Thursday, 30 October 2014

Review of Victoria Beckham`s first boutique (London)

The fact that Victoria Beckham was just heralded as most successful entrepreneur of 2014 in the UK by business magazine Management Today, prompted me to take a trip to her brand's first bricks-and-mortar store.  She doesn`t have the experience of Miuccia Prada, or the life-changing vision of Coco Chanel – I thought while heading towards London`s Dover Street – so I didn`t expect to be inspired by what I was just about to see. How wrong…darlings….how wrong was I!
The boutique has been designed by Farshid Moussavi, and it is simply striking. There is no window display. Instead, the façade consists of a very heavy sliding door (I hear it weights 340 kilograms) and a glass frontage, which allows the passers-by to view the collection.
The door slides effortlessly as soon as you step in front of it, bringing you into something which can be described as a modern-day jewellery box. Immediately, you will notice a broad rectangular staircase in front of you, and a mirrored wall, as well as a ceiling, which is also clad in mirror. I am wearing a dress by James Lakeland, and fox collar from the Soho Furrier, sunglasses by Dolce & Gabbana. Bag is from Victoria Beckham collection and I bought my shoes in Singapore.
A row of shelves seem to be floating in front of the mirrored wall, packed with delightful collection of handbags in black, blush, red and raspberry.
The bag I am sporting on the photo has an intricate locking system, and an added security, in form of an additional bolt, which also serves as ornamental detail. I`ve never seen anything like this before, and – as a result - I started warming up to Victoria Beckham`s designs.
The clothes are hanging on zig-zag rails, allowing each item to be spaced evenly, and be fully accessible to a customer. There is also a light-reflecting column of shelves, which hosts a selection of sunglasses. By now I was rather taken by this amazing space, which in reality is long and not terribly vast, but with clever design, it feels very spacious, and - dare I say – luxurious.
More pleasant surprises waited upstairs, including large mirrored walls and a concrete ceiling with triangular geometric pattern. This boutique plays host to several Victoria Beckham collections: Victoria Beckham, Victoria Victoria Beckham, denim, optical and accessories.
White walls provide neutral background for sublime palette of clothes, which are very well made. Long, metal chains allow the display to be moved, to vary the height, and position of clothing.
I love a subtle detailing on this coat.
Adore the amusing element on this dress.
Am bowled over by almost architectural design of this top.
 
Kudos to Victoria Beckham and her team for designing such a fabulous collection!
Back on the ground floor, I discovered expansive changing rooms clad in a dark green laminated glass, and being furnished with a set of sculptural benches, which can be re-positioned to create a different look, if desired. Damien Hirst`s artwork hangs in the lower-ground area, which can be seen from the ground floor, giving illusion that the whole space is bigger than it actually is.
Attention to minute detail is the driver here and they even have a wrapping paper with images of the latest fashion show – how thoughtful!
 
This whole place is cool and exciting and everyone working here is fun to be around. I love the fact I could come close to and easily inspect every item displayed in the store, thanks to the innovative zig-zag hanging rail. I appreciate that the assistants were knowledgeable about the collection as well as the store`s design. And they eagerly played the role of my photographers – thank you!
 
I embarked on this visit as a sceptic but after seeing the designs closely, and experiencing this space, I – unexpectedly - turned into Victoria Beckham`s aficionado. Mrs Beckham, this shopaholic will be back. This is not a threat, this is a promise.
 

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