This is The Close-Up, where the biggest names in entertainment explain the story behind their latest personal style statement.
Some performers assume an alter-ego before they walk onstage. They gain confidence by “becoming” someone else. Colombian artist Karol G, on the other hand, amps herself up by dialing in to where she came from.
“I dance, I pray, and I remind myself of the girl who started singing in Medellín with big dreams,” she tells me in an email. “I call on that version of me—the one who didn’t have fame, but had faith.” Then, she takes a deep breadth and remembers “You’re here for a reason. Go make them feel something.”
That’s an understatement for what she achieved during her two-song set at the 2025 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. She was as much of an attraction on the runway as Bella Hadid and Alex Consani as she performed her hits “Ivonny Bonita” and “Latina Forever,” tracks that propelled her to a historic 2024 tour and coinciding Netflix documentary.Shoulders were swaying in the audience; the energy in the room noticeably rose a few notches as she danced around a drummer at the center of the runway. “That’s my GIRL!” one guest shouted as Karol G hit her last pose—in her own set of red wings.
That Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show signature only came out during her big finale, as she walked to the end of the stage. Otherwise, Karol G performed in her own twist on the peek-a-boo silhouettes and bombshell glam embellishments the event is known for: She wore a long-sleeve, red lace bodysuit, coated in baroque clusters of intricate red crystals, with a chili pepper satin wrap around her waist.
Going a relatively covered-up route was intentional. “For this performance, I wanted to explore a different kind of sensuality. One that doesn’t come from showing skin, but from owning presence,” she explains. “The entire look is red, a tone that feels like passion, confidence, and danger all at once.”