September 11, 2017 |
It’s no secret that for the last few seasons la Beckham has shifted herself away from the structured, body-clinging gowns that defined her early collections. “Light. Refreshing. Bold. Confident,” she said of this morning’s show via the brief notes left on our seats – “this season is celebrating everything about being a woman. Delicacy can be strong.” Lightness was the overriding characteristic here – always a nice sentiment for a collection designed to be worn in summer and quite logical really – light is the opposite to heavy and no-one wants to look heavy do they?
Concept was set forth in exit one – a sheer organza skirt layered over an oversized checkered shirt, elongated on the arms – a look suggesting a looser vision of femininity from Ms Beckham for the season. It was pretty. Silhouette generally hung away from the body – drapey silk blouses had the float factor, and came up towards a girlish ruffled neckline, while others were unbuttoned on the chest, worn with swingy, fluid skirts that sat just on the hips. Handkerchief dresses, stitched together in a delicate patchwork of fabric, hung closer to the body, but still allowed room to move – so too the tailoring that criss-crossed the body and fell away into ruffles for an off-kilter, thrown-on silhouette.
It ended with a dose of grown-up sex appeal – slinky slip dresses came in black and lipstick red, pulling in slightly at the waist to give a more streamlined, seductive shape that gently emphasised the body. Accessories femmed the whole thing up – glitter clutches sat in the roomy pockets of her tailoring, matching with sparkling stiletto heels. Because Ms Beckham knows that being a woman is no one thing – “soft, strong, honest, easy – this collection reflects the many powers of femininity.”
Photographs by Jason Lloyd-Evans
