Is the Secret Out or In? Take a look at Victoria's Secret's latest comeback attempt.

VS Fashion Show 2025; Image courtesy of WWD.

The lights dimmed and wings fluttered as the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show made another return for 2025. Almost five years after the brand's controversy and subsequent downfall, we see Victoria’s Secret trying once more to reinvent itself and regain its former glory. But can the angels fly as high as they once did?

The VS Fashion Show was a pinnacle in 2000s fashion culture. Every autumn, millions tuned in to watch iconic models — branded as angels — such as Adriana Lima, Gisele Bündchen, and Candice Swanepoel walk the glamorous lingerie. The show reached its peak in 2001, drawing 12.4 million viewers and maintaining that global spotlight for years to come. It became more than a show; it was almost a holiday in the fashion calendar. But, as the saying goes, every angel has its demons.

Adriana Lima at the VS Fashion Show 2001; Image courtesy of Getty Images.

By the late 2010s, Victoria's Secret had lost its status in the fashion world. Their fashion show reinforced a standard of beauty that was exclusive and unattainable. Its vision of femininity centred on impossibly slim figures and flawless features, leaving little room for diversity or realism and leading many fans to dissociate from the brand. The changing cultural climate left Victoria's Secret struggling to stay relevant as shoppers embraced inclusive, body-positive names like Savage X Fenty. Controversial remarks and associations within the brand's leadership further distanced audiences who no longer identified with its values. Victoria's Secret had lost its wings and fallen from grace, with the iconic fashion show being cancelled in 2019. 

Multiple stores shut down after controversy; Image courtesy of Daily Mail.

It seemed as though the glittery runway and bedazzling fantasy bra were things of the past. That is, until 2024, when, after a 5-year hiatus, the brand attempted a comeback with a return of its fashion show. However, this time they came back with some modern adaptations to keep up with changing cultural attitudes.

Victoria's Secret boasted a more inclusive cast in 2024, featuring plus-size models such as Ashley Graham, transgender model Alex Consani, and even seasoned icons like Kate Moss. It was a show designed to signal the brand's relinquishing of its once-narrow ideals and embracing of a broader definition of beauty. Many of the original angels also returned, including Tyra Banks and the Hadid sisters, with their wings intact. Yet despite the fresh faces and a renewed message that ticked all the right boxes, something was missing. The glitz and the glamour that once defined the spectacle seemed to have been left behind — with unimaginative theming and certain wings looking like they had been plucked from the back of a wardrobe rather than the heavens.

Viewers critiqued the comeback attempt, with one writing, "Please put on an incredible show again, with wonderful wings and Angels, of course, with a lot of diversity from today's world, but don't miss what made the Victoria's Secret fashion shows magical." Whilst others remarked it felt as though the spectacle was doing the "bare minimum". The bombshell comeback Victoria's Secret had hoped for was not quite what was achieved in the 2024 fashion show. 

Plus-size model Devyn Garcia walking the 2024 VS Fashion Show; Image courtesy of Getty Images.

This year, Victoria's Secret returned with another glittering runway—and, in hindsight, last year's revival looks like it was simply laying the groundwork for a more confident performance. The 2025 show finally delivered a harmonious display of diversity and glamour that had been long overdue. But the question remains: can a modernised catwalk ever recapture the magic of its past?

Naomi May, digital editor at ELLE, put it bluntly: "Adding diversity to an outdated format doesn't make it relevant—it makes it a museum piece with better casting." And perhaps she's right. Victoria's Secret is, at last, doing all the right things and showcasing a broader vision of beauty, yet it still feels out of touch with the times. 

The truth is, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show just doesn't belong in today's world. Whilst it once expressed a culture obsessed with celebrity and pageantry, today's audiences are more likely to connect with realism and relatability. Many tune in yearning for the thrill of the nostalgic catwalk, but that era —and the ideals that defined it — have gone. The show's modern makeover is commendable, but cultural nostalgia can only carry it so far, and the mixed response to this year's production reflects that tension between nostalgia and progress. 

For the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show to reclaim the cultural dominance it once enjoyed, it must do more than just update its casting and give us some extra glitter. It needs to reinvent itself entirely or accept that its runway moment has come to a close. If we take a look at Burberry’s recent rebrands by creative directors, we can see evidence that reinvigoration is most effective when it respects the past without clinging to it. Burberry was beginning to feel exhausted and lose its prestige, but through Riccardo Tisci’s introduction in 2018 of a contemporary identity with a more youthful energy and a return to Burberry’s British heritage under Daniel Lee in 2023, it revived its classic emblem while modernising its message, using its past as a way to look forward. For Victoria’s Secret, the lesson is clear: real change isn’t just new faces and slogans, but about redefining what the brand stands for.

So, that leaves us with the question: Is the secret out or in? Perhaps neither, just time for a new one altogether.

Athlete Angel Reese walks VS Fashion Show 2025; Image courtesy of Getty Images.