How the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show has evolved over the last 21 years
The first Victoria's Secret Fashion Show took place in 1995 at the Plaza Hotel in New York. The models wore slinky slips and shiny bras.
By 1996, the fashion show had better lighting, but was still focused on lingerie. Baby dolls were extremely popular.
The show had started to become a bigger deal by 1998. In addition to costumes, wings made their first appearance on the runway this year.
By 1999, the wings had become the show's focal point.
The underwear was no longer the main focus, but just one element of the costumes.
And models like Tyra Banks started to own the runway.
In 2000, the show was held at the Cannes Film Festival as a part of the Cinema Against AIDS 2000 gala. It raised $3.5 million.
Source: The Dallas Morning News
In 2001, the show moved to Bryant Park in New York City. Model Molly Sims walked the runway with much larger angel wings — the trend had become iconic.
In 2002, the show moved to New York's Lexington Avenue Armory. Gisele Bündchen was harassed on stage by PETA for wearing fur. She seemed unperturbed.
During these early years, the brand began to recognize a core group of models, including Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks, and Gisele Bündchen. Here they are in 2003.
After a hiatus in 2004, the 2005 show debuted the biggest wings yet. Musician Seal serenaded the models, including then-wife Heidi Klum.
The costumes were also becoming more elaborate than ever before.
The 2005 angels posed as a group, too. This was the final show for Tyra Banks who left to launch her television career.
Source: Associated Press
The following year, Victoria's Secret's playful sub-brand PINK made its runway debut at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles.
Source: Fashionista
And the 2006 show couldn't pass by without even larger wings. This show was Gisele Bündchen's final walk with Victoria's Secret.
Source: New York Daily News
Heidi Klum "sleighed" the runway as a huge snowflake in 2007.
The 2008 show was at Fontainebleu Miami Beach in Florida. The outfits were even more dramatic and vampy.
Heidi Klum carried this giant bow down the runway in 2008.
In 2009, the show was back at the Lexington Avenue Armory where it has remained ever since. The PINK models showed off their own brightly colored wings.
But they couldn't beat 2010's Victoria's Secret angel wings. Look at those peacock feathers!
In fact, all the props were bigger in 2010.
The 2011 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was huge. Kanye West performed, there was a superhero theme, and the runway was filled with sparkles.
But 2012 surpassed 2011 with an even bigger stage and setup.
There was also a new order of supermodels in 2012, including Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Candice Swanepoel, among others.
The shows have only gotten bigger and better since then. 2013 was all about feathers.
Not to mention Taylor Swift.
2014 had amazing stage designs that effortlessly changed throughout the show.
In this 2014 shot, it doesn't even look like the same stage.
2014 also had the first dual fantasy bras. The fantasy bra concept dates back to 1996, but this was the first year two models got to wear them. Lima and Ambrosio's bras were valued at $2 million each.
Source: The New York Post
In 2015, the show featured new fashion "It" girls like Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner.
Model Maria Borges wore her hair natural and close-cropped, which was a critically lauded move.
Source: Essence
This year, there will be more natural hair than ever before on the runway, according to the Victoria's Secret show's hairstylist.
Source: Refinery 29
This year's show will be in Paris, France. And of the 51 women walking in the show, 18 of them are newbies.
See you December 5!
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