This time last year Candice Swanepoel was enjoying the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show the way most of us do. “I watched the show from my couch in Brazil, which was a very different experience,” shared the supermodel. Sitting things out for the first time since she joined the brand as an Angel in 2010, Swanepoel was busy at home taking care of son Anacan, whom she gave birth to back in October of last year. Joining the ranks of VS model moms, Swanepoel welcomed her first child with fiancé Hermann Nicoli via a natural birth and focused her attentions on all the joy of being a brand-new mother. Still, when she tuned in to watch her fellow Angels strut their stuff in Paris, she admitted she felt a little nostalgic. “I definitely missed it, so of course I’m excited to be back.”
Returning to the runway for Shanghai meant getting back into the groove of things. The “train like an Angel” mantra served as a source of inspiration, with Swanepoel throwing herself into planks and Pilates the weeks before the show. Though the famously fit star had no trouble squeezing into her Angel wings, the show provided a special incentive for looking great—the model would be kick-starting the party with the very first look. “I’m opening this year, which [in itself] is a big ‘I’m back’ moment, so I’m looking forward to that.” Making the most of her time in Shanghai by touring the city with the whole VS gang as part of their preshow press days and exploring with her family, she’s been taken by the city’s history and its people. “I love being anywhere that has a strong culture, and it’s really fun for us to explore and learn a lot about the Chinese while being a guest in their country,” she says of the experience. “The way the fans are is different from other places—they’re always so polite and welcoming.”
With moments to go before the big show, many would be biting their nails in anticipation, but even with her VS runway return pending Swanepoel takes it all in stride. Squeezing in a last-minute workout, taking her son to see Minions, and, yes, enjoying a well-earned burger at the preshow sleepover, she kept things calm and cool—exactly like a supermodel should. “The whole thing has been great,” says Swanepoel. “We got to laugh and hang out in the midst of a lot of nerves and excitement. It’s nice to just enjoy the moment.”
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