Team Beckham gather round to see her latest collection, where the cool factor has been combined with trademark elegance
In pictures: Victoria Beckham's autumn collection
It is a truth universally acknowledged that if David, Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper Beckham make a public appearance together, it will be virtually impossible to get anyone present to pay attention to anything else.
And no one knows the power of the Beckham brand better than Victoria Beckham and Simon Fuller, business mastermind of the Beckham empire. So it was a striking display of confidence in the latest Victoria Beckham fashion collection that while the designer directed proceedings from backstage, and the backer looked on from the audience, the three Beckham boys made their first appearance catwalk-side, along with front row regulars David and Harper.
What's more, the clothes on the catwalk held their own. With a 7,000 sq ft boutique on London's prestigious Dover Street being prepared for an opening later this year, Victoria Beckham needed to deliver a strong collection to fill it, and this one was a hit. The past two years of the now five-year-old Victoria Beckham brand have seen it develop from its starting-block of glamorous dresses into more experimental territory, trying out looser shapes and androgynous elements.
The experimental spirit has been generally applauded, and has gained the brand respect and attention in the industry, but the clothes have not always felt as instantly desirable. With this collection, it seemed as if a fresh balance had been struck, the newfound cool factor distilled and used to pep up the elegance and femininity of the original aesthetic.
Design detailing and 360 degree dressing were the key words backstage. The silhouette was long, lean and fluid, with hemlines of skirts and coats mostly covering the knee. There was little cinching of the waist, and almost no flashing of leg; sex appeal came through the element of surprise, as the designer put it backstage, with unexpected slivers of skin shown at the back of a dress.
There was a generous helping of what is known in the industry as "fashion content", which roughly translates as the depth and detail and messaging that makes clothes interesting. For example, coats fastened at the hip with bracelet's length of heavy chain, but engineered so that they moved fluidly; a black and red tweed coat was based on a 1968 vintage coat, but the tweed remade in a rubberised, modern version; tunic-and-trousers offered as a cool cocktail hour look, a highlight being one all black look with a matt crepe top edged with silky black ruffles at the hip, over slouchy trousers.
"Mummy works, and Daddy works. We think that's a positive message, and we wanted the boys to see what it is that Mummy does, because they'd never been to a show before," said Victoria Beckham backstage, explaining the front row debut of Team Beckham. The older children "are taking one-and-a-half days off school for this trip, which is really unusual, we don't usually do that," she added.
David and Brooklyn were in suits and ties for the occasion, while the younger boys were in Burberry trenchcoats, showing an admirable understanding of the role of brand ambassador. (Romeo, 11, recently starred in a Burberry campaign.) Harper Beckham wore a grey silk dress pulled out by Victoria before leaving the hotel early that morning. Victoria said: "I'd love to say that David dressed her, but it wouldn't be true."
Victoria herself wore a fine black crew neck sweater with a calf-length black silk pleated skirt with pointed Manolo Blahnik courts, echoing the look of her new collection. She insisted, however, that "most of this week I've been in jeans, Chelsea boots and a knit".
"Every season I can push my fashion message a bit more, really get into the detailing: so this season was loose, but with more detailing. Last season was boy meets girl, this is a little more feminine," she said, singling out the intarsia knits as an innovation for the new season.