Almost everyone in the chic crowd that gathered at the Crosby Street Hotel on Wednesday evening stuck to the brief that made Victoria Beckham famous: Wear black. Except, that is, Beckham herself. The artist formerly known as Posh Spice instead wore a crushed pink silk gown from her own label to the event, which celebrated the release of her three-part self-titled Netflix docuseries. Victoria Beckham launched on the streamer October 9.
Hosted by Condé Nast’s chief content officer Anna Wintour and Vanity Fair’s global editorial director Mark Guiducci, the intimate event gathered members of the fashion community to celebrate the pop star turned designer. During the cocktail hour before Guiducci’s conversation with Beckham, you could find the new head of editorial content for American Vogue, Chloe Malle, designer and actress Georgina Chapman, and model Jacquelyn Jablonski rubbing shoulders as Champagne and apps circulated the crowd.
Vampire Diaries star Nina Dobrev couldn’t help but gush about Beckham’s impact on culture writ large—no matter the medium. “She’s timeless, and everything she does, everything she touches turns to gold, I feel like,” she told me. “I mean, she’s also so chic and classy, from every piece of clothing to every beauty product. I’m such a big fan.” Naturally, Dobrev was outfitted head-to-toe in Victoria Beckham, sporting a plum mock turtleneck and brown ankle-length floral skirt designed by the woman herself. “She’s a true icon,” said Dobrev.
Bravo’s Andy Cohen and his SiriusXM radio cohost and ex-paramour John Arthur Hill were also in attendance, showing support for someone they consider to be family. “We love supporting Victoria. Victoria is John’s spiritual mommy,” said Cohen. “We live by her ethos.” Hill confirmed as much, revealing that Beckham is an avowed fan of their SiriusXM program, Andy Cohen Live. “We’re good friends because she supports our show,” said Hill. “She actually listens to our radio show every day,” added Cohen. “She’s part of our group of friends,” said Hill. “We’re Beckhams,” added the cheeky Watch What Happens Live host.
They weren’t the only Beckhams in attendance. Victoria’s longtime husband, David Beckham—perhaps the most famous footballer of all time as well as the co-owner of soccer clubs in both the US and the UK—was also there to support his wife, carrying what looked like three large canvas bags filled with gifts she’d received from other attendees and sitting front row at the event. While he was clearly chuffed to celebrate the mother of their four children—Brooklyn, 26; Romeo, 23; Cruz, 20; and Harper, 14; none of whom were in attendance—he kept his thoughts about the evening close to his chest: When asked about the doc, he replied, “Ask my wife—you’re better off with her.”
Victoria had plenty to say when the main event began. After opening remarks from Wintour, who appears in the docuseries looking, as she joked, like Beckham’s “mad old aunt,” Beckham spoke with Guiducci about her rough post–Spice Girls era, her reinvention as a fashion designer, and most candidly, her yearslong struggle with an eating disorder.
“When I was a youngster, and your body’s changing and you’re going through puberty, it’s a really difficult time,” Beckham told Guiducci. “I was bullied a lot mentally and physically when I was at school.” While attending theater college before joining the Spice Girls, “I was constantly told by the staff at the dancing school that I was fat,” says Beckham. “I was at an age—it is an impressionable age, and it’s confusing and it’s hurtful.” When she joined one of the most successful girl groups of all time and married the most famous footballer in the world, she found herself living under a microscope. “I’ve never complained, and I’m not complaining about it. It is a very different time now,” Beckham said. “You couldn’t get away with weighing someone on television six months after they’ve had a baby, literally.”
The designer didn’t intend to open up about her eating disorder while filming the docuseries, but changed her mind after forming a strong bond with Victoria Beckham director Nadia Hallgren. “I’ve had a lot of people saying that they can really relate because they have been through similar things,” Victoria said. “Not just women but men have struggled as well.” Thankfully, she’s in a much better place these days. “It’s all about balance. It’s about being healthy—thanks to my husband who really helped me,” said Victoria, looking directly at David. “You can turn an obsession into a healthy obsession. It’s about balance: having a healthy diet, working out in the gym together, doing weights.”
From the conversation, it was clear that Beckham hasn’t only been working hard in the gym—she’s been working overtime to prove herself as a fashion designer. “I’ve been in fashion now for coming up [on] two decades, and I was in the Spice Girls for a four-year period. I’ve been so defined by that four-year period,” said Victoria. “I’m so proud to say I was a Spice Girl. I really am. But I have to say I’ve been fighting those preconceptions for coming up to two decades now, and only now do I feel that I can reflect on my path without it damaging the brand that I’ve spent 20 years building.”
That effort culminated in a Paris Fashion Week show that serves as the docuseries’ denouement. “I’ve earned my right to show in Paris,” said Victoria. “I have to work really, really hard to maintain that, but I feel that I am now not going to be judged as a celebrity, and it’s taken 20 years to get to that point.”
Now that she’s there, the possibilities seem endless. She revealed that her friend and mentor, fashion designer Roland Mouret, texted her after the series premiered, offering to give her some instruction in the kitchen. “He said, ‘The next thing I’m going to teach you is how to make a croque monsieur,’” said Victoria. “So what’s next is cooking?” asked Guiducci. “Sure,” replied Victoria—though she doesn’t want to bite off more than she can chew. “Let’s keep it to a cheese and ham sandwich,” she joked. “Nothing too complicated.”
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