It's always treat to attend Victoria Beckham's intimate collection presentations, held in an Upper East Side townhouse and narrated by the superstar and now-established fashion designer.
Despite the larger audience, she continues to maintain a personal connection to each garment she sends down the somber runway -- this time, amidst soft-jazz tunes by Barbra Streisand, which Beckham said, "just went so brilliantly with the room"--talking through the precise details in her structured dresses, wildly popular sophomore collection of handbags and, now, coats.
For fall 2011, the color palette included deep taupe neutrals, black, magenta and pumpkin, a color we have a feeling Beckham likes, as it featured prominently in spring 2011 as well. Besides the saturated hues on rich wool, party dresses came to life in an almost iridescent honeycomb jacquard and a mosaic of resin shards -- or, Beckham said, "a puzzle, as my children like to call it" -- embroidered on a cap-sleeve neckline. Statement silhouettes punctuating the runway were like "frozen" cocoons and one energetic little swing dress.
Having hit the 100th-dress mark -- a double crepe wrap dress shown in saffron -- Beckham pushed herself to make coats, creating an inaugural bunch of refined wool styles that are very much a seamless extension of her sharply chic dresses. A few new belts in the collection were shown with the cashmere-wrapped-from-the-waist-up styles, which Beckham herself also wore.
During the show, the always charming Beckham looked around and remarked, "wow, this is like a proper fashion show," her guile betraying the sophisticated craftsmanship floating down the runway. And indeed, it was.
