The power of the Victoria’s Secret name is undeniable, right? The lingerie brand is known worldwide and attracts thousands of customers to its stores, which count not only on beautiful lingerie but also pajamas, gym clothes and cosmetics, a sector that represents a lot of the brand’s revenue. I confess that I do not care much for the cosmetics line, but I love the lingerie. The pieces have a lot of quality – and when you’re lucky to get a deal, it pays off too much!
Victoria’s Secret has a strong presence here in New York: there are several stores around the city, mostly in Manhattan. What I think it is cool about the brand is the way it is accessible to anyone. It has a whole magical concept involved – lingerie, right? – and you may not even buy a bra, but you can buy a gloss or any other cheaper product and take some of that magic home.
A few weeks ago, the brand opened another location here, more precisely on Fifth Avenue, at the corner of 52nd St, one of the busiest areas of the city. The store has four floors and is simply beautiful. The lower floor is all dedicated to the Pink brand (lingerie, pajamas and fitness clothing). On the other floors, you’ll find Victoria’s Secret lingerie and the cosmetics line – including fragrances, a segment that the brand has invested in the past few years. I even saw a New York special fragrance.
This new flagship the biggest in the world and very special: there is a permanent museum of the brand, Victoria’s Secret – A Retrospective. Located on the top floor of the store and open to the public, the museum is an opportunity to check out some of the magic of Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Those who have seen at least some photos of the event know that the it is famous for super production, with models wearing wings – that’s why they are angels. At the museum, you will see several costumes worn by the models in the 2015 Fashion Show – and they informed me that in a few weeks they would receive the costumes from the 2016 edition. Each costume has the photo of the model that wore it, plus information and even some interactive videos. Going up the stairs, you will also see a pictures gallery, with photos, illustrations and videos of the last editions of the event. There is a space that shows how is the creation process, in addition to a panel with the name of all the models that participated in the Fashion shows until today.
One of the highlights of the museum, in my opinion, is the panel that displays the illustrations of the costumes with samples of materials that were used. I think it is beautiful and inspiring! It is worth remembering that Fashion Show audios are reproduced (models interviews, musicians performances, etc). Everything to make the visitors feel a taste of what is this super event. And if you want to bring a souvenir home, there’s room for you to take a picture with wings and feel like an angel for a day (the photo is instantly printed, for free!). I loved this Victoria’s Secret initiative to open this museum! I think it is a smar idea: it’s certainly going to attract a lot of people to the store.
Address: 640 Fifth Avenue.
Laura Peruchi is a Brazilian blogger, author, and entrepreneur. She has lived in Manhattan with her husband since 2014. Since then, she has shared on her blog varied content about the Big Apple. From travel tips, including unusual things to do, shopping tips, etiquette, restaurants, and a lot more, her blog has become a reference in Portuguese (also available in English) for anyone planning a trip to New York City.
