Reviews: Paula Reed for Grazia Daily UK

Victoria Beckham On The Inspiration For Her Fall 2012 Collection

Ooooh who is that peeping around the corner...? Victoria Beckham is barely visible behind a barrage of press, all with cameras and tape recorders. But the sound of toddler giggles from behind a pillar has given away the fact that baby Harper and daddy David Beckham are peeping through a set of empty clothing rails watching Mum give a press conference. Daddy Beckham is looking insanely sharp in a Tom Ford suit and baby Harper is swaddled in a fawn coloured cashmere smock dress from Bonpoint.

In her first year, Harper has become a fashion show veteran. This is her second New York fashion week. It’s David’s first time out and he seemed perfectly happy swapping fashion pleasantries with Anna Wintour on the front row. But he looked even happier backstage walking Harper around between the rails.

‘Oh, she is such a daddy’s girl,’ laughed Victoria. ‘Harper comes to work with me. Last season she was here when we launched Victoria, Victoria Beckham. But this is David’s first show. I think he has only just realised how hard I work. That it’s not just a hobby.’

Last season, Victoria Beckham had baby Harper, her fourth child, launched Victoria, Victoria Beckham, her second collection and won her first British Fashion Award. If anyone suspected that her fashion career was a hobby they must know by now that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

The summer silhouette had eased up a lot with sporty parkas offering an option to the VB trademark second skin cling. And in an interview earlier this week, she said that as she feels more confident about her personal style she feels less like she needs to show her figure off. But by the time it came to working on the winter collection she was back to pre-baby weight and this collection has also snapped back into razor sharp shape. It was all about a second skin dress, a nod to Romeo’s baseball kit and some military detailing.

‘I love my family but I am happy not to be pregnant this season,’ she admitted. ‘The Victoria line has got off to such a strong start. Because of that, I’ve been able to focus on the ready to wear in a different way and reinvent my signature. It’s all about construction and quality. The hardware and military influence is coming from the handbags. I am so excited about the new Harper bag. I am designing what I want myself. And I can’t wait to wear it.’

‘My daily life is my inspiration. I took the beanie hats (made by Stephen Jones) from David’s wardrobe and there are some boyfriend jackets that are all him. And the baseball stripes and jersey cuffs came about when I was standing in kitchen and Romeo runs in wearing a baseball kit and I thought that’s it. It looks so cool. I have a lot of gowns in the collection but edited them out for the catwalk show. I’ve been lucky to have had lots of people ask me to make them things for the red carpet but I am having to say no. We are too small a team to be able to do that yet. I can’t afford to show them on the red carpet before I show them to the buyers.'

With merchandise selling out on Net A Porter and stores all over America and Europe clamouring to buy, it would appear her red carpet absence is not hurting. And with a family of guys as inspiring as the Beckham boys, it would seem she need look no further than her own back yard for an abundance of ideas.