Life & Style | Beauty & Fashion
Victoria's Secret fashion show
Victoria's Secret angels and Hollywood celebs steamed up the legendary Miami Beach resort in Florida at the most famous lingerie show in the world.
- By Jane Ferguson in Miami, Sub Editor
- Published: 23:50 November 16, 2008
- Heidi Klum at the annual Victoria's Secret fashion show.
- Image Credit: Reuters
Take droves of A-list celebrities, spice it up with the annual Victoria's Secret fashion show, and throw in the re-opening of a Miami Beach resort in Florida and you get an all-weekend $5 million (Dh18 million) party and an event that raises the bar on parties globally.
As Nakheel Hotels joined the celebrations on the opening of the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Resort, a hotel it has spent $375 million (Dh1.3 billion) to buy a 50 per cent stake in, politicians, musicians and actors descended on Miami for the event.
Despite the Victoria's Secret angels cutting the ribbon on Friday night to officially announce the hotel open and to kickstart revelries, it was Gwyneth Paltrow's entrance that caused a furore for the world's media.
The hotel's iconic Chateau lobby was packed with the rich and famous, from P. Diddy (plus his enormous entourage) to Sultan Ahmad Bin Sulayem, Chairman of Dubai World — Nakheel's mother company.
Friday witnessed a party that boasted superb performances by Robin Thicke and Mariah Carey in the ballroom. Thicke serenaded the audience with an extended version of his hit Lost Without U and got the crowd dancing. Carey, who was natural and relaxed on stage, sang a set that included old classics like Hero and her recent release Touch My Body.
The party lasted well into the night, with the relaxed crowd munching on lobster tails and oysters, speculating about who would be arriving the next day for the show's "Secret" entertainment. I had already interrogated my driver on the way from the airport earlier that afternoon about who he had collected, and was ensured my excitement was in order.
The next morning started what became a common theme: various music genres blasted from different corners. There was music everywhere, from hip-hop by the pool, to trance by the bar, to jazz by the VIP entrance. The hotel that prides itself on having been the drinking hole of choice for Frank Sinatra clearly still puts much thought into its aural offerings. As a result, it was impossible to escape the celebratory feeling.
The establishment is determined (and successfully managing to) keep its image as the hangout of choice for recognisable faces. As such, a permanent sense of déjà vu prevailed in the lobby (by now the established meeting place for pre-evening's entertainment) on Saturday night. Looking around the room, almost every face could be recognised from the small and the silver screen.
Bring back the glamour
The Victoria's Secret fashion show delivered on its promised theme — to "bring back the glamour". Dozens of the world's most beautiful women strutted in front of images from the hotel's 1950s glorious past. Usher came on stage to sing and dance around the models who sashayed along the glitter-filled runway. Apparent from the start, this was no standard fashion show, as the hip-hop superstar locked and popped his way up and down the stage in front of a live orchestra shortly before the background screen was raised to reveal fireworks by the pool.
Miami has long enjoyed a reputation as the American playground of the rich. The palaces abutting beachside hotels is an image well-earned over the holiday tradition in the sunshine state. Fontainebleau and Nakheel's re-opening of the Miami Beach Resort has upped the ante on the city as a top travel destination. If this weekend's event is an indicator of things to come, then expect great things from mega-events in Miami from now on.
Theme of the show
The Victoria's Secerts lingerie show featured a series of delicately tailored interpretations of the theme. On show was everything to be expected from such a display of underwear, but with 10-foot sparkling bows, butterfly wings and the backstage presence of 1950s-style dancers in bathing suits and tuxedoed musicians.
The variations on art deco glamour included lines named "Goddess", "Dangerous", and "Ballet de Fleur", as corsets, panties, gowns and stockings stayed true to feminine designs, sporting flowers and butterflies.
The new sexy is glamorous
Victoria's Secret's angels have descended upon Miami Beach. Singer Usher kicked off the Victoria's Secret show on Saturday, which featured 35 supermodels, some wearing angel wings. Models including Heidi Klum and Adriana Lima strutted down the runway at the newly renovated Fontainebleau Miami Beach Resort during the show, which coincided with the opulent reopening of the hotel.
"The theme of the show is a return to glamour," said company CEO Sharen Turney. "Victoria's Secret is about sexy and the new sexy is glamorous for this season."
The catwalk glittered and two silver palm trees adorned the stage. Models showed 68 outfits, including the $5 million (Dh18.36 million) Black Diamond Fantasy Miracle Bra worn by Lima and designed by jeweller Martin Katz. It is decorated with white and black diamonds and rubies, and will be for sale in the company's catalog, Katz said.
"You could wear it as an open top," he said. "It looks like a finished top."
Lima said she was excited to be wearing it.
"I always wanted to wear the Fantasy Bra. It's the first time that Victoria's Secret makes a black diamond bra," Lima said. "A woman could definitely buy it if they love it and men too."
Themes in the show included glamorous goddesses and bold colours with geometric designs influenced from the 1920s. Professional dancers wore one-piece bathing suits for one segment and models got playful with Usher when he performed.
There were also designs from the youthful Pink collection, along with pastels, florals and a black tie theme.
Models wore gilded bras with Swarovski crystals attached. There was also a gold sculpted feather body piece that curved around the model's body. Metal sculpted laurel leaves were also worn around some of the models' necks.
Model Karolina Kurkova wore a bra and underwear in a diaphanous hand-dyed, pleated, draped gown with a leather belt and gilded feather jewelry. Meanwhile, Klum was in a cutaway evening gown of handprinted silk, tulle and duchess satin, decorated with red roses.
Another model wore a crystal yarn, knitted catsuit with a hard leather lacquer belt and boots by Pierre Hardy.
For the Pink collection, a model wore a recycled plastic bag jacket and skirt on top of a handknitted bra and boy briefs.
A model also walked down the runway in a quilted, velvet body corset embellished with ostrich feathers and crystals.
It's "a celebration of sophistication and elegance... our way to do a new take on holiday celebrations," said Todd Thomas, the costume designer.
For the finale, Klum stepped onto the catwalk in a red bra, underwear and sparkling, red wings, which were made to resemble a bow on a present.
Wing designer Martin Izquierdo made seven pairs of wings for the show. He said he turned to Greek mythology, butterflies and even designed a pair with spiderwebs on rose branches that are composed of crystals.
Miranda Kerr, who wore the wings with the multicoloured butterflies, said "it adds a whole theatrical aspect" to the show.
Meanwhile, celebrities spotted on the pink carpet included P. Diddy, Russell Simmons, Michelle Trachtenberg, John Stamos, Kim and Kourtney Kardashian and Martha Stewart.
"We watch the show every year on TV, so it's really cool to see it in person," Kim Kardashian said.
Debbie Harry said she likes the big production.
"The show, it's based on lingerie, but it's about creating an event," she said. "It's just a big, wild extravaganza and I think that's what attracts me."
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