I Thought I Was Going To Flash Someone

Stella Maxwell lifts the lid on the pre-show rituals she shares with her fellow Angels.

If you thought choosing what to wear to work was a tough job, try being a Victoria’s Secret Angel. With all eyes on the stellar line-up from the restroom to the runway at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, the models face extreme pressure to get it right. And it turns out Belgian beauty Stella Maxwell, 26, is just as critical of her own performance when she gets to work. ‘The second show was the better one – we knew what was coming up. We knew what we were doing,’ she tells Look after the finale at Paris’s Grand Palais. With the audience fixated on every inch of every outfit, the Angels have to resist temptation to give them a tweak.

‘The bejewelled, sheer body suit was my favourite,’ says Stella, ‘but I felt like it started to ride down my body. I had this feeling to try to pull it up, but then I was like: “Don’t start doing that on the runway!” But it was epic and I don’t think you could see it falling down, so it was all good.’

It’s no understatement to describe the fashion show as spectacular. Lady Gaga joined the 51 Angels and Stella was full of adoration for the Poker Face hit-maker, who grabbed her hand as she strutted past in brown suede booties and a yellow lingerie set, teamed with a lederhosen-style skirt, matching suspenders and an array of feathers adorning her back. Here, Stella reveals just what it takes to earn those prestigious wings…

Do you work out harder in the run-up to the show?