September 17, 2018 |
What’s all this? Paparazzi on Dover Street at 9am on a Sunday morning? It can only mean one thing. Victoria Beckham’s much buzzed about London Fashion Week debut show is about to start. The event marks her 10 years in the fashion business and so, after a breakfast of blueberries and grapes at her flagship store we strode past the paps to take our seats in the Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, next door. It’s elegant black and and white tiled corridors served as the catwalk. The entire Beckham clan were present. Brooklyn, in a baker boy hat, snapped pictures of his grandparents, cousins and siblings before the show. Then the smooth tones of Soul to Soul’s “Back To Life” filled the space. It was showtime. Stella Tennant was first out, in a crisp white trouser suit cut with easy confidence and worn with a pretty lace camisole. It seemed to encapsulate everything about the VB look – easy lines, pared down silhouettes, interesting proportions and a clever mix of masculine and feminine. Each and every look confirmed the codes she’s worked hard to build.
The prints on fluid bias maxi dresses and flounced maxi skirts looked like pointillist flower paintings. Lace camisoles were teamed with easy tailoring, or extended into dresses. Fluid dresses had handkerchief hems and were cinched with bright nylon rope. A monastic black halterneck dress dress spoke to the fuss-free elegance that Beckham is known for. VB was also pushing skinny knitted trousers which flared out over her ankle (she took her bow in a pair). They’re not as tricky to wear as they sound – especially when paired with a roomy blazer and tunic. It was all eminently wantable and wearable – many in the audience were making mental notes for their personal orders. “I’ve created a collection that I love, that I will wear, that is wearable,” she said simply backstage (whilst wearing a deliciously minimalist camel blazer that we’d like to steal off her back). Victoria Beckham has come a long way in her fashion decade. Her debut collection consisted of 10 well considered dresses. Since then, her brand has now evolved into a comprehensive, chic, modern wardrobe. Here’s to the next ten years.
Photographs by Jason Lloyd-Evans.
