Tyra Banks owned the runway during the final moments of the 2024 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which took place nearly 20 years after her last appearance at the event.
The supermodel, 50, proved she’s still got it during the Tuesday, October 15, showcase in New York City. Banks popped up from under the stage to close the show, rocking sparkly gray leggings paired with a silver bodice ensemble. The look was completed with a matching metallic cape.
As Banks strutted down the runway, her cape flowed in the wind. After reaching the end of the catwalk, the supermodel twirled the cape around in a showstopping manner. As the show concluded, Banks was joined on stage by her fellow Victoria’s Secret angels.
Victoria’s Secret announced in August that Banks would be joining the fashion show’s roster of models as she and Gigi Hadid teamed up to confirm the event’s return after a six-year hiatus. In an Instagram video at the time, Banks handed Hadid, 29, an invitation to the show, adding, “See you there.” Hadid then mouthed, “I love you,” as she walked away.
Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2024: How to Watch and Where It’s Been
The following month, Banks teased her upcoming appearance at the fashion show. “It feels crazy being back on the Victoria’s Secret runway. I mean, like, cray-cray as in cray-cray good,” she said in a September TikTok video. “I never thought that I would be back on this runway, to be honest. I remember — what was it, like, 19 years ago — and I was like, ‘This is it.’ And I remember all the press, ‘Tyra’s … last … walk.’ It was so over the top, and I was like, ‘I’m out.’”
Banks then reflected on her most recent Victoria’s Secret runway stint. “My last walk was this red outfit and I had these medals all around my waist,” she recalled. “I had hair that was super long, crazy long lashes and this scepter that said ‘V’ in my hand, and I got to the end of the runway and I kissed it and then I raised it and I started pumping, pumping, and in my head, I was like, ‘I’m out.’ But you pulled me back in.”
Banks walked in her first fashion show for the brand in 1996. She made her final appearance on the Victoria’s Secret runway in 2005 before embarking on a career in television.
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Banks’ return is not the only reason the 2024 fashion show made headlines. This year marked the first time the previously annual event occurred since 2018. It was canceled in 2019 after the brand received criticism for lacking inclusivity. The company has since rebranded, and Banks weighed in on the efforts when the VS Collective — a more diverse group of spokespeople that replaced the Angels — launched in 2021.
“First is hard. First is lonely. But first is necessary. First is crucial so that a door can be opened for others to fit through,” Banks wrote via Instagram in June 2021. “Within a 10 year span starting in 1995, I was the first Black @VictoriasSecret contract model ever. The first Black Victoria’s Secret cover model. The first Black VS model to do so many other groundbreaking things with the brand — as well as other brands. But after a first must come a flow of more. A flow of different. A flow of unique. A flow so strong, a flow of so many we LOSE COUNT.”
She concluded: “I retired from the runway 16 years ago — and I’m proud that in my lifetime, I’m witnessing a beauty revolution. To the new collective of badass ROLE models, I may have cracked that door open, but y’all are charging through. Keep on keepin’ on until we all LOSE COUNT of how many are breaking through behind you.”
