Raised in Skokie, IL, twenty year-old Erin Heatherton is one of Victoria’s Secret’s newest bombshells. Today, she’s back in Chicago hyping VS’s Valentine’s offerings at the Michigan Avenue store. You can stop by the store tonight, 7-9pm, and get your photo taken with Erin, download it or print it out and take it home. We caught up with the charming and articulate Heatherton to get tips on buying our special girl’s lingerie for the first time and ask her about her favorite Chicago places.

TOC: This being Valentine’s Day, do you have any tips for those that haven’t shopped at Victoria’s Secret for their significant others. What do you need to know to get the right thing?
Erin Heatherton: I think its very intimidating to buy lingerie store for the first time, especially being a man going in a lingerie store for the first time. The first step definitely is to look inside your girlfriend’s lingerie drawer and see what size she is and then see what her style is. Valentine’s Day is about unleashing your wild side and being a bombshell, so its not a bad idea to try something a bit more adventurous. I think its very personal and intimate when you give a gift that took a lot of thought, something that may be a bit harder to buy.

TOC: Have you ever gotten an awful Valentine’s day gift?
I haven’t had too many Valentines to be honest. I’ve gotten cute things like flowers. Growing up, I didn’t have Valentines. It’s a new thing that I am discovering through Victoria’s Secret.

TOC: You’re from Skokie, are there any places in Chicago that you tell people about… or…
Miss? I miss Lou Malnati’s pizza, half-priced Mondays. We’d always go on Monday. I really miss Walker Brothers pancake house. Its really good. In Winnetka, I believe. Sarki’s, this really good breakfast spot. Every summer I’d spend my time on the beach on Chestnut and Sheridan. I love the summer in Chicago, always on the beach. Even with the e coli, its okay.

TOC: Its more about the sun than the water. When did you find out you were going to be a Victoria’s Secret girl, how did it feel?
I had worked with Victoria’s Secret before, but it was just catalog. That was an incredible experience. The first time I felt like I was a part of it, was when I got the show, the 2009 show. I did the casting and didn’t want to get my hopes up. I got the phone call, I wasn’t supposed to find out—but I found out on the weekend that I got the show. It was so surreal, I couldn’t believe it., I was really nervous. It was just really exciting. Everything has happened to fast.  Its hard to take it in, its hard to belive its me, because I just feel like a girl from Skokie, the normal me. No one ever, I guess, feels themselves this glamorous person. But I guess that’s the power of Victoria’s Secret, it turns you into a bombshell. Its like a dream come true, its really amazing.

TOC: Was it a dream for you in your teen years?
It was so unattainable. It wasn’t my persona really. I was kind of a goofy kid, I played sports and I was funny. I don’t take myself too seriously. I didn’t want to become a model, I didn’t like the spotlight. It’s a different character of myself that’s been maturing, it’s a nice other character.

TOC: It brings out a different aspect that you never had to draw on.
The bombshell in me.

Heatherton’s gift suggestions from Victoria’s Secret:
Its always good for men and women to spice things up during Valentine’s Day. The Lacey collection comes in small, medium and large, you don’t need to know a size. The Miraculous bra adds two cup sizes, its glamorous. You can do the Corset Collection, which is beautiful and delicate. Its inspired by Valentine’s Day and the theme Wild At Heart. There’s ribbon that laces up the center. And beautiful details that make dramatic and special. Its not too sexy, perfect for a woman to feel glamorous. Everything associated with Victoria’s Secret is sexy and seductive and the spirit of Valentine’s Day, you really can’t go wrong. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money, there are little thongs and things. But Valentine’s Day is about being fun and sexy, so you should push it. You shouldn’t be afraid to buy lingerie.