Victoria's Secret to Feature $10M 2013 Fantasy Bra
What do Heidi Klum, Claudia Schiffer and now Candice Swanepoel have in common? Well, apart from being tall, blonde and beautiful models, of course. Anyone can do that. Well, provided you’re tall, blonde, and beautiful. But what unites this trio and 15 other models is that they’ve all wore one very, very exclusive item on the runway – the Victoria’s Secret Fantasy Bra.
More elite of a gig than the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue (which, by the way is going on 49 years and has also featured Ms. Klum), the wearing of the Fantasy Bra is a particular model’s chance to shine, while wearing an even shinier piece of lingerie.Its public unveiling is one of the highlights of the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which takes place each October in New York. The event also coincides with the retailer’s launch of its annual Secret Holiday catalogue.
And it isn’t just some fancy bra the selected model and Victoria Secret’s Angel shows off to fashion fans – a different group of jewelers receives the opportunity to adorn it with all sorts of beautiful precious gemstones, making the undergarment even more valuable and eye-catching year after year. Sometimes it’s combined with other accessories like a belt or matching panties.
Last year’s Fantasy bra was modeled by Alessandra Ambrosio. It was valued at $2.5 million and London Jewelers invested more than 5,200 stones into it, including amethysts, rubies, sapphires, and white, pink, and yellow diamonds. The push-up bra included two detachable flower pins, plus a drop centerpiece with a 21-carat pear-shaped ruby, a 20-carat white diamond and a 12-carat white diamond.
According to Victoria’s Secret “VS All Access” section, the 2013 bra will pump another $8 million into the creation with a demi bra and matching belt decorated by Mouawad. Valued at $10 million, the bra will include more than 4,200 rubies, blue and yellow sapphires, diamonds handset in 18-karat gold.
The multicolored piece will also feature a 52-carat pear-shaped ruby drop center piece, certain to catch everyone’s eye as the South African model takes to the runway.
It’s also chance for the world to take a look at Candice Swanepoel, a South African model who also scored the cover of the 2013 Swim catalogue and has been a past Victoria’s Secret model. This year’s Fantasy ensemble, the 18th, may have plenty of sparkles but isn’t even the most valuable bra that has been part of this show.
NYMag.com tells us that in 2000, Gisele Bunchen (Tom Brady’s main squeeze) was decked out in a $15 million Red Hot Fantasy bra and panties set. Heidi Klum rocked Fantasy bras worth $12.5 million apiece in 2001 and 2005. The 2001 Heavenly Star bra was particularly memorable – it was covered in diamonds.
Can you buy the bra? We suppose so, if you were to pony up that much cash, we’re sure someone at Victoria’s Secret could make that deal happen. But according to NYMag.com, the item is usually just an opportunity for a prominent jeweler to accent a particular item in a big way, and is usually taken apart afterward by the jeweler.
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