Victoria's Victory
As today celebrates Victoria Beckham 40th birthday, I thought I would share some insights of my encounter with her at Condé Nast College.
We had been told that a high-profile guest was coming to talk to us, but the speaker’s name was guarded secret. “No drinking, no eating, no tweeting, no instagraming”, basic Etiquette rules that reminded us our principal, Susie Forbes prior to the talk. As we were all impatiently waiting in the buzzing room, we suddenly froze as we saw Susie walking in along with Victoria Beckham. A jaw dropping instant that left the room completely silent. It was hard to believe that this woman, known to one and all, and probably one of the most talked about celebrity was in front of us.
Wearing an ankle long black coat, washed out black jeans and a 15 centimeters pair of heels, she slowly made her way to the stage showered with our applause. “I hope I'm not a disappointment,” she quipped as she had heard that some students speculated that Ryan Gosling would be the potential secret guest. Victoria was here to share her experience as a designer, which she did with modesty and poise. She recounted the early years of her career, how she launched the famous Beckham perfumes and when she decided to create her own line. Among the numerous advices and encouragements that she gave us, she humbly said: “If I can do it, anyone can do it.” When asked if she had told her designer friends - who include Marc Jacobs and Karl Lagerfeld - about creating her own line she humorously answered “ I wasn’t going to say: hey Karl, let’s talk about dresses.”
If the former spice girl is recognized in the fashion industry today it is thanks to her drive for perfection and her raison d’être: “I do what I do because I love women.” Indeed, Victoria Beckham has for mission to empower women and give them what they want. In order to remain connected to her costumers she uses social media a lot. “You can see my brand through my eyes”, she passionately said while talking about the importance of her website. Her shop that will open in September in London is another way for her to personalize her approach to her costumers and convey her message properly. Very self-conscious and extremely controlling over her image, she admitted: “I wouldn’t say I am a control freak, but I am a control freak.”
But first and foremost, Victoria is a mother and her kids are her first priority. While she was mentioning her family, we heard the escalating ring tone of a mobile phone. The principal angrily looked around to see who was the absent-minded student responsible for this unpleasant disruption. Suddenly, Victoria shouted “that’s probably David!” to which her agent responded, “ no, it is Brooklyn!” We all burst into laughter, stunned by the unreal character of this situation and relieved that it was nobody else’s phone.
All in all, whichever hats she puts on, a mom, a wife or the owner of a business empire, Victoria Beckham is an inspiring woman who is full of humour and, yes, who does smile...!!! Happy birthday VB!
By Camille Baron
