Victoria Beckham cancelled her planned catwalk show just days before London Fashion Week, fearing that a traditional show 'didn't feel appropriate' despite being permitted under current guidelines. Instead, she presented her new collection to small groups of three visitors at a time in the same Hoxton art gallery where the show was to be held. Monogrammed silk 'VB' face masks were provided to ensure chic social distancing.
Beckham expressed disappointment at missing the social aspect of a show, having hoped to stage multiple shows with audiences of 15 people masked and seated two metres apart. 'I am hoping that next season we will get back to something a bit normal. And maybe have a glass of wine,' she said. The collection features lockdown loungewear with signature Beckham glam, including jeans for the first time in the brand's main line. High-waisted, wide-legged jeans are paired with oversized silk shirts.
The brand is downsizing due to store closures and weak sales, with about a fifth of the 120-strong team made redundant and the number of pieces in the collection cut by more than half to streamline production costs. Online sales are rebounding, but Beckham noted that 'the store is challenging. I think people just aren't physically going shopping.'
The collection includes many dresses, sharp tailoring, and luxurious silk and knit separates. A standout piece is a strappy lilac silk dress with a black lace halter. Long hemlines, a Beckham trademark, return after last season's shorter skirts. The brand aims to balance edgy cool with commercial appeal. A Parisian-style trenchcoat is layered under a padded gilet, which Beckham calls a 'petrol station puffer'. Knit pieces feature 'laundry press' creases for a flattering shape.
Beckham noted that many references in the collection are food-related because her husband David has been cooking a lot, leading to colours like 'banana', 'crème brûlée', and 'hollandaise'. The Beckham children, usually on the front row, instead watched the collection video being filmed at the gallery. 'This season is different in lots of ways, but the Beckhams still got their fashion day out,' she said.
