The show was absolutely stunning! I've seen it five to six times over and it never fails to impress me. The models were amazing and the music was perfect for the show - the themes were also very creative but they fitted the idea of lingerie perfectly. I especially loved the Russian babes section because Eugenia V. looked absolutely wonderful in the orange feather bustier top, Natasha P. was in green again (I think the colour's perfect for her - recall Dolce&Gabbana's S/S 06 collection in which she wore the large green petticoat-ful dress) and she was really professional and impressive the way she manoeuvred herself when her shoe was stuck on the runway, and Heidi Klum was super stylish the way she carried herself in the jewel blue outfit. I also find that their thick feathery capes emphasise the length and shape of their legs. VS definitely understands women very well (even if I speak from the capacity of a male).
Now let me address the two main issues that have popped up in this thread:
Heidi Klum and Tyra Banks
It should be the other way round considering that Heidi Klum actually learnt FROM Tyra - but never mind.
No, they're not too thick. They're both in their 30s and you can certainly tell, but they continue to look hot on the runways. It's partially because they've got very curvaceous bodies, but it's also important that they carry themselves with a very powerful confidence. The fact that they bother to swing their hair when they stop at the end of a runway shows that they are very comfortable with the way they look and don't mind showing it off to other people. This is the sort of confidence that ordinary people want to have - Heidi and Tyra both have exactly THAT confidence and this is why lots of people love and admire them.
And a large majority of fashion models are young - it averages from 16 to 22. The fact that there are two women who're in their 30s and yet still dare to wear lingerie and show themselves off is what defines them as legendary.
The Natasha Poly Shoe Incident
Some of us are wondering what the big hype is about Natasha P. and the shoe when models seasonally lose their shoes on the runway.
I'd like to deal with this by analysing what Victoria's Secret's fashion shows are; they aren't just fashion shows. For high fashion shows during Milan, Paris, New York and London Fashion Week, the key aim is to:
a) Show potential buyers what they can expect the next season;
b) Show the fashion world what a designer can do and what they can expect him/her to do;
c) (mostly for haute couture) Function as a canvas for the artistic ventures of the fashion designer and allow them to show off their individual styles
I know this is not an exhaustive list but till the end, high fashion shows focus on the clothes and not on the show or the models themselves. Those are secondary (only the fashion-crazy like me and a lot of the TFS population will bother).
Victoria's Secret's fashion shows, on the other hand, aren't plainly about the lingerie. It's not just a fashion show per se - high fashion shows are fashion shows while VS fashion shows are fashion shows.
If no one understood that confusing explanation, what I meant was that VS fashion shows are kind of like Broadway shows that depict fashion shows; they are larger-than-life versions of real runways.
Of course, the commercial value of it is enormous; I won't deny that. On the other hand, there IS something about the entertainment value of VS Fashion Show that makes it not just a fashion show - otherwise, why the hell would they waste money to invite Chris Botti onto the show to perform the trumpet?
I have officially gone off on a tangent. To refer back to the Natasha Poly shoe incident, it was hyped up because Natasha's recovery after losing her shoe to a hole/gap/crevice/shark/biting mouse in the runway was professionally done regardless of the fact that unlike a usual fashion show, this was one that was going to be televised and scrutinised by people all over the world. If a model loses a shoe during a normal fashion show, the audience will at most be like, "Oh dear, ouch, hope she's ok" or "Oops" and then go on to focus on the clothes she's wearing. But VS Fashion Show, on the other hand, is going to be scrutinised by millions of television viewers worldwide who ARE going to go "Oh my goodness, she just lost a shoe!" and a million other possibly ditzy replies. Professionals who have just finished watching a normal runway show may discuss the cut of the clothes and how the designer showed his/her flair in the clothes over lunch the next day. The majority of television viewers, on the other hand, are more likely to go, "Did you see that model who lost her shoe on the runway? It was so scary!"
I'm very sure that the models know this difference as a fact and are hence faced with a much stronger pressure (they're going to be scrutinised by millions worldwide). The fact that Natasha, knowing she was under the watchful eyes of a million people all over the world, could calmly slip out of the shoe and continue gliding down the runway like nothing had happened just proves her immense professionalism and coolness. Furthermore if you watch closely you'll notice that she has to BEND her foot as if the heel was still there - and it's going to be very painful and difficult because the heel was at least three inches high - the runway isn't very short. I admire her for that. And you must admit that she is darn gorgeous =]
Edited to Add: I would also like to mention that the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2005 runway was covered with a lot of dangerous litter. There was the confetti of course, but there were also potentially lethal objects such Tyra Banks' trillion-dollar bracelet (ouch) and loose decorum from the XXXXXXXXXXXXXL size wings they have.
NOTE: Does anyone notice that Victoria's Secret is one of the rare fashion labels in which the designers are not of particular attention, or at least the Creative Head or the Head of Design? Their shows don't exactly feature very mass-marketable pieces (example: Heidi's glow-in-the-dark bra and Isabeli's fully-edible lingerie) so I don't really count VS as being in the same league as Target or GAP (although I believe the target range is similar, or at least overlapping).
Anyone knows who designs for VS?