Victoria Beckham SS20 review: An immiscible blend of moods that hints at new directions for the brand
The new collection was an effort by the brand to reinvigorate its struggling status, but it seems that classic pieces are still what it does best, writes Harriet Hall
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Your support makes all the difference.It was a new direction for Victoria Beckham in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office where she presented her collection for spring/summer 2020. Known for her refined, elegant separates, close-fitting cocktail dresses and sharp, androgynous tailoring, the designer took a chance on flowing, fluid dresses and an abundance of ruffles.
It’s no secret that the Victoria Beckham brand has found itself in financial hot water over the past few years. In 2017, losses rose from £8.5m to £10.3m, and in January Beckham Brand Holdings reportedly paid out £30m in dividends to help with plummeting profits. Could a new direction be a last-ditch attempt to keep a toe in the icy cold sartorial waters?
Presented with her motley crew – David, Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper – perched, front row next to Anna Wintour and with Helen Mirren nearby wearing one of last season’s creations, support for the designer inside the marbled Dubar Court was touching; outside, a line of Extinction Rebellion protestors lined up to read declarations of dismay at show attendees entering the venue.
“We looked at a melting pot of references and inspiration from past decades, then looked to our brand DNA and put everything together into a blender, to make a new, modern mix”, explains the designer in the show notes. The “modern mix” wasn’t quite as miscible as indented. A sea of camel, ivory and creams were interrupted with jarring colour combinations of brown with purple and green; cerulean with caramel.
The new aesthetic flirted with a rejection of structure in ankle-skimming, long-sleeved, billowing gowns that moved with liquescence. “I want clothes that move with a woman, that move with her life,” said Beckham. Dresses were cut down to the ribcage in deep V-necks surrounded by frills. Others had ruffles that wrapped from the waist down to the hips or skimmed strapless tops. A purple iteration looked like a walking Quality Street instead of exuding the intended grace. Embellishment, too, fell somewhat short of the mark. Big taffeta flowers worn on lapels and the sides of turtle necks looked like awkwardly-placed rosettes – not the Coco Chanel camellias they appeared to be inspired by.
There were themes that felt disconnected: a pair of bubble-gum pink trousers and another in Tiffany turquoise were lovely but somewhat out of place, strips of ribbon hung from two ensembles like half-formed ideas.
Thankfully, there was some beautiful suiting that felt more on-brand for Beckham, with jackets that harked back to Yves Saint Laurent’s 1967 Safari collection and shirts with the same pointed 1970s collars that reared their heads last season. Long, airy trench coats had immediate appeal and high-waisted kick-flare trousers elegantly elongated physiques. Houndstooth and tweed lent an English Heritage sensibility to pleated midi skirts, and a final ensemble: a white tuxedo with black buttons and a black flower corsage as bow tie oozed sophistication.
Shown a day after the launch of her highly anticipated eponymous make-up brand (a commercial no-brainer) that centres on sustainability and has already seen several products sell out, it was a collection that didn’t quite know what it wanted to be, but one that signalled of interesting things to come, from a brand that is determined to remain in the game.
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