Victoria's Secret Runway Show

Runaway at the 2008 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at the Fontainebleau Hotel on November 15, 2008 in Miami Beach, Florida.

The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

Let's take a moment to savor this little tidbit: Even Victoria's Secret's handpicked "angels" ramp up the cardio and cut out the carbs before they parade around in their underwear for a nationally televised broadcast.

Marisa Miller, Doutzen Kroes and Miranda Kerr are the newest models to be given their wings by the lingerie giant, joining Heidi Klum, Karolina Kurkova, Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio and Selita Ebanks as the brand's top models. All three of the newbies had graced the Victoria's Secret catwalk before but they weren't fully part of the family until they went to Miami last month for the new runway show spectacle that will be seen on CBS Wednesday night.

There were plenty of jitters as they slipped into their lacy looks.

"I love feeling so sexy and I love to be on this runway, but you're nervous because it's lingerie and it's on TV," says Kroes, whose outfits include a frothy pink ballerina ensemble and a Greek goddess get-up. "There are so many people seeing you live, it's not like a picture when there is Photoshop after."

To prepare, Dutch 23-year-old beauty Kroes, who says she normally eats what she wants because she exercises often, goes on a strict sugar- and carb-free meal plan and spends many extra minutes a day jumping rope. "For other fashion shows you can be skinny, but for Victoria's Secret, you need definition," says Kroes, 23.

Her belly wasn't empty, though. "I get butterflies in my stomach, for sure."

Miller, a relaxed surfer type true to her Califonia roots, says she also has to psych herself up.

"I'm a little shy and unassuming, which might be hard to believe with my job, so I don't have to quite become another person out there but I have to think about letting it all go. My last outfit was a black velvet one-piece with pink feathers on the back. I had to show the camera my tailfeathers so I did give a little spin," she says.

Miller, 30, calls this gig the biggest thing in her career and it's worth all the work -- and the workouts. "When you're on the runway, you're moving so it's all about toning up," she says.

With extensive fittings and rehearsals, as well as the elaborate set-up (which coincided with $1 billion in renovations to the host site Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel), Miller says part of her couldn't wait to take the first step out and enjoy her "moment." Yet, she was also staring at the reality of a huge audience.

"That's when you hope you can make it to the end of the runway in one piece. Some outfits are complicated, and you have to be aware of how they shift or if they are restricting. When you're in your underwear, a lot can happen," she says.

Kerr, who flutters down the runway in a cool-shade blue lace low-cut bra and high-cut brief, sexy sandals with thigh-high ribbons and the coveted wings, took comfort in knowing her family was in the crowd, and winked at her mom and dad.

"My mom didn't mind seeing me up there in my underwear ," Kerr says. "I am 25 and it's all very lovely and like a costume. It's beautiful and romantic ... it's not like standing up there in my everyday underwear. It's a theatrical show and everyone is there to have a good time."

Lacoste

Lacoste is a French apparel company founded in 1933 that sells high-end clothing, footwear, perfume, leather goods, watches, eyewear, and most famously, tennis shirts. The company can be recognized by its green crocodile logo.

René Lacoste was a famous tennis player who achieved fame in two areas: tennis and fashion. While winning the 1927 U.S. Open championship, René Lacoste of France wore something that he himself had created: a white, short-sleeve shirt made exclusively of a light knitted fabric called ‘jersey petit piqué’ that served to wick away moisture due to heat, the very first version of performance clothing in sports. The shirt was a radical departure from tennis fashion of the day, which called for stiff, woven, long-sleeve oxfords. In 1923 during the Davis Cup, the American press nicknamed Lacoste "the Alligator" because of a bet made about an alligator-skin suitcase. With no cognate in his native tongue, the nickname was changed to l'alligator in French. The nickname stuck due to his tenacious behavior on the courts, never giving up his prey. Lacoste’s friend, Robert George, drew him a alligator which Lacoste then embroidered on the blazer he wore on the courts.

Bernard Lacoste became seriously ill in early 2005, which led him to transfer the presidency of Lacoste to his younger brother and closest collaborator for many years, Michel Lacoste. Bernard died in Paris on March 21, 2006.

As of 2006, Lacoste licenses its trademark to various companies. For example, Devanlay owns the exclusive worldwide clothing license, Pentland Brands has the exclusive worldwide license to produce Lacoste footwear, Procter & Gamble owns the exclusive worldwide license to produce fragrance, and Samsonite holds the worldwide license to produce Lacoste bags and small leather goods.

In June 2007, Lacoste introduced their very first e-commerce site for the US market.