Victoria's Secret

Victoria Beckham, for me, has long been ‘that girl’ who appears to have everything and carries it all with an admirable girl-next-door, quintessentially British charm. Yes, she is naturally blessed with a doll-like prettiness, a dancer’s grace and an eye for style and co-ordination. But her assets are by no means extraordinary. She is neither a flawless natural beauty, a prima-ballerina nor immune to falling prey to the odd fashion faux-pas. Victoria’s secret is her talent for maximising her assets to enviable heights. Her touch, evidently, is like gold dust. Her fame, her personal appearance, her signature style and her designs have all been groomed with the flawless immaculacy and clean-line elegance which define the phenomena of brand Beckham. Victoria is undoubtedly an accomplished businesswoman, yet has had much to prove as a designer.

There is a refreshing honesty and realness to her work as a fashion designer. She wears her own designs with a pride and regularity exuding self-belief and heartfelt passion rather than empty self-promotion. Her aim has always been to create garments which accentuate and celebrate the female form, and her perfectly proportioned silhouette is walking proof of her ability in the field. What she lacks in formal design training she more than makes up for in her years in the spotlight with her femininity under constant scrutiny and her figure the topic of continued debate. If there’s one thing Victoria knows, it is the power of dress – and specifically, the dress itself. When was the last time you saw Victoria pictured wearing anything apart from a dress? And no, her own brand of jeans don’t count…

Victoria has gradually become, during the course of the last decade, the ultimate (and surprising) pioneer of the dress. Her Autumn/Winter 2010 collection, which debuted on Valentines Day in New York, consisted entirely of a capsule wardrobe of gotta-have-it dresses with styles ranging from casual LA cool to showstopping red-carpet glamour, not forgetting everything in between. And in an instant, Victoria’s secret is uncovered. When dresses can make you look this amazing, who needs anything else in their wardrobe? This is her most triumphant fashion moment to date – defiantly and strikingly mature, an evolution rather than a continuation of her sassy-but-playsafe Spring/Summer 2010 line.

Since each piece was designed with wearability and signature style in mind, it is unsurprising that the palette was distinctively, well, noir. Black is an unavoidable Beckham-ism and in fairness the collection would have seemed incomplete if it was absent. The black pieces were also amongst the most chic and versatile in the collection, capable of inspiring those rare and heart-fluttering “I could actually wear that…and look good” moments. Highlights included the ¾ length leg-of-mutton sleeved jersey mini (pictured below) which would have looked equally chic paired with flip-flops or platform stilettos, harnessing that elusive wearability factor.

The ultimate black beauty came in the form of the wool-twill trench dress, which paid homage to 1930s slinky silhouette. Seductive hints of the décolleté were revealed beneath the low V neck with tousled collar, and there were subtle flashes of thigh peeping through the wrap skirt as the model schmoozed coolly down the runway, yet the overall effect remained lady-like and tantalizingly coy. A distinct lack of accessories was substituted for Victoria’s signature sunglasses worn simply with elegant pulled back hair, another wearable look which somehow succeeded in appearing fresh and classic simultaneously.

There remained traces of Victoria’s Spring/Summer palette, but her chosen hues returned as though all grown up – cerise to blood red, dove grey to graphite and buttercup yellow to a delicious caramel tan colour (one to watch for Winter 2010). The red fold-neck jersey dress oozed sophistication in its simple figure-hugging, seamless fluidity, a matured version of last season’s body-con that not so much hugged but kissed the figure, creating a much more relaxed structure.

By far the most accomplished number was the Tan drape maxi dress, apparently inspired by the late contemporary dancer and choreographer Martha Graham. Fluidity, movement and balance are certainly evident in the exquisite draping of the butter-gold combined with the gentle structure formed by the asymmetric band, which runs diagonally across the torso from the collar bone defining the waist and décolleté with an Audrey Hepburn-esque minimalism and effortlessness. It is here that the collection truly transforms from simply mastering the art of the silhouette – no mean feat in itself - to creating an original, yet distinctive look different to anything else seen at New York this season.

It is little wonder that this dress should be rumoured as Victoria’s choice for the forthcoming Oscar’s ceremony…what better outfit to choose for the girl with the golden touch?