"I'm not just that miserable cow, you know," announced Victoria Beckham to a room of somewhat startled fashion editors, all perched primly on white sofas in a large Manhattan loft, as they awaited her latest fashion show. "And here, this dress?" continued Beckham as one model walked out. "It looks like a giant Fabergé egg, doesn't it? And this is our moon print. Which is great."Even if Beckham doesn't quite talk like a fashion designer of the classical couturier tradition, she is rapidly looking like one.
After a particularly strong show of what must now be referred to as her mainline collection over the weekend, and the debut of her secondary line, Victoria by Victoria Beckham, on Monday afternoon, which was possibly even better, there is no question that the Beckham brand is working in the fashion world.
But if the fashion industry has had to adapt a little to the Beckham modus operandi, and re-adjust their inbuilt cynicism about celebrity designers, Beckham herself is the one who is trying to evolve the most.
Victoria by Victoria Beckham – like Marc by Marc Jacobs and See by Chloe – is intended as an offshoot to the main, more expensive collection.
But lower prices – and to be clear, we're talking relatively low, Beckham-ishly low, with dresses starting at £650 and going up to £1,400 – means a greater reach in clientele which means bigger sizes, more practicality and more appeal for women who don't necessarily look like Victoria Beckham.
Just as her mainline collection for next season showed a marked development and did not seem to be mainly inspired by Beckham's own closet, the Victoria by Victoria Beckham collection was definitely a change from the body-clinging dresses with which most people associate Beckham.
Instead, the emphasis was on loose, crepe, satin, jacquard and something called "summer wool" shifts that barely skimmed the body, some in rich colours such as Kelly green and deep blue, and some spattered with sweet cartoonish prints, a look heretofore verboten in the Beckham wardrobe.
"I'm very into conversational prints this season," Beckham said, wearing one of the cat print dresses herself. ("I want a cat but David won't let me have one – he doesn't want them bringing mice in the house. He's a dog person," she revealed)
Other standout prints included moons and a particularly lovely long-sleeved shift covered in cloud prints.
"Having another cloud print on the back makes it more expensive, but it finishes off the fashion story," the pop star-turned-designer said, with the confidence of one who was suckled at the knee of a couturier.
Picking out a lovely black shift with scalloping around the neckline, she said: "I love this dress, I could wear this one with flats during the day and heels at night." It was a nice try on her part, but her claim to flats-wearing normality was slightly undermined by the fact that she was, at that moment, wearing gigantic stilettos while cuddling her nine-week-daughter, Harper.
The detailing is what really made the dresses stand out – a testament to Beckham's unquestionable love of fashion: zippers were visible, patch pockets sat elegantly on top of the silk, waists were dropped and seams stood out.
One of the last dresses was a simple white one which was downright Jackie O-like. Chic, simple and tasteful.
"And you see the neckline? There's a little V," said Beckham, indicating a tiny dip in the centre. "It's subtle branding." Oh, she's a wily one, that Victoria Beckham.
No comments:
Post a Comment