Undressed: Inside the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

0:06Hi guys, welcome back to another episode of Let's Get Dressed. It is your host, Liv Perez. For those of you who are tuning in on YouTube, you will notice that I am sitting on the floor of my closet in full glam in a full outfit. And that is because I just got home from the Victoria Secret Fashion Show that happened here in LA this weekend. It was a very busy weekend in Los Angeles. We had the Academy Gala. We had the Victoria Secret Fashion Show. And I feel like this is kind of that weekend that like kicks off the busy season of LA. You have like a ton of galas coming up and then you go into awards season.

0:42So there's a lot going on right now and a lot of really good fashion. Anyways, I just got home from the VS Fashion Show. I'm sitting on the floor of my closet it. And we have so much to recap. I also, you'll notice again, as I mentioned, I'm still in my full look from the show, like slick back bun, smoky eye. There's like a little bit of remnants of a lip still on. My skin is definitely starting to like get that dewiness back to it. But more importantly, I'm in like a full oversized leather jacket with a belt that is currently going across my waist. And then I'm wearing this like embellished skirt that is like a little bit sheer.

1:21It was fun. Perfect for Victoria's Secret. But I'm wearing that, the embellished skirt, as I'm sitting on the floor of my closet. And I'm honestly shocked that I decided to stay in this outfit to record this podcast episode for you guys. I feel like I just was like in the moment. So if you hear me depart at any time, it's because I went to go put sweatpants on. And hopefully, I'll get there. Right now, I'm fine, but I don't know how long I'm going to last in this belt for while I'm talking for the next like 30 minutes. So we are back with another Undressed, which if you guys missed our New York fashion one, Undressed is a new series that I'm so excited to be bringing to you guys that is very lo-fi.

1:59I'm not in my podcast studio. I don't have professional lighting and the whole setup. These are just meant to be my reactions to the events and things and people and places and things that I'm seeing in the fashion industry as they're happening. So our first one was New York Fashion Week back in September. I also sat on the floor of my bathroom in New York and shared all of my thoughts from the runway shows and the things that I loved and the things that I didn't. And I'm really excited to be doing another one for you guys today from Victoria's Secret. You guys loved New York so much that I'm really hoping that this can be a series that we continue to build out and to be able to give you guys more on the ground thoughts and critiques of things that are happening in fashion and also how they can apply to our everyday life.

2:43Okay, so let's start at the beginning. I haven't been to a Victoria's Secret fashion show maybe in 10 years. I know I went, I was going like, okay, so maybe a little less than 10, but I was definitely going before they stopped doing their shows in like 2017, 2018. I actually used to go backstage for Forbes and do interviews with all the models, all the angels ahead of the show and would do a little bit of behind the scenes for their digital platform. My initial gut reaction, it was a really big spectacle this year. And I think there, at least I don't know about you guys, but my feed was flooded with it for days and days and days before the show started.

3:22Like I was getting content for it like a week ago. And so it felt kind of bigger than ever this year. I also think the fact that they did it in LA, this is the first time they've ever done it in LA. I think that added a whole other level of star power and like glitz and glamour than it ever has. They did it at the Sony Picture Studio, which already is kind of a fun vibe to go to. And then the celebrities that they had in the room, I think, really changed the energy. Kris Jenner was there. Timothee Chalamet was there. Nicole Kidman was there. Who, yes, she was there while they played the Nicole Kidman song.

3:53It was pretty iconic. And I think all of that really changes the vibe and perception of Victoria's Secret from afar. And I think right now that is something that a lot of people have in question, right? Like, is Victoria's Secret making a comeback is something that I've heard a million times. And I don't necessarily think we should be thinking about it as that as much as I think we should be thinking about it as like, has their value proposition to us as a consumer changed? I think it has. And my like gut reaction to that is that like I'm no longer looking at the angels and all the models walking down the runway like I did when I was young.

4:32How many of you listening used to watch it like live on TV and like be obsessed? I know so many of us did. I no longer want to be them, but I want to root for them. And I think that that is a different energy that Victoria's Secret is bringing to their show, to their company, to the way they move in the lingerie space. And there were a few moments to me that were really telling of that and helped move the needle for me in terms of where they stand in the marketplace. So first, I want to give a little bit of context into like why these shows are kind of like big and buzzy again while they're why they're all over your feed.

5:04I had so many people message me when I said I was going this weekend. They were like, wait, they still do that. And I think, yes, it is part of the strategy of Victoria's Secret to make a comeback and be competitive with all of the other lingerie underwear brands of today, right? Like, when I think about it, the last five to seven years of undergarments have been how little can you see, right? Like skims, you want to hide everything. Everything is, like, in really neutral tones. I feel like I get served like the tiniest thongs and like breast and nipple covers all the time. Like we are trying to cover and conceal as much as possible in the undergarment space.

5:50Victoria's Secret has always been the opposite of that. Complete opposite. Red lingerie, lace, full looks. It is a completely different value proposition today than any other lingerie or undergarment brand on the market. So the way that they need to compete and the way that they need to position themselves needs to be different. And one decision that I loved that they made a few years ago was they brought on a new creative director and they picked somebody from the fashion industry who is very well known, very well respected, and has created some of the most iconic looks that you can think of.

6:28His name is Adam Selman. He was a stylist and a designer. He had his own label. But if you guys remember that incredible sequin dress that Rihanna wore to the CFDAs, it was in 2014. It was a full Swarovski crystal gown. She wore this beautiful kind of fur feather boa with it. If you guys remember that, I have that look permanently seeped into my brain. Adam did that so Adam is an icon and is someone who I think Victoria's Secret is genius for bringing to the table so in this moment of kind of rebrand and bringing on a new creative director it makes a lot of sense to me that they would bring the shows back to show what their new positioning is like but also what their new like creative offering looks like and I actually think he has one of the most like interesting jobs in fashion right now.

7:18I can't help but think of this era that we're currently in of constant designer musical chairs, constant, right? Like even right now, we're seeing so many designers up and leave. I think last Friday, we got two notifications of people leaving. Sean McGurr is out at Alexander McQueen and Veronica Leone is out at Calvin Klein, both which like, you know, the news dropped like an hour apart within each other. And also Anthony Vaccarello at Saint Laurent. And for some reason, I think we're going to see more. During a time where that is happening constantly at luxury brands, I'm laser focused on the designers who have worked in the high fashion space, but are putting their energy into larger corporate fashion that touches the everyday person.

8:05I think of people like Zach Pozen at Gap. And I think of people like Adam Salman at Victoria's Secret. Is it low key, like the safest job in fashion right now. Not safe because it's easy, but I mean safe because I feel like this musical chairs thing is not working in the luxury space. Do I think that maybe some of these designers are happier at bigger corporate houses where they can spread their wings a little bit? Maybe. Is that the secret to surviving in fashion as a designer? Maybe. I wouldn't know. But based on what I'm seeing, it seems like it because I really love what both of those people are doing at both of their respective brands.

8:40Now, the Victoria's Secret fashion show came back in 2024 and Adam wasn't brought on until 2025. Previously, he was working at Savage Fenty and had been working with Rihanna. So he knew a thing or two about lingerie. I really think where things started to get interesting was last year when he was brought on and that show really created a lot of buzz and people were interested in it. And I saw it all over my feet again. And I think a lot of this has to do with his creative mind. I think what is really working right now is Adam understands that Victoria's Secret. Again, I'm going to keep saying this idea of like, what's the value proposition of Victoria's Secret?

9:15Maybe 20 years ago, it was the angel. It was the fantasy bra. But I actually think its biggest value to the consumer now is nostalgia. And he has done such a good job of tapping into that across the board, whether it's Victoria's Secret IP or other things that kind of invoke that feeling of the era of Victoria's Secret. So for example, today, all of the original angels were there, right? Like besides Giselle, who if you watch the show on YouTube, Giselle made an announcement at the end of the video. I think she recently got injured. I saw a video of her on crutches, but she made an announcement that she was making her comeback.

9:53Besides her, everybody was there. Alessandra, Candace Swanepoel, all doubts and crows, all of the original angels were there and supported the show tonight. And there was actually a very cute moment at the end of the show where Adriana Lima and Alessandra Ambrosio walked together and like left the, they pretty much like ended the carpet of the show. And I thought that was so sweet. I literally was getting like flashbacks to early days of Victoria's Secret. So again, those moments are not happenstance. Like I bet you they're being constructed on the back end because they invoke that nostalgia from all of us of like, oh, remember those days?

10:29Sure. A lot of it was flawed and not All of it was great. But for those of us who were raised with Victoria's Secret, it was there for us during a very transformative and formative time in our lives. So I think he knows how to unlock those little moments of bringing back, of bringing in the feeling of nostalgia. Another thing I think he did really well was for this show, they staged mall castings all around the country and brought in some of their current Victoria's Secret models to help host them. Gigi Hadid did one. Paloma Al-Assessor did one. And they had people from all around the country come in and do kind of that traditional model casting like they would find models back in the day in the malls and created a documentary, a docu-series called Angels Among Us about finding the model from the malls from around the country that would have the opportunity to walk the show this year.

11:24and I watched a lot of it and it really felt like I was watching a tamer nicer version of America's Next Top Model it really brought me back to those shows that we used to watch in the early 2000s that felt like they were kind of documentaries into everyday life and I love that they chose to do a mall casting because I think again it brought us back to it took us off social media right like we weren't casting through social media we were actually like looking around us in the mall and looking at women that captured our attention. And so I thought that was extremely smart. And that show was kind of rolled out ahead of the runway show tonight.

12:07And then the person who won got to walk the runway tonight. And it was so special. But it was just another example of a great moment of how he's using nostalgia to make Victoria's Secret more about a feeling than a fantasy. And for me, I think that is a very important shift, right? Like in the early 2000s, the fantasy part of it is the thing that I think got them in trouble. It was toxic. We were all aspiring towards something that isn't realistic and isn't healthy. And now I think it's about a feeling. I do think you guys should watch Angels Among Us if you haven't had a chance to. I think they did castings in like L.A., Houston, Chicago.

12:44And like I think over 100 ,000 women showed up for the casting call. So for those of you who are like, is Victoria's Secret making a comeback? Is it still relevant? It is still very relevant for so many women across the country. And it's still something that they really aspire towards. And again, how I've been talking about how there's this like camaraderie and new version of Victoria's Secret where you want to root for the people. What a way to get people to root for someone than by watching them, you know, go through this competition show and be able to get their dream of walking the runway.

13:17Like everybody was cheering. She had her moment. and it was gorgeous. And I think we all felt that way. Sometimes when we watched America's Next Top Model and the person got the L 'Oreal contract or whatever it was, there was an ounce of that nostalgia that I think really worked for this year's show. Okay, let's get into like the really big moments because there were so many big moments at the show this year. And I think they did such a good job at bringing in the right kind of wow factor for the show. Let's start with the biggest one. Kylie Jenner wore the fantasy bra. The fantasy bra is actually really interesting to me because for a while I was like, oh, I actually I had never done the research on what the fantasy bra does.

13:58Where does it go after the show? Like, does it go into an archive? It's technically like a piece of jewelry. For those of you who don't know what the fantasy bra is, it has always been the most desired bra in the collection. It's always an honor to wear it. And it is usually extremely expensive. This year's bra was$50 million and it was designed by Jacob and Co. It had more than 4 ,400 diamonds on it. And I actually remember seeing it had this like gigantic yellow diamond in the center. This thing was stunning. But you know, what is the point of it? I did do a little bit of research. Sometimes it's taken apart and then the diamonds are like resold.

14:37I have no idea what they're doing with it this year. But it really is like that's a huge part of marketing for Victoria's Secret. It's a big moment in the show. And obviously so much so that they brought Kylie Jenner in to do it. And that is the biggest question that people are always asking, like, who's going to wear the fantasy bra? Who's going to wear it? No one knew who was wearing it. I think this was like a totally left field thing. A lot of the times you're like, oh, one of the angels is going to wear it. So the fact that they brought in a celebrity to do it, I think was really fun. I think a lot of people started to figure it out when Kris Jenner and Timothee Chalamet walked in the room and sat in front row.

15:13But I think that was really fun. And, you know, I did see a lot of discourse about, like, should influencers be walking the Victoria's Secret fashion show? Should social media people be walking the Victoria's Secret fashion show? And I think it's really fun. Like, I don't think it should only be exclusive to one world. I think it's fun to see people you love and follow on the runway. And I think that just continues to like expand the world of Victoria's Secret. And Kylie looked absolutely beautiful. She really, really did. I loved what she wore. A quick break from today's episode because it is officially sweater weather and we have to talk about all of the best sweaters to get for fall.

15:51Macy's has so many good ones right now. If you want to update your sweater rotation, here are a few things I'm looking for this season. First, all I want is a great statement sweater. Like I love anything that can basically do the work of an entire outfit for me. Think a fair isle, a stripe, something with a little personality. There's this polo Ralph Lauren sweater that has a giant horse on it and a really great collar, and I'm obsessed with it. I'd balance it with something really easy on the bottom, like baggy denim or a silk skirt. Boom, that's the outfit. So easy for fall. And then of course, cashmere.

16:26It is one of those things I will always, always, always make room for in my wardrobe no matter what. It's soft, lightweight, warm, and you can wear it a million different ways and, dare I say, year-round. Macy's has cashmere designed in-house with two-ply yarn construction plus tons of colors and silhouettes for any style. So if your fall wardrobe needs a little refresh, head to Macy's and find your perfect sweater for the season. And you could just tell she felt really confident and excited to be there, and I loved that. And everyone cheered for her. Again, there was such a big sense of girlhood in the room, and I think that is the new feeling.

17:00I walk away from Victoria's Secret with. You also, of course, as I mentioned before, had all of the icons that returned. Alessandro Ambrosio, Adriana Lima, Doubts and Crows, all the OGs. Elsa Hosk, Jasmine Tewks, Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid. And then you had kind of like the newer generation, like Alex Consani, Amelia Gray, Paloma El Cesar, Preciously. I love seeing like kind of the mix of the generations on there. I think the coolest part of VS in the last two years has been how they have embraced motherhood on the runway. If you guys remember last year, I think it was last year, Jasmine Tewks opened the show nine months pregnant.

17:43And it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. And again, another moment where like Victoria's Secret was forever reframed for me. I'm like, oh, we're not doing this like super skinny, unapproachable, unattainable fantasy land. Like this is about supporting women through every chapter of their lives. And I think that Jasmine moment was like cataclysmic for Victoria's Secret. For me, it like created a new imprint in my mind. And they did it again this year. I loved it. It actually made me very emotional in the room to see Barbara Palvin Sprouse and Elsa Hosk walk the runway. I think they have both given birth in the last six weeks.

18:19and to see them on the runway so confident. Elsa actually wore one of the heaviest sets of wings on the runway. And I remember when she walked out, I had full body chills because I was like, wow, what a statement of how strong mothers are. And especially new moms, like her body has just gone through so much. And to put her in the heaviest set of wings, I was like, I feel like that's like a beautiful, beautiful tribute to how strong mother's bodies are. And Barbara as well. She looks so beautiful. Her husband, Dylan Sprouse, always front row, always standing up and cheering for her. And it is the cutest thing ever.

18:58I saw so many people post it and I always think that's really fun. And again, those are the things that I'm associating with Victoria's Secret, right? Like those husband-wife moments where you see like partners cheering for their other partner on the runway or, you know, this incredible moment of like a new mom. walking the Victoria's Secret fashion show when like postpartum is never something in a million years that I thought I would see on the Victoria's Secret runway. Like all of that to me, I think is so, so, so important to be sharing. And again, it was something that actually made me super emotional in the room.

19:34Okay. Also I had not, I'm new to the Tate McRae fan club. Oh my God. Like she really stole the show. She performed Meg Thee Stallion and Megan Maroney. I think I was new to her as well. But I was very new to Tate McRae. And let me tell you, I think I'm a new member of that fan club. Oh, I always knew she was a dancer. I'm a former dancer. So I've seen her dance and I think she's amazing. But this was like this was Tate McRae's show. Like she stole the show and gave an unbelievable performance. If you're a fan, go watch it on YouTube for fun. It was so good. And of course, her and all of her dancers were in Victoria's secret and it was really really incredible all the performers were amazing but for me as someone who hasn't been in the tate mccray fandom yet now i'm here i was really blown away can you guys i'm still in the outfit can we believe that guys i'm getting a little uncomfortable like the embellished skirt is beginning to like be uncomfortable but i'm here and i think we're gonna persevere through it okay wait i'm kidding i'm putting sweatpants be right back oh my god you guys i literally feel like a different person like what was I doing I'm gonna talk so much better now um I put my favorite sweats on I'm wearing my Donnie fleece crew neck which like I live in like it's getting embarrassing so many people have seen me in this thing and then my negative underwear um what are they called is it cloud no whipped the whipped set from negative I'm wearing the pants.

21:03And recently, I only bought I only buy that for pajamas. Like, I've bought so much from them. And I'm kind of spoiled by it now. Like I can't wear any other PJs because it's just actual butter. So okay, now we're here. I feel so. Okay, let's talk about what was actually on the runway because I'm so curious, like, how you guys feel about this. I'm not someone that like necessarily has ever fall followed what is like trendy or cool when it comes to undergarments. Like I have, I am like kind of a loyalist to the undergarments that I love. I actually have a few Victoria's Secret pushup bras. Cause like, let's be real ladies, like they make the best pushup bras.

21:41But like, I'm loyal to my intimacy, 100 % cotton underwear. Like I wear those every day. I buy, rebuy them every six months. I love them. I'm loyal to them. But I'm not necessarily someone who again is like buying the sets and like, that's just like never really been my thing. So it's always interesting to me when I see these shows and try to understand, like, you know, the point of a fashion show is to show the offering, right? Like, it's to show where the designer's mindsets are, what the forward thinking is. And I think with the Victoria's Secret show, like, maybe I shouldn't think about it so literally.

22:17Like, we're not setting lingerie trends here by any means. But I do think it's a very interesting statement about where we are in terms of undergarments. And again, I said this in the beginning, like I there were a lot of it. Of course, a lot of it is extravagant. That's the point. But there were so many neons and so many layers that it did feel like lingerie is version of maximalism, something really fun and kind of a statement against kind of like the more sheer, the more invisible kind of undergarments that we've been seeing today. So if you saw anything you loved, actually something that I think that they do is really smart is you can shop the show on their website, which I didn't know that they do.

23:00And I actually think that's really smart because if you are watching it and you're like, wait, I love that, it's instantly available. So I do think that that's such a smart play on their part. And they actually break the show out into sections, right? Like, I don't know the official names for all of them, but there was like one section that was like all white and wintry. There was one section that was like all gold. one section that was all neons. And I thought the sections worked. Here's where I think Victoria's Secret can really improve. When I was growing up, Victoria's Secret pink was the entryway into lingerie, right?

23:35Like I'm a 13 year old and I have no boobs yet. I'm like, mom, take me to Victoria's Secret so I can pretend that I do and wear a pushup bra for something that's absolutely not there. right? Like I feel like universal girl experience. But pink was always where I could be like, mom, we can go to pink. It's like polka dots and stripes and it's cuter. It's not sexy. And I think pink serves a really good, important purpose for young women who are growing up and need kind of a healthy example, right? Pink for me now didn't work in this show. I don't think even when I saw like what was available to shop on the website, I can't see like Gen Alpha going for that.

24:21And so I don't really know who it's for. Right. Like this show didn't really resonate for me. Whereas like back in the day, I loved when it was really pink and fun and youthful. And I think that needs to come back in a bigger way, because, again, I think it serves like a really important purpose. and I don't you know I don't have kids yet but like I don't know a ton of lingerie brands or brands that are catering to that time in young women's lives there probably is and I just don't know about it and that's fine I'm just not in that season of life but I do think that that that pink is so important and so for me to see it kind of like be the thing that was the miss and the thing that was like kind of flat when meanwhile like some of my most iconic memories like Gigi Hadid in like the firefighter with the pink dog, like that outfit years ago, pink should continue to be that like really fun kind of uplifting thing.

25:16And this show kind of felt a little dark for me. Not dark because it was like sexy, but like I think there was a lot of black and a lot of like layers and I just don't think that's where pink should be. So I really think that there can be a lot of change there and I'm hopeful that we see something go on there. One thing that I've been seeing a lot of from Victoria's Secret recently. I don't know if this is hitting your guys' feed too. I am seeing so many quote unquote vintage Victoria's Secret dresses on my Poshmark, on my Instagram shop, on like individual vintage sellers that I love. I actually stumbled onto a vintage seller that I liked the other day and they had an entire section for vintage Victoria's Secret dresses.

25:59Keep in mind, these dresses were not cheap. They were going for like$450. And like these were those like gorgeous slip dresses back in the day. And I actually remember recently I saw like somebody I followed was wearing this like really pretty floral Victoria's Secret slip dress. And I was like, you know what? That is probably such a great rabbit hole to go down on Poshmark or something like that. And I did. And I found so many that I loved. They weren't in my size. But because I've been seeing that a lot lately, I was really pleasantly surprised when it was actually included as a part in this year show, there was an entire section of like chiffon, gorgeous dresses.

26:36So it's a little too early. I'm like, again, we're now all in like fall, winter vibe. But like, I do think for next spring, summer, it's something that could be something we see a lot more of are these like vintage kind of boudoir inspired silk chiffon dresses that you can wear to the beach or like wear with a big leather jacket to dinner. that part I actually really really liked because I like to see how they can make Victoria's Secret more wearable for everyday life not to say that that's wearable for everyday life again it's still in the lingerie category but I can see those dresses definitely being something we see more of in the fashion world so that's my recap of the show again I think at the end of the day of course It's a big corporate kind of commercial fashion show.

27:22But I think I feel very, from a marketing perspective, I really think what they're doing is working. And I would love to hear from you guys on this as well. Please slide into my DMs. You know, I love a DM slide. But I would love to hear, like, is it working for you? because obviously I was there and I felt the energy firsthand and I saw that camaraderie and I felt the nostalgia. But for you guys, I want to know if it's something that's actually changing your perception of it and changing if you shop there. I'd also love to know, are you still shopping at Victoria's Secret? Because we have so many options today, right?

28:05I would love to know, like, are you still tried and true to Victoria's Secret? And if not, where are you going? um so i'm curious if the show and moments like this kind of bring it back into your collective and makes you want to be a customer of theirs again especially in such a competitive world and market so to answer the question is victoria's secret coming back is it cool again i don't think that's the point right like i don't think victoria's secret is trying to be the coolest brand in the world but i do think it's a brand that is trying to emotionally connect with you it's trying to tap into those senses of being back in the early 2000s, but bringing that up to speed today with a lot more inclusivity and a lot more heart.

28:50And I think that that holds a very valuable space in the marketplace to see that as an image, to see that projection of women of all body types, all backgrounds on a runway, all phases of life, motherhood, post-motherhood. I think all of that is important. I hope you guys are loving Undressed. I am. I really love having this space to just kind of sit down in a more unfiltered way and give you guys the opportunity to hear my thoughts and the things that I'm paying attention to in the fashion industry that are continuing to challenge and inform my thoughts. If you guys want more Undressed, please let me know.

29:25I will always do my best to carve out the time to give you guys this feedback when I'm going to events. But again, I love to know what you guys think about new things that we're bringing on the show. all right guys I hope you have a great Monday I hope you have an amazing start to your week oh also next Monday is an ask me anything episode so make sure that you are following along on Instagram this week because I will be putting a question box up and if you don't feel like waiting around for the question box take a guess shoot me a dm all right guys have a great week