In 1983, Leslie Wexner revamped Victoria's Secret. He discarded the money-losing model of selling lingerie to male customers and replaced it with one that focused on women.[22] Victoria's Secret transformed from "more burlesque than Main Street" to a mainstay that sold broadly accepted underwear. The "new colors, patterns and styles that promised sexiness packaged in a tasteful, glamorous way and with the snob appeal of European luxury" were supposed to appeal to and appease female buyers.[22] To further this image, the Victoria's Secret catalog continued the practice that Raymond began:[23] listing the company's headquarters on catalogs at a fake London address, with the real headquarters in Columbus, Ohio.[22] The stores were redesigned to evoke 19th century England.
From at least 1985 through to 1993, Victoria's Secret sold men's underwear.[24][25]
In 1986, four years after the sale, The New York Times commented, "in an industry where mark-downs have been the norm, the new emphasis is on style and service".[26] The lingerie business was changing fast