Giant Union Jacks billowed over the silver glitter runway at the Victorias Secret Fashion Show in New York on Wednesday night.
The annual lingerie spectacular launched with a tribute to all things British, complete with a Beefeater-costumed drum line and plenty of classic London iconography.
ELLE cover star Candice Swanepoel opened the show wearing VSs take on the Crown Jewels (the $10 million, diamond- and ruby-adorned Royal Fantasy Bra), followed closely by Cara Delevingne as a Football Angel and Adriana Lima as a Pearly Queen.
The 26-model cast also included Jourdan Dunn, Doutzen Kroes, Lily Aldridge, Alessandra Ambrosio and Behati Prinsloo, whose fiancé, Adam Levine, cheered her on with a standing ovation the first time she hit the runway.
And if you had to look twice to figure out who the girl in the Union Jack cape and top hat might be, it was none other than Taylor Swift. The singer got in on the Angel act, giving Delevingne a lighthearted slap and blowing Karlie Kloss (first costume: Psychedelic Angel) a kiss.
From London, the show headed to the Amazon for a Birds of Paradise-themed section (featherslots of feathers), before moving on to Shipwrecked, Pink Network (with incredible technicolour stilettos by show footwear designers Nicholas Kirkwood and Sophia Webster) and Parisian Nights. But the biggest wings waited for the Snow Angels section. With giant feathered constructions, bustled corsets, and Kloss looking nude in a crystal-strewn bodysuit (think Britney in the Toxic video), this was VS heartland.
Despite all the fantastical creations on show, veteran Angel Ambrosio was clear about her off-runway lingerie preferences. In normal life I just really like something comfortable, she told ELLE UK backstage before the show. Usually something in cotton. From her local Victoria's Secret store, no doubt.
Check back soon for photos from the show
Watch cover star Candice Swanepoel in action in our behind the scenes video
