Lily Donaldson

Showing off your midriff isn't for everyone, but if you've been wanting to dabble in the trend, allow five stylish celebs to show you how to do it in the classiest ways. Freida Pinto was just spotted at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival rocking a matching Salvatore Ferragamo getup, which included a striped halter crop top and matching circle skirt. Christa B. Allen has also revealed her midriff in a retro-chic way, as have a few more stars. Step inside to see them all and to shop their chic midriff-baring styles for yourself.

The action began backstage at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in NYC today! Hairstylist Orlando Pita and lead makeup artist Lauren Cosenza were in charge of transforming the models into Angels, and girls like Miranda Kerr, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Adriana Lima squeezed in interviews between primping sessions. Kanye West, who's performing during tonight's show, popped between the beauty stations to say hello to some of the ladies. He was introduced to Miranda Kerr, then gave rumored lady friend Chanel Iman a big hug. The press was running all over to talk to the models, but when Kanye arrived, things really hit the fan!

Miranda Kerr spoke with us about her husband Orlando Bloom, who's attending the show this evening, and what their family will do over the holidays. Adriana Lima shared a sweet anecdote about her daughter Valentina having a playdate with Alessandra Ambrosio's little one Anja, who apparently has some angel wings of her own already.

• Alessandra on her daughter Anja's exposure to the show: "She came to the rehearsal — she's not allowed to come to the show yet! She was on the runway with me. She was just playing model, she was being an Angel . . . She didn't see the costumes, she only saw the wings. She saw the wings, and she was like, 'Mama! I have all these wings too at home! I have a butterfly, I have angel wings!' She has tons of wings, she was comparing our angel wings with hers."
• Miranda on the trick to wearing Angel wings: "The wings are good! They're very heavy. You just do the best you can with the wings. Part of me is a little bit nervous because I don't want to be bopping down the catwalk. The aim is to glide down the catwalk. But when you have wings on you kind of bob a little bit."
• Adriana on her daughter Valentina's playdate with Alessandra's daughter: "My baby, Valentina, actually I brought her yesterday for rehearsal. She did see my shoes, she fell in love with the wings. She walked on the runway. It was so cute. She had such a fun day yesterday. Alessandra's baby was here too, Anja, they were having a little playdate!"
• Miranda on her and Orlando's holiday plans: "I think we'll probably be in Australia, so that will be nice. Because Orlando's filming The Hobbit down there."

>> The new Mulberry Carter has already been spotted on the likes of Lily Donaldson, Emma Watson, Kate Bosworth, and Kirsten Dunst — and now it's finally available to purchase online. Featuring a retro-boxy shape and a double-lock plaque, the Carter comes in either suede, croc, or snake-embossed leather. Ranging in price from $1,000 to $1,550, the new bag is available in three sizes: the Mini Carter Camera Bag, the Camera Bag, and the roomy, tote-like Double Handle bag. Click through to see the whole selection — all in a Fall-perfect palette of fox, midnight, black, and bird's nest.

The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show airs tomorrow, but we got backstage access at the show itself. Now we're sharing the beauty tips and tricks that the Angels used before the show. Ever wondered what these lovely ladies do to prep for the show and how they get such perfect hair and makeup, not to mention such even tans? Then take a peek behind the pink velvet curtains.

>> Victoria's Secret models are all over fashion editorials and campaigns these days — Models.com suspects Candice Swanepoel might be next to cross over — and no wonder, with 10 and Harper's Bazaar editor Sophia Neophitou as show stylist. As Neophitou told Style.com of casting the show: “It’s such an editorial level . . . We looked at girls we love to shoot editorially; that’s what great. I think there’s a perception before you get here of what will work. But the reality is, it’s about the girl, it’s about the woman, what she brings as a human being to it, rather than has she got a size 34C cup. No, it’s not about that at all. That’s what they’ve got the miracle bras for.”

Brazilians were heavily favored as usual this year, with Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Isabeli Fontana, Izabel Goulart, Flavia Oliveira, Lais Ribeiro, Fabiana Semprebom, Emanuela de Paula, Gracie Carvalho, and Martha Streck all representing; 10 Brazilians out of the 33 total models. Check them out, plus Jessica Stam, Lily Donaldson, and more — at the show's after-party at Lavo last night.

With major wings, outrageous lingerie, and performers like Akon and Katy Perry serenading them down the catwalk, Karolina Kurkova, Jessica Stam, Chanel Iman, Lily Donaldson, and the rest of Victoria's Secret's angels took to the runway tonight in NYC. So, while the Victoria's Secret fashion show doesn't air till November 30, you can get a peek of all the action right now: Isabeli Fontana lifting weights, Karolina Kurkova as the sexiest race car driver we've ever seen, and Chanel Iman covered in bubbles; but most importantly major wings and majorly hot lingerie. Step inside to get a glimpse of all the amazing model moments.

>> The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show has come a long way in 15 years — see the very first show, sans any wings, here — and this year, the theme is "A Night of a Thousand Fantasies." The first few costume images have popped up (Lily Aldridge's two looks can be seen here), and we've got a few confirmed names to add to the list: among them, Selita Ebanks, Katsia Damenkova, Anne Vyalitsyna (who's getting her first wings this year), Constance Jablonski, Gracie Carvalho, Lily Donaldson, and Lais Ribeiro.

There's also a new casting video out, and Ed Razek, chief marketing officer of Limited Brands, parent company of Victoria's Secret, admits of the process: "I hate castings, because I’m basically a softy and I hate the broken hearts and I hate saying no . . . What people don’t realize is that [those who fit the parameters of a Victoria's Secret model are] rarer by far than superstar athletes. The numbers of people who can do this are probably under 100 in the world. And in the show, it’s only [33] girls.”

And the castings — which Sophia Neophitou-Apostolou and Dan May of Harper’s Bazaar UK and 10 Magazine have a say in as stylists — are tough. Maryna Linchuk had to audition again this year, despite walking in the show in the past, because bodies change, Monica Mitro, executive producer of the show, said. “You don’t see them for a minute, and . . . ” she added, holding her hands wide to gesture for broad hips. But some faults are more forgivable than others — when Caroline Winberg walked in to casting, with hair described by the New York Times as "frazzled by styling until it was the texture of wood shavings," Mitro stated: “Never mind the hair . . . we can always do something about the hair."