Adriana Lima led the Angels to Shanghai in 2017, her 19th consecutive appearance. Yes, that is a record, one that is very likely to grow in 2018.
The 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show went to Shanghai, China. This followed visits overseas to London, England and Paris, France, and was the show's first visit to Asia. China, in particular, is a massively important new market for Victoria's Secret, where Victoria's Secret recently has opened many new stores. If you notice a number of Asian names on the list of models walking in the show below - that's likely not a coincidence.
Candice Swanepoel, Leila Nda and Grace Bol backstage at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2017. Candice is an Angel and has walked every year since 2007 but 2016, but it was Bol's first time. Nda previously walked only in the 2015 show.
Going to China was exotic, but it also posed a few challenges. Several models reportedly could not attend the show because the Chinese refused to grant them visas. These included Kate Grigorieva, Irina Sharipova and Julia Belyakova. Gigi Hadid was blacklisted by the Chinese because, upon examining her social media accounts, they found an Instagram video of her that they interpreted as mocking Asians. Taylor Swift did not perform as was rumored, but that was not because of the Chinese government or any issues involving her but simply a corporate decision (or hers).
Karlie Kloss returned for the 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show after a two-year absence. It was her fifth appearance, and she served as a Fitting Model.
The number of women walking in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show has been rising in recent years. In 2017, 55 models walked in the show, which apparently was a record. The show's budget was $26.4 million.
Victoria Lee joined the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show for the first time in 2017.
Victoria's Secret likes to keep things on the down low until the event actually takes place for, among many other reasons, security concerns. Ultimately, the show was taped at the Mercedes-Benz Arena on 20 November 2017. Typically, the show is run twice for filming purposes.
Harry Styles at the 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
The musical performers were Harry Styles, Miguel, Leslie Odom Jr., and Jane Zhang. As noted, Katy Perry was scheduled to sing, but could not get into China.
Lais Ribiero, an Angel, returned for the 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion show and was honored to wear the Fantasy Bra.
Lais Ribeiro wore the Champagne Nights Fantasy Bra worth $2,000,000 (£1.3 million). The most expensive bra ever worn was by Gisele Bundchen, worth £12 million.
Harry Styles doing his thing at the 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima led the Finale.
Alessandra Ambrosio and daughter Anja Louise at the afterparty of the 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in Shanghai, China.
After the show, Alessandra announced that it was her final Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Ambrosio racked up a total of 17 appearances, second only to Adriana Lima.
Ming Xi goes down for the count in Shanghai (David Fisher/Rex).
One of the more memorable moments of the 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show for attendees was when Chinese model Ming Xi, a veteran who has been walking in the show every year since 2013, tripped and fell on the catwalk. This did not make it to the broadcast because the show is filmed twice to account for instances like this. She apologized to her country for the mishap.
Ming Xi apologizing to the Chinese public for her mishap.
The 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was taped for later broadcast and televised in the United States on Tuesday, November 28th at 10/9C on CBS. It attracted an audience of 4.98 million viewers.
Vanessa Moody passed the audition and was a rookie in the 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
"Angels" (there currently are 14, denoted below) are not required to audition - they are contract models with Victoria's Secret and automatically earn a slot in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show (as long as they are not on maternity leave or something like that). All of the other girls must audition before a panel of judges and wait to see if they have been chosen.
Bianca Padilla wears her wings at the 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Her only previous appearance in the show was in 2014.
Behati Prinsloo, who was on the original list of models walking in the show and is an Angel, missed it due to the birth of her second child. Kendall Jenner did not walk because she now represents a competing lingerie brand.
Taylor Hill backstage at the 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. She is an Angel.
Aside from the 13 Angels that walked, there were 28 returning models and 14 newcomers.
Sui He led a large Asian contingent of models in the 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. She has walked in every show since 2011.
Karlie Kloss, a former Angel who missed the 2015 and 2016 shows, was a bit of a surprise with her return.
Katy Perry with sunflowers in Taipei in 2015. The Chinese did not like this performance, so they did not grant her a visa for the 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. It capped a rough year for Katy.
While not a Victoria's Secret model, Katy Perry also was banned from entering China to sing at the show. The reason apparently was that Perry once had donned a sparkly green sunflower dress during a Taipei, Taiwan performance. The Chinese, who scrutinize visitors' histories before allowing them into the country, viewed this as a political protest against China. At that 2015 event, Perry waved the Taiwanese flag, leading critics to believe she was expressing solidarity with the 2014 Sunflower Student Movement. That was enough for the Chinese to ban her in 2017.
Xiao Wen Ju was one of the returning models at the 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. This was her second show.
What's interesting is that Gigi was not included on the original list of models who would be making the trip that was distributed before the event - leading some to surmise that it was not the last-minute decision that Gigi and Victoria's Secret wished to imply. The since-deleted video showed Hadid laughing while squinting her eyes and holding a Buddha-shaped cookie. Gigi posted an apology on China's microblogging site Weibo, but apparently the Chinese thought she should have apologized on all of her social media platforms so that people outside of China would learn of the incident, too.
Gigi Hadid explains to her fans at the last minute that she cannot participate in the 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show - but does not explain why.
Roosmarijn de Kok walked for the first time for Victoria's Secret in the 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.