"Rugged Elegant" Victoria's Secret - At Its Best
To inspire their audience to buy sexy Victoria's Secret underwear trumpeter Chris Botti opened the fashion show with a jazz rendition of "Embraceable You." It worked for me. But then again, Chris Botti's music always works for me. Every time we sell a property we play Botti's cds during our Open Houses. Whether its marketing homes or lingerie Botti's sound inspires.
As the models prepared to open the show, we heard the director say to Adriana, Alessandrea, Gisele, Heidi, Izabel, Selita, Tyra and the others, "Please make it as hot, as up, as sexy, as energetic, and better than you've ever been."
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Opener - Gisele, center
AP Photo Credit: Jeff Christensen
Gisele was the first on stage wearing red wings, a red feather and white lace bra, red and white bottoms and red high top boots. Hot! She looked hot!!
Gisele was followed by models in bright yellow, hot pink, blue plaid, red Scottish plaid, pink velvet and the biggest pink wings you've ever seen, white lingerie and silver bells on the backside and red & white polka dots.
While the live audience only got to see who and what came out on stage, the television audience got "backstage passes" to the frenzy, the energy and the magic on the behinds of the models and behind the scenes.
After the first upbeat performance, supermodel Heidi Klum introduced us to the show.
She said:
Today is a special occasion.
It is the tenth anniversary of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
It started off being a small show. But now it's been watched by more than 2 billion people.
The first show, ten years ago, brought the catalog and stores to life.
Ed Razek, Chief Marketing Officer for Victoria's Secret said the first show was called "The lingerie event of the century." Even ten years ago, they succeeded at getting worldwide press.
Monica Mitro, EVP of Public Relations for Victoria's Secret said, "Every year, we've had a major supermodel and a major fantasy bra."
There was the million dollar bra.
Between 1996 and 1998 the show began to take on a life of its own.
In an effort to expand their audience, they turned to the Internet.
In 1999, Victoria's Secret hosted the first live online fashion show.
Razek said, "It was the most visited webcast of any kind in history."
Mitro said, "So many people logged on that it crashed the web site."
The show was aired via the Web live in Times Square. Heidi Klum said, "That's what I call stopping traffic."
In 2000, the show was taken to the Cannes Film Festival in France. That year, the show helped raise over $3.5 million for an AIDS charity.
Supermodels became as big as, if not bigger than, Hollywood superstars.
Mitro said that people who came to Cannes we're less worried about getting into the film festival and more interested in getting in to see the fashion show.
Gisele said the fashion show has since evolved into more of "a show." She said, "It's more like a cabaret experience, like a Broadway show."
Each year, they have gotten more and more "over the top." Mitro has been asked year-after-year, "How can you possibly do something bigger next year?" Mitro set up the audience to believe that this year's show would be even more spectacular. Having never seen it before, I am not one to judge. However, 2005's show was so impressive, I wish I had gotten a ticket to the life performance in New York. Perhaps next year!
Many of the models are moms. And yet, you'd never know their tummies expanded to carry around a seven or eight-pound bundle. Heidi Klum, who had given birth only a couple months ago, was one of those "you'd never know" perfectly in-shape models. Inspiration for us all!
Gisele says she pretends as if she is wearing clothes and walking down the street rather than strutting her bare skin and sexy lingerie. "That makes it easier," she said.
Seven of The Twenty-Eight Victoria's Secret Models
This year's international models included Alessandra Ambrosio, Gisele Bundchen, Adriana Lima, Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks, Selita Ebanks and Izabel Goulart.
Four of these seven supermodels call themselves Brazilian.
Alessandra Ambrosio from Brazil
VictoriasSecret.com writes this about Alessandra Ambrosio:
While still at school, Alessandra entered the legendary Elite Model Look contest -- famous for launching the careers of Cindy Crawford, Stephanie Seymour, Cameron Diaz and Gisele Bundchen -- and won in Brazil. A consummate and humble professional, she is described by the president of Elite worldwide as one of the few models who "really get it".
Irrepressibly adventurous, Alessandra likes to explore her love of extreme sports such as white water rafting, surfing and sky-diving, and has also leaped into cyber-space with her own web site. Her vivacious personality has also made her a sought-after talk show guest. Most recently, Alessandra has teamed up with Brazil's top swimwear designer Rosa Cha to launch her own signature line of swimwear in the Victoria's Secret catalogue.
Gisele Bundchen
VictoriasSecret.com says this about Gisele Bundchen:
Gisele was born in the southern Brazilian village of Horizontina. Originally training to be a professional volleyball player, she was scouted for modeling at age 14 while on a school trip to Porto Alegre. Gisele began modeling in New York in 1996 and won the prestigious VH - 1/Vogue Model of the Year award in 1999. Now a world-class supermodel, she has created her own brand of women's foot apparel called "Ipanema by Gisele Bundchen" and has designed a limited edition necklace that is being sold to raise money for St. Jude's Children's Hospital cancer treatment efforts.
Despite her supermodel star status, Gisele is a down-to-earth, spirited individual who is rarely seen without her little Yorkshire terrier, Vida. She made her acting debut alongside Jimmy Fallon and Queen Latifah in the 2004 comedy "Taxi."
As I was finishing this story, a friend by the name of Elizabeth Rossi came by and commented on the models on the television screen. Elizabeth, who used to design for Oscar de la Renta and work with supermodels like Gisele, said:
Some of those women are as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside. Gisele Bundchen is one of them.
What makes the difference is the quality of the family these women grew up with.
When people in New York told Gisele to change her nose, Gisele called her family in tears.
Her family told Gisele she was "perfect" just the way she is.
Gisele Bundchen "naturally" still is.
The $12.5 Million Bra
Television has brought us the $6 million man. Now, it has brought us the $12.5 million bra.
During the fashion show, she wore a stunning one-of-a-kind Sexy Splendor Fantasy Brad created exclusively for Victoria's Secret. Gisele's bra was created by famed jeweler Mouawad. Mouawad invested over 300 hours creating it.
It features the flawless Mouawad Splendor diamond. This diamond is a 101-carat pear-shaped stone. Covering Gisele's breasts were 2,900 Pave set diamonds and 22 ruby gemstones.
This $12,500,000 is actually for sale at:
VictoriasSecret.com
For whatever reason, the producers of the fashion show aired on Tuesday night chose not to mention anything about this one-of-a-kind bra.
If for no other reason than to get an up close introduction to this multi-million dollar bra, I recommend checking out Victoria's Secret's site.
During the fashion show, Gisele wore a red liner between her skin and the bra. On the Victoria's Secret site, she is wearing primarily diamonds and rubies. Stunning!
Adriana Lima, also from Brazil, made her debut at the 2005 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
Talk about international. Adriana's exotic look comes from her French, Portuguese, Native American and Caribbean ancestry.
Izabel Goulart
VictoriasSecret.com profiles Izabel Goulart as follows:
Brazil has discovered yet another rising star in the stunning Izabel Goulart. This brown-haired, brown-eyed beauty grew up just outside Sao Paolo, Brazil, in the town of Sao Carlos. The daughter of a house painter and a stay-at-home mother, Izabel is one of 7 children.
When she's not jet-setting to London or Paris, Izabel likes to play tennis, fish, bowl and simply wander through a farmer's market for fresh fruits and vegetables. In fact, Izabel was discovered by a model scout while shopping for fruit with her mother in Sao Paolo. Not soon after, she launched into a successful international modeling career.
Izabel made her Victoria's Secret runway debut at this show.
Selita Ebanks
VictoriasSecret.com says this about Selita Ebanks:
Selita Ebanks was discovered by a modeling agency ... when she was 17. The only daughter of a New York Police Captain, she shared a love of sports with her seven brothers and grew up playing basketball, tennis, and football, among others. A gifted and hard-working student, Selita was accepted into Columbia, Spellman and New York University. She plans to pursue her education, but is currently focused on her rapidly escalating modeling career.
Selita is active in the New York and Cayman Islands communities. She has been a mentor in the Seamen's Society of Staten Island that provides individual and family counseling, HIV/AIDS education and prevention, peer support groups and more. She is also deeply involved in a program she initiated in the Cayman Islands called the Stardom Youth Foundation, a mentoring program providing career guidance for teenagers.
Heidi Klum
Heidi Klum lights up any room she enters. So, she did not need to have her lingerie illuminated to catch our attention. But that's what Victoria's Secret had her do on one occasion during the show. Both her bra and panties could have lit up the entire pitch-black theater. And they did.
Heidi Klum is touted on Victoria's Secret as follows:
Heidi's modeling career began in her hometown of Bergisch Gladbach, when she entered (and won) a modeling contest on a whim. As a Victoria's Secret supermodel, she has been the face of the brand on dozens of major campaigns and was chosen to wear the $10 million jeweled Millennium Bra and the Jeweled Fantasy Bra in 2001 and 2003.
Heidi's incredible charm and exuberance have taken her far and wide. She made her acting debut as Michael J. Fox's love interest in the ABC sitcom "Spin City" and since made dozens of TV and film appearances. Heidi also designs collections for Mouawad jewelry and Birkenstock shoes, and has her own European clothing, swimwear, beauty and candy lines. She is also the author of "Body of Knowledge: 8 Rules of Model Behavior". She is currently celebrating the birth of her second child with her husband, Seal...
The last time she did the fashion show she was four months pregnant with her first child.
This year's Victoria's Secret fashion show was Heidi's first major runway appearance since the birth of her son two months ago.
She has good genes and her trainer, David Kirsch, to thank for her flat belly today.
The thirty-two year-old star of Project Runway (released on DVD, November 29th) may be home tonight watching the beginning of the second season of her reality show, as will her now huge fan base including Michael Kors, Elle fashion director Nina Garcia, and Parson School of Design's own Tim Gunn, all contributors to this season's show.
We also loved Heidi as a giant in Garry Marshall's Princess Diaries 2.
Tyra Banks
The most seductive part of Victoria's Secret's 2005 fashion show was a behind-the-red-curtain silhouette performance of a model removing her bra and panties. Her various poses, using a chair as her only prop, were sexy and sexually-charged to the max.
So was Tyra Banks' look as she walked out in a glamorous black corset and large black feathery wings.
As Tyra pumped her arms up into the air, you could tell she was 100% into it.
We loved Tyra's energy, and the "Bang, Bang" music that went with the performance of each model on stage.
Polaroids of each model's attire gave us an idea of the thought behind each runway strut.
Behind the scenes, we got a glimpse of where the models get "rushed, pinned, sucked in and pinched."
Gisele showed us where the mirrors were. Behind Seal we got to see the messages that would appear on a big screen as a way of pumping up the models. One sign that went across the screen read, "Burn it UP ... You are the STAR!!!!"
Seal arrived on the stage via a shelled-out glass egg.
He began singing, "I need love. Love's divine. Please forgive me, know I see the light; I've been blind..." as the love of his life came out wearing eight-foot tall angel wings and an electric outfit.
As Seal sang, the angel in white blew him a kiss. Can you guess who it was?
Heidi Klum, Seal's supermodel wife, got to strut down the catwalk as her husband and the father of their newborn son sang one of my favorite songs of all time.
I fell in love with Crazy working out to Cindy Crawford - "Shape Your Body Workout" Video.
How could this couple not be having fun?!
For that moment, Timothy Charles wished he was Seal. And I wished I was Heidi Klum.
I loved the smile we saw on one model as Seal sang the words, "as we get a little crazy."
Some of the models during Seal's performance wore wings. Some wore huge feathers. Gisele wore a crown.
All of the lingerie worn during Seal's song was either white, a neutral color, silver, gold or a soft pastel color.
I would have bought every single item worn in this section of the show if they had directions appear on the screen to a web site that would lead me to purchase each bra, thong and pair of stilettos.
Perhaps next year this will be the way Victoria's Secret trumps their tenth show!
As one model strutted her stuff down the runway Tim said, "She looks young."
I thought he said, "She looks yummy."
We laughed and agreed she looked both.
After the show, Seal was asked by the producers how it felt to see his wife on the runway.
Seal responded, "Whenever I get to see her, whether it's on the runway or just in our apartment, it always makes the heart flutter."
The next segment of the show had a rap beat to its international Russian-style presentation. Very hip!
Loved those red stilettos.
The colors were more "rugged elegant" earth tones: reds, browns, blacks, burgundy velvets, golds, olive greens -- together with butterfly wings.
And the jewelry? Oh, my!
I wish I could find that brown and red outfit on their site. But alas, no luck, thus far.
Tyra's serious strut followed by her captivating smile would have brought the entire house down, if they could have seen it the way we caught her eye and smile from our living room.
As she came off the stage, we heard Tyra say, "I lost a trillion dollar bracelet on the runway, and I have no idea where it went."
Watching Gisele and Tyra and Heidi (despite her lack of sleep) made me wish I could be a supermodel for a day -- just a day.
I loved the way "Natasha" kept her cool after losing her shoe on the runway. And I loved the way the producers integrated her one-healed strut into the program.
Victoria's Secret - Secret Embrace Bra
During the Victoria's Secret commercial, Limited Brands touted a seamless "Secret Embrace" bra.
However, search results on the Victoria's Secret web site would not pull up a bra of that name.
I scoured through five pages of "seamless bras" and two pages of "angels attire" and still could not find the one they paid big money to promote.
Perhaps it is not available online at all.
Perhaps you need to go to one of their 1,000 stores in the U.S. to find it. Who knows?
The Sweet Part of The Show
Last month, in New York, there was the Chocolate Fashion Show.
And then there was the sweet show by Victoria's Secret which included bras and panties made out of candy.
Ricky Martin & Company
Ricky Martin's hair needed help during the fashion show.
But he let the music take control with his performance of "Drop It On Me". Martin's voice, his new hit song, and his moves rocked the house.
He was a great choice of artists to add a dose of male sexiness to the show.
Martin wore jeans, a black shirt and black jacket. He wore his hair over-the-top spikey.
And he wore his energy -- rather than on his sleeve -- on his hips. Ooh la la!
Usher was in the audience looking very satisfied with the view.
The show was extremely well choreographed.
The Grand Finale
Drum roll, please.
The grand finale of the fashion show began with a dozen models dressed as toy soldiers. However, their moves were the farthest thing from a toy soldier's march.
Gisele Bundchen
AP Photo Credit: Jeff Christensen
Gisele wore peach.
One model wore gold wings and carried a trumpet. Could it have been Chris Botti's?
All of them wore sexy.
At the end of the show, the red ticker tape reminded the girls to smile and be "classy".
Tyra Banks looked like she has a lot of personality. Many of the others looked like ice princesses until the last act. Heidi called Tyra's added umph, "pizazz".
Carrying a silver staff with a "V" at the top, Tyra looked like a rock star as much as a supermodel.
Tyra ended her runway fashion career with this show.
After the production, she said:
I'm so happy. I'm emotional. It's the last time.
However, don't feel too sorry for her. The supermodel has become a celebrated television personality and silver screen actress.
In 1992, she established "The Tyra Banks Scholarship," a fund that grants African-American girls the opportunity to attend her high school alma mater.
She also runs a charitable foundation called TZONE, which is centered around a summer camp for teenage girls. Tyra's camp is designed to enhance independence and self-esteem.
She is also an author, who has used the proceeds from her Beauty Inside & Out book to help fund TZONE.
While many models are seen for only their exterior beauty, Tyra clearly has an inner beauty that exudes on both the runway and the many endeavors for which she invest significant time, money and energy.
God bless this gorgeous woman throughout her next phase of thriving in life.
I'd like to walk into a Victoria's Secret store and see the outfits they wore during the fashion show actually for sale.
I love their "stay-put on your thighs" stockings and much of their sleepwear.
So what were the models wearing?
Victoria's Secret Collections?
Chantral Thomass' "Art of French Teasing" line?
Spoylt "Spoil Yourself" chic British lingerie and boudoir accessories (e.g., lace-up wrist cuffs)?
Pleasure State lingerie from Australia?
Frankly Darling vintage Hollywood glam from London?
Couture designer brands from Italy and Spain?
Heidi Klum
To get a taste of the lingerie, corset boots and stilettos inspired by the ten annual show that is available for sale, go to:
VictoriasSecret.com/FashionShow/Shop
Not only will Victoria's Secret sell a lot of lingerie as a result of this show, they could easily sell a DVD of the fashion show, and a CD of the music performed that night.
The only thing better would have been to do a bit of "contextual commerce" marketing and have the name of those available-for-sale pieces worn on the runway printed on the tv screen along with a code to easily find each item online.
I've had a heck of a time finding any of the garments the supermodels showed off on Tuesday night. I did have a field day on Victoria's Secret web site, nonetheless.
A black lace-up satin hiphugger pair of panties, the "very sexy" embroidered black and warm-nude balconet push-up without padding bra, matching v-string, garter belt and stockings, as well as a camel suede coat (on sale for $200) and some shearling moccasins were must-haves, and quite practical to boot or "booty", as they would say.
Inspire & Be Inspired.
Here's to healthy, adventuresome, soulful, "sexy" living!
~ Jennifer Carolyn King, Rugged Elegance, LLC
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