You'll Really, Really Want to See Victoria Beckham's Style Evolution
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Originally appeared on E! Online
When it comes to fashion, Victoria Beckham has given us what we really, really want.
But while she's spiced up our lives, working everything from her Spice Girls-era mini and platforms vibes to monochromatic Gucci dresses to the impossibly sleek fashions of the eponymous line she launched in 2008, we're curious if she's gotten all that joy can bring from each and every last ensemble.
Well, here's the story from A to Z.
"Fashion should be fun," she put it to Entertainment Tonight, "and it's about finding new ways of wearing things."
So, yes, she stands by every last bold statement she made as early aughts icon Posh Spice. "I look back at the things I've worn in the past and it makes me smile," she explained. (Yes, she does in fact smile.) "It's made me who I am now. And part of growing up is trying new things. Some things work, some things don't."
David and Victoria Beckham: Romance Rewind
More from E! Online
Riley Strain's Family Addresses Fraternity Brothers' Reaction to Him Going Missing
Riley Strain’s Mom Shares New Information From Final Messages Sent Before Disappearance
Jennifer Love Hewitt Debuts Her 3 Kids on Book Cover: All the Details
Among the ensembles cast to the do-not-repeat pile: The head-to-toe black leather coordinating Gucci looks she and husband David Beckham, 48, slipped into for a 1999 Versace Club Gala Party in London.
The first faux pas, acknowledged the mom to Brooklyn, 25, Romeo, 21, Cruz, 19, and Harper, 12, was wearing pieces from the Italian fashion house to a Versace event "which was inappropriate in itself," as she put it on a 2022 episode of Bravo's Watch What Happens Live!. Which is why "it haunts me," she confessed to host Andy Cohen. "It does haunt me, but I love it."
Because she and the former soccer pro really thought they'd scored with the matching moment.
"We really considered those outfits," she admitted. "I mean, we really thought about it. There was a naivety to it that was just so sweet."
In other words, if you were thinking of slamming any of her past sartorial choices, stop right now, thank you very much.
"I look back and smile about the Spice Girls now—I'm so proud of everything we achieved," she explained to Harper's Bazaar UK about her pop star roots. "It was about making people embrace who they are, being happy with who they are, being the best version of themselves and for that to be celebrated. And the fact that it was OK to be a little bit different—why conform, you know? Now, I would like to think that I'm doing that through beauty and fashion."
Her taste has shifted over the years. But, "I wouldn't call it a reinvention," she said of pivoting from arena stages to fashion week runways. "I'd say it's been an evolution."
As she happily marks her milestone 50th birthday April 17—"I like how it feels being older," she told The Sunday Times last year, "I wouldn't want to be 25 again"—say you'll be there as we look back on her most eye-catching looks.
1996
"I was called Posh because I liked the nice restaurants, and the nice clothes, and that was my character," Victoria Beckham explained in the documentary The Spice Girls Story: Viva Forever! of her adopted persona. "I didn't smile, even in those days. There was this very strong image."
1997
"Posh Spice' came about because of how I looked," Beckham remembered in her book That Extra Half an Inch: Hair, Heels and Everything in Between. "The bob, the heels, the little black Gucci dress. Except that it wasn't Gucci. It was Miss Selfridge."
1998
More than a decade before rapper Wiz Khalifa popularized the hues, Beckham went with bold stripes at the Brit Awards.
1999
"We really considered those outfits," Beckham said of the all-black-everything Gucci leather 'fits she and husband David Beckham selected for an outing to a (whoops!) Versace gala.
2000
A white suit plus a very-of-the-moment statement necklace proved she was indeed posh.
2001
Beckham spiced up Elton John's White Tie and Tiara Ball by once again coordinating with her forever teammate.
2003
She kept it casual in a pair of flare jeans and a white tank top for the Dior Dance for Life to Benefit the Aaliyah Memorial Fund.
2003
Two sides became one in a lace-up Dolce & Gabbana at the MTV Movie Awards. “I used to wear lots of structured dresses with corsetry, and I do still have some of those dresses, but my personal style has become more relaxed,” Beckham told The Guardian. “Looking back, I guess it was a sign of insecurity that I would always wear clothes that were very tight, very fitted.”
2004
Her nonnegotiable fashion rule: "Go with your gut instinct," she told The Guardian. "I always say I can handle mistakes that were made by me, but not mistakes that were made against my instinct."
2005
Proving she was no fashion wannabe, Beckham lit up the Swarovski Fashion Rocks red carpet in a revealing green and blue Roberto Cavalli dress.
2006
Mi bella! Beckham stepped out in Paris wearing feminine ruffles and gilded heels.
2007
"Fashion is where I feel comfortable," Beckham has said, both of designing and selecting sleek threads like this Oscars look, "and where I feel excited."
2008
She and the athlete were all business at the Beckham Signature fragrance launch in NYC.
2009
Sleek, strapless and steely grey were on order for the Marc Jacobs Spring 2009 fashion show.
2012
The pop star-turned-fashion designer made a serious case for traveling in style in this buttoned up mini dress with cape number.
2014
"I had a lot to learn when I started out," Beckham has said of launching her own label, "and I had to surround myself with people who knew about all that stuff." And she had to trust her keen eye, turning up at the 2014 Met Gala in her own design.
2016
The former Spice Girl tucked in a tailored white shirt into a beige, navy, blue and white pleated leather skirt from her very own collection.
2016
This dark tweed set proved that no one wears Victoria Beckham better than the star herself.
2017
The fashion designer embraced the chilly NYC weather in an all black outfit that included a long-sleeved turtleneck shirt and leather boots.
2018
"My confidence has definitely grown as I’ve got older," Beckham (enjoying a spring day in Paris) noted to The Guardian. "I know what works on me, what looks good, what makes me feel confident and comfortable. I don’t feel I have anything to prove now in the way I dress."
2018
Beckham opted for bold—with a touch of blue—when leaving her Dover Street store during London Fashion Week.
2018
"As the business took off and I got busier, my style changed, because I just can’t run around the studio doing everything in high heels," Beckham has explained. Which means she occasionally opts for flats or even (gasp!) sneakers while out.
2018
"It seemed obvious that it had to be Victoria Beckham," the mom of four (rocking her brand's tuxedo-inspired jumpsuit at the Cannes Film Festival) said of her eponymous line. "I knew there were preconceptions attached to my name, but that was a challenge I was prepared to take on. Honestly? There was never really any other option."
2019
She opted for another distinctly feminine Victoria Beckham look for an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
