NEW YORK (AP) — Rihanna rocked lingerie at Wednesday night's
Victoria's Secret fashion show in New York, providing the highlight of
the live-music soundtrack and holding her own on the catwalk with some
of the world's top models.
And those models even had props, including Adriana Lima's
ringmaster wand, Doutzen Kroes' body cage and several pairs of the
oversized wings that the retailer has made its signature. It would be a
close contest who got the biggest wings: Toni Garrn's giant poppy pair
or Miranda Kerr's swan-style feathered pouf. Only Lily Aldridge could boast star-spangled wings that shot out silver sparkles.
Alessandra Ambrosio's
orchid-petal wings might have lacked a little grandeur, but she made up
for it with a $2.5 million jeweled "floral fantasy bra."
Still, wearing a sheer pink mini that gave glimpses of her bra,
Rihanna sang "Fresh Out the Runway" at the end of the corset-and-garter
parade and she was the one to grab the audience's biggest applause.
The fashion show has become a pre-holiday season tradition for the
retailer. CBS will turn it into a one-hour special, which also had
performances from Justin Bieber and Bruno Mars, to be shown on Dec. 4.
Lima said she loved opening the show in the ringmaster costume. "The
atmosphere of the Victoria's Secret fashion show is electric," she said.
"It's so much fun to be able to interact with the audience! What other
show will you see Rihanna, Justin Beiber and Bruno Mars on the runway with angels?"
This year's event had a slight twist. It started with an announcer
noting that Victoria's Secret and CBS had each made a donation to relief
efforts for Superstorm Sandy, and a thank you to the National Guard members who are based out of the Lexington Avenue Armory that has for years been home to the show.
Mostly, though, models are encouraged to smile, ham it up and show
off the extra time at the gym that most admit to in the weeks
beforehand. "It's highly televised, and you take that into
consideration," said model Joan Smalls
ahead of the show. "This is kind of not the same as other runways. You
have to prepare your body: No. 1 is the wings are heavy, and No. 2 is
you have to be comfortable with your body because the camera will pick
up on it if you're not comfortable and confident."
There's an emphasis on glitz, skin and dramatic production here, not
wearable undergarment trends for typical Victoria's Secret shoppers. It
was divided into six sections: Circus, complete with acrobats,
contortionists and a sword eater; Dangerous Liaisons; Pink Is Us; Silver
Screen Angels; Angels in Bloom; and Calendar Girls, which allowed Bruno
Mars to serenade a model for each month of the year.
For his first song, "Beauty and the Beat," Bieber, wearing low-slung
white pants and a white leather studded vest, sat alone with his
guitarist in the mellowest part of the show. For "As Long As You Love
Me," however, he brought in backup dancers and interacted with the
models while moving around a giant makeshift pinball machine.
"It's like a dream come true," said Bieber on the pink carpet before
the show. "I would rather be here than anywhere in the world."
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AP reporter John Carucci contributed to this report.