‘90s Victoria’s Secret Angel Makes Surprise Appearance at 57
The first woman to ever wear the brand’s signature wings stunned fans with her presence.
frederic meylan/Sygma via Getty Images
The first Victoria’s Secret model to ever wear the Angel wings made a surprise appearance at the brand’s 2026 show.
Dutch fashion icon Karen Mulder stunned fans at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 18.
The 57-year-old, who retired from modeling and disappeared from the spotlight in the early 2000s, wore a black satin Victoria’s Secret gown with a matching blazer.
Karen Mulder at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2026 at Sony Pictures Studios on October 18, 2026, in Culver City, California.
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Mulder accessorized with sparkling black pumps, sheer black gloves, a clutch, and a House of Emmanuele diamond statement necklace.
Her chest-length blond hair was curled, and black eyeliner accentuated her blue eyes.
Karen Mulder accentuated her high cheekbones with blust at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show pink carpet on October 18, 2026, in Los Angeles, California.
Maya Dehlin/Getty Images
Victoria’s Secret launched its fashion shows in 1995 and introduced the concept of a Victoria’s Secret Angel in a 1997 ad campaign.
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Mulder was one of the original Angels alongside supermodels Helena Christensen, Daniela Peštová, Stephanie Seymour, and Tyra Banks.
In 1998, Mulder opened the show in a white underwear set with feathers and a pair of white wings. Several of the models who followed her down the runway also wore wings.
Karen Mulder was the first model to take the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show runway in wings in 1998 at The Plaza Hotel in New York City.
Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Mulder, one of the highest-paid supermodels of the ‘90s, disappeared from the spotlight in the early 2000s and made only one appearance in 2007 on Dior’s Haute Couture runway.
In August 2026, Mulder made a triumphant return to modeling when she posed for the cover of Vogue Germany after almost two decades away from the fashion world.
In her cover interview, Mulder said she was not only the first Victoria’s Secret model to wear wings, but also the person who came up with the concept. Mulder said she was inspired by the TV series Charlie’s Angels and pitched the wing idea to executives.
Victoria’s Secret Angels Tyra Banks and Karen Mulder walking for a benefit in Cannes in 2000.
Fred Prouser/Reuters
After her August comeback, Mulder started an Instagram account.
On Sunday, she posted photos of herself on the pink carpet. She captioned the post, “@victoriassecret Fashion Show 2026,” and thanked her glam team.
In the comments, people fawned over Mulder’s “gorgeous” and stunning” appearance, writing that they would have loved to see her walk down the runway.
“Victoria’s Secret should have had Karen wear the million-dollar bra for 2026, celebrating her coming back to fashion,” one person commented. This year, nepo baby Kylie Jenner wore the iconic Fantasy Bra, to many fans’ dismay.
This year, Kylie Jenner wore the Fantasy Bra.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret
Some commenters were upset that Mulder’s presence didn’t get more attention: “Keep in mind she wore the FIRST pair of Angel wings, and they didn’t even interview my girl on the pink carpet.”
Before the show, Victoria’s Secret showed live video from the pink carpet, where hosts Scott Evans and Zanna Rossi interviewed some of the evening’s guests and performers.
Fans were unhappy that Karen Mulder wasn’t interviewed on the Victoria’s Secret pink carpet.
Instagram/Karen Mulder
Interviewees included celebrities like model Barbara Palvin’s husband, Dylan Sprouse, and Southern Charm star Madison LeCroy, but Mulder was not among them.
Supermodels Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, and Karen Mulder pose with their lookalike dolls in 1996.
Mousse Mousse/Reuters
Mulder started her modeling career at just 15, when she was discovered through a modeling contest in the Netherlands. A friend signed Mulder up for the 1985 competition, and after winning second place, she signed with industry titan Elite Model Management.
But in 2001, after years of modeling for high fashion brands, Mulder’s life changed. She appeared on a French television show, Tout le monde en parle…, which translates to “Everyone is talking about…,” and discussed the difficulties and dangers of the modeling industry.
The episode, which was never broadcast, included her screaming and collapsing, according to the host Thierry Ardisson. Mulder was admitted to a psychiatric facility shortly after.
Karen Mulder on Yves Saint Laurent’s 1996 Spring/Summer Haute Couture runway in Paris in 1996.
STR New/Reuters
In 2002, Mulder was again in the headlines for reportedly overdosing on sleeping pills. Afterward, she kept a low profile.
In her 2026 Vogue Germany interview, she said she was planning a comeback to the fashion world, and even rehearsing her runway walk.
“Now, I think, is the right time to come back,” she said. “I’m not the same person I used to be. I’m looking to the future with nothing but positivity.”
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