Victoria Beckham shows off spring 2013 collection, New York Fashion Week:
Designer Victoria Beckham poses on the runway at the Victoria Beckham Spring 2013 presentation during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at New York Public Library on September 9, 2012 in New York City.
Anyone still doubting the respect the Victoria Beckham name commands in the fashion industry would have been silenced by the scene at the New York Public Library on Sunday morning.
At fashion week, a designer's status can be calculated before their show has even begun, by who is there and how dressed up the audience are. This show commanded a royal flush of the queens of modern fashion – Anna Wintour, Anna dello Russo, Natalie Massenet, Harper Beckham – and almost the entire row wore five-inch spiked heels.
She’s one of the biggest draws on the calendar of seasonal previews, but there’s no frenzy of paparazzi photographers. (Husband David Beckham, however, did take some photos from his seat.)
The music is loud enough to be heard, but it’s far from thumping. Beckham gives the crowd a brief bow, but doesn’t linger.
And she’s gracious to her backstage well-wishers, but there’s a time limit.
Looking pretty stylish himself in a brown suit, David Beckham was there to catch his wife’s much-anticipated collection. Joining Becks were Kate Moss’ ex Jefferson Hack and tennis star Maria Sharapova, but overall, the star power was relatively subdued this morning, considering Mrs. Becks counts Hollywood heavyweights like Katie Holmes among her closest friends.
The element of surprise has been a part of the Victoria Beckham label from the start. She surprised the industry first by announcing she was becoming a designer, surprised it again with a debut that garnered raves and then surprised it yet again by keeping pace as the level of expectation rose each season. Having now reached a point where the quality of her clothes is not news in itself, she must now find new ways to pique interest each season.
Ms. Beckham hit a home home, embracing a sporty feel centered on minimalistic black and white pieces infused with bold pops of red for her spring collection.
While Beckham continued her strong focus on tailoring, she took a more dare we say, laidback approach this season, with looser silhouettes joining her signature body-skimming silhouettes.
Flirty skirts that looked like they could go from the runway to the tennis courts and were even paired with (gasp!) flats seemed made for Sharapova, who sat front row. But there were also plenty of styles for the red carpet, with Beckham seeming to draw inspiration from the literary influence of the season, 50 Shades of Grey, with sexy bondage-inspired styles and sheer cutouts adding subtle sex appeal.
