How Victoria’s Secret Models New and Old Are Celebrating the Show’s Casting Announcements on Instagram
Veterans like Maria Borges and Devon Windsor and newer faces like Estelle Chen are really, really thrilled to be here.
Earlier this week, the Victoria’s Secret castings began. While the main angels like Alessandra Ambrosio—who has since departed for vacation in Bora Bora—Candice Swanepoel, Sara Sampaio, and Josephine Skriver were off in Aspen shooting a western-themed lingerie fantasy, hopeful young models from around the globe descended on casting studios in New York. Newcomers like Josie Canseco, daughter of the former baseball player Jose Canseco, as well as seasoned pros like Maria Borges, Grace Elizabeth, and Devon Windsor all made the rounds. (Suspiciously absent, though, were Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, prompting some to speculate neither model had auditioned for, nor been cast in this year’s show.) Hailey Baldwin and Grace Mahary also made appearances, but, like Canseco, don’t appear to have made the cut (or, at least, haven’t made it Instagram official yet.) Contracted Angels Jasmine Tookes, who wore the Fantasy Bra last year in Paris, and Martha Hunt presided over the castings, wearing coordinating sheer black ensembles and offering their best wishes to the prospective angels before the games got underway.
“Wishing all of the beautiful girls good luck,” Tookes wrote. “Fun day with my girls,” Hunt added on her own Instagram. “Good luck angels!”
Now, after three rounds of callbacks, the final Angels have earned their wings, and few are holding back in celebrating on Instagram. (Even before she was cast, Victoria’s Secret show regular Devon Windsor posted a throwback to 2014’s show; her display picture on Instagram, as well as her celebratory-casting-post, also depicts her walking in the 2016 show.) For the women who have walked the show in the past, it’s an opportunity to post images and videos from previous seasons; for the new faces, there are still plenty of ecstatic videos and triumphant photos to share, paired with deep captions about the news. (The women invariably not only thank their agencies and the Victoria’s Secret casting directors, but also, naturally, their personal trainers.) IRL best friends Gizele Oliveira and Bruna Lírio posted the same celebratory video; Maria Borges posted a rundown of all her past looks and Barbara Fialho offered an inside look at all the looks from the previous year’s show ahead of her sixth outing on the Victoria’s Secret runway.
After all, a Victoria’s Secret model not only gets wings—but she also gets a bouquet of roses with which to parade down the streets of Manhattan, creating the perfect Instagrammable moment. Before the models descend on Shanghai (if the rumors for this year’s destination are true), here, take a look at how they have been celebrating the news. (Eventually, it will probably involve a workout—the Angels are nothing if not loyal to the Dogpound.)
Jasmine Tookes tries on the $3 million Fantasy Bra:
