The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2011: Angels in Heels
Posted by
Beryl on November 22, 2011 ·
Leave a Comment
Last November 9, angels have fallen on earth and landed at the Lexington Avenue Armory in New York City but they weren’t covered in pristine white robes nor did they have feathered wings. On the contrary, they were a bit ‘underdressed’ but heavily ‘accessorized’.
The 16th annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show just got edgier and sexier as this year’s lavish event included gold-plated and neon light wings, bejeweled props, diamond-encrusted bras and of course,
designer shoes. Clad in the world’s most popular lingerie line, Victoria’s Secret Angels
Miranda Kerr, Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Lily Aldridge,
Chanel Iman, Doutzen Kroes, Lindsay Ellingson, Candice Swanepoel, Erin Heatherton, Behati Prinsloo and the runway angels electrified the audience. Of the 38 models, 15 were debutantes in the highly-acclaimed fashion affair.
And as if hot supermodels in barely-there lingerie weren’t enough to make the runway sizzle, prominent artists from the music scene provided the perfect tunes to set the mood. This year’s performances were nothing short of a surprise. Cee Lo Green was originally slated for that night but upon his cancellation, Nicki Minaj entered as last minute replacement. Meanwhile, Kanye West’s long overdue performance in 2007 finally pushed through. After a powerful rendition of his chart-topping single “Stronger”, he was joined by fellow rapper Jay-Z for a surprise duet. Lastly, Maroon 5 had the crowd move like Jagger as front man Adam Levine stole the show and a kiss from Victoria’s Secret model-girlfriend Anne Vyalitsyna.
The collections were categorized into six themes, namely Ballet, Super Angels, Passion, Angels Aquatic, I Put a Spell on You and Club Pink. There is no wondering why the entire fashion show cost a whopping $12 million! The designer shoes worn by the angels most definitely were a significant percentage of that sum and these pairs were courtesy of no less than Giuseppe Zanotti. Here are some of them:
Floral Embellished Sandals
For the Passion-themed section of the show, models were adorned with ornate pieces reminiscent of Spanish matadors and a bit of the Victorian Era. To keep up with the theme, the models were adorned with flowers on their head, lingerie or feet. Adriana Lima looked especially stunning in the various looks she sported for this section. The fourth highest paid model of the world strutted on the runway wearing black strappy sandals embellished with organza rosette appliqués straight from Giuseppe Zanotti’s spring 2011 collection. With a heel measurement of 4.5 inches, these sandals feature round toes, slim stitched straps and a zip fastening at the rear ankle.
Wedge Booties
While Adriana Lima succumbed to a liquid diet to be in tip-top shape for the show, Chanel Iman had to binge on food to put on some weight. Blessed with a rapid metabolism, the 20-year-old supermodel admitted to hosting frequent barbeque parties at her house and gained 15 pounds in time for the show.
Her efforts sure paid off as she was beaming in a bright mini-tutu that revealed her bare bottom and neon light up wings during the Club Pink section of the show. Her neon lime wedge booties perfectly complemented the vividness of the theme. Part of the Fall/Winter 2011-2012 collection; it features 110 mm heel height and an inner side zipper. Other variations of these shoes were seen on the runway from patent to suede and in different colors.
Selena Gomez was also seen wearing the purple edition of the wedge booties in this year’s
MTV Europe Music Awards.
Ruffle Peep-Toe Booties
Victoria’s Secret veteran Julia Stegner wowed the crowd in a Flamenco dancer-inspired ensemble. Her peep-toe booties completely matched her heavily-ruffled ruffled sleeves and long trail. The German Angel walked with flair in a pair of fun and flirty booties from Giuseppe Zanotti’s Fall 2011 collection. The shoes feature chiffon ruffle details on the vamp, side zippers, 2-inch platform and stiletto heels. With all the available eye-candy color combinations, this piece can make for a fantastic collection.
Satin Pumps
With her doll-like features and exquisite figure, Miranda Kerr truly deserved the tiara she wore for the Ballet section of the show. The Australian Angel managed to grab hold of a magic wand during her post-pregnancy period and showed up on the runway still as slender as before. Earlier this year, she gave birth to her own angel with husband Orlando Bloom. But contrary to her newly-acquired role as a mommy to Flynn, she sashayed on the runway looking like a young a prima ballerina. Miranda and the rest of the models wore stilettos with laced up ribbons to mimic toe shoes.
These satin pumps are part of the Fall/Winter 2011-2012 collection and are primarily characterized by its pencil-thin, 4 1/4 inch-heel. For those who closely follow celebrity events, this piece would easily be remembered as Brittany Snow’s custom-spiked pumps at the 2011 VH1 Do Something Awards last August.
Strappy Stiletto Sandals
Undoubtedly, this is Miranda Kerr’s year. Besides giving birth to a lovely son, she took the spotlight in this year’s fashion show and wore the 279-carat Fantasy Treasure Bra worth $2.5 million. It reportedly took 5 hours for distinguished London Jewelers to hand-stitch around 3,400 precious gems on a single piece. In an interview with People Magazine, Kerr exclaimed: "And it's such a piece of artwork!
It's absolutely stunning -- it kind of feels a little mermaid-like -- but I can't believe I'm wearing $2.5 million on my chest.”
As embellished as her lingerie was her footwear from Giuseppe Zanotti’s Fall 2011 collection which featured intricate beading and 4.5-inch heels. The gladiator version of the sandals was also seen on the runway. Anne Vyalitsyna’s sequined fins were well-accentuated by the aquatic hues of the sandals while Victoria’s Secret runway debutante Karlie Kloss had matching bustier and two-toned gladiator sandals.
Crystal Embellished Sandals
The Fantasy Treasure Bra wasn’t the only highlight of the night. Much attention was also given to the props and the one worn by Alessandra Ambrosio took seven months to conceptualize and create. The Brazilian Angel admitted to strengthening her back in preparation for the show since the wings weighed 22 pounds. Designed by Jenny Manik Mercian, the “Passion Play Fan wings” were made of 23-carat gold-plated copper and heavily encrusted with 105,000 Swarovski Elements. Apparently, the global company’s 9-year partnership with Victoria’s Secret has reached a whole new level with the extravagant wings.
Giuseppe Zanotti has also been charmed by Swarovski Elements and embellished his sandals with the renowned crystals. Alessandra’s footwear was a fine blend of silk and Swarovski.
Satin Ribbon Sandals
An Asian beauty finally made it to the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and goes by the name of Sui He. In one section, the Chinese Angel sashayed down the ramp in a lavender ensemble. She wore a very feminine piece from
Giuseppe Zanotti’s Spring 2011 collection. Measuring 4.25 inches in heel height, the sandals feature a bow detail at the ankle.
Neon Colorblock Platform Sandals
Nicki Minaj was an explosion of colors that night wearing an orange bustier top, graphic skirt over graphic tights, striped gloves, silver shoulder pads and hot pink wig. But there’s no blaming her as she was just dressed for the ‘occasion’—that is, the Club Pink section of the show where the angels burst in neon hues as well.
To finish off her outrageously playful outfit, she slipped into neon colorblock platform sandals from Giuseppe Zanotti’s Resort 2012 collection. These patent chunky sandals are a color wheel of pink, yellow and blue with a platform height of 1 ¾ inch and heel height of 6 inches.
