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A Look Back at the Earliest Victoria’s Secret Fashion Shows

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Beverly Peele models an outfit at the Victoria's Secret fash
Getty Images

When considering the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, it’s best to focus on its early days. (The brand abandoned its longtime tradition three years ago, around the time former CEO Leslie Wexner’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein were made known.) In 1995, Stephanie Seymour, Beverly Peele, and plenty more supermodels walked a makeshift, livestream-free runway set up in the Plaza Hotel—an event that couldn’t be more different from its more recent iterations, which found Kendall Jenner and her winged cohorts parading down the runway to the tune of performers like Shawn Mendes. In fact, back then, some of the cast was even fully clothed. From there, of course, things steadily ramped up; by 1997, the fashion show had transformed into a celebrity attraction, with Jon Bon Jovi among the crowd watching the runway fill with early regulars like Gisele Bündchen, Tyra Banks, and Heidi Klum. Take a look back at its early legacy, here.

1995

Beverly Peele at the first Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, inside the Plaza Hotel in New York, 1995.

1995
Photo by Ron Galella via Getty Images

Frederique van der Wal backstage at the first Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, inside the Plaza Hotel in New York, 1995.

1995

Natane Adcock at the first Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, inside the Plaza Hotel in New York, 1995.

1995

Beverly Peele backstage at the first Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, inside the Plaza Hotel in New York, 1995.

1995

Angelika Kallio at the first Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, inside the Plaza Hotel in New York, 1995.

1995
Photo by Ron Galella via Getty Images

Veronica Webb backstage at the first Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, inside the Plaza Hotel in New York, 1995.

1996
Photo by Evan Agostini/Liaison via Getty Images

Rebecca Romijn at the 1996 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, inside the Plaza Hotel in New York.

1996

Tyra Banks backstage at the 1996 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, inside the Plaza Hotel in New York.

1996

Stephanie Seymour at the 1996 Victoria’s Secret Valentine Fashion Show, inside the Plaza Hotel in New York.

Photo by Rose Hartman via Getty Images

Naomi Campbell backstage at the 1996 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, inside the Plaza Hotel in New York.

1996

Tyra Banks backstage at the 1996 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, inside the Plaza Hotel in New York.

1997

Heidi Klum backstage at the 1997 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, inside the Plaza Hotel in New York.

1997

Naomi Campbell backstage at the 1998 Victoria’s Secret Pre-Valentine’s Day Fashion Show, with Jeff Probst, inside the Plaza Hotel in New York.

1997

Claudia Schiffer backstage at the 1997 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, inside the Plaza Hotel in New York.

1997

Rebecca Romijn-Stamos at the 1997 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, inside the Plaza Hotel in New York.

1997

Naomi Campbell at the 1997 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, inside the Plaza Hotel in New York.

1997

Georgianna Robertson in a Valentine’s Day ensemble at the 1997 Victoria’s Secret Spring Revelations Fashion Show in New York.

1997

Naomi Campbell at the 1997 Victoria’s Secret Spring Revelations Fashion Show in New York.

1997

A model wearing a black scuba-diving femme fatale corset at the 1997 Victoria’s Secret Spring Revelations Fashion Show, inside the Plaza Hotel in New York.

1998

Naomi Campbell on the runway of the 1998 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show at the Plaza Hotel in New York.

1999

Kirsty Hume wearing a silk handkerchief and a satin thong at the 1999 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in New York.

1999

Heidi Klum, who wore that year’s $10 million “millenium bra,” and Karen Mulder backstage at the 1999 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

1999

Laetitia Casta at the 1999 Victoria Secret’s Fashion Show in New York.

1999

Tyra Banks at the 1999 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in New York.

1999

Stephanie Seymour at the 1999 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in New York.

1999

Gisele Bündchen at the 1999 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in New York.

2000

Heidi Klum in front of a Concorde jet after arriving for the 2000 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and charity gala for amfAR during the Cannes Film Festival.

2000

Adriana Lima at the 2000 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and amfAR charity gala during the Cannes Film Festival.

2000

Gisele Bündchen at the 2000 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and amfAR charity gala during the Cannes Film Festival.

2001

Alessandra Ambrosio backstage at the 2001 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show at Bryant Park in New York.

2001

Karen Elson backstage at the 2001 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show fittings in New York.

2002

Gisele Bündchen backstage at the 2002 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show at the Armory in New York.

Photo by Matthew Peyton via Getty Images

Gisele Bünchen and company at the 2002 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show at the Lexington Avenue Armory in New York City.

2003
Photo by Mark Mainz via Getty Images

Gisele Bündchen backstage at the 2003 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show at the Lexington Avenue Armory in New York City.

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