The 5 Most Iconic Victoria’s Secret Wings of All Time
Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show began in 1995, featuring different themes that enthrall viewers and fans. Models aspired to walk in the iconic show and dreamed of donning a pair of wings. The 2025 show, just the third since a brief hiatus as Victoria’s Secret reworked the concept, featured some massive names in the modeling industry and even welcomed two sports legends onto the catwalk. The wings were just as spectacular this year as in years gone by, but let’s take a look at some of the most iconic wings of the past. We’ve collected five of the most iconic Victoria’s Secret wings to be featured in a show ever. Do you think these should make the cut?
The addition of Victoria’s Secret angel wings was iconic from the very start, with Tyra Banks wearing the first pair
The Victoria’s Secret fashion show began in 1995, but the original shows lacked the theatrical nature of the more recent events. The Victoria’s Secret angel wings, which heralded in the era of the VS Angels, were not introduced until 1998. That is the year Tyra Banks donned a white lingerie set and matching angel wings to strut down the runway.
The original set of Victoria’s Secret angel wings was fairly simplistic, featuring just white feathers. In fact, they are by far the simplest wings featured on this list. Still, they remain iconic not only because they were the first pair ever worn, but because of how confident and bold Banks looked walking down the runway in them. She was an absolute vision, and the moment defined an entire era in the company’s history.
Candice Swanepoel stunned with a steampunk look this year
More than 25 years after Tyra Banks was tasked with defining the era, Candice Swanepoel’s wings went in a completely different direction. The wings looked surprisingly inspired by steampunk. Victoria’s Secret has played around with many different looks over the years, and gold-dipped wings have been a choice before. Still, Swanepoel’s entire ensemble simply ate, with a steampunk vibe we’ve rarely seen before.
According to Page Six, the 36-year-old model wore a brown bra and thong set, along with thigh-high stockings. The golden wings were almost mechanical-looking in nature and were highlighted by a series of large crystal jewels wrapped around Swanepoel’s neck. Swanepoel is a veteran Angel, having walked in 13 shows for Victoria’s Secret.
Elsa Hosk’s Swarovski Crystal wings were valued at $1 million
In 2017, Elsa Hosk was a relatively new Angel, with just a couple of shows on her resume. That didn’t stop the company from entrusting her to strut her stuff with hundreds of thousands of Swarovski crystals strapped to her back. Hosk walked a Shanghai runway wearing a pair of Victoria’s Secret Angel wings with 275,000 crystals. The wings weighed in at 30 pounds and were estimated to cost around $1 million.
Vogue Australia caught up with Hosk that year, who gushed about donning the coveted wings for Victoria’s Secret’s 15th year of partnering with Swarovski. Hosk told the outlet that the wings were heavy and pulled her backward. She said she put in some serious ab work to ensure she had the strength to carry them successfully. She got up and down the runway without incident.
A winter wonderland look turned heads in 2003
Heidi Klum has worn some massive Angel Wings over the years. A wing designer for Victoria’s Secret revealed that this was intentional. In Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons, a docuseries about the company and its famed fashion shows, Martin Izquierdo, a designer, revealed that Klum demanded the largest wings for the televised fashion event. She got her way.
That’s probably what led to her wintery wings in 2003. In the show, Klum donned massive white and gold wings that featured a lightweight structure that towered over the model. She also wore a second set of wings in the show that were a bit more playful. They also fed into the wintry theme of the event.
Gisele Bundchen’s red and black feather look was bold and dramatic
In 2005, Gisele Bundchen shocked fans when she appeared on the runway wearing an extreme, bold pair of angel wings. Over the years, Victoria’s Secret experimented with different bold looks, but most of the Angel Wings featured in the famed fashion show up until that point had maintained an overall ethereal feel.
Bundchen’s red wings felt exceedingly bold and pretty fresh. The red wings weren’t huge; they didn’t overwhelm her look, but they were expertly sculpted and felt like a seamless part of her outfit. Bundchen’s red wings were talked about for days.
