One of fashion's most-watched spectacles is back on the runway. The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show returned to Los Angeles on Sunday 18 October 2026 — its first show in the city in 19 years — and this year's edition came with headline-making surprises: Kylie Jenner made her Victoria's Secret runway debut wearing the revived Fantasy Bra, valued at $50 million, and a 21-year-old newcomer from Maine walked out as the brand's newest Angel. The story is trending per news coverage, dominating search trends worldwide within hours of the show.
The event took place at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City on Sunday afternoon, starting at 4:30 p.m. Pacific time (7:30 p.m. Eastern). Rather than a paid television broadcast, the show streamed live and free on the brand's YouTube channel, with additional coverage on Instagram and TikTok, and live screenings at select AMC cinemas in major US cities including Los Angeles, New York City, Miami, Houston and Chicago. A Pink Carpet pre-show was hosted by Scott Evans and Zanna Roberts Rassi. This is the third consecutive year of the revived show since its return in 2024 after a long hiatus.
The $50 million Fantasy Bra — the first since 2018
The biggest fashion news of the night was the return of the Fantasy Bra. For the first time since 2018, when Elsa Hosk wore it, the bejeweled showpiece went down the runway — and this iteration is the most expensive ever made. The bra was created in collaboration with luxury jewelry house Jacob & Co. and worn by Kylie Jenner, who shocked the audience by walking the Victoria's Secret runway for the first time ever.
According to Vogue, the design is valued at $50 million. It weighs four pounds, is set with 4,410 natural diamonds in every cut imaginable — pear, heart, round, oval, marquise and more — and is anchored by a 75.54-carat radiant-cut Fancy Vivid yellow diamond said to be worth $22 million alone. Fifteen craftspeople spent 1,000 hours building it. Jenner paired the bra with a sheer skirt over lingerie bottoms, walking the runway as her boyfriend Timothee Chalamet, her mother Kris Jenner and Kris's partner Corey Gamble cheered from the audience.
Jacob Arabo, founder of Jacob & Co., said he set out to create "the most expensive Fantasy Bra ever made" while also telling a story through the design. The piece outstrips even the legendary "Red Hot Fantasy Bra" worn by Gisele Bundchen in 2000, which was valued at $15 million — the previous record holder until tonight. Previous Fantasy Bra wearers include Claudia Schiffer (who debuted the concept in a 1996 ad campaign with the "Million Dollar Miracle Bra"), Heidi Klum (the first to wear one on a televised runway, in 2001's "Heavenly Star Bra") and Adriana Lima, who shares with Klum the record of three Fantasy Bra appearances each.
A new Angel is crowned
The show also crowned a new Angel through a nationwide casting process documented in the brand's "Angels Among Us" docuseries, which has been streaming on YouTube since September. Solange Omon, 21, originally from Cameroon and now living, working and studying in Maine, beat thousands of entrants from open calls in Los Angeles, Miami, Houston and Chicago to make her runway debut on Sunday.
Omon earned her place among the final ten in Chicago with what judges described as a bubbly personality, then advanced through runway training, photo shoots and fittings in New York alongside the other finalists. The final three were Omon, Andreina Martinez and Tatyana Tinsley. After learning she had won, Omon told People it was "the happiest day of my life," driving straight to her mother's house to share the news. More than 100,000 people were reported to have taken part in the casting process overall, and the winner is expected to receive an IMG Models contract.
Returning icons and new faces on the cast
The 2026 runway mixed returning supermodels with new faces. Gigi Hadid — confirmed as this year's first announced cast member back in July — made her fifth appearance in the show, dazzling in sequinned wings with fringed detailing. Longest-serving Angel Adriana Lima returned for her 21st year on the brand's runway in a lime-green lace bodysuit. Candice Swanepoel, Alessandra Ambrosio, Behati Prinsloo, Liu Wen, Anok Yai, Imaan Hammam and Paloma Elsesser were among the returning names.
Bella Hadid opened the show in beaded floral wings and a lime-green pareo. Doutzen Kroes walked in petalled wings. Barbara Palvin returned just one month after giving birth to her first child, wearing a Barbie-pink look while her husband Dylan Sprouse cheered from the sidelines — and both Palvin and Elsa Hosk (who last wore the Fantasy Bra in 2018, ending an eight-year absence from the runway) drew praise as new mothers on the catwalk.
The new generation was strongly represented. Natalia Bryant, the 23-year-old daughter of Vanessa Bryant and the late basketball legend Kobe Bryant, made her Victoria's Secret runway debut, with Vanessa and Nicole Kidman watching from the front row. Jordan Leftwich, a Victoria's Secret Pink campaign model since 2024, also debuted. Professional soccer player Trinity Rodman joined the Pink halftime segment — continuing a recent tradition of athletes on the runway, following basketball player Angel Reese and Olympic gymnast Suni Lee in 2025. Brazilian model Luiza Perote, whose credits include Chanel, Hermes and Jean Paul Gaultier, and Christina Nadin were also among the newcomers. Lisa Rinna and daughter Delilah Belle Hamlin attended to support Amelia Gray's second appearance in the show.
An all-women music lineup
Music was once again central to the production, with an all-women lineup for the third year running: Megan Thee Stallion, Tate McRae, Katseye and Megan Moroney performed live. McRae used the show for the global premiere of her new single "Housewife," followed by "Dear God" and "Sports Car," performing in a fiery red set after appearing on the pink carpet in a crystal-embellished butterfly crop top. Megan Thee Stallion indicated she would take to the catwalk herself as well as perform.
The live-streaming strategy is a deliberate shift. Moving the event to Los Angeles — "the birthplace of glamour, stardom and icons," as the brand put it — and making YouTube the primary broadcast partner signals Victoria's Secret's push to combine nostalgic spectacle with accessible, free streaming and social-first engagement, rather than chasing a traditional television audience.
Why this show matters for the brand
The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was cancelled after 2018 amid criticism that its imagery felt dated, and its return in 2024 was widely seen as a test of whether the brand could modernise. The 2026 edition — with its fan-won tickets through the "Weekly Ticket Drop," the open-casting docuseries, athlete and creator cameos, and a free YouTube broadcast — represents the brand's clearest attempt yet at a new playbook: keep the wings, the confetti and the spectacle, but widen the door to who gets to walk through it.
Whether the revival succeeds as a business move will take time to measure, but the attention metrics are already extraordinary: "victoria secret" surged to more than 200,000 searches worldwide within hours of the show, alongside trending terms for Cindy Crawford's son, Barbara Palvin and Adriana Lima — all tied to the runway. For a brand betting its future on relevance, one evening in Culver City produced exactly what the old shows used to deliver: a global conversation. Sources: People, 18-19 October 2026; Page Six, 18-19 October 2026; Hello! Magazine, 18 October 2026; Fashiony Magazine, 15-16 October 2026; Particle News, 19 October 2026.
For context on the industry around the show, see what fast fashion is and how the industry works, and on the streaming era of big live events, the 2026 Streamer Awards nominees announced this month.
October's other great costume spectacle is just around the corner: our Halloween 2026 trends guide tracks the costume and decor ideas everyone is searching for this year.