The last time the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show lit up Los Angeles was 2007. Heidi Klum hosted, Adriana Lima opened the runway, Selita Ebanks wore the million-dollar “Very Sexy Holiday” bra, and Candice Swanepoel made her angel debut as Will.I.Am, Seal and the Spice Girls performed. It was a night people still talk about.

Almost twenty years on, the annual spectacle has come back to the West Coast for its 2026 edition, and it arrived with a sense of reunion. Lima and Swanepoel are both back on the catwalk, joined by fellow veterans Alex Consani, Anok Yai, Ashley Graham, Devyn Garcia, Gigi Hadid, Imaan Hammam, Joan Smalls, Liu Wen and Paloma Elsesser.

The lineup carried a few quieter stories too. Barbara Palvin returned for her fifth season, just a month after welcoming her first child with Dylan Sprouse.

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Amelia Gray Hamlin, Abby Champion and Precious Lee, who all debuted last season, committed to their second appearances. Elsa Hosk made a grand return after an eight-year break.

The night was also built to be watched from anywhere. The show streamed on Victoria’s Secret’s official Instagram, TikTok and YouTube channels, with performances from Megan Thee Stallion, Tate McRae, Katseye and Megan Moroney.

On the pink carpet, Nicole Kidman and her daughter Sunday Rose Kidman Urban, Jordyn Woods and Tinashe took their places in the front row.

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The runway itself read like a roll call of fashion’s recent decades. Bella Hadid, Irina Shayk, Alessandra Ambrosio, Doutzen Kroes, Caroline Trentini, Jasmine Tookes, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Behati Prinsloo Levine were all there.

So were Vittoria Ceretti, Cindy Bruna, Daiane Sodre, Abény Nhial, Malika El Maslouhi, He Cong, Ming Xi and Grace Elizabeth.

The newer faces included Rawleen Varghese, Luna Yohannan, Bertie Salazar, Awar Odhiang, Tara Falla, Emeline Hoareau, Gabriela Moura, Yumi Nu and Luíza Perote.

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The wider guest list was just as eclectic. Natalia Bryant, Trinity Rodman, Jordan Leftwich, Iris Law, Marlee Guillory, Presley Kiffin, Felice Nova, Breanna Ivy, Honey Ordoñez, Quenlin Blackwell, Sydney Waits, Christina Nadin, Christine Bashombana, Yasmin Wijnaldum, Mathilda Gvarliani and Rosalieke Fuchs all appeared, and Kylie Jenner was among those in attendance.

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The question, as always, is what a Victoria’s Secret show means now. This one answered with range, veterans and newcomers, a new mother and a returning angel, music and sport and fashion in the same room. It was a spectacle, and for one Sunday evening in Los Angeles, it was also a homecoming.