BY: Anna Madsen
It is an elegant and radiant Victoria who greets us at her Mayfair store to present the Victoria by Victoria Beckham A/W16 collection. Wearing a navy blue coat with white lace appliqués from her pre-fall 2016 collection, she has casually teamed it with a pair of white loafers and her hair tied back.
“The VBV girl is growing up a little bit”, she reveals, presenting a model wearing a mint green wool coat with matching tailored trousers from the collection. “She still wants to have fun, but also look sophisticated, chic and cool. So not too much fun!” she giggles, showing us a hand-made knit sweater with floral raffia embroidery in a 1960s style. Her muse seems to have her roots in a swinging 60s London, but still has a certain modern allure, giving off a confident and relaxed vibe. “There are also pyjama trousers that are quite fashion but still relaxed and wearable” Victoria tells me, as if she read my mind (she has also previously admitted that she’s in love with her Lanvin pyjama!). As the next look appears she suddenly exclaims; “These trousers are my favourites!” pointing at a pair of flared, low waist wool trousers in purple that actually look really well tailored and very Victoria-ish. “I have them in every colour, and they always look great and are so flattering. They’ll be available from June, so there’s a very ‘buy now wear now’ element to this line”.
I ask Victoria how she feels about Burberry’s idea of making their collection available in store right after their shows, a concept that either seem to frighten or intrigue designers.
“For me, personally as a customer, I don’t really feel the need to buy immediately following a show. I want to buy at the right time,” she reveals, not seeming convinced of the idea. “I don’t want to buy a huge winter coat in July for example” she explains but quickly adds “but in Asia, which is my fastest growing market, my customer might live in different climate. I have a global brand so there are many aspects to consider”. Speaking of globalisation and a rising social media audience, the question of presentations versus fashion shows comes up. “ I love doing presentations”, she admits. “That’s how I started out, and I love how personal it is. But the larger I became, the more people I had to invite!” she winks and you can hint a certain pride. “But meeting people and talking them through my ideas is something I really enjoy”. I witness one of those rare Victoria Beckham-smiles as we kiss goodbye and I leave the shop, this time with an intention to return soon for those wool, wide-legged trousers.