These new pieces are designed to be comfortable, but they have nothing to do with lounging around. “It really was about bringing sexy back,” she says of the design process. “I was sick of comfort dressing. I want to celebrate being a woman, I don’t want to hide under baggy clothes, I don’t want to talk about being in lockdown and wanting to dress comfortably. I think it’s time to start dressing properly and get to the office.”
Although the VB Body capsule of densely knit dresses tops and leggings will live under the umbrella of the main collection (the Victoria Victoria Beckham line has been absorbed into it too), it will be relatively affordable, with a bandeau starting at £90. “It’s very inclusive,” she adds. “Whether you are a size six, or the complete other end of the scale, you’re going to look amazing in these dresses. They make every woman look curvy and really, really feminine.”
Demand already appears to be strong for VB Body. Victoria wore a red knit dress from the line in New York towards the end of last year, and since then, Selfridges has been inundated with enquiries about them. This will be good news for Victoria Beckham CEO Marie Leblanc de Reynies – the business was still operating at a loss in December, although those losses have halved since she took the reins.
“The business is in the best shape it’s ever been,” Victoria says. “Marie has been the most wonderful CEO, she really has got things shipshape. Business is still challenging for everyone in this climate because we dress women to go out, to go to work, to go to parties to travel, all of the above have been very difficult. That being said, I think that my partner has just been wonderful. It’s what I needed to get the business back on track.”
Victoria’s shift towards body-conscious femininity has nothing to do with pleasing a man, though one person who will be delighted by it is Mr Beckham. “My husband said to me once, ‘Why do you all wear so many clothes? Why is everything so big?’ At the time, we wanted to dress like that,” she says. “Now I am ready to not dress like that anymore. Just celebrate being a woman, right?”
