Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Isn't Just Sexy Anymore. It's Actually Fashionable.

The annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, which will air on CBS on December 1st, has gone beyond simply sexy. This year, it's moved far from a cheesy Vegas Revue or a slutty Ziegfeld Follies. Along with showcasing the usual; lace g-strings, merry widows, satin teddies, push up bras and lots of lovely skin, the show is fast becoming an true fashion show. All without losing its sex appeal.

This year's styling deserves kudos for breaking away from more traditional angel wings as props, replacing them with far more edgy and imaginative versions. Wings made of balloons, wire, fabric, plexiglass and more are combined with the lingerie, making it feel as though we're at Fashion Week watching a futuristic and irreverent fashion designer instead of just the leggy nubile nymphs most husbands ogle while on the john.

The set designs and lighting are more akin to a theater production than a lingerie show:




The show is bound to widen its audience appeal by treating the runway, sets and styling like it's a JCDC or Gilles Deacon show instead of just voyeurism for a lascivious audience. But don't fret, there's still plenty of cleavage, thigh-high boots and butt cheek-baring couture for those of you who want it.

The unusual styling:











The host, supermodel Heidi Klum:


The show is hosted by the incredibly stunning Heidi Klum, who I am now convinced is actually an alien being, haven given birth to four children (the most recent just 6 weeks prior to hosting this show!!) only to have her rockin' bod snap right back into shape without so much as a stretch mark.



Since her VS catwalk debut in 1997, Heidi has been a showstopper—wearing the tallest wings ever in 2003 and singing a duet with her husband Seal in 2007.

The Supermodels
Ths year's supermodel line-up, straight from your mail order catalog: Adrian Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Marisa Miller, Behati Prinsloo, Doutzen Kroes and Miranda Kerr.




The Entertainment
In addition to the far out costuming, there was plenty of wild set decor and entertainment. Black Eyed Peas performed and Fergie, looking just as sexy as the supermodels, rocked the house:




The $3 million 2009 Diamond Harlequin Fantasy Bra:


Each year, they have a 'fantasy bra' made with real diamonds and gemstones. This year, it's the 2009 Harlequin Fantasy Bra set with over 2,350 brilliant cut white, champagne and cognac colored diamonds accented with a rare 16 carat heart-shaped cognac diamond pendant. Total carat weight =150. Price = $3 million:



More from the show:











all images courtesy of Getty and Victoria's Secret

You can see backstage photos, learn about the Miami model search, see the girls in Times Square and much more at the Victoria's Secret All Access website.
The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show will air on CBS, December 1st.

Stunning & Sexy Silver C-Prints By Guido Argentini

above: Sandy Silver Cover, 1995

Photographer's Limited Editions is offering photographer Guido Argentini's stunning and sexy silver series c-prints (say that ten times fast) from his collectible book and series, SILVEREYE. The six available images shown below are limited to 3 editions each, measure a large 47" x 47" and cost approximately $9,000.00 USD a piece.


above: Sandy Silver Laying Down, 1995

above: Sandy Silver Butt, 1995

above: Sandy Silver Prayer 2, 1995

above: Giulia Silver 4, 2006

above: Sandy Silver Heart-Shaped, 1995

Buy any of the limited edition C-prints shown above here.

About the photographer:

Born in Florence, Italy Guido Argentini studied Medicine for three years at the university of Florence before turning to photography as a career. At 23 he decided to turn his passion into a profession and started to shoot fashion and beauty. Since 1990 he has lived in the USA, in Los Angeles.

His work has been published by some of the leading magazines in the world such as "Marie Claire", "Men'sHealth", "Panorama", "Playboy", "Vogue", "Max", "Maxim" and many others.



In 2003, Guido Argentini's first book, shown above,"SILVEREYE", presented an exquisite series of studio and landscape nudes. That work was a reflection of the artist's great personal passion for sculpture and dance.



above: Publisher Te Neues created several lovely calendars for 205 from the SILVEREYE series.

In his second book, "PRIVATE ROOMS", 2005, Mr. Argentini offers an entirely different type of personal journey, one where eroticism and beauty are clearly inseparable. Within these pages, we are invited to take a glimpse into a unique 'feminine universe'.

This second book is the result of ten years of photographs, all taken in the intimacy of closed rooms, ancient villas, modern apartments, many hotels, from the most elegant five-star locations enriched with luxurious velvets and four-posted beds to the most squalid insignificant hourly-rate motels furnished with cheap plastic chairs and worn-out wallpaper. A universe where all these rooms become the theaters of the artist's self-directed voyeuristic fantasies.



His latest book, "REFLECTIONS" was published in 2007. A vast collection of photographs of women looking at themselves in mirrors: a sort of unconscious research about the woman who studies herself, falls in love, and gets lost in her own image.



Check out or purchase several of Guido Argentini's Books and Calendars

Guido Argentini's site