Public Appearances > 2024 > Sep 09 – Oscar De La Renta New York fragrance launch with Laura Kim, Fernando Garcia and Candice Swanepoel
What? You thought we’d be back without one of our most iconic models? We couldn’t be more thrilled to announce her long-awaited return to the runway this fall. While you wait, read below to learn a bit more about the VS veteran, her thoughts on the show’s return, and more.
Q: How does it feel to be part of the show’s return?
A: “So exciting! The show was such a big part of every year for so many years, I’ve missed it!”
Q: What does the show’s return mean to you?
A: “It means I get to spend time with friends and colleagues I haven’t seen in ages. Each show was such a bonding experience for us all, I can’t wait to make new epic memories.”
Q: What are you most excited about?
A: “I always get really excited about the music and styling of the show—the creative side of it all.”
Q: What do you think the show returning means for other women?
A: “The show really had a huge influence on women—whether it inspired them, it was a night to celebrate with their friends, or to celebrate being a woman, it was a phenomenon and women all over the world dialed in to see it every year. All the women I know are beyond excited the show is back.”
Q:What’s your first memory with Victoria’s Secret?
A: “Doing my first show in 2007 in Los Angeles.”
Q: How do you feel most strong?
A: “When I’m the healthiest version of me, when I’m physically strong it helps me feel mentally strong.”
Q: You’ve walked in the VSFS before—how does this time feel different?
A: “I’ll let you know how it felt afterwards :)”
Q: What are you most excited to see return?
A: “The glamour of the iconic shows of the past.”
What do you love most about the VS Fashion Show coming back?
I’m so excited that the iconic Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is back this fall—runway, glamour, wings, and all! I’m most looking forward to being reunited with and getting to know all the women involved—it really is one big family backstage. There’s nothing like it.
Tell me about your experience shooting the new Dream campaign. What was your favorite part?
Shooting for the Victoria’s Secret Dream campaign in such an ethereal setting in London was surreal, and the beautiful gardens and chic backdrops brought the collection to life. It’s always such a treat spending time with my VS family, and I especially had a blast getting to be playful while shooting our campaign video around Longleat House.
What’s your favorite way to style slip dresses and slip skirts? How would you style them differently for daytime versus nighttime?
I love to flex my creative muscle when styling pieces from day to night. Slip dresses and skirts are great staples for packing because they are so versatile. I like to style slip dresses and slip skirts with an oversize light sweater or a tank with fun, bright jewelry and sneakers. To take the look into the evening, I would swap in an oversize blazer, kitten heels, and a great statement bag. A gorgeous corset can also pair so well with a slip skirt—and this VS Dream collection has such beautiful corsets and stunning colorways of slip skirts that are must-gets!
What is your all-time favorite VS underwear and why?
The No-Show Thong Panty is my ultimate closet staple for a perfectly seamless look and all-day comfort. While my drawers are filled with neutral tones, I love to pick up seasonal colors to mix it up!
RELATED LINKS
Victoria’s Secret > 2024 > Campaigns > Dream Angels
First things first, how do you take your tea?
“Milk, no sugar. Yeah, I would say milky.”
If modeling were to *poof* disappear, what would you want to do?
“I would probably become some wild woman living in the jungle—teaching my children to farm and live off the land.”
Can you give us three modeling tips?
“Confidence, courage, and I feel like you need a lot of curiosity.”
Name something beautiful.
“Behati.”
Name something comfortable.
“My sweatpants, which I live in if I’m not working.”
Where do you feel the most comfortable?
“At home, in my bed, doing nothing.”
Tell us about a memory from a past VS shoot or show.
“A lot of the moments with just being together with people that I spent a lot of time with and grew to love, hanging out before shoots, being in amazing locations, and those in-between moments of connection and camaraderie.”
Endless clothing allowance or endless travel allowance?
“Endless travel allowance, for sure.”
What’s something people don’t know about you?
“I’m quite a recluse. I’m an introvert.”
Victoria’s Secret released a new campaign starring Candice Swanepoel, Behati Prinsloo, Devyn Garcia, Mayowa Nicholas and Taylor Marie Hill.
RELATED LINKS
Victoria’s Secret > 2024 > Campaigns > Dream Angels
Screen Captures > Victoria’s Secret > Campaigns > Dream Angels [2024]
Screen Captures > Victoria’s Secret > Campaigns > Dream Angels [Instagram]
V MAGAZINE: Let’s start with the shoot. Can you describe that day?
CANDICE SWANEPOEL: I think all of us have been through a lot of crazy shoots. It was actually a really pleasurable day.
KATE UPTON: It was such a lovely day, which instantly puts you in a good mood. Plus, we were wearing workout clothes, so there’s a comfort level that you don’t always get on high fashion shoots. Also, I feel like, in the last couple of years, a little bit of creativity has been lost in editorial shoots… There have been so many recent shoots when they’ve been like, “Just come and be yourself.” And I think, I don’t really want to come on set and be me (laughs). I’m here to create something. And that’s really what this shoot felt like.
DAIANE SODRE: I want to add that it was one of the most special days of my career. Working with so many creative people and with two beautiful supermodels, I had to pinch myself so many times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.
ISABELI FONTANA: The day on set surpassed my expectations and I felt revitalized with the group. It’s always refreshing to be surrounded by art, creativity, and professionalism. I’m very excited for the results.
V: What are the best and hardest parts of your job?
MARIA KLAUMANN: The best part of the job is traveling the world, meeting new people, and being open to embodying different personalities in each job. The worst part is that the career is very uncertain, with irregular jobs and, most importantly, no guarantee of success.
IF: The most rewarding part of the job is how special I feel to be part of a major team like this and to be able to inspire others. The hardest part is that we must deal with insecurities and are not able to have a routine. Fashion requires us to live in several places, in several time zones. I have the opportunity to travel all over the world and am so thankful for that. However, many times I land in a city and have to go from the airport to the studio and from the studio to the hotel. I end up not even knowing the city I’m in. That being said, I am extremely grateful for the profession and the path I have taken in fashion.
V: For those of you who’ve modeled for many years now, how has the work changed?
CS: The beauty of our jobs is that it’s always evolving. Some people like change. Sometimes I do, and sometimes I fight against it a bit. We spend so much time figuring out how to navigate a world, and then once you’ve figured it out, it changes. The other day, I had to make a “Get Ready With Me” video, and I felt like it was easier for me to fly 15 hours across the world and to do a 12-hour day than to make one of those videos (laughs).
KU: I’ve never questioned my life more (laughs). For those of us who didn’t grow up knowing how to navigate these new apps, it can be really difficult. The content now is very much in real-time, and is very raw, which I like as well, but personally, I prefer the glamor of the old-school way of making content. Honestly, social media has changed every industry. Now you’re coming from a place of analytics. I see it in my husband’s [Justin Verlander] job playing baseball, too. Like, “Oh, how many new followers did you get? How many views?” It’s so funny because fashion never felt honest to people, but it actually was honest. And now it can be very calculated.
DS: I think it’s made the market much more versatile. You’re going to be able to see more bodies and ages. It also gave us another platform for work, especially during COVID. And a voice. For example, I’m an ambassador for three different charities, [Delivering Good, Larger Than Life USA, and Love Together Brazil], and I’m able to use [my] platform for that.
KU: That’s exactly why we needed her on set. We need this young positive energy (laughs). But yes, in the old-school world, it was hard to make a name for yourself. And there were only like five or six girls who were able to accomplish that. Social media expanded that and gave so many models platforms.
V: You ladies are very busy and very booked. I wonder what your ideal day looks like when you’re not working.
MK: My dream day would be skiing, then going to the spa, followed by sitting around a warm fire with family and friends.
DS: My perfect day would be on the beach, maybe in Miami, drinking coconut water, and having a massage with my dog next to me.
IF: A dream day would be getting a big house right in front of the beach to bring my family and friends to stay the entire day on the beach, eating great, and dancing.
CS: Mine would be sleeping until I want to because that’s not a part of my day anymore. So my perfect day would start with sleeping in, spending time outside on the beach, or in nature with my kids. Eating good food, listening to some good music, and massages would be involved for me as well. And going to sleep early. Like, my guilty pleasure is sleep.
KU: My dream day is similar. Spending time with my family, doing something outside, whether it’s in nature or the water, paddle boarding, something involving animals—like going to a farm…Then having a movie night, staying in, having a good meal, and going to sleep early.
V: I love that three supermodels have the same ideal day, which basically involves sleeping, eating, being outside, and then it’s a toss-up between massages or hanging with kids.
KU: We’re really into necessities these days.
V: Who are some of your fashion icons?
MK: Growing up in Brazil, I always admired iconic supermodels such as Gisele Bündchen, Adriana Lima, and Isabeli Fontana. To get the chance to work with Isabeli, in V Magazine nonetheless, was a dream come true. She is constantly inspiring me, and I feel honored to receive guidance from her.
IF: Stephanie Seymour, always.
V: With this story, we’re playing up the “traditional” use of the term bombshell. But the word has actually gone on an interesting journey full of changes in meaning. What does it mean to you today?
CS: In the past, a bombshell was purely about how women looked. It was meant to suggest that the woman was a sex symbol, but today it refers to women who are strong, confident, and successful.
DS: When someone calls me a bombshell, I take it (laughs). For me, every time and anytime I hear the expression “bombshell,” it is always in a positive way. I think of it as a strong, powerful, smart, and sexy woman that not only just owns who she is, but is able to influence people by expressing her sexuality, her wit, and her charm…The first thing that comes to my mind are the angels from Victoria’s Secret, Brigitte Bardot, Marilyn Monroe, etc. Bombshell has been used on some of the most influential, powerful women for generations.
KU: It’s interesting how “bombshell” has historically implied something “devastating” or “dangerous.” But to whom? Confident and empowered women have always disrupted the status quo. Previously it seems the term was most closely associated with a woman’s looks, and now it has grown to so much more. Today, “bombshell” signifies women fighting for basic rights of humanity such as reproductive rights, ownership of our bodies, gender pay gaps, and justice against violence and harassment. Did you know that until the 1970s, women in the U.S. were considered their husbands’ property? It’s sad that fighting for these basic rights is considered metaphorical to a bomb, but if that’s the case, then I’m proud to do so. I embrace being a “bombshell” and am grateful for others doing the same—mothers, career women, creatives, activists, politicians, leaders, and more.
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