Before the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show became a global television event, it was a lingerie presentation at New York City's Plaza Hotel in August 1995, introduced by Stephanie Seymour and featuring models like Beverly Peele and Frederique van der Wal. Within a decade, that modest runway show had transformed into one of the most talked-about spectacles in fashion. How did it happen? Through a deliberate, incremental stacking of signature elements—the Fantasy Bra, the Angel Wings, and finally, television. Here's the breakdown of how each piece arrived.
The Genesis of a Spectacle: From Hotel Runway to Global Phenomenon
The first show, held at the Plaza Hotel in 1995, was an elegant but intimate affair. As CR Fashion Book's Eve Eismann recounts, the debut featured models wearing "satin skirts, sheer robes, and minimally designed bras"—stylish lingerie, yes, but nothing yet approaching the theatrical production the show would become. Harper's BAZAAR's Lauren Alexis Fisher similarly traces the show's arc from "an intimate lingerie presentation into one of the most talked-about runway spectacles," noting that in the '90s, supermodels like Naomi Campbell, Gisele Bündchen, and Stephanie Seymour "turned lingerie into high fashion."
The escalation came fast. Each year added a new layer of fantasy and production value, until the show bore little resemblance to its origins. What's striking, looking back, is how quickly the brand moved from simple presentations to engineered spectacle—each new element introduced with intent.
Angel Wings: The Emblem of Fantasy
If one visual defines the show, it's the wings. According to Wikipedia's history of the event, "the wings were first introduced in the 1998 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show" and became "a consistent feature of each year's collection," included as part of some outfits. CR Fashion Book pinpoints the moment further: the first set of angel wings appeared when Tyra Banks walked the runway in 1998.
That single design choice did enormous work. Wings transformed lingerie models into fantastical figures—part fashion, part performance art—and gave the show a visual signature instantly recognizable in photographs, commercials, and pop culture references. Once wings became an annual fixture, the show had its emblem. Every subsequent spectacle built on that foundation.
