Victoria Beckham on bringing back the corset - and being a working mum - at her New York Fashion Week show

A corseted look from Victoria Beckham's latest collection CREDIT: REX

Given that it's -14 currently in New York it feels apt that Victoria Beckham is offering stealth knitwear solutions for next winter, and debuting them on herself. Backstage before the show, with the model line-up still being tweaked an hour before the unveiling, VB is sporting a cosy pale hued roll neck, loose grey flannel cropped trousers and a pair of bright white Stan Smith trainers (which, unusually, she didn't swap for heels for her post show bow).

Beckham took her bow in box-fresh white trainers CREDIT: REX

Having posted a £9 million turnover increase on the previous year's taking in December and with her second store due to open in Hong Kong in three weeks this is a buoyant time for the label, which launched with a collection of 10 dresses in 2008.

For AW16 Beckham took the opportunity to take stock. She describes it as “an evolution of my personal style. I looked back at the clothes I've worn and designed and decided to rework key elements.” The central piece was the corset. “I used to wear a lot and it felt very sexy and feminine,” she explained backstage. “I wanted to find a way to bring that back and feel new and fresh.” The key take home in her modern take on the corset is the lack of boning. These are 'easy' pieces, with the fitted basque shape created in knitwear and as bodices on the dresses, but without that forced rigid, constricting structure.

Models backstage sporting the new collection CREDIT: REX

The dresses, some knitted in navy, orange and khaki green check, reflect her 'signature silhouette' which is a figure flattering, female friendly one, but updated with a cool, low key attitude, with the sort of understated elegance her customers have come to expect. The shift and move on comes from the elevated techniques used: a heritage houndstooth coat that uses a waxed cord running through it to act as an embroidery took five days to make.

Victoria Beckham AW16 collection CREDIT: ISIDORE MONTAG

Masculine houndstooth and check fabrics are used to good effect in coats: added design details of knitted cuffs and hems left raw, bringing a neat contrast to the femninine dress shapes. Bold stripes are used to add definition and a keen sense of modernity, and lend that all important “freshness” Mrs Beckham is so keen on.

Victoria Beckham AW16 collection CREDIT: ISIDORE MONTAG

Skirt lengths are just above midi. Knitted tops, bodices and skirts are layered over each other, or cut to give the illusion of layers. Trousers are knitted and close cut, dresses (some featuring a cute bubble hem) and tops are spliced open gently to reveal slithers of flesh - “something we know our customer loves,” says VB. The pieces are given an added punch a quirk with oversized buttons and silver metallic brooch details.

Victoria Beckham AW16 collection CREDIT: ISIDORE MONTAG

The easiness continues into her footwear, flat pointed monk strap brogues and hefty block heeled ankle boots. For evening and red carpet (perhaps a niche concern) Beckham offers a high waist trouser worn with a cream satin bustier layered under a knitted black top. “It feels like a chic, modern take on red carpet,” she says.

Victoria Beckham AW16 collection CREDIT: ISIDORE MONTAG

It's half term so the Beckham clan were in full effect (next to their usual front row mates Anna Wintour and her daughter Bea) on the front row. Harper sat on her father's lap, doing a military look, with a single breasted gold buttoned navy pea coat with red collar detail and Gucci shoes. Cruz and Romeo were suited and the eldest, Brooklyn was working a T-shirt under his tailoring, his quiff flattened to the side.

The Beckham family on the front row CREDIT: AP

The children had given their mother “some beautiful flowers” for today's Valentine's Day. She bought them balloons. “We'd spent the whole day with these balloons for the kids and I got out of the car after we'd been working all night, and I said to the driver, ‘Be careful of the balloons!' and he got out the car and said what? And a bunch of them flew up into the air. I was like, no!”

A comforting thought that even a Beckham can't have it all run smoothly.


With The Telegraph