Victoria Beckhams Body of Work
Review of Victoria Beckham Spring 2025 Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
Body of work, interior life, strategically slashed
Last season Victoria Beckham set out to focus on creating collections that would provide the building blocks for her customers to create a working – or working woman’s – wardrobe, one that was as much functional as it was a play on innovative forms. For instance the back details she incorporated in a number of looks from her fall 2024 collection were just as intriguing – if not more so – than the front. Saying in todays show notes “The art of dressing begins with the act of dressing. Every day, within the intimacy of our wardrobes, women experiment with the dynamics between body and clothes”
Today, her opening looks of body-cast corsets were contorted as if windswept and frozen in a moment in time. These unique pieces were more art than fashion and would be suited to a custom-made offer for her VIC’s, who could themselves have their own bodies cast a-la Beckham. These looks were a break away from what we have seen in past from the designer, but the technique seemed to share more than a passing resemblance to the work of other French (and Spanish) luxury houses, which may distract from the designer breaking into an avant-garde space.
This season, Beckham (like many others, throughout New York, London, and Milan) was not only concerned with dressing the outer layers, but in her evolution of dressing as an art form, she expressed that the underlying foundations i.e. what we start with, should be just as thought through. Her interest in what lies beneath became apparent as the collection was unveiled, so were various parts of the models torsos, as the designer chose to ‘hack away’ at tailoring and took to a frenzied slashing of trouser legs. There were also waistbands that fell open at the front and waists themselves that came away from the body.
She also played with the “illusion” of nakedness as it was conveyed that what constitutes sensual for one will appear downright erotic for another. Explaining in today’s notes “ The manifestations inspire reflections on our individual understandings of the sensual, seductive and sexy, and our instinctive ideas of what it means to be and feel ‘dressed’.” So bodysuits were rendered in flesh colours and lace, emphasising the bodily curves of the wearer and sitting high on the hip bone.
The use of exposed internal construction is becoming a house signature, and was seen again here in her tailoring, which when paired with her low-slung trousers created character-driven womens tailoring. The theme of interior focus also flowed into the colour palette of the collection, with the designer sharing the intimate detail that it was inspired by an artwork by Jean Michel-Basquiat, which grace’s the walls of her home.
It will come as no surprise that the lack of varied body sizes in today’s casting tends to reinforce the industry’s long-held beliefs on what and who is held up as the ultimate ideal of sexiness. When to represent women as they are, and who also may want to buy into the brand, would go some way toward vouching for her idea of building a wardrobe for the women who live and work in the real world.
THE DIRECTION
THE WRAP UP
Having already implemented the VB Body concept into her brand with a permanent capsule of foundation knitted garments under the name, for spring 2025 the designer could be hinting at a new line, one which is focused on form-flattering shapewear or highly conceptual wearable art. In the meantime, for next season she continues to build on her ideal wardrobe, but what is flying under-the-radar are her denim looks that act as silent heroes for the awkward way they fit which still works to flatter – a bubble hem denim skirt was a pleasant surprise for the brand.
Victoria Beckham seems ready to push herself into a more directional space, but it is something she should test with her VICs first, while considering the possibility of a ‘Bespoke Beckham’ line.
