When Victoria Beckham goes on a work trip, Vogue alerts its street-style watchers. Remember, this is the woman who mastered the hotel lobby-to-cab photo op long before the Jenners and Hadids were doing sidewalk chic. VB is queen of the paparazzi shot. And her latest look in Paris is a smart marketing move.
Buoyed by that red vinyl trouser moment at the Saint Laurent show, which saw her upstage every YSL ambassador with her own party pants, Beckham exited La Réserve hotel with a new product to promote: a capacious bucket-style handbag featuring a large gold clasp.
Her look – a black utility-style dress and contrasting red pumps (a style trick we’ve seen Katie Holmes deploy this week) – is also part of the autumn/winter 2022 collection Beckham is showcasing tomorrow. “Powerful, purposeful, built with control at its core” is how the designer describes the new edit, which neatly sums up her brand since its rebirth last summer. No surplus stock, just surefire affordable luxury hits for this entrepreneur.
Of course Beckham knows her way around a good handbag. Her own designs have ranged from popular half moon cross-body styles to sculptural powder boxes, while Victoria’s personal collection is basically heaven for Hermès Birkin lovers. While developing her new totes, she’s been airing the It-bags of her past, including a plush quilted Chanel number and a burgundy Kelly, which she likes to wear with a silk scarf knotted round the handle.
Her new-look VB accessory, however, is resolutely her: polished with a twist and exactly what we have come to expect from a savvy businesswoman who knows when it pays to be in the spotlight. Stay tuned for more handbag dispatches from Paris soon.
