‘Dancing a fine line’: Victoria’s Secret’s runway return straddles fantasy and reality
As the body positivity movement backslides, Victoria’s Secret needs to tread carefully. For the brand, the goal is to show off an evolution — both in culture and product.
At the Victoria’s Secret fashion shows of yonder, skinny reigned supreme. As the brand prepares to make its first official return to the runway since 2018, execs say it’ll be different. But what customers actually want from the former lingerie leader is far from clear-cut. The brand has been slowly working its way back into the cultural zeitgeist, from the hire of Hillary Super, ex-CEO of Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty (the brand VS is often measured up against), in August, to Sabrina Carpenter posing for Time Magazine in a Victoria’s Secret look first modelled by Naomi Campbell in 1997. (She’s also worn many custom VS looks on her Short n’ Sweet tour.) Last Wednesday, VS announced Joseph Altuzzarra as its first “atelier designer in residence”. Now, the return of the runway show is an attempt to bring back just enough of that glamazon fantasy that feels appropriate for 2024.
To view full content and a better mobile experience, try
