This week, The Post is offering exclusive behind-the-scenes coverage of the Victoria’s Secret Cannes 2000 Fashion Show. Today, a look at how the 26 models were chosen. Next, Post fashion writer Libby Callaway delivers the dish from the Concorde as she flies to France with the women of Victoria’s Secret.

STICK-thin models are in demand for most fashion shows, but they’d be out of place working the runway for Victoria’s Secret.

“To wear these things, you’ve gotta have booty,” said one company insider at the final casting call for the world’s biggest fashion show.

One thing’s for sure: It takes a woman, not a pre-teen, to stuff the wild bikini panty sets, silk teddies, lace nighties and various other little nothings that will be on display during the lingerie company’s fifth annual fashion show at the Cannes Film Festival.

The fashion show will be the main attraction at the celeb-studded “Cinema Against AIDS 2000” benefit, sponsored by the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR) and Miramax, and hosted by Elizabeth Taylor and Elton John.

Though the AmFAR gala will boast more stars than a summer night sky, all eyes will be on Victoria’s 26 curvy beauties.

“This is a singular event – the biggest, most expensive and the most watched fashion show in the world,” says Ed Razek, president of brand services at Victoria’s Secret.”The whole world gets to see it, not just a dozen fashion snobs in a room.”

When the lingerie company held a final casting call for the show recently, Victoria’s Secret headquarters was crawling with fashionistas.

In one part of the room, Victoria’s Secret spokeswoman Stephanie Seymour was giving interviews to camera crews.

Elsewhere, the perpetually perky Heidi Klum was turning the place on with her million-dollar smile – and the eye-popping gold bikini she wore under a long lace sheath dress.

Besides these longtime Vicky girls – both have appeared in the company’s four other shows, as well as the highly popular ad campaign – there were also about 20 men and women given the task of turning a critical eye on an endless stream of beautiful girls who hoped to fill one of the few remaining slots in the show’s model lineup.

“There are always about 18 girls who are a given,” Razek explains. “Some of them – like Heidi and Stephanie – are on contract and are automatically in.

“Then, there are another 10 or so girls who are the hottest things on the planet at that moment,” he continues. “Of course, they’re going to be in the show.”

This year, there were eight spots to fill.

One hopeful at the rehearsal was the mono-monikered model Shakara, one of the stars of the company’s new Body Bare commercial campaign.

After changing from her street clothes into a teensy black bikini, trimmed in shiny bugle beads, and frighteningly high-heeled gold sandals, she walked the length of the room and vogued a bit for the show stylist Brana Wolf’s Polaroid camera.

Shakara oozed personality, and the room applauded her as she posed winningly for them.

After changing back into her street clothes, the native Bahaman said she was excited to be in the running for a part in the event.

“The media coverage on a show of this caliber is phenomenal,” said Shakara, who has been modeling for just over a year. “All eyes are going to be on this show. “It’s a model’s dream to walk down that catwalk.”

And a dream that looked to be inevitably within her reach: Shakara’s gorgeous face, flawless body and fabulous energy seemed to make her a shoo-in.

And yet when the final list of models came out a few days later, her name was not on it.

No wonder Razek called the selection process “the most depressing part of my job.

“All my guy friends think this is the easiest and coolest thing I do,” Razek explained, looking around there room, where Klum was still flirting with a CNN camera crew, and raven-haired Brazilian beauty Caroline Ribeiro was midway through her tryout.

“But I just hate having to pick these last few girls: I really want every one of them to get the gig.”

“It’s hard,” he continued, “because virtually all of them are fantastic.”

Apparently, some models are just more fantastic than others.

“It’s the reverse of that Grace Jones song: ‘I’m not perfect, but I’m perfect for you,'” Razek said, smiling sadly. “We just can’t take everyone.”

Monica Mitro, vice president of public relations for Victoria’s Secret, said the selection process for this show is different from others.

“They can’t be chosen by just looking at their model cards,” she said of the photographic reference sheet distributed by a model’s agency. “This is runway – you can’t airbrush them like you can in a photograph. When they’re walking down a long runway like the one in the show, things can’t be shaking.

“They have to be perfect.”

They also have to be interesting, as Victoria’s girls aren’t just pretty faces and bodies, but bona fide personalities expected to smile for the cameras at pre-show press events – there are endless photo ops scheduled in Cannes for the two days before the show – and talk about the company and the product.

“We look for spokeswomen,” Mitro explained. “We want them to be able to talk about the brand. Though we don’t really interview them ourselves, we can tell who has a personality and who doesn’t.

“They have to bring something to the group.”

The fashion show will be Webcast live on Thursday at 3 p.m. on http://www.VictoriasSecret.com.