It was 10 years ago that Victoria Beckham invited curious editors and buyers to a suite in the Waldorf Towers to see her debut collection and introduced the world to her “sucky-sucky” dress. She’ll mark the milestone by taking her Spring 2019 show to London in September, a nod to her British roots. Her Fall show this morning was held in a new location, the James Burden mansion on 91st Street, before a much smaller crowd than usual. “I want you to be able to see the details, and to hear them,” she said at a preview.
Fashion has changed in unforeseen ways over the past decade. Instagram was born, which has been a boon for celebrity designers like Beckham. Streetwear and athleisure happened too. Displaying a savvy adaptability, Beckham has shifted her label’s aesthetic. Recent collections have been much more tailoring focused than the body-hugging jersey sheaths of her launch collection augured. She hasn’t gone full tracksuit, but she has embraced ease.
True to new form, this collection had a focus on suiting, mostly in shades of military drab. Beckham emphasized the waist with strappy belts and added styling details like leather spats-cum-leg warmers or leather hoodie-dickeys that gave the clothes an avant-garde, athleticized quirk. Silk dresses were either asymmetrically pleated or printed in a deceptively real faux-fur motif. Coats were sometimes doubled, and the tote bag was super-sized. A couple of bright shots of color would not have gone amiss, but a rich leopard-spot coat did add a welcome element of luxe.
Phoebe Philo’s departure from Céline was announced in December and professional women in this industry and others beyond let go a communal wail of grief. In the big picture, it’s a category that feels underserved, which is perplexing considering it’s a group with money to spend. When those women start looking for alternatives, Beckham’s is one of the collections they could shop.
This article first appeared on Vogue.com.
