Tyra Banks just returned to the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show after 20 years
Tyra Banks is still a top model thank you very much, as proven by her first Victoria's Secret Fashion Show appearance in nearly two decades!! A little history: while Tyra moved into multi-hyphenate status thanks to her movie roles, hosting gigs (hello, America's Next Top Model) and business ventures, she made a name for herself as a supermodel in the '90s.
Back in the day, she was a regular on the Victoria's Secret runway and proudly claimed her VS Angel title until her final show in 2005. Fast forward to 2024 and she's come out of retirement to return to her roots on the VS's runway and we couldn't be more excited. She fittingly closed the show – save the best for last, and all that – cementing her major modelling comeback.
For the momentous occasion, Tyra wore a showstopping outfit. Namely, a black bedazzled bustier, leggings, and a silver and black flowing coat that trailed behind her down the catwalk with every step.
Let us take a moment to appreciate her signature strut and smize:
Tyra may have broken her retirement to walk the first Victoria's Secret Fashion Show since 2019, but the model has been an OG Angel since 1997. She was the first Black model to cover the lingerie brand's catalogue, walked 10 consecutive Victoria's Secret Fashion Shows before its hiatus and wore the iconic and intricate Fantasy Bra two of those times. Oh, and she did it all in 8 years.
Ahead of the 2024 show, Tyra revealed to Harper's Bazaar that her involvement with the brand was only a crack in the door of diversity in the fashion industry.
“You know, it’s interesting, because in terms of diversity, I was diverse. I was considered curvier, and I was a Black girl, and I think it’s important to still acknowledge that at that time … 19 years ago, [it] was, ‘Wow, they’re putting Tyra on covers and they're breaking all these barriers and Victoria's Secret is stepping out and saying she's the first Black woman to do this,’ and really pushing against the norm,” she told the publication. “Today, what is even more beautiful is [that] they’ve burst those doors open. I feel like I cracked it open, and now that they’re burst open, I’m so excited.”
Tyra also took a moment to shout out and uplift one of the brand's new Angels, Paloma Elsesser, when she spoke on the brand's latest inclusivity efforts. “When I look at the video commercial that I did with Paloma and I’m walking down that hallway, you know, as a woman with Victoria’s Secret that burst so many doors down, handing Paloma that invitation and she is bursting doors down. It’s just like this continuation of beauty and diversity, which is really exciting.”
One thing's for sure: Tyra is definitely still on top, and she's passing the baton to our new gen VS Angels with confidence and grace.
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