Gigi Hadid walks the runway at the 2015 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in New York City on November 10, 2015. Getty
Following their noticeable absence from the 2017 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show runway in Shanghai last year, Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner — arguably the world’s biggest models — are poised to make a comeback for this year’s edition of the annual fashion show. Though Hadid was selected to participate in the 2017 show, she was unable to make it due to visa problems. “I’m so bummed I won’t be able to make it to China this year. Love my VS family, and will be with all my girls in spirit! Can’t wait to tune in with everyone to see the beautiful show I know it will be, and already can’t wait for next year! 🙂 x,” Hadid wrote in 2017 after backlash from fans who were hoping to see the half-Palestinian model in China.
Meanwhile, Jenner skipped out on Shanghai due to contractual obligations — as the face of La Perla lingerie, the supermodel was forbidden to work with other lingerie brands during the contracted period.
The news of Hadid and Jenner’s inclusion in this year’s show, which will tape in New York City on November 8, didn’t come from the lingerie brand or the models themselves but from a rather unexpected source: Brian Atwood.
Over the weekend, the footwear designer – who is responsible for creating the shoes that the lineup of Angels will be wearing when they strut down the runway in fewer than three weeks – uploaded two Instagram posts that alluded to Kendall and Gigi’s apparent inclusion in the 2018 runway. Both uploads feature pictures of the models from the 2016 show. “Less than 1 month away!!!! Let’s do this @gigihadid @victoriassecret. Can’t wait to show you what we have done for the show!!!!” he wrote in the first caption, tagging both the Palestinian-American model and the lingerie brand. His second upload, which featured an image of Jenner, was captioned: “Can’t wait to see this beauty @kendalljenner strutting in my shoes for the @victoriassecret fashion show… less than a month away!!!!”
If Hadid and Jenner do end up walking in the 2018 show, they will join an all-star cast of models that includes Shanina Shaik, Barbara Palvin, Winnie Harlow, and Cindy Bruna, with Gigi’s sister Bella also confirmed for the schedule. Making her debut on the runway for 2018 will be newcomer Kelsey Merritt, who will become the first Filipino to walk in the Victoria’s Secret show when she steps foot on the catwalk. “What an honor it is,” the model posted on Instagram after the news was revealed. “Thank you for believing in me and being there for me throughout this journey.” Now the only question that remains is: Who will be wearing the US $2 million dollar Fantasy Bra?
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