An Interview With VS Fashion Show 2016 Angel Wings Designer Marian Hose
Each year, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show entertains over 500 million viewers with musical performances, famous model castings, and a parade of glittering lingerie. One of the most theatrical elements in the show is the towering Angel wings the models carry as they saunter down the runway. In every segment from Dark Angel to Bright Nights, those famous wings take centerstage, gracing the runway on an elite group of models. Crafting each wing is a long and arduous process, spearheaded by crafts artesian Marian Hose, who goes by the nickname Killer. Marian started working with Victoria's Secret in 2009, and went on to create iconic wings like Bella Hadid's black feathered wings (which will debut in this year's Dark Angel segment) and Adriana Lima's red Parisian Nights wings in 2013.
On the eve of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show taping in Paris, Marian walked us through the wing process from start-to-finish, revealing that one pair of wings can take up to 400 hours to craft. Scroll through to learn exactly what it takes to create Victoria's Secret wings — and check out an exclusive sketch of one of the Victoria's Secret Pink costumes from this year's show.
CBS via Getty Images1/9Teen Vogue: Walk us through the process of creating wings for the VS fashion show.
Marian Hose: After meeting with the design team, we're assigned wings by the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show staff. We then go through seven stages. At the first meeting, we blow up designs on a projector with our fit model to make sure that the scale is good. Next, at my studio, I pattern the wings, I build the backpack bases and understructures and I swatch decorative materials.
TV: What materials do you use to fashion the wings?
MH: This year, we used everything from hardware to plastic to feathers and hot fix Swarovski.
2/9TV: How many sketches do you begin working from?
MH: Every year is different. This year, I looked at probably 11 sketches — and a month before the show one of our sketches changed to a completely different wing. The show evolves as we go along.
Grace Elizabeth is wearing the PINK Ultimate Strappy Side Bralette & Matching Logo Hipster Panty. This bra is available in PINK Stores and online at vspink.com. It is also available on December 5 and 6 in a $45 bundle paired with the matching strappy side legging.
Getty Images3/9TV: How many rounds of fittings do you average per season?
MH: We do 5-6 fittings per wing. We have the first fitting of actual wing mockups with our fit model, and we solidify all the materials. At the second fitting, we check to make sure the wings don’t bounce and they aren't getting too heavy. At the third fitting, the design team matches Victoria’s Secret product to the wings. Then, we finally meet the model who will be wearing the wings! We have to make sure the wing works for each girl carrying it. At the final fitting, we correct any problem the model may have, and take pictures to document the outfits.
Getty Images4/9TV: How many hours do you spend working on the wings altogether?
MH: A wing can take anywhere from 30 to 400 hours, depending on how difficult it is. Very few of our wings take 30 hours.
FilmMagic5/9TV: What’s your favorite pair of wings you ever designed?
MH: It is so hard to pick favorite wings because every year my favorites list gets bigger and bigger! Behati Prinsloo’s Snow wing from the 2013 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is at the top of my list. I call it the Arch Angel Wing. I designed that wing for the 2013 Victoria’s Secret Holiday Commercial and the fashion show design team liked it so much, they put it in the fashion show.
My favorite section of the fashion show this year is Bright Nights. We made six wings for it, and I find it so hard to pick which one I like most. They're all playful and ready for a party — lots of Swarovski Crystals and fun, flirty feathers.
6/9TV: How much do the wings weigh this year? Are any of them exceptionally heavy?
MH: Our heaviest wings are the Pink Large Bow Wing, the Secret Angel Fishnet Wing, and the Road Ahead Woven Feather Disc. Each of these wings probably weigh 15 to 18 pounds. Surprisingly, our largest wing in the Dark Angel Section only weighs 12 pounds. It's completely covered in black feathers. Often times, the jeweled wings weigh the most but this year, we kept them between 1 to 8 pounds.
FilmMagic7/9TV: What are some of the most iconic wings through the years?
MH: When I think of the iconic Victoria’s Secret Angel, I see white wings because they tie all the different divisions of Victoria’s Secret together through the commercials, the stores and on the runway. Some of my favorite white wings are Behati Prinsloo’s Snow wing in 2013, Adriana Lima's Snow Wing in 2019 and Miranda Kerr's silver screen wing in 2012.
Sometimes what makes a wing iconic is not just the wing itself, but the amazing model that brings the wing to life! So, I would have to add Adriana Lima’s red Parisian Nights wing because when she opened that section, she owned the stage. Adriana’s Parisian Wing is featured at The Madame Tussaud's in New York City for that very reason.
Getty Images8/9TV: What do you do with the wings after the show?
Victoria's Secret: VS archives them at their headquarters, but some are repurposed for store displays around the world.
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