Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2014

The super sexy Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show event brought an all-star cast of Angels including Candice Swanepoel, Doutzen Kroes, and Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima, who each sported a coveted Dream Angels Fantasy Bra worth $2 million. For the first time in the 19-year history of the event it took place in London and high-profile guests like Olivia Palermo, Ellie Goulding, and Kate Moss’s sister, Lottie, were given a black-tie dress code based on the event’s theme — Truman Capote’s famous Manhattan Black and White Ball in 1966.

It was the biggest show ever in the events history, taking place at the Earls Court exhibition centre and some 3,400 guests watched the gorgeous Angels strut their stuff on the runway. The show was organised into 6 segments — Gilded Angels, Exotic Traveler, Dream Girl, Fairy Tale, University of Pink, and Angel Ball — and, as tradition has it, all the models congregated on the runway for a huge, balloon filled finale.

This year there were two Fantasy Bras worth 2 million dollars a piece and encrusted in diamonds, rubies, sapphires and 18k gold. They were modelled by Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima, who have been walking the show longest. Click here to read our feature on the Fantasy Bra.

The show was indeed an entertainment spectacle and it wasn’t just the models stunning bodies that kept the audience clapping and cheering throughout – it was also the elaborate, theatrical costumes in which they were clad and the combination of lights, effects and fantastic musical performances.

Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran and Hozier joined the models and sang as they twirled down the catwalk in huge feathery cloaks and jackets — like giant peacocks. Then there were the wings which looked like architectural masterpieces – some with feathers, some sculpted in gold, others iridescent just like Tinkerbell and others exotic dragonfly-shaped.

Taylor Swift performed Blank Space and Style, Ed Sheeran performed Thinking Out Loud (and naturally, found it very difficult to concentrate), Ariana Grande performed Love Me Harder, Bang Bang, Break Free and Problem and Hozier performed Take Me to Church.

“It’s supposed to be fun, and it’s perfectly appropriate to get off your rich English butts, stand up and enjoy the show,” said Ed Razek, president and chief marketing officer at Limited Brands (Victoria’s Secret’s parent).

Backstage was almost as pretty as centre stage with all 47 models dressed in matching baby-pink satin robes. They spent the majority of the afternoon preparing for the show, although not an awful lot of make-up was used, leaving the girls’ natural good looks to shine. “You don’t book a whole set of gorgeous girls and then change them,” makeup artist Dick Page said. He likened the models to “a genetically gifted group of children.”

Of course, nobody is perfect. “They’re teenagers some of them, so they do have the occasional breakout. We’re lucky in the sense that we’re not stuck in the middle of a whole batch of other shows, so they don’t have the stress of coming late from fittings or other shows, or running through London, and having their make-up taken on and off ten times a day. That’s what really breaks the skin down. They’re a bit more rested — apart from the fact that they all got flown in on the plane yesterday as a special delivery.” Page added.

All the glitter, gold and Angel dust did a lot of good with the event raising more than $2.5 million for charities through ticket sales. Many charities including the American Cancer Society, Pelotonia and Gabriel’s Angels, auctioned pairs of tickets for the show fetching prices in excess of $25,000.