By: Hadley Freeman of The GuardianFor most designers, it takes years to develop a recognisable signature style. Some achieve this through heavy celebrity product placement; some through re-working the same idea, repeatedly; some ensure that they are photographed wearing their designs in high-profile appearances. Never one to do things by halves, Victoria Beckham opted for all three tactics, and it's worked.
Beckham has given the Guardian an exclusive preview of her new collection, which will be shown in New York on Sunday night during fashion week, and, with the mid-length cuts (elegant on the very thin, a little more awkward on anyone of an average BMI), the body-skimming tailoring, the sophisticated styles and the suggestion of a life that is based more on glamorous lunches than doing the kids' laundry, these clothes are identifiably Beckham's. This is the look that she has consistently worked throughout her collections. She has popularised it by wearing the dresses herself, and they have become extremely popular among celebrities and fashion editors. Elle MacPherson was recently photographed wearing her dresses three days in a row and Alexandra Shulman, Vogue's editor, owns one.
For this season she has wisely stuck with her usual style, but there is greater sophistication, with complex wrap cuts and bolder colours.
The tale of Victoria Beckham, fashion designer, is one of remarkable, some would say improbable, success. She has shown that the public are willing to pay more than high street prices for clothes designed by a celebrity – her dresses cost between £900 and £4,000 – and her label has been one of the biggest high-end successes of recent years. Her last collection nearly sold out by pre-orders on net-a-porter.com, the fashion website, before it had even arrived in the storeroom, and it completely sold out at Neiman Marcus, a US department store, within hours.
Yet the real sign of Beckham's success in the fashion world, and how the fashion world has noticed her success, came in the form of an announcement this week that the French label Emanuel Ungaro has appointed actor and tabloid staple Lindsay Lohan as its "artistic adviser".
In an acknowledgement of the value of celebrity to the fashion world, Ungaro's chief executive Mounir Moufarrige told fashion trade sheet WWD: "Designer-led fashion is likely not to be enough. It's a slow process going the traditional route." Lohan, he said, would bring a "consumer" voice to the brand. For her part, Lohan told the paper: "Clothing is something that's so expressive in so many ways. It really interests me." Coco Chanel never spoke more eloquently. Lohan will be at the Ungaro show in Paris next month.
Beckham will stand out even more than usual next week in New York: she will be one of the few British designers in town. To celebrate London Fashion Week's 25th anniversary, many of the British designers who traditionally show abroad are returning, including Matthew Williamson, who has shown in New York for some time.
