For the return of Victoria’s Secret’s pricey and gemstone-encrusted Fantasy Bra—the first time the brand has put it on its runway since 2018—team VS needed a model who is not merely of the moment, but transcends it. They got just that with Kylie Jenner, the reality TV star-turned-beauty entrepreneur, who, with 380 million followers on Instagram, is one of the most popular personalities on the platform. Jenner, 29, stepped out onto the catwalk wearing a gauzy mini skirt, clear heels, and white feathered wings—but it was ultimately the Fantasy Bra that was the centre of attention.
To mark its grand return, the brand pulled out all the stops with the bra itself, revealing a design that features 4,410 natural diamonds surrounding a 75.54-carat radiant-cut Fancy Vivid yellow diamond. It took 15 craftspeople more than 1,000 hours to build it, and the finished product weighs just under four pounds. The total cost? A whopping US$50 million, the highest price (by some US$35 million) for a Fantasy Bra to date.
“A big idea for the show was fandomonium,” says Adam Selman, chief creative officer at Victoria’s Secret. “And the Fantasy Bra was one of the things that was requested the most from last year’s show. So we thought, OK, how do we do this in a really fun, excessive way? Because that’s what it is: a truly excessive piece of jewellery and artistry. It’s almost museum quality.”
As for the choice of Jenner, Selman said it was because she’s a “cultural powerhouse.”
“Kylie really extends beyond fashion, beyond culture, beyond TV, beyond one singular thing,” he continued. “That’s the exact same thing that we do. Like, the show is so big, it’s true entertainment, and I think that she is a great catalyst for that. She’s really created her own culture, which—how many people can say that? I think it’s an interesting pairing that we’re giving the fans: we’re giving them what they want with this amazing Fantasy Bra, and we’re going to put it on an unexpected talent who has a massive following and massive cultural impact. I think it’s fun. I think it’s really joyful, and I think it’s fun to celebrate in a different way that people aren’t going to expect.”
To help make sure the bra was loaded up with an appropriately impressive amount of glittering gems, Selman brought on a longtime stalwart of the jewellery trade, Jacob Arabo of Jacob & Co. “Victoria’s Secret represents confidence, beauty, and the freedom to express yourself,” Arabo said in an interview. “They built a brand that became part of American culture and changed the way people looked at the lingerie category. That’s what makes American fashion so special. There is this freedom to dream big, take risks, and create something that has never been done before.”
When Victoria’s Secret approached Arabo, it was an immediate “yes” for the jeweller who has made baubles for everyone from Madonna and Rihanna to Elton John and Victoria Beckham. “Victoria’s Secret took something as simple as a bra and transformed it into a piece of high jewellery,” he said. “Nobody was doing anything like that at the time. It brought together two worlds—fashion and high jewellery—in a way I had never seen before.” Arabo said he studied previous versions to see how he could evolve the concept. “My vision,” he said, “was to create a piece of high jewellery that could be worn as a bra. No fabric, only gold and diamonds.” Those 4,400-plus diamonds were rendered in seven cuts—angel, heart, pear, marquise, oval, radiant, and round brilliant—and used four setting techniques meant to enhance the diamonds’ brilliance.
The Fantasy Bra has a long history, stretching back 30 years. The tradition began in 1996, when the debut style was worn in a print magazine ad by Claudia Schiffer and cost US$1 million. Other highlights include 1999’s Millennium Bra, which was priced at US$10 million and worn by Heidi Klum; 2000’s US$15 million Red Hot Fantasy Bra, worn by Gisele Bündchen (the most expensive until this year’s); and the last Fantasy Bra, the Atelier Swarovski Fantasy Bra, which cost US$1 million and was worn by Elsa Hosk in 2018.
Sure, the Fantasy Bra is ultimately a marketing stunt, but the fact is it works. The mixture of a beautiful woman and a blinged-out bra remains cultural catnip and somehow continues to dazzle audiences. This does not negate the fact that it is also a bit of technical wizardry. Selman likens the project to engineering, and Arabo brought to the assignment a similar level of meticulous seriousness. “The biggest challenge was making sure the bra was comfortable to wear while keeping true to the design,” he said. “Remember, this bra is made entirely of gold and diamonds—there is no fabric. So getting the right fit and making sure it could move naturally with the body was not easy.” The team took Jenner’s exact measurements and, from there, built a model that was fitted to her with ongoing adjustments. “Even with exact measurements, what looks good on paper doesn’t always work the same way on the body,” Arabo noted. “Every curve, every diamond, and every piece of gold had to be carefully placed so the bra would be both beautiful and comfortable.”
The buzzy name and staggering price tag aside, Selman said the real intent for the whole endeavour is rather straightforward. “It’s for the fans,” he said. “It really is for the fans.”
This article was originally published on Vogue.com.
