At this year's Victoria's Secret show, Kylie Jenner, 29, wore the brand's Fantasy Bra — a gem-studded piece that had not appeared on the runway in eight years. The piece was assembled from 4,410 natural diamonds and said to have required more than 1,000 hours of work, with sources placing its valuation at $50 million.

The Fantasy Bra that Elsa Hosk modelled for the 2018 showcase was adorned with upwards of 2,100 Swarovski Created Diamonds and carried a price tag of $1 million. The bustier Gisele Bündchen wore during the 2000 edition had previously held the record for the priciest Fantasy Bra at a $15 million valuation — a figure the current year's design has now eclipsed.

Jenner became the first model outside the Angel programme to carry the Fantasy Bra on the runway, with no previous Angel status required for her to do so.

Nicole Klementowicz, founder of The Refresh Atelier and a working fashion stylist, noted that Jenner has drawn criticism tied to her celebrity profile, accumulated wealth, and perceived nepotism, and that dressing a figure of that standing in an elaborate, high-cost piece risks being read by some consumers as out of touch with broader economic realities. Klementowicz expressed the view that Jenner's public profile and media presence were the primary factors driving the brand's decision to select her.

Klementowicz also argued that the Victoria's Secret runway had bypassed established names such as Romee Strijd in favour of content creators and influencers including Kylie Jenner, a casting approach she described as tilting the selection process away from professional models. The question of whether name recognition, rather than professional qualifications on the catwalk, had driven the casting decision was also raised in that context — noting that Jenner had walked in two runway shows up to that point, a considerably thinner track record than the modelling portfolio her sister Kendall had built over time.

One industry observer pointed out that the Fantasy Bra's high-profile standing within the lingerie market indicates the brand viewed Jenner's participation as a worthwhile addition, while also noting that this reading carries no personal judgement toward Jenner herself. That observer added that the choice carries meaning beyond the individual appointment itself.

Celebrity fashion stylist and author Kim Appelt stated that across fashion and other industries, the pipeline has reversed — rather than runway figures ascending to household-name status, it is now established household names who step into modelling roles. According to Appelt, the Fantasy Bra held a place within Victoria's Secret comparable to the highest honour in competitive athletics — a distinction that, in his view, reflected accumulated runway experience, sustained loyalty to the brand, and arrival at the uppermost tier of the modelling profession.

Appelt noted that the honour had long been viewed as something models worked toward throughout their careers, and that a portion of the discontent stems from a belief among dedicated followers that a celebrity bypassed the established path typically reserved for veteran Angels. He also noted that, at that point in time, the Angels held a foothold in mainstream culture that comparatively few franchises managed to replicate.

Audrey Charlyes Jacquet, who founded Maison Charlyes Jacquet, noted that Jenner had drawn as much attention as the show itself, pointing to the conversations still circulating the following day as evidence. Jacquet added that dissenting voices, by drawing attention to the matter, can end up generating unpaid exposure for it, and that the pushback itself functions as the driving force of the campaign.