September 16, 2019 |
What a weekend for Victoria Beckham. On Saturday she launched her direct to consumer beauty brand (it sold out in minutes) and on Sunday she showed a stellar SS20 fashion show in a marbled inner cloister of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Very VIP. Very VB. No wonder she was on top form backstage, joking that her new makeup like was her “fifth baby” and wondering about whether she would celebrate her success with wine or tequila. She decided on tequila. As for the silhouette this season, for inspiration she said: “we looked at 1970s movies,” but none of it looked too literal. One of VB’s great strengths is that she’s nuanced with her references, tweaking them to feel less retro, more now.
The show opened with patch pocket blazers and midi skirts worn in butterscotch layers. She explained how she’s embraced “off” colour for her 1970s-inflected collection. “I’d always been afraid of it,” she said. Not any more. There was a surprising amount of prints on loose flounced silk dresses and then – Bam! – bold purples and tropical green (imagine Marie Helvin on a cover of a 1970s vogue and then fast forward to VB’s summer stay on Elton John’s yacht and you get the vibe). The gowns were anti-bodycon and suspended from thin straps. Beckham talked of “a new kind of sexy.” No restriction. Not much skin but a sense of the body and of the woman inside.” Strong and shoppable, this collection scored highly for desirability and wearability.
Asked to describe her woman, Beckham said: “She looks chic and effortless. She wants to feel strong powerful and be the best version of herself.” It’s a sentiment that can also apply to her makeup line. In the ever expanding Victoria Beckham universe that’s a smart move.
Photographs by Jason Lloyd-Evans
