Josephine Skriver

For full-time model, Victoria’s Secret angel, and fitness junkie Josephine Skriver, a good day starts with matching lingerie.

“I feel like I walk around a little bit more comfortable and confident when I’m matching, even if I’m wearing something as chill as sweats. Like hey, I may be wearing sweats, but I have on a sexy little red outfit underneath it all that you guys don’t know about—it’s my own little secret,” she tells ELLE.com. “If I go out on the town and my panty and bra aren’t matching, I won’t be dancing quite as good.”

Comfort comes before anything else, and Victoria’s Secret’s newest collection, Body by Victoria Secret, is the model’s go-to armor of choice. The lingerie giant’s beloved bra silhouettes, from lace bralettes to racerback and classic styles, now come in vibrant colors with lace and shimmer accents and an array of different cuts to fit your every mood.

We caught up with the VS Angel at the launch of Body by Victoria’s Secret to talk all things lingerie.

Do you remember what your first bra was?

Yeah, it was such a weird experience. I got my boobs really late and I think the only thing I could fit was this Hello Kitty bra and it was slightly traumatizing because there was really not much there. [Laughs] It was a big thing to me to finally get like a matching bra set even though my boobs weren’t fully developed.

Tell me a little bit about the new Body by Victoria’s Secret range.

I love that the new Body by Victoria’s Secret comes in a bunch of bold colors; you rarely see a collection in these bright colors. The underwear has shimmer and lace, so it just takes an everyday collection and makes it a lot more fun. A lot of people tend to stick to red, black, or nude and this collection is pretty much the complete opposite–and it arrived right in the heart of summer so you feel and look good.

What’s your go-to bra type?

I live in my sports bra because I’m such an active girl and I love to travel in them. Also, the whole Body by Victoria’s Secret collection because of the different cuts, like lightly lined, push up, etc. I think I’m in the lightly lined department, but sometimes you want a little extra support and I’ll reach for a push-up bra or some days I just want to hide them away and I’ll wear nothing. I think what’s great about this collection is that there’s a bra to fit my every mood of the day, but my every day is probably the t-shirt style.

Are you the type to match your bra and panties now?

It depends. I put an effort into it like when I do myself up, I love to match. I feel like I walk around a little bit more comfortable and confident when I’m matching, even if I’m wearing something as chill as sweats. Like hey, I may be wearing sweats, but I have on a sexy little red outfit underneath it all that you guys that know about—it’s my own little secret. If I go out on the town and my panty and bra aren’t matching, I won’t be dancing quite as good. If my boyfriend’s home, then I’ll probably be matching but if he’s not then I don’t care.

As a VS model, what advice can you give to other women for finding their perfect bra fit and type?

Every Victoria’s Secret has these amazing bra fitting experts that had so many hours of training. I got fitted three years ago and assumed that was my size and forgot that as a woman, your size changes whether you’re working out or it’s that time of the month. I had this idea of what my bra size was, and I didn’t even care but when I got measured at VS the other day, it completely shocked me that I was a totally different size. Every time my mom comes to New York, I get her fitted for a new bra and it’s a new size every time, and I always thought these people don’t know what they’re doing but no, it’s just us women going through body changes. I would say make sure you have different sizes at home and if you find a bra you really like, stock up because you don’t want to wear one every day because you’ll run them out. Get sized every six months because even me, who’s supposed to know what I’m doing, didn’t know how important it is to get sized.

Part of your job is wearing lingerie all the time, but when do you feel the sexiest?

I really like when I’m in the gym and that feeling of confidence you get when you’re walking out, there’s something really sexy about being in a sports outfit. I feel sexy when my panty and bra matches, just a little more confident.

You and Jasmine Tookes launched a fitness Instagram page, JoJa, and you guys, of course, wear a lot of VS sport. What are some of your favorite pieces from the activewear line?

I would say the Knockout Bra is my favorite because it comes with a zipper in the front, so you don’t have to put it over your head and I feel a little bit like Lara from Tomb Raider like yeah, I’m ready to beat this workout. Also, with me being so active in high energy workouts and boxing and stuff, I need something to support me. Plus, whatever size you are in a regular bra is the same size you are in the sports bras—you don’t get that at other stores.