Victoria’s Secret angels return after 5 years, spark nostalgia, questions about future shows

Lights, Camera, Action! The sequins are back and the iconic glitter runway is back in use for the 2026 Victoria Secret Fashion Show. 

The show returned on Oct. 18, celebrating the change of the seasons with their world famous models, exciting musical performances, and the extravagant angel wings. 

Social media has been roaring with criticisms of the performances, the PINK section of the show, and if the angel wings are for everyone now. With the fashion show coming back, is the Victoria Secret Fashion Show struggling to keep their nostalgia along with reinventing themselves?

The PINK section of the fashion show was an opportunity to interject more youthfulness into the show as it is not as sophisticated as Victoria Secret. PINK represents more of a way to have fun on the fashion runway. Yet, the PINK section felt more chaotic than the rest of the show with groups performing, taking away from the attention of the models and the clothes, specifically Katseye, a K-pop group. There was not a cohesive theme within the PINK section like how Victoria Secret had a theme of going through the seasons with their clothes. Instead it seemed thrown in there for extra nostalgia. 

The angel wings is the whole brand of Victoria Secret and not just anyone can wear the wings. But lately, they have been letting any model wear the extravagant angel wings. An Angel is referred to any of the contracted Victoria Secret models. Usually models would have to work their way up to earning their wings or certain models get the privilege of wearing it without being a model.

Marian Hose, Victoria’s Secret wing-maker, spoke to Vogue UK, explaining that models aren’t assigned their wings until the final two weeks of production. But this year singers wore the wings and blocked the other models, like how Megan Moroney blocked a couple of the models during her song “Wish I didn’t.” So how are the angel wings supposed to be exclusive to Victoria Secret if they are letting just anyone wear them? 

The iconic angels are back but is Victoria Secret really back living up to their audience’s expectations?