My thoughts:
1. This year's show was much better than last year's, but there are still some mistakes that can be improved.
1.1 The first mistake is repeating the same segment theme from a previous show. At VSFS 2024, the last segment was entirely red, as was Karol G's segment. Furthermore, an all-black or black-and-white segment hasn't been new for years. Flamenco Frills (2002), Sexy Shadow Dreams (2005), Black Tie Holiday (2008), Dangerous (2008), Angel Ball (2014), Dark Angels (2016), Downtown Angels (2018). I'm not saying it's not cool, but coupled with another all-red segment, it became very predictable and uncreative;
1.2 I thought it was positive that they didn't reuse wings or make new wings in different colors, as happened at VSFS 2024. However, some ideas this year were clearly taken from previous shows, and it's still almost a copy. Jasmine Tookes' wings are almost identical to Miranda Kerr's in Aquatic Angels (2011), Alessandra Ambrósio's first wings are almost identical to Behati Prinsloo's in Gilded Angels (2014), Behati Prinsloo's wings are almost identical to Sui He's in Goddesses (2017), Emily Ratajkowski's wings are almost identical to Behati Prinsloo's in Angels in Bloom (2012). Anyway, the examples were to show that they can do better than this, especially if the brand's idea is to start over.
1.3 Bringing back the PINK segment is positive for me, as many of Victoria's Secret's most iconic models started out in the PINK line, such as Candice Swanepoel, Miranda Kerr, Lindsay Ellingson, Grace Elizabeth, Behati Prinsloo, and many others. However, I felt this PINK year's theme lacked coherence. It just seemed like random, unrelated outfits. Ultimately, it's great to include new models in the PINK line, but it's definitely not cool, in my opinion, to have celebrities who aren't models walk the runway. I'm Brazilian and I loved the fact a newcomer from my country was in the show, but there are a lot of great Brazilian models so they don't need to include an influencer.
1.4 I missed more cohesion in the selection of models to open and close segments. Once again, Bella Hadid closed the show and this year also opened another segment, Candice Swanepoel closed one segment and opened another. An athlete closed a segment. Last year, the mistake was repeated when they chose Vittoria Ceretti to open one segment and close another, especially since she was new to the brand. There are many models in this new era of the brand who work hard and deserve more recognition in the show.
1.5 The newcomers models, in particular, weren't great. Last year, I didn't know most of the cast, but I was pleased with their performances. However, in this year's show, few really stood out. I especially loved Emily Ratajkowski, Amelia Gray, Precious Lee, Daiane Sodré, and Adut Akech.
1.6 I missed some specific models who were present in the brand's new era, such as Valentina Sampaio, Mayowa Nicholas and Anthi Fakidari. All of them just wore one outfit in the previous show and I was expecting to see them this year with two looks. Finally, Valentina is a trans model, and Mayowa is a black model. Their presence would be important to bring more diversity to the runway.
2. On the other hand, I see a lot of successes this year.
2.1 The model chosen to open the show was a great choice. Unfortunately, she was the second black model to open a VS show in almost 30 years. This is a disgrace. The brand had Tyra Banks, Selita Ebanks, Lais Ribeiro, among many other Black models who could have been angels. However, Jasmine was also better than Gigi in VSFS 2024. Her performance was beautiful and she was confident.
2.2 The performances and song selections were wonderful. Madison Beer perfectly fit the brand, Karol G created a Latin vibe and sensuality that's totally Victoria's Secret, and TWICE matched the youthfulness of the PINK line. Finally, Missy Eliot brought energy to the show with a Super Bowl-worthy performance. Finally, I always enjoy VS's remixes, and they did a great job with the remix segments, especially the last one.
2.3 A big number of models got two outfits this year, especially the more memorable ones. I prefer a smaller casting with models getting more than one look than a huge casting with less models getting two outfits.
2.4 The scenes created during the segment transitions were impeccable and reminded me of the shows of the early 2000s. I hope they continue with this idea and bring even more scenes of interactions between the models, such as interviews, their moments at fittings, among others.
2.5 The models had more screen time because there were fewer models on the runway at the same time. Last year, this was a problem, especially in Tyla's segment.
2.6 The collection overall was much more beautiful and well-crafted. There were no duplicate wings or large numbers of recycled wings. Finally, the costumes didn't look cheap and flimsy like those at VSFS 2024.
