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Adriana Lima’s latest appearance has fans comparing her to her early 2000s Victoria’s Secret era

Lima has maintained a packed modeling and fashion schedule

SEPTEMBER 23, 2026 2:58 PM EDTSEP 23, 2026, 2:58 PM EDT

Adriana Lima is once again commanding attention during fashion month, and her latest appearances have sparked a major conversation online.

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The 45-year-old Brazilian supermodel stepped out in Milan on September 22 following Vogue World, turning the streets into her own off-duty runway in a fitted black leather jacket, relaxed blue jeans and sleek black ankle boots.

Lima’s latest Milan appearance comes amid renewed attention from fans comparing her current look to her early 2000s Victoria’s Secret era.

The pared-back combination put the focus on Lima herself, with her signature blue eyes emphasized by smoky makeup and her dark hair pulled tightly away from her face.

The sculpted leather jacket featured a high neckline, structured shoulders and pointed detailing at the hem, giving the otherwise casual jeans-and-boots combination an unmistakably model-off-duty finish.

Adriana Lima turned heads in Milan in a fitted black leather jacket, relaxed jeans and sleek ankle boots during Milan Fashion Week.

Her appearance came after Lima participated in Vogue World at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. For the show, the longtime runway star wore a pinstriped Giorgio Armani pantsuit pulled from the house's Fall/Winter 1993 collection, according to Vogue Italia. The archival moment was particularly fitting for an event celebrating generations of Italian craftsmanship and fashion.

But Milan is only the latest stop in a string of appearances that have Lima's fans talking. Just days earlier, on September 18, the former Victoria's Secret Angel attended El Corte Inglés' Closing Party during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid.

Days earlier, Adriana Lima stepped out at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid in a sleek black sleeveless dress and dramatic high ponytail.

Wearing a minimalist black sleeveless gown with a dramatic open back, Lima paired the look with a slick, high ponytail, luminous makeup and dangling earrings.

Photos from the Madrid appearance quickly circulated online, prompting comparisons between Lima today and her famous Victoria's Secret years. Social media users have shared side-by-side photographs and clips of the model, with some describing her current appearance as reminiscent of the early years of her career.

Lima showed off the open-back design of her elegant black gown while attending El Corte Inglés’ Closing Party in Madrid on September 18.

The conversation became so widespread that multiple outlets reported on Lima's viral moment. However, despite some of the dramatic "transformation" language circulating online, the change hasn't happened overnight.

Lima has maintained a packed modeling and fashion schedule, and recent appearances have documented her evolving style for months.

Adriana Lima kicked off her fashion month appearances in New York, layering a plush cream Moncler coat over a chic tonal look.

Earlier in September, she was also among the stars celebrating the opening of Moncler's Fifth Avenue flagship during New York Fashion Week.

Lima embraced a completely different aesthetic for the occasion, layering a plush cream Moncler coat over a tonal ensemble of wide-leg trousers and a coordinating top. Pointed heels and another slicked-back hairstyle completed the monochromatic look.

The former Victoria’s Secret Angel paired wide-leg trousers and pointed heels with an oversized cream coat during New York Fashion Week.

The renewed attention also comes three years after Lima publicly addressed scrutiny surrounding her appearance following the birth of her youngest child, Cyan, whom she welcomed in August 2022.

After her appearance at a Los Angeles premiere in November 2023 generated criticism and speculation about her face, Lima responded by sharing a makeup-free selfie on Instagram.

Adriana Lima returned to the Victoria’s Secret runway in 2025, years after becoming one of the brand’s most recognizable Angels.

"The face of a tired mom of one teenage girl, two preteens, a 1-year-old learning to walk, and three dogs... thanks for your concern," she wrote at the time.

Lima had also spoken openly about accepting the changes to her body after pregnancy. "Every day I have to remind myself, 'Listen, accept who you are. Accept your body,'" she said in 2023, describing hers at the time as a "transitional body" after having a baby.

Lima’s 2025 Victoria’s Secret appearance offered fans another glimpse of the model whose history with the lingerie brand stretches back decades.

More than two decades after becoming one of the most recognizable faces associated with Victoria's Secret, Lima remains firmly in the fashion spotlight.

She became a Victoria's Secret Angel in 1999 and spent nearly two decades with the lingerie brand before her emotional farewell in 2018.

Adriana Lima commanded the runway during the 2025 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, continuing her long relationship with the iconic brand.

Now, rather than simply revisiting the past, Lima's latest fashion-month run is showing just how enduring her supermodel presence remains.

From New York to Madrid and, most recently, Milan, she has delivered three strikingly different looks in less than two weeks, and the internet is paying attention.

Long associated with Victoria’s Secret, Lima once again took center stage for the brand’s 2025 runway show.