The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in Photos: Kanye and Jay-Z, Adam Levine and Anne V., and Kite Parts Masquerading As Clothing
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/2011 Getty Images
You won’t get to watch the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show on TV until November 29, but the show taped last night in front of 1,100 celebrities, reporters, select friends of CBS, and guests of the models in the show. Mostly, however, the crowd consisted of men in suits, which is an odd atmosphere for anyone who’s gone to a number of regular fashion shows, because those conspicuously lack a straight-male contingent. Backstage earlier in the day, Victoria’s Secret president Ed Razek told a reporter that the audience includes “a lot of people in the financial sector,” and according to The Wall Street Journal’s Elizabeth Holmes, parent company Limited Brands gives tickets to analysts who cover Victoria’s Secret, probably to encourage them to rate the stock favorably. As Razek said last night, the $13 million spent on the show is “an investment.” Certainly, no matter how you feel about how the show objectifies the models, what happens on the runway is a glittery, celebrity-filled spectacle that’s hard to ignore. See highlights in the slideshow.
The Audience To fully appreciate what happened in the show, you have to appreciate who the performers were doing it for.
Nicki Minaj and Erin Heatherton
Nicki looks confused because, for once, the person standing next to her has more stuffed animals attached to th...
Nicki Minaj and Erin Heatherton
Nicki looks confused because, for once, the person standing next to her has more stuffed animals attached to their clothing than she does.
Photo: VS / Splash News/???? www.splashnews.com
Kanye West and Izabel Goulart
Izabel’s very large wings appear to have been cut from kites, or possibly, windsurfing sails.
Photo: Jamie McCa...
Kanye West and Izabel Goulart
Izabel’s very large wings appear to have been cut from kites, or possibly, windsurfing sails.
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/2011 Getty Images
Kanye West and Jay-Z
Despite Kanye’s sleeves and all those pretty faces on the runway, the most exciting part of the show involved no models at...
Kanye West and Jay-Z
Despite Kanye’s sleeves and all those pretty faces on the runway, the most exciting part of the show involved no models at all. After Kanye performed “Stronger” with models in his midst, Jay-Z joined him on stage for a surprise duet. Beyoncé, clad in a white caftan, appeared in the front row just for this song, and sang along as she watched, only to disappear when it was all over and the models were allowed back on stage.
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/2011 Getty Images
Adam Levine and Anne V.
Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine got to walk his girlfriend, model Anne V., down the runway. He was careful not to interact ...
Adam Levine and Anne V.
Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine got to walk his girlfriend, model Anne V., down the runway. He was careful not to interact with any of the other models on stage, as he was saving up all that lady-ogling for this photo op. She looks so happy because her lingerie is working. Yaaaayyyy!!!!
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/2011 Getty Images
Adam Levine
Proving that the models onstage weren’t the only ones with hips that begged for a camera, or had cleavage on display.
Photo: Jami...
Adam Levine
Proving that the models onstage weren’t the only ones with hips that begged for a camera, or had cleavage on display.
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/2011 Getty Images
Kanye West and Adriana Lima
It’s only fair to show what the models get to wear when they have a choice about it. Here you see what Adriana’s ab...
Kanye West and Adriana Lima
It’s only fair to show what the models get to wear when they have a choice about it. Here you see what Adriana’s abs look like after that famously intense dieting, and what her back looks like when it doesn’t have a children’s play-tent over it.
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/2011 Getty Images
Nicki Minaj and Behati Prinsloo Behati’s wings lit up like a neon sign. Because nothing about the outfit, or Nicki standing next to her, is atte...
Nicki Minaj and Behati Prinsloo Behati’s wings lit up like a neon sign. Because nothing about the outfit, or Nicki standing next to her, is attention-getting enough, otherwise.
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/2011 Getty Images
Maroon 5 and Miranda Kerr Oh look! It’s the $2.5 million bra! Worn in a cage.
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/2011 Getty Images
Kanye West and Karlie Kloss This was 19-year-old Karlie’s first Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Obviously a pro, when Kanye started to walk her d...
Kanye West and Karlie Kloss This was 19-year-old Karlie’s first Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Obviously a pro, when Kanye started to walk her down the runway, she was like, “Um, NO.”
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/2011 Getty Images
Kanye West and Anja Rubik
Backstage, Kanye went out of his way to hang out with Anja in hair and makeup. (As soon as he did, everyone back ther...
Kanye West and Anja Rubik
Backstage, Kanye went out of his way to hang out with Anja in hair and makeup. (As soon as he did, everyone back there took a break from asking the more mainstream famous “angels” about their diets and started paying attention to her.) So naturally she was the one girl who got the full escort by him to the end of the runway.
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/2011 Getty Images
Alexander Wang, Carine Roitfeld, and Julia Restoin-Roitfeld Well, someone had to wear enough black to balance out the nakedness and glitter.
P...
Alexander Wang, Carine Roitfeld, and Julia Restoin-Roitfeld Well, someone had to wear enough black to balance out the nakedness and glitter.
Photo: Rob Rich / Splash News/???? www.splashnews.com
Donna Karan Leave it to the fashion people to give everyone's eyes a break. Photo: Andrew H. Walker/2011 Getty Images
Todd Thomas and Debbie Harry Why was Debbie Harry there? Well, why were lots of other things there? Photo: Andrew H. Walker/2011 Getty Images
Doutzen Kroes All of Occupy Wall Street could fit under that purple thing.
Photo: Andy Kropa/2011 Getty Images
Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima You know what's in their future? Cupcakes! And other carbs they've been avoiding! Photo: Jamie McCarthy/2011...
Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima You know what's in their future? Cupcakes! And other carbs they've been avoiding! Photo: Jamie McCarthy/2011 Getty Images
Shannan Click The breasts have eyes. The after-party dress has sleeves and, most importantly, no battery pack. Photo: Jamie McCarthy/2011 Getty I...
Shannan Click The breasts have eyes. The after-party dress has sleeves and, most importantly, no battery pack. Photo: Jamie McCarthy/2011 Getty Images
Lais Ribeiro You would think that Michael and Nina — oh wait! Wrong show. Photo: Jamie McCarthy/2011 Getty Images
Karmen Pedaru On the subject of Project Runway, these wings could very well qualify for one of those unorthodox materials challenges, where the d...
Karmen Pedaru On the subject of Project Runway, these wings could very well qualify for one of those unorthodox materials challenges, where the designers have to work with serving platters instead of fabric. Photo: Jamie McCarthy/2011 Getty Images
Alessandra Ambrosio Those gold-and-crystal wings (or, really, that metal doily) on her back are like the 1 percent of wings. The other 99 percent...
Alessandra Ambrosio Those gold-and-crystal wings (or, really, that metal doily) on her back are like the 1 percent of wings. The other 99 percent come with significantly less wealth. Photo: VS / Splash News/???? www.splashnews.com
Izabel Goulart Her wings, if you can call them that, are made of two umbrellas. Mary Poppins goes raunch! Photo: Clint Spaulding/??patrickmcmulla...
Izabel Goulart Her wings, if you can call them that, are made of two umbrellas. Mary Poppins goes raunch! Photo: Clint Spaulding/??patrickmcmullan
Lily Aldridge Holy heavens — she's wearing a shift dress! Kind of! Photo: Richie Buxo / Splash News/? www.splashnews.com
Constance Jablonski Because Miss America really shouldn't get to have the fun, Constance got to wear her glitter gown with Poseidon's crown. Phot...
Constance Jablonski Because Miss America really shouldn't get to have the fun, Constance got to wear her glitter gown with Poseidon's crown. Photo: Jamie McCarthy/2011 Getty Images
Maryna Linchuk Are we noticing a trend in the after-party clothes? Longish, black, sleeves here and there? Wonder why. Photo: Jamie McCarthy/2011...
Maryna Linchuk Are we noticing a trend in the after-party clothes? Longish, black, sleeves here and there? Wonder why. Photo: Jamie McCarthy/2011 Getty Images
Karlie Kloss It's hitting her: She's walking on a pile of glitter in front of millions of people with a disco ball strapped to her ass and affixe...
Karlie Kloss It's hitting her: She's walking on a pile of glitter in front of millions of people with a disco ball strapped to her ass and affixed to her neck like a growth. You really do have to laugh. Photo: TIMOTHY A. CLARY/2011 AFP
Candice Swanepoel Medieval lingerie overload. Photo: Andy Kropa/2011 Getty Images
Maryna Linchuk At least she can go straight from this to tubing down the river. Photo: Jamie McCarthy/2011 Getty Images
Ed Razek And here's the Victoria's Secret president (shot a couple years ago) with a handful of Victoria's Secret models. Bravo, Ed. Photo: Dimit...
Ed Razek And here's the Victoria's Secret president (shot a couple years ago) with a handful of Victoria's Secret models. Bravo, Ed. Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/2009 Getty Images
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