The supermodel’s petal-covered entrance was only half the story at this year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
Anok Yai has returned to the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show runway, and she did not come quietly.
The South Sudanese American model, whose career took off after a candid photo from Howard University’s homecoming went viral in 2017, walked twice during this year’s show. She delivered two looks that could not have been more different, and together they made a convincing case that Yai remains one of the brand’s most reliable showstoppers.
A bodysuit in full bloom
Yai’s first appearance was pure spectacle. She emerged in a sculptural bodysuit layered with pink petals, the kind of garment that made her look less like a model wearing flowers and more like a flower that had learned to walk.
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The styling knew when to step aside. A pair of clear heels kept the attention locked on the bodysuit, while her makeup leaned into the theme with a smoky eye finished with a dusting of pink glitter. The result felt cohesive without tipping into costume, a hard line to walk on a runway built on fantasy. It was a bold opening statement, and it set the tone for everything that followed.
Yai trades petals for pure white lace
Then came the reversal. For her second turn, Yai swapped the saturated pink for an all-white lace ensemble, pairing a strapless corset top featuring a plunging neckline with matching bottoms.
Once again, the styling was kept to a minimum. With no heavy embellishment competing for the spotlight, the lingerie carried the moment on its own. The two looks read like opening and closing chapters of the same story: one loud and botanical, the other soft and pared down.
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A look back at her 2025 double feature
Walking twice is becoming something of a signature for Yai. At the 2025 show, she also appeared in two outfits, starting with a baby pink lace bra and panty set decorated with floral beading. Garters connected the set to sheer thigh-high stockings, and she finished the look with coordinating heels and a feathered headpiece.
The real showpiece, however, was on her back. Yai wore angel wings crafted from baby pink fringe and studded with pearls, a delicate but dramatic finish that became one of the more memorable moments of the night.
Her second 2025 look flipped the mood entirely. She returned in a matching black set draped with a glittering shawl of gemstones, accented by coordinating belts and garters. Her glamour did not end when the show did, either, as she carried the evening into the after-party with another standout outfit.
Bows, wings and the 2024 debut
Yai’s first outing as an angel came in 2024, when she earned two sets of wings in a single night. One look stayed close to tradition, combining a lace bra with a sculptural skirt. The other leaned playful, featuring ribbonlike wings that matched pajama bottoms covered in a coquette bow print, layered over red undergarments.
That year’s after-party brought yet another head-turner, as she arrived in a striking corset bodysuit.
Third time’s the charm
This year’s appearance marks Yai’s third show as a Victoria’s Secret angel, and it may be her most polished yet. Her trajectory has been steady since her breakout. In 2018, she became the first Black model to open a Prada show since Naomi Campbell in 1997, and she has since become a fixture on major runways and magazine covers. It is a career built less on gimmicks than on presence, and that presence translated clearly on the catwalk.
Her Victoria’s Secret run fits neatly into that story. Each year, she has balanced high-concept fashion with clean, confident styling, and each year the formula has worked a little better.
With two more runway moments now in the books, only one question remains: what Yai will wear when the after-parties begin. Based on her track record, the answer will not be subtle.
Source: Teen Vogue
