We're so...back?

Sex and hedonism is selling, are you buying it?

This week, I was thinking about proceeding business as usual on Coffee Order, writing about my week and things I’ve bought (which I can tell you about if you want), but inspiration struck while scrolling today.

I noticed this first with the Victoria’s Secret fashion show. When it returned last October after an Epstein-adjacent, scandal-ridden banishment from what Fox News would call “woke” culture, they placed emphasis on inclusivity, introducing a modern area of a historic brand that was infamous for its exclusivity. Gone were the days of bouncy blowouts, size 00, and Angels bragging about how they haven’t eaten anything besides almonds and Tracy Anderson classes all week. Days where Barbara Palvin was considered “plus size” and Gigi Hadid cried tears of relief after being casted. It started with the launch of the “Victoria’s Secret Collective”. Then, a Vanessa Friedman feature in 2022 on the front page of the New York Times Style section, introducing a new era of angel wings that anyone can wear, defined by diversity, inclusion, and advertising Victoria’s Secret as being something for everyone. Not just the bombshell image they had spent over 20 years carefully curating.

The 2024 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was noticeably missing a few things—there weren’t any suave musicians like Justin Timberlake or Harry Styles serenading the Angels as they strutted down the runway, there was no livestream but only prerecorded content, and there were barely any wings. Barbra wore a loosely fitting slip dress, Tyra wore a gown, and there wasn’t a single bouncy blowout in sight. It was deemed a flop by virtually everyone on the internet.

This year, Victoria’s Secret brought the heat, I didn’t even consider watching it until I started seeing coverage on social media that drew me back in. Bella Hadid opened the show after a long hiatus battling an unknown illness in a red-hot ensemble, Cossanti had 90s sexy-smoky grunge glam, Amelia Grey served full back in a Tom Ford for Gucci way, and Jasmine Tookes emulated Venus while in her third trimester. We were so back.

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Victoria’s Secret campaigns have even reverted back to being bombshell-centric, reinvigorating the spirit of the Angel with influencers like Iris Kendall and Gabi Moura, and it-girls Irina Shayk, Anok, and of course, Adriana Lima.

When I was tapping through Instagram stories, I saw this one from dimepiece.co founder Brynn Wallner, who commented on street posters of Los Angeles Apparel:

For those of you who don’t know, Los Angeles Apparel is the company subsequently founded by Dov Charney, the ex-American Apparel CEO, after that company crumbled. Dov is infamous for surviving multiple cancellation attempts a-la the Me Too era of holding people accountable for their actions, being besties with Kanye West, and most of all—selling sex.