Victoria Beckham creates signature handbag

Former Spice Girl, now fashion designer, Victoria Beckham unveiled her first signature handbag range at her New York Fashion Week show.

Beckham debuted her Spring/Summer 11 line at a townhouse on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, showing a collection that consisted of 26 elegant dresses and her first statement bags.

She sat in the front row giving her own commentary on all the looks, discussing her inspirations, fabrics and the techniques employed making each dress and accessory.

Victoria said she was particularly proud of her bag, which will sell for £1,200 (S$2,500). She said she had created the luxury item in collaboration with Marc Jacobs’ designer Katie Hillier and was glad of Katie’s expertise in the area.

“I knew what I wanted, but I needed someone with the expertise, who knew about factories,” Ms Beckham said.

The Victoria is a square, two-handled tote that comes in two colours, buffalo and crocodile. It also comes in two sizes, a smaller bag and a large travelling one.

Ms Beckham’s dresses received admiring gasps as they came down the runway. In a departure from her usual style, she favoured softer silhouettes instead of her usual structured lines and corsetry. The collection also included accessories like belts and sunglasses.

The designer also said she had created on violet silk number by simply wrapping one and a half metres of fabric around herself and tying it in a knot.

Another stand-out garment was a mandarin-coloured shift dress. Victoria explained the piece had been made in three sections, with the middle segment cut on the bias to make it as flattering as possible.

“It really hugs and flatters the body. I wanted to celebrate curves,” she said. “And the cotton fabric really soaks up the colour”.

Silk in eye-popping shades featured heavily in the show, as did high-waistlines and statement seams.

Despite the seeming acceptance by the New York fashion crowd, Ms Beckham’s homeland continues to question her skills, with media outlets returning to the old saw of whether or not Ms Beckham actually designs the collection.

In a Guardian Online article, Victoria Beckham at New York fashion week: catwalk curiosity to hot ticket, references to a New York Times article questioning Ms Beckham’s skills appeared uneccessary. 

Still, the proof is in the pudding, with the label’s sales at around £4.5 million a year. Sales are also expected to rise next year, particularly after the launch of The Victoria, so despite criticism, Ms Beckham must be doing something right. -- COVER MEDIA, Niki Bruce