Your summer wardrobe needs more 1997 Victoria’s Secret

Here’s what to shop for, which search terms to use, and insider tricks to know.

Jul 23, 2026

Is there anything more delightful than slipping into a skin-grazing silk slip in the height of summer? When the fabric is light and supple and drapes your body just so — it’s pure sartorial bliss.

Like all other 90s trends, silk slip dresses are gaining traction on secondhand platforms like eBay, Depop, and Poshmark. Some heavily represented brands in my personal saves: Betsey Johnson, Ralph Lauren, Emanuel Ungaro, and Sue Wong. Lately, vintage Victoria’s Secret in particular has caught my attention.

This was partially set in motion by my push-up bra research, where I noticed pop stars like Charli XCX, Addison Rae, Sabrina Carpenter, and Olivia Rodrigo have all been leaning into lingerie-inspired fashion. To me, these celebrity style moments reflect an underlying cultural appetite for a new era of “sexy” fashion that disappeared during the quiet luxury era of the early 2020s. Combine that with Gen Z’s love of secondhand shopping — they may-or-may-not be having sex, but they’re definitely down for sexy clothes! — and that explains why “vintage Victoria’s Secret” has increased 250% in relative search term popularity in the past 5 years.

I spent the past week down the rabbit hole of vintage VS and have emerged to report back on exactly what to shop for, which search terms to use, and insider tricks to know.

This guide will be useful if you want to snag some cute silk slips and lacy camis for the summer, but don’t know where to start.

Silk slips are in high demand and sell fast

Let’s be real, this is what vintage VS does best, and what most shoppers are looking to snag. Wearing secondhand bras and underwear is quite divisive, but a dress? Easy entry point. So many of these lace-trim styles from the 90s and 2000s are popular design references for contemporary brands like Rouje and Realisation Par, which are typically priced in the $200-$300 range. If you see one you like, I recommend moving fast. When I was putting together curated links for this piece, everything I picked would sell within two days, and I’d have to go back to the drawing board.

This 100% Silk Ivory Lace Trim Slip Dress feels very romantic and bohemian, like it could be Chloé or Ulla Johnson.
If your favorite color combo is black and pink, this lace trim slip is perfect!
Had to throw in some leopard print into the mix for you.
Here’s something you could wear as a wedding guest dress — I think the neckline is so elegant.

Babydoll dresses are so much more than lingerie

Think about the voluminous tulle shapes that designers like Simone Rocha and Cecilie Bahnsen send down the runway every year. You may think a lingerie brand like Victoria’s Secret is wayyy too frou frou in comparison, but a babydoll is a super versatile styling tool to achieve a similar look. You just have to juxtapose the sweetness with something a little grunge or sporty. See: Olivia Rodrigo wearing a babydoll dress with knee-high Doc Martens earlier this summer, which you may recall started a moral panic among men who couldn’t mind their own business… long live the babydoll!

Does someone live in Middle Village, New York? There’s an FB Marketplace listing of the exact blue babydoll Sabrina Carpenter wore on the Espresso album cover. Try styling it with rugged accessories like chunky silver jewelry and Frye boots.
The tiny white bows all over this sheer babydoll are very Sandy Liang-coded. Wear this over a mesh long-sleeve tee, track pants, and sporty sneakers.
This is blue cotton candy in lingerie form; wear it over baggy jeans and a pair of kitten heels.

Camis are exceptionally good value

Every Y2K style enthusiast needs a minxy little cami to wear with low-rise jeans. The vintage inventory is abundant, so prices are pretty reasonable. You can find lots of 100% silk pieces for under $50.

There’s something regal and folkloric about this dark green cami with floral embroidery.
This light purple is such a pretty color.

Don’t sleep on the silk pajama shorts

A luxe alternative to a sporty short for summer. The key is picking a darker or saturated color so they don’t look so much like underwear. If they’re cheeky, wear them as a beach/poolside cover-up.

For example, this teal color doesn’t look like lingerie to me — wear it with a graphic baby tee and flip-flops.
Cobalt blue is another solid choice.

Add “bridal” in your keyword combo

Some vintage VS pieces were specifically made as bridal-category products, while others just happen to be white/ivory/cream, and the reseller included “bridal” in the tags. Either way, this is a search term shortcut to gorgeous, ethereal pieces.

Love the sheer bodice on this chantilly lace dress from the 2000s.
Floral burnout is soooo 90s. This could be a cool bridal getting-ready dress.
Cannot resist a bias cut dress with an exquisite neckline.

Look for Gold Label tags

The Gold Label pieces are the most coveted era of vintage VS, from the mid-80s to the early 90s. The lingerie and sleepwear from that period were generally higher quality — especially if they date back to when VS was a catalog company and not yet a “mall brand.” Prices for Gold Label pieces tend to be higher nowadays due to rarity. Based on my research, Gold Label tag fabrics can vary — some are 100% silk, others are polyester — and sometimes resellers incorrectly date the pieces they sell. Still, it’s a good keyword for filtering your search to older pieces.

Liquid GOLD. That is all.
Snag this heart cutout pink silk teddy before Sabrina’s stylist finds it…
This lace silk tank and short set is a steal.

Happy shopping! If you have a search term or tip to share, leave it in the comments <3

Viv Chen is a California-based fashion and culture writer. She writes The Molehill, a newsletter for vintage and secondhand obsessives.

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