When the spotlight lit up the runway at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on October 15, 2025, it wasn’t just another fashion night. It was a reunion. Two of modeling’s biggest names — sisters Gigi and Bella Hadid — stepped onto the Victoria’s Secret stage once again, reminding everyone why we still chant their names long after their first walks. In a return full of flair, evolution, and sisterhood, they didn’t just walk — they owned it.
The Return of the Iconic Show
A show with legacy — and reinvention
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show has had a storied past. After being held annually from 1995 through 2018 (with a few pauses), the brand paused its runway spectacle, citing cultural pressures and criticisms over body image and relevance.
Then in 2024, the show made a comeback. That revival was met with both excitement and scrutiny — could it adapt to modern expectations while retaining the spectacle we remember?
2025’s edition carried that tension forward. With more attention to inclusivity, representation, and fresh energy, the show invited back legacy names and rising stars alike.
Amidst all that, Gigi and Bella’s return felt like a bridge — between past and present, between iconic Angels and evolving fashion narratives.
The stage is set
The 2025 show was staged on October 15 at Steiner Studios in New York City.
The model roster was packed: former Angels like Adriana Lima, Behati Prinsloo, Candice Swanepoel, as well as returning models Bella, Gigi, Irina Shayk, Joan Smalls, and newcomers like Angel Reese, Yumi Nu, Emily Ratajkowski, and more.
It wasn’t just about familiar faces; the show leaned into diversity, pushing against some of the criticisms that halted its legacy.
In that environment, the Hadid sisters’ presence carried added weight: not as relics of the past, but as relevant stars returning with intention.
Gigi Hadid: From Pink Petals to Angel Wings
A confident comeback
For Gigi Hadid, 2025 wasn’t just another walk — it was a homecoming with layers. She first debuted on Victoria’s Secret runways in 2015 and has had a complicated but persistent relationship with the brand.
At 30, she carried her experience with grace, especially in her first look: a pink lace two-piece lingerie set paired with a dramatic floral cape. The cape was layered with petal-like details, adding texture and movement. Her hair was pinned back, letting her face and expression dominate.
Later, she reemerged as a classic “Angel” — in white, with quilts of wings that felt both iconic and reinterpreted. She wore a skipper camisole-and-shorts set, allo
wing the wings to be the focal external flourish.
Her transformations through the two walks showed range: floral fantasy, then serene angelic elegance. Each showed mastery of persona and stage.
What it meant for her journey
In interviews and social media reflections, Gigi has often spoken about the pressures and critiques early in her career. This return felt more mature — less about proving, more about expressing.
Her dual looks echoed her versatility: she can evoke softness, drama, and classical beauty all in one show. For fans, longtime and new, it confirmed that Gigi is not just a past favorite but a continuing force in runway storytelling.
Bella Hadid: Bold Return & Personal Triumph
Battling more than just the runway
Bella’s return to the Victoria’s Secret stage came with weight and context. In recent months, she has contended with health challenges — she was hospitalized and is known to manage chronic issues (including Lyme disease)
— and had taken breaks from modeling.
Walking this show was more than a fashion statement — it was an assertion of resilience.
Statement in red, then shimmer
Bella’s first look was unapologetically bold. She wore a red lingerie set with lacy detail, sheer tights, matching garter straps, and a cape-like satin robe draped around her elbows. She added in ‘90s glam stylings to complete the fierce vibe.
Her abs were on display; she carried the look with confidence and poise.
Then she returned in a shimmering silver ensemble — fringe, lace, and wings of white petals served as a graceful counterpoint to her first fiery walk.
Her hair also caught attention: she debuted a lighter, almost platinum-blonde hue, a striking change that heightened the visual drama.
What this comeback symbolizes
Bella had not walked many runways in recent times, focusing on rest and recovery. Her return to VS was a statement: she still commands space, still has presence, still tells stories through fashion. The vulnerability of her journey — health, pause, return — added emotional weight to her walk.
In interviews and coverage, many remarked on her courage to reappear in such a visible arena.
This was not just about lingerie and wings. It was about resilience, reclamation, and beauty that persists even through adversity.
The Power of Sisterhood & Stage Presence
Walking (separately) in tandem
One of the sweetest undercurrents of the 2025 show was the sense of shared narrative. Gigi and Bella didn’t walk arm in arm, but there was a visual conversation between their looks — pink and red, floral and angelic, light and bold. Vogue even called it “turning the show into a sister affair.”
Their color choices mirrored a tradition: in the 2024 show, Gigi embraced pink and Bella red. The echo this year felt intentional, like themes continuing across seasons.
After the show, the sisters took their behind-the-scenes moment too: in pajamas, couches, pizza, and relaxing — a contrast to glamour, and a reminder of the people behind the personas.
That contrast — pageant stage vs. quiet sister night — is part of what makes their joint story compelling.
Audience & press reaction
Critics and fashion watchers largely greeted them with enthusiasm. Many said their walks were among the most memorable of the night.
Social media lit up with praise, especially for Bella’s comeback after health challenges. The duo’s presence also lent credibility to the show’s revival — bringing star power and emotional resonance.
For fans, this was confirmation: the Hadids are more than legacy names. They remain relevant, bold, evolving.
Highlights & Memorable Moments of the Night
Look to remember: Gigi’s pink cape
Floral, volumetric, eye-catching — her pink cape became a moment in itself. As she walked, the petals fluttered, catching reflections under the runway lights. It was fashion theater, anchored in her presence.
The angel reimagined
Every VS show needs wings. But the 2025 wings worn by both sisters were not just repetition — they felt fresh. Quilted, petal-adorned, large but not overwhelming. For Gigi, her white ensemble made the wings feel like a reveal; for Bella, the petals contrasted the metallic fringe.
Red as empowerment
Bella’s red number — lingerie, sheer, garter, robe — was framed not as overly sexual but as command — bold and unapologetic. Her confidence turned the color into a symbol.
After hours: from runway to comfort
The image of the sisters, post-show, comfortably lounging in pajamas with pizza — that struck many as charming, humanizing, and a reminder that behind the wings are real people.
The Show in Broader Perspective
VS’s challenge: legacy vs relevance
Victoria’s Secret has been under pressure in recent years — facing critique over body standards, inclusivity, and brand ethos. The 2025 show leaned into diversity, mixing legacy models with newer faces, pushing for inclusivity while honoring its glamorous roots.
Returning icons like the Hadid sisters help to anchor continuity and excitement: they bring history, star power, and media attention. But their presence also raises expectations — can the show evolve beyond spectacle? Many believe the 2025 edition nudged it forward.
A new generation
One compelling aspect of the 2025 cast: mixing veterans with new names. Emily Ratajkowski, Angel Reese, Yumi Nu, beyond others, walked alongside former Angels. That blend challenges the notion that Victoria’s Secret is old-fashioned — it suggests rebirth.
m as both icons and collaborators in the brand’s next chapter.
Media, fandom & legacy
Their participation commanded social media buzz, fashion columns, and meme cycles. Stylists, photographers, fashion critics all engaged in post-show breakdowns of their walks, wardrobe shifts, and runway aura.
For fans who’ve followed them for years, this show felt like a moment of validation: their idols still have that moment, that light, that presence.
A Walk Forward
What can we glean from “Gigi & Bella Hadid Shine on Victoria’s Secret Runway 2025”?
Artistry meets narrative: Their walks weren’t isolated moments; they told a story — not just of beauty, but of evolution, contrast, and identity.
Resilience matters: Bella’s return after health struggles and break showed endurance. Gigi’s return showed growth.
The importance of legacy voices: In a revival era for VS, having names like Gigi and Bella helps bridge old audiences and new.
Fashion as evolving conversation: The show is no longer just spectacle — it’s under scrutiny. Its success depends on how much it can adapt with meaning, not only with glitz.
Sisterhood as soft power: They didn’t need to overtly support each other on stage. Their visual dialogue, paired walks, and post-show moments offered a deeper emotional resonance.
In a world where fashion and media are always chasing the next trend, Gigi and Bella’s presence grounded the show in continuity. They reminded us that stars aren’t just flashes — they are constellations: capable of guiding, revisiting, evolving.
