Like many female designers, Victoria approaches her work in a way that is distinctly personal and subjective. “I’ve always wanted to do the best I can with what I’ve got,” she tells me. “I’ve never been a six-foot-tall, skinny model (she’s five-foot-four), so I want to create an illusion. People always think I’m taller than I am – not just because of the shoes I wear but because of the way I dress. It’s all relatively streamlined.”
When Victoria conceived her brand, “I wanted clothes – whether a pair of jeans or an evening dress – that I would wear myself. That’s the ultimate test. Would I wear it? If I would, I’d keep it out there, and if I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t wear it.” Her “suck-a-shit” outfit is an example of this. “It gives (my clients) a little waist. It’s great on the breasts, it’s great on the bottom,” says Victoria, whose polished collection wraps – sometimes bordering on an infomercial – are a world apart from designers who present inspiration boards and blind you with arcane references. “We spend a lot of time perfecting our fit,” she adds. “We spend hours focusing on one shoulder. My aim is to create the perfect dress!”
Above all, Victoria’s approach is entirely practical. “When a season goes well,” she says, “the first thing I think is, Oh, great, I can do another season. I’m very realistic. I’m creative — but women need to buy clothes.”
During the fitting (the day I go for fashion, shoes and handbags), Victoria is looking at everything. “I take opinions on board and digest everything. Think about it and then make the final decision,” she tells me. “I have to believe it. Otherwise, how can I expect other people to believe it?” She may even shake. During the shoe meeting, Victoria is assessing the exact placement of straps on unfitting ankle boots that Christian Louboutin created for his runway show. “I think it’s more attractive with only two. I think it looks a bit much.” Puss in Boots With three,” she says, “a little mary poppinsAnd if they’re going to have cuffs, it should be on top – otherwise they’ll look like they’ve got cankles!
