THE TIMES 14.09.2009
New York Fashion Week: Victoria Beckham's new collection. Posh gets relaxed - and a bit more playful
There are very few designers with the time — or the inclination — to sit among an admittedly tiny audience of critics and describe each outfit as it comes down the catwalk. But more than any other designer, Victoria Beckham is the personification of her brand. “Never wear the same outfit as a model, especially when you feel crappy, I’ve been up all night,” she said chirpily, as everyone took their seats.
Yet there it was, Look 34, a black, cap-sleeved, fitted mini dress with a peplum on a tall blonde model doing that slope-y walk that all the models do in VB’s clothes. And there it was again on Victoria Beckham. Even the shoes — six inches of grey suede, concealed YSL platform — matched.
Beckham’s USP is that she is her customer. She knows when an internal power mesh is called for, when a strong shoulder tips over from fashion statement to the ridiculous. It’s all flawlessly made. “I know I came from a pop band and I’m married to a footballer, but I think the fashion industry has accepted me,” she says.
Flourishing sales suggest something’s going right. Spring has moved on: not too much — there are still plenty of corseted, knee-length dresses, this time in lemon and a shimmering cobalt blue, still with attention to the fit and the make — but she’s introduced a beautiful, long, Fortie — inspired black crepe evening dress with a train and mesh-cased jewels scattered across its padded shoulders, the peplumed silhouette and shorter, looser styles, with spray-painted prints. One looked as comfortable and easy as a wrapped towel — although, as she explained, it had an internal corset to keep it in place.
Like her own style, which is more relaxed these days (the mussed-up hair helped), the collection is becoming more playful. She has been meeting her customers, learning what they like. That’s why the most expensive piece, a sheer, handspun French lace fit and flare black dress (around £3,500), which was shown with a black bra and knickers, will come with a tube dress that can be worn separately. “Two dresses for the price of one” pointed out Beckham. Mind you, she’ll be wearing it with just the underwear.
Lisa Armstrong
