Victoria Beckham is still shilling her latest knitwear collection, which is inspired by living in Miami. That’s the collection of body-con knitwear in muted beiges and creams, and she claims that’s the “Miami look,” and it’s for women with curves. Still, this collection seems to be selling better than previous collections. Victoria’s labels have been up-and-down, mostly down. I’ve heard that David has needed to “invest” in her clothing label several times because the stuff isn’t selling. Anyway, Victoria covers the latest issue of Vogue Australia and she talks about her evolving personal style, her evolving style eye and whether Harper Beckham will ever be allowed on social media. Some highlights:
She auctioned off her old Posh clothes but kept the Hermès bags. “I don’t really miss those outfits, but those Birkins stand the test of time.” She also kept her Tom Ford for Gucci pieces, which she bought with the clothing allowance she got from the record label (“the other Spice Girls weren’t really into fashion, so I was fortunate to be able to take up most of the budget”).
Her Miami-inspired collection: “We had the best day of sales we’ve had in the history of the brand. It’s unbelievable…. There’s definitely a less-is-more attitude to dressing [in Miami] … literally. At first, I found it quite shocking and then I found it quite inspiring. The women there celebrate their bodies and their femininity. I realised that my midi-length pleated skirt and pussy-bow blouse were not quite appropriate for Miami. In fact, they would have probably carted me off to some sort of home if I would have gone out for the night dressed that way.”
She doesn’t mind the global stardom & what it brings to her fashion line: “A lot of opportunity has come my way because of my past. It’s a double-edged sword, but I will never complain about it. Can it be frustrating sometimes? Absolutely. But it can also go in my favour. Are other brands under the scrutiny that mine is under every time we file? Absolutely not. But how many other brands have the luxury of getting the attention when they want it? People are very quick to look at the numbers in fashion, which are public, but fashion and beauty go hand-in-hand, and beauty is one hell of a success story.”
She got tired of her own baggy, oversized clothes: “You know, it’s very much what fashion people do. I wanted to do something different. I decided I wanted to wear more fitted dresses. I wanted to show more skin. I wanted to celebrate the fact that I’m a woman. And I wanted to stop hiding under clothes.”
David recently told people that she only eats grilled fish and steamed vegetables: “I mean, talk about making me sound boring! No. What he meant is that he’s never met anyone who’s more disciplined with the way that they eat. I eat lots of healthy fat: fish, avocado, nuts, that sort of thing. I do drink alcohol, unless I have a reason not to. I’ll detox from anything for three to six months where I won’t drink. I’m quite extreme in anything I do, whether it’s eating or working out or drinking or not drinking.” She takes Augustinus Bader skin supplements, drinks apple cider vinegar first thing in the morning, and puts Skinaide collagen peptide powder in her coffee.
On Harper: “Harper isn’t on social media, so we don’t have to worry about that just yet. But seeing how cruel people can be, yes it really does [concern me]. She’s at that age where her body is going to start changing, but it’s about making sure that we communicate a lot as a family and she surrounds herself with nice friends. But it is quite terrifying, I can’t lie.” While she says her daughter is already an accomplished make-up artist at home, Harper hasn’t taken to skimpy hemlines just yet. “She’s not one of these kids who are going out with a full face of make-up and a crop top. She actually said to me recently, ‘Mummy, I’ve seen some pictures of you when you were in the Spice Girls and your skirts were just unacceptable. They were just too short.’ Then David piped up and said, ‘Absolutely, Harper! They really, really were.’ And she was actually quite disgusted at how short my skirts were. I said, ‘Are you never going to wear skirts like that?’ She said, ‘Absolutely not.’ We’ll see.”
Harper is 10 years old – it’s not that she’s growing up too fast, it’s that she is entirely her age. She’s a little kid, the baby of the family, and she’s utterly adored by her parents (who probably still baby her). What also strikes me – in a good way – is that while they include Harper in their activities and she goes to some of those big events, it’s not a constant thing and she’s allowed to be a kid at those events. Too many celebrity parents treat their kids like little adults and mini-brands. David and Victoria don’t do that… with Harper. Now, the boys were and are treated that way.
As for all of Victoria’s Miami talk, I love how she finds Miami fashion so scandalous. Bright colors, skimpy skirts, tans galore, low-cut blouses, tacky old and new money. I like how defensive she is about her business too – I prefer her defensiveness to flat-out lying, “oh everything is going great!” No, her business has struggled at times and a lot of money has been lost, but she’s figuring it out.
Cover & IG courtesy of Vogue Australia.
She looks good and seems happy to be working and having her own business. I eat the same: fish, avocado, vegetables rice. The older I get the less I can handle processed foods. It really jacks me up. And I cook at home way mire than I eat out.
Same here.
She seems to have progressed since the days of her obsession with ‘Skinny B!tch”.
I think one of the reasons Victoria is focusing less on skinny is because she realizes her daughter’s body is changing, and it’s up to her to set a healthy example.
That’s nice to know they’re not turning their daughter into a brand. Or overexposing her and keeping her off SM for now. I find that type of parenting disgusting and yes I’m talking to you Bey and JayZ. Posh looks fabulous in the Vogue shoot.
Well… They do a lot of exposing of their older kids so maybe they just have an age threshold. They just don’t expose them to the idea of hard work and study apparently.
I wondered if maybe they’d learned a lesson they didn’t want to repeat. Your point about hard work and study sounds right.
Sure hope you’re right because they seem to have done no favours to their boys who seem persuaded that thinking about a career is equal to having a career. But then again the same happened to Victoria Beckha, who decided to be a clothes designer and therefore became one… Along with a cosmetics specialist. Le sigh. The fondness people have for the Spice Girls really protects her from more vitriol from people.
I wonder why you jumped to Jay Z and Beyonce, their kids are probably seen twice a year. The K KLan would have been more appropriate.
By 10 yrs old Blue Ivy has a discography, a filmography, music video appearances, narrated at least one book, has a clothing line, trademarked shampoo and all kinds of stuff, plus many many public appearances. I don’t know that the Ks have pedaled their kids even half as much.
@Southern Fried- The day Blue Ivy screams at paparazzi to stop, holds up a handwritten Stop sign in the middle of Fashion Week, looks scared/miserable being drug through a crowd of men with cameras, be part of a global television show since the literal second they were born, or starts her own Tiktok(!?) is the day comparisons can be made.
The world knows everything about the Kardashian/Jenner kids, including what the inside of their bedrooms look like.
The problem with the VB label is that it tried to compete with the European heritage fashion houses and that was never going to work. The prices were just unsustainable even with her contacts in the industry.
She really needed to market to a different customer i.e. your typical Aritzia / Ellie Tahari crowd.
Take for example Jessica Simpson who has made circa 200+ Million from her shoes, granted they’re not the classiest shoes, but she knew her market and has a solid customer base. Rihanna is another example of a celebrity who has made money from more affordably priced ranges. Also even Ivanka had a solid customer base pre her dad’s stint at President.
IMHO they need to stop pumping money into the business, sell off or kill off the more expensive part of the brand and push a more diffusion brand around the Hugo Boss women price range. That way she keeps some prestige and can more easily market her products across a range of platforms. Currently because of the price-point she can only rely on editorials which require serious contacts, time and money.
I agree with you @flower regarding the prices. That has definitely limited her customer base. I don’t think she’ll ever stop designing though because she enjoys it, it gives her purpose, and she and David can afford to financially boost the company when necessary.
Yeah, I actually like a lot of her designs, but they’re too expensive for me. Aritizia/Ellie Tahari are more than I normally spend on clothes, but for a classic piece or something for a special occasion, I would do it (especially their dresses which seem to be priced relatively reasonable?) If VB was less concerned with trying to be high fashion and made her pieces more accessible (without going the TJ Maxx route lol), I think it would do really well.
Jessica Simpson also designs clothes, including dresses. They aren’t all to my taste, but I appreciate that she makes things that women with figures can wear. My chest got bigger after I had my second kid, and it looks like it’s never going back to where it was. I bought a couple of JS dresses that I found at Ross Dress For Less and they served me very well, especially since dresses are by far the most comfortable option when it’s super hot and humid, which it is wear I live for at least half the year.
I used to cringe at the thought of buying Jessica Simpson stuff, but I was looking for a decently priced pair of strappy ballet flats and bought her shoes. They’re cute, comfy, and they’ve held up really well.
It’s a tough one. You have brands like The Row that have done well at that price point, and lots of other new designers too.
Her clothing pricing makes no sense. It’s not special enough to warrant those prices. If I were to compare her clothes to say Lafayette 148, a brand that has seen some pretty big price increases over the past three years, The Lafayette clothing seems higher quality, more interesting, and better made. The Victoria Beckham line is more basic, and still much pricier. Why?
As I recall my daughter was quite “prudish” at that age too, she really didn’t like women wearing too much makeup, short skirts or showing cleavage. Then as a teen, it was all crop tops and low, low rider jeans. Now she’s in her mid 30’s and dresses pretty normally.
Some of my friends’ daughters who are now in their 20s/30s went through a similar stage. They were into more conservative/androgynous clothing and were also very much opposed to drinking. Their fashion preferences have changed, but drinking is still not a big part of their social lives, which I find refreshing. (Coffee is very important though!) I’ve also noticed many younger adults are not really interested in learning to drive. We live in a metropolitan area, so it’s not necessary, just so different from what we considered to be a standard adult lifestyle at that age.
The driving issue boggles my mind. Getting a license used to be a rite of passage. These days it isn’t as big a deal. My oldest wasn’t interested in driving, but she told me in school they showed them too many scary videos in Driver’s Ed. She is 20 now and enjoys driving. The daughter of a good friend still won’t drive at 19.
I didn’t get a driver’s license until i was 21. I didn’t have many friends in high school and my closest friend who hung out with me outside of school, we would drive around our county in NY and go to the local diner. There wasnt really anywhere else I needed to go. My dad drove me to school and I enjoyed that time together with him even in high school. When I went away out of state to.college, my college had its own bus system to take me to Target etc and I had a bf soon into freshman year who took me to the grocery store. Once I was thinking of breaking up with him, I took lessons and finally got a car with my parents help (used one). Lol I honestly didnt need a car until then..This was 20 years ago too because I am 41 now.
Posh is a very slim woman, we know she doesn’t eat chocolate cake frequently. I hope people can stop talking about it at some point.
Of course Harper thinks her mom’s skirts were too short. LOL She’s 10. I don’t think they were, she looked great and still does.
I appreciate someone not stuffing themselves with sugar or alcohol and processed foods because, let’s face it, they’re not good for you. But that’s not what she’s doing is it? She eats the blandest foods and follows silly trends such as that Apple cider vinegar thing on a way that veers into disordered eating, albeit a functioning version of it. The la knot variety is telling and the no carbs thing which is also terrible.
Julianne Moore, Nicole Kidman, V Beckham and many more women have become skin and bone as they aged and more extreme in their eating and that shows. She actually had quite a regular looking body before she became obsessed with thinness. It shows and I am a bit tired of making excuses for such a blatant phenomenon. At least Julianne Moore was upfront about it.
We all know this. We all now you don’t look like that eating the amount of calories suggested for your height and activity level. What I’m saying is, I want magazines etc. to stop asking these celebs what they eat. The truth won’t sell and the lies are harmful. Technically, she might not even be lying. Does she eat 3 nuts a day? Very possible. A quarter of an avocado per week? She’s very vague and we all know what that means.
It’s like these videos of celebs showing their skincare routine. People, you all get treatments and possibly surgery. Let’s not omit that.
Julianne Moore is the only one who was honest and admitted that she was hungry most of the time because she doesn’t allow herself to eat much.
There is eating healthy and then there is disordered eating when you restrict yourself to an extreme degree. Most of the celebrities have some form of disordered eating and magazines do a huge disservice in pretending it is something readers should emulate.
They also need to stop pretending that the extreme thinness is achieved by simply “chasing around the kids” or other nonsense. Or that they take a few serums and that stops aging.
Yes, you’re right Emmi and I also think that the mags do it on purpose because here we are talking about it. A real discussion should be had about these disordered behaviours and the fashion industry.
I think, however, that this mainstream culture seems to be slowly dying, or at least I hope. Kids don’t read these magazines – or at least the kids around me – and emulate people like Billie Eillish, Jorja Smith etc. Even Taylor Swift admitted that she had a restrictive diet, stopped it and now looks awesome.
Gotta say – the apple cider vinegar may not be key to weight loss but I take every morning and it’s eliminated my indigestion (combined with better eating habits)
I agree, Emmi. I too wish interviewers would stop asking women what they eat, what their exercise regimen is, what their beauty regimen is, do they cook, what fashion labels do they like, what’s in their bag, etc. It’s the 21st century, and that’s still all people can think to ask a woman about?
I will say, though, it seems VB does recognize that she’s ‘disciplined’ about her eating & that it’s not exactly normal.
I love the line about how she doesn’t mind global stardom. Neither would I lol
I didn’t like the part were David agreed with Harper that Victoria skirts were too short.
He should have explained to his daughter that the skirts were absolutely acceptable and appropriate because Victoria was adult and chose to wear them.
And he no doubt was attracted to her at least in part because of those short skirts, her overall style.
I agree. The skirts weren’t too short for adult women in the music industry and women can wear whatever they want.
A spread in Vogue where one of the pictures has your face totally obscured is hilarious to me for some reason. Talk about emphasizing your lack of ability to give face as a model.
And where the cover pic looks nothing like you.
I don’t like her clothes, and I think she is a very derivative designer, but I do have a soft spot for VB – keeping thin and fit requires discipline, and I appreciate that she’s not trying to sell us a miracle pill or anything. She seems at least self aware.
Hopefully she’ll find a way to make her brand profitable.
@Esmerelda – same. I appreciate the fact that Beckham knows the type of body she’s after and she doesn’t wave off the effort to get it (90 mins of exercise each day plus her diet? Whew. I can do the diet, but not 90 mins of exercise each day).
See I could do the exercise but not with her diet, LOL. that diet couldn’t fuel my workouts.
I like her diet of healthy fats. I can’t believe I already had breakfast and after reading the title of this post I feel hungry again lol. Perhaps I will get some Salmon which is the healthiest fatty fish out there and bake some for dinner. Many times I feel lucky that I am a dude and I don’t have to worry about fashion trends like women do. Guys just don pants and shirts and they are done.
About ten years ago both my GP & my eye doctor told me I should be eating salmon 2-3 times a week, and I have been ever since. Love it! Also, easy to prepare as I am not a cook by any means.
+1 Wild caught Sockeye is my go to, I became a fish and vegetables person because of how good it makes me feel, it keeps auto-immune issues at bay. I kind of hate how much better I feel with lots of vegetables, I’d rather have that reaction with pizza or burgers with fries!
Aw, our little spice girl is growing up!
I’m trying to remember if I’ve ever seen VB in a midi-length pleated skirt and pussy-bow blouse.
*peddled not pedaled, in my earlier remark, as in they sell and profit off their young children
No one has talked about being low fat since 1997 but okay.
Even if her clothes were affordable like Jessica Simpson’s, I am a size 10 and have 36DD boobs, she will never understand my body nor market to my body.
My favorite Victoria Beckham is while on vacation her husband posted a video of her singing Spice Girls karaoke so cute and funny – complete with dance moves, amazing. That made me love her.
Nothing she says convinces me that she eats. Like Patsy in Absolutely Fabulous (love that show!), she probably hasn’t eaten since 1973. She just shouldn’t comment anymore about her weight/eating habits. It is what it is.
Haha I feel the same way. It’s her business, however, and she isn’t fat shaming anyone.
Haha! I doubt VB had a stomach bypass like poor dear sad old Patsy, lol.
Re the pictures on Instagram I note: They cut off her head. Focus on her boobs and her torso. If she’s the brains behind the design, why cut off her brain, where the designs ‘begin’. Ugh. 3rd picture, again, face completely hidden she could be any skinny person. And those shoes? Yikes.
We still have a long way to go, baby. Sigh
David Beckham should meet some of my friends. They’re very disciplined about what they eat, too — but they’ll never be VB’s weight (and still they’re beautiful).
I have no strong feelings about Posh, but I hate the accepted wisdom that it just takes discipline to be super-thin. Her eating sounds a bit disordered. To her credit, she owns it when she says she does everything in an “extreme” way.
As for her fashion line, if I have $900-plus to drop on a dress, it’s going to be on something classic.