Victoria Beckham S/S 13 – good, but not great.
The latest collection from Victoria Beckham proved to be a further departure from the Roland Mouret style designs that made her name. Sure, there are some form fitting gowns, but these owe more to the minimalist, lingerie style designs of Calvin Klein than to the hourglass fifties silhouette of Mouret.
I have to say I was a little disappointed by this collection on the whole. The form fitting lingerie style dresses look a little dated, and a little cheap, whilst the short a-line skirts and crisp shirts just got me thinking ‘so what’. They are well cut, as you would expect, but they don’t stand out as spectacular.
That’s not to say there isn’t merit in the collection. I love the use of a palette of black, white and vibrant orange, and there are some gorgeous additions of sheer, lace effect panels which move the illusion dress onto a much more classy plane. The sleek midi skirts teamed with white shirts are also very good – perfect for Tilda Swinton and Care Blanchett in their sophistication.
But nude dresses have been done to death by Herve Leger, and do we really need to elevate the bra strap showing to High Fashion – I think not. Furthermore, whilst I love the Tuxedo style black blazer and cigarette pants, styling this with a multi ways bra just gives this the look of a Madonna tour costume from 1993.
So, for me, this collection is good, but not great.I prefer Victoria’s designs that flatter rather than flaunt, designs that seem a little bit more grown up than this.