How do you evolve and bring back an event that more than a few critics had said might be past its prime? Leaning in hard on what originally made it great is a good start, especially when it’s topped with elements that feel decidedly right now. It also helps if the resulting combination feels simply joyful.

The Victoria’s Secret team, which last presented its signature fashion show in 2019, took its time to reconfigure the event in the face of plunging TV ratings and the impact of the #MeToo movement. But what was presented Tuesday night at Duggal Greenhouse at New York’s Brooklyn Navy Yard indeed felt celebratory, current and fully women-centric — not only on the runway and backstage, but also the front row, a guest list that included Cardi B, Jodie Turner-Smith and Queen Latifah.

Past Victoria’s Secret shows added men to the mix via musical acts, but not this year. The decided “no guys allowed” vibe throughout Tuesday’s event included a trio of female artists that also felt both balanced and high-wattage: Tyla, Blackpink‘s Lisa and finally Cher, who was easily among the night’s most anticipated moments. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say Cher is among the biggest thrills for me,” Janie Schaffer, the brand’s chief design and creative officer, told The Hollywood Reporter on the event’s pink carpet before the show. “We watched her rehearse yesterday, and it was a moment we couldn’t quite believe was happening.”

Ultimately it was the cadre of supermodels that perhaps best highlighted this event’s newfound commitment to focusing fully on a female-empowerment theme. Gigi Hadid opened the show, while sister Bella appeared later, and in between the roster continued to read like a who’s who of the modeling industry: Carla Bruni, Kate Moss, Irina Shayk, Doutzen Kroes, Joan Smalls, Isabeli Fontana, Ashley Graham, Candice Swanepoel, Paloma Elsesser, Behati Prinsloo and many others.

To thoroughly punctuate the statement, Tyra Banks, an OG Victoria’s Secret Angel since 1997, emerged from retirement to walk the finale. Banks is 50, while Eva Herzigová, who also walked the runway Tuesday night, is 51, and the audience response to seeing them — and their equally iconic colleagues — on the runway was nothing less than rhapsodic. “It’s a little crazy, because it’s been twenty-something years since I’ve done this,” Herzigova said backstage before the show. “It feels amazing to be back, also because Victoria’s Secret is my family. It’s also just lovely to see that the brand is committed to growth, to become more inclusive and celebrate women as they are, with all ages, all shapes, all colors. It’s lovely to see it and lovely to be surrounded by that kind of beauty.” Perhaps the best example of this idea: a pair of transgender models, Alex Consani and Valentina Sampaio, walking the show for the first time.

For 28-year-old Imaan Hummam, a decade between her two Victoria’s Secret appearances enabled her to embrace a sense of perspective Tuesday night. “I did the show for the first time when I was 18, and that’s so young. You’re trying to figure out who you are and what you stand for,” she explained to THR. “Ten years later, I’m stronger and much more confident. I feel like I know why I’m here, and it really does feel empowering and exciting.”

The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show traditionally was designed as the company’s biggest sales opportunity of the year, airing in early December between 2001 and 2018 to put the brand and its products front and center as the holiday-shopping season kicked off. Fast-forward to 2024, and the sales model also has shifted, with the brand partnering with Amazon to present the event, which aired live on Prime Video and featured shoppable looks available in its Amazon Fashion store.

Given the night’s star power, the clothes never felt like the news. The looks were equal parts elegant and sexy and very often framed by the oversized wings that have become another show signature. But instead, the news was every woman who appeared on the runway — from the trio of ultra-talented performers to 50 stunning models, dozens of backup dancers and the all-female choir that ushered in Cher’s performance.

The men in attendance, meanwhile, were happy to take a backseat — and one in particular, to be a cheerleader for his wife. Dylan Sprouse arrived at the show carrying placards he fashioned from oversized photos of Klaus Von Sprouse and Piggy Cow, the cat and dog he shares with his wife, model Barbara Palvin. Upon her entrance, he stood up and waved them gleefully, and it was clear Palvin noticed from the smile on her face. “I’m always impressed and proud of her,” Sprouse said prior to the show. “She’s worked really, really hard for this.”

Preshow, many attendees were asked, What does female empowerment mean to you? Unsurprisingly, it was Cher who offered the night’s best response: “Everything.”