Victoria's Secret Designer Collection Spring/Summer 2015
Victoria's Secret has released its newest "Designer Collection" for Spring/Summer 2015. As with last year's release, the collection is targeting customers who want something "special" from a name they already know well. Yet so much of what makes a piece truly "special" is in the purchasing experience itself. And here is where the Victoria's Secret "Designer Collection" is really lacking. These campaign images are pure catalog. There is no sense of fantasy or luxury in these images. Considering the collection is crafted of polyester-blend fabrics, you would think they would elevate their photos to help elevate the pieces themselves (and justify the price point!).
Victoria's Secret is resting on its name recognition and the fact that their target audience doesn't know to look for "more" in a special occasion piece. They are banking on their customers not realizing that at this price point they should expect stronger editorial images, richer fabrics, and more innovative silhouettes. Instead they are getting more of the Victoria's Secret same. Other than a few details, it's hard to tell this is a "Designer" collection. It would be easy to stumble onto these offerings from another area of the Victoria's Secret site and not know you were looking at the brand's "luxury" offerings. The silhouettes, models, and styling are indistinguishable from other collections on the site.
Overall the collection has a pretty narrow size range, with bras available in band sizes 32-36, with cup sizes B-D, and teddies and babydolls in S-L (fitting sizes 4-14). Victoria's Secret is smart to design many pieces to accommodate cup sizes outside of this range with unstructured busts that feature adjustable halter ties. Not only does this open the collection up to a wider audience, it allows for ease of manufacturing for the brand as well.
Most of what sets this collection apart is the use of Swarovski crystal elements to provide a bit of sparkle, shine, and textural interest. A heavily-beaded detachable halter strap gives new life to a lace balconette bra. Pale pink panties glitter with girlish charm. And a light blue lace bodysuit has ice-like gems along the cups.
There are a few pieces in the collection that stand out. The red chiffon teddy has a daring plunge front crafted of sheer tulle that is dotted with Swarovski crystals. It ties in a halter at the base of the neck for a completely open back. The attached briefs have corded Chantilly lace with a sheer panel at the front.
The delicate lace and chiffon slip has an unstructured cut that skims the body. Lace curves around the bodice and hips with the scalloped edge forming an attractive neckline. The below-the-knee length has a lace-trimmed slit on one thigh for ease of movement. A barely-there, deeply scooped back is topped with narrow ties that give the appearance of one little tug and the slip is gone (which is fun).
Lastly, the ice blue teddy is quite texturally interesting, with Chantilly lace darted cups and center panel edged with floral guipure lace. Swarovski crystals hug the outer edges of the cups and decorate the floral applique at the bra's center. There is a waist-defining ribbon band that ties in the back above a V-string bottom. This is a pretty take on "something blue" for brides to be.
What do you think of Victoria's Secret's newest Designer Collection? Do any of these pieces read as "luxury" to you? When shopping for a special occasion item or investment piece, does the photography of a collection influence your purchasing?
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Does anyone know when the new VS designer collection will come out this year?
To say that these Designer Collection pieces looking the same as the rest of their lingerie, bras, and panties, is completely wrong. Obviously these pieces are very different than anything on their website or in their stores. The reason why the photos aren’t different than their other photos is because more than likely these too were shot by Russell James. That is his style and Ed clearly approves. I own 4 sets from their Very Sexy Luxe collection and 1 set from their Dream Angels Luxe collection. I would like to know what y’all at TLA think of those Luxe collection (a step down from Designer Collection). I love all the bras I have from those collections. The padding in them is amazingly soft and Tempurpedic-esque! I expect the same for my Designer Collection bra that is arriving tomorrow. As for the Designer Collection panties I received today, I am extremely happy with my purchase. They are the high-waisted ones that are apart of the winter designer collection 2014 and match the black teddy and Swarovski halter bra pictured above. The Swarovski crystals are breath-taking and very sturdy on the panties. They are not cheap looking at all. I find your view point on this article and many others I have seen on this site are extremely biased. It’s never anything good about Victoria’s Secret on TLA. I understand there are other lingerie brands out there catering to other styles/women/what have you. But there is nothing like VS. They have crazy awesome marketing skills and I have never had a problem with any of their products.
This collection is incredibly bland, and frankly I find the prices outrageous. The only piece that caught my attention is that red plunging slip, but at that price, no thank you. Imagine what you could get from a much more innovative label for that price. Plus, I personally hate rhinestones. I agree, Laurie, that VS appears to be riding on the value of their name to fleece customers who have no idea what fantastic quality and design can be had at this price point.
Hi Thursday, Thanks so much for commenting. I agree, these prices are absolutely outrageous, especially when there are so many other lovelies out in the world available for much less. I’m not a huge fan of all the bling, either, and actually wonder how they’ll hold up.
Give me the $300 and I’ll toddle over to Trashy Diva and pick up their Flapper robe in red, thanks very much ;)
Indeed! That robe is positively swoon-worthy!
I totally agree Laurie. When I first started blogging had a huge grudge against VS which I soon realised was completely irrational and that hey they’re a fantastic business killing it! However, their “designer collection”, I just don’t really agree with it. Their target audience just aren’t people who know or are particularly interested in lingerie so I feel a little bad for people paying almost as much as a piece from Kiki de Montparnasse only to recieve the design and quality of true&co. It happens in every industry and can’t be avoided, but I do just wish they had of kicked it out of the park with design a little more. Great post btw :)
Hi Millicent, Thanks so much for commenting! So glad you liked the article. I agree that they are targeting young women who just don’t know where to look or feel comfortable buying from a brand they have already been wearing for years.
I’m not a big VS fan, but wow, that red slip is lovely.
Thanks so much for commenting, Amber. That slip was my favorite piece from the collection too!
I saw the baby blue bodysuit the other day and put it STRAIGHT in my cart!
Hi Tiah, Make sure to tell us what you think of the fit and fabrication! I hope you love it :)
I like some of the pieces – the blue bra and skirted knickers for example, but I would NOT pay $586 for it! I could buy Agent Provocateur’s most expensive non-Soiree bra and brief set for that and still have money left over, and that’s a luxury set. But maybe it’s just the photography as you mentioned, it’s all a bit catalogue-y and perhaps doesn’t show off the product as best it could – the red slip for example is nice and says it has a ‘sprinkling of rhinestones’ but you’d never know they were there from either photo.
I agree the photography is bloodless and most of the styles are a snooze (although I find the “guipure/lace figleaf” concept on the top two halter babydolls just too clumsy). A couple of the pale blue pieces have nice textures and the last black chiffon babydoll looks marginally less cheap than the rest… But ultimately, to me that is beside the point– even though some more original design details and a good photo spread could induce me to take a second look, ultimately I wouldn’t be buying anything “special” from VS anyway. I don’t trust their quality, I don’t approve of their in-store service (poorly-trained, underpaid, overworked staff who often can’t fit anyone) and I don’t relate to their brand image. Isn’t that the issue, at the end of the day? There is just not a very large overlap between the VS demographic and the customer base that expects more recherche cuts and materials and is attracted by a more editorial presentation. VS, as far as I can tell, is going after millennial customers, YOUNG millennials, who are (a) most likely shopping on their smartphones (so gorgeous boudoir backdrops and fey outdoor settings are totally lost on them) and (b) not used to spending the bulk of their lingerie budget on directional, “risk” purchases and thus likely to be easily scared off by a product presentation that reminds them too much of rich-older-lady lingerie boutiques. VS is playing it safe by presenting this line with flat, bland, baby-pink photography.
Now, will it sell? I have no idea. But VS knows it’s gotten this far by emphasizing brand above all else and they are clearly not willing to break with that brand image by changing up their aesthetic for a luxe collection.
Thanks so much for commenting, Wendy. Yes, it’s obvious that VS is catering to a young demographic who potentially don’t care much how the products are merchandised. It will be interesting to see how it sells. Several pieces in the collection were nearly sold out at the time of this article.
I have a love-hate with Victoria’s Secret and the Designer Collection. I do own a few of the Designer Collection pieces that I felt were truly different than other styles out there in the market such as the corset-style top babydolls and I really love them. The ice blue set is the nicest of this collection and in fact is a re-do of a previous collection that came in black, white, yellow, and peach. I have the bodysuit in black and it really is special, apart from the unfortunate ubiquitous bow in the back. The chantilly lace is actually quite lovely and the flower lace overlay makes it really stand out. I honestly haven’t seen anything else like this set from other brands – the longline bra, the skirted thong – in this type of dual lace fabrication. As for the other pieces, they aren’t truly special or all that unique. Again, the halter babydoll is a hard fit without the right breast shape and torso length, and has been done for the last few seasons. So, nothing too original for Spring 2015 sadly, and the sizing options seem to decrease each season also, which makes production cheaper and easier.
Hi Lisa, Thanks so much for sharing your experience with the VS Designer Collection. It’s wonderful to hear from someone who’s actually purchased!
I feel pretty ‘meh’ about all of these designs. It doesn’t look that different from their regular range and the lack of size options is very disappointing, albeit unsurprising. Also I hate their use of crystals.