the show in its post-hiatus form.
