IT was only last season that a pleasantly pregnant Victoria Beckham presented, what was for her, a new look. Hers, though, was diametrically opposed to Dior's hour glass. As a response to her rounder, maternal frame, Beckham decided to forgo her preferred slim silhouette and promote a freer, roomier shape. This season, in a hidden corridor with gilded ceilings in the palatial New York City Library, Beckham pushed ever forward with her vision for spring 2012.
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While Beckham may be a larger-than-life personality, she's already reclaimed her signature petite frame post-childbirth. Her designs, too, eschew the garish and exude an introspective thoughtfulness, moderation, and an eye for luxurious detail. Her collection, she said, stemmed from expounding upon geometry, and that she did with both a taut, rigid sense of line and, conversely, lush volume.
Stand-outs this season were her razor-sharp dresses, with an emphasis on the body through use of corsets, colour-blocking and decorative seaming. These were surprisingly versatile pieces which conveyed upscale sophistication and allure, and could easily transcend from the professional world to a cocktail party without a single alteration. Shown in inky navy and sable, pops of tangerine lightened many pieces up for spring. A surprising aspect of the collection was Beckham's exploration with technical sportswear, crafting billowing jackets in slate from buoyant but pliant and tactile gazaars with functional pockets and zipper detailing. Floor-grazing, grand pleated skirts were dynamic and sporty, often gushing downward from dropped waists, another recurring theme of the collection. The designer lightened what could have been an otherwise stuffy offering with jaunty trimmings like grosgrain straps held together by metal hardware and glossy baseball caps (by Stephen Jones).
Beckham made a strong showing with accessories, an obsession of hers, with box-bags of buttery, opulent leather and contrasted neon. The shoes, by Christian Louboutin, were divine, and some where even practical flats. The designer's discerning eye and skilful construction consistently shows a fascination with the human form and physique and an appreciation of subtle opulence. One couldn't help but think that many of the streamlined shifts presented would be fit for a modern-day princess - perhaps a newly-crowned one, even.
SEE THE VICTORIA BECKHAM SHOW ARCHIVE