The last time Victoria’s Secret hosted a catwalk spectacular, it was 2018. But that six year absence pales in comparison when you realize that Tyra Banks hasn’t graced the event with her inimitable presence since 2005.
But none of that mattered on October 15, when the 50 year-old supermodel sashayed down and owned that runway during the final moments of the 2024 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in New York City. As US Weekly reports, Banks popped up from under the stage to close the show, rocking sparkly gray leggings paired with a silver bodice ensemble. The look was completed with a matching metallic cape.
As Banks strutted down the runway, her cape flowed, and when she reached the end of the catwalk, the supermodel twirled it around as a literal showstopper, and in classic VS style, Banks was then joined on stage by her fellow Victoria’s Secret Angels.
Victoria’s Secret first announced in August that Banks would be joining the fashion show’s roster of models as she and Gigi Hadid teamed up to confirm the event’s return after a six-year hiatus. In an Instagram video at the time, Banks handed Hadid, 29, an invitation to the show, adding, “See you there.” Hadid then mouthed, “I love you,” as she walked away.
They were joined by faces familiar and new to the 2024 show that were representative of cultures all around the world, including Gigi’s sister Bella Hadid, Adriana Lima (now a mother of 3 who came out of retirement to walk for VS again), Alessandria Ambrosio & Candice Swanepoel (also both mothers of 2), body positivity super (role) model Ashley Graham, Behati Prinsloo (a VS alum and wife of Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine), Jasmine Tookes, Irina Shayk, Kai Soleil, Grace Elizabeth, Taylor Hill, Devyn Garcia, Paloma Elsesser, Barbara Palvin Sprouse, Iman Hammam, Liu Wen (the first Chinese model to walk the VS runway), trans supermodels Valentina Sampaio and Alex Consani, Anok Yai, Blesnya Minher, Doutzen Kroes, and 90’s supermodel Kate Moss, joined on the runway by her daughter Lila.
In September, Banks teased her upcoming appearance at the fashion show. “It feels crazy being back on the Victoria’s Secret runway. I mean, like, cray-cray as in cray-cray good,” she said in a September TikTok video. “I never thought that I would be back on this runway, to be honest. I remember — what was it, like, 19 years ago — and I was like, ‘This is it.’ And I remember all the press, ‘Tyra’s … last … walk.’ It was so over the top, and I was like, ‘I’m out.’”
Banks then reflected on her most recent Victoria’s Secret runway stint. “My last walk was this red outfit and I had these medals all around my waist,” she recalled. “I had hair that was super long, crazy long lashes and this scepter that said ‘V’ in my hand, and I got to the end of the runway and I kissed it and then I raised it and I started pumping, pumping, and in my head, I was like, ‘I’m out.’ But you pulled me back in.”
Banks walked in her first fashion show for the brand in 1996. She made her final appearance on the Victoria’s Secret runway in 2005 before embarking on a career in television.
Banks’ return is not the only reason the 2024 fashion show made headlines. This year marked the first time the previously annual event occurred since 2018. It was canceled in 2019 after the brand received criticism for lacking inclusivity. The company has since rebranded as the VS Collective — a more diverse group of spokespeople that replaced the Angels — launched in 2021.
This year, the brand brought back its famous runway show with obvious changes, such as an all-women musical lineup (hello, Cher, Tyla, and Lisa of Blackpink) and a diverse lineup of models. While many models wore some of the typical Victoria’s Secret lingerie we’ve seen in past years, many of the models wore more comfortable-looking costumes that were a bit more covered up.
Banks reflected on the welcome changes to the brand. “First is hard. First is lonely. But first is necessary. First is crucial so that a door can be opened for others to fit through,” Banks wrote via Instagram in June 2021. “Within a 10 year span starting in 1995, I was the first Black @VictoriasSecret contract model ever. The first Black Victoria’s Secret cover model. The first Black VS model to do so many other groundbreaking things with the brand — as well as other brands. But after a first must come a flow of more. A flow of different. A flow of unique. A flow so strong, a flow of so many we LOSE COUNT.”
She concluded: “I retired from the runway 16 years ago — and I’m proud that in my lifetime, I’m witnessing a beauty revolution. To the new collective of badass ROLE models, I may have cracked that door open, but y’all are charging through. Keep on keepin’ on until we all LOSE COUNT of how many are breaking through behind you.”
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