22-05-2025
Victoria Beckham's Very Posh Takeover in an NYC Skyscraper: It's a 'Little Sanctuary in the Clouds'
Photo: Adrian Gaut
Former Spice Girl turned fashion designer Victoria Beckham has long been bedazzled by the 'bright lights, big city' vibe of New York. 'It's where I launched my clothing brand back in 2008 during NYFW, and where my clean beauty brand is based, so it has always held a special place in my heart,' the British designer explains. Thus it made sense that for the first time presenting a pre-collection in New York, the location should embrace 'the energy, the skyline, the pace' of Manhattan.
From today, Beckham is collaborating with American Express Centurion to treat the city's leading fashionistas, tastemakers, and glitterati to a private preview of her pre-spring-summer 2026 collection at Centurion New York. Designed by Yabu Pushelberg, the club is the global finance company's first luxury destination in the US which opened two years ago on the 55th floor of One Vanderbilt (one of the world's tallest buildings, designed by New York–based architects Kohn Pedersen Fox). It is a place where Centurion members can exclusively relax, meet, dine (from menus overseen by Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud), and this week, thanks to Beckham's showcase, shop ahead of the crowd.
Beckham knew the minute she saw the space that it was the right fit for showing her sharp, clean lined approach to tailoring modern female silhouettes. 'I love the contrast between the sweeping views and the intimacy of the space. It feels like a little sanctuary in the clouds,' she says. Alongside the designer's curation of chubby, clubby armchairs and curvaceous sofas, all bouclé-clad in snowy white, sculptural coffee and side tables in either dark stained wood or creamy veined stone, and an abundance of floral arrangements by the French-born, NY-based floral artist Caroline Bailly, Beckham's forthcoming collection of long flowing dresses and urban pant suits pops in block shades of lipstick red, classic black or white, and flattering khaki. 'I didn't want to compete with the space, but to respond to it in a way that felt organic,' she says. 'We wanted to create a quiet sense of drama that would let both the clothes and the setting breathe.'
Surrounded by the panoramic views of the glittering Hudson River and some of the city's most famous skyscrapers—from the Art Deco beauty of the Chrysler building all the way down to One World Trade Center, with its towering spire, in Lower Manhattan—Beckham has created a series of spaces punctuated with dressed mannequins, huge light boxes and marble cubes displaying the designer's popular accessories. Usually, Beckham would present her pre-collections digitally, 'so this felt like a great opportunity to create something immersive and special,' she continues.
The enfilade of spaces, drenched in sunlight and enveloped by blue sky, make for a powerful yet harmonious atmosphere. 'I was drawn to Centurion New York's dialogue between light and material: velvet against brass, stone against skyline. It speaks to my own love of contrasting and balancing masculine and feminine energies in my collections,' she explains. Even the art on the walls, all part of Centurion New York's impressive collection curated by Hanabi: Art & Artists—including the likes of Nan Goldin, Vivian Maier, Diane Arbus and Robert Motherwell—fits with Beckham's contemporary spirit.
Indeed, Beckham has always sought inspiration from art and architecture. 'I've always seen fashion as part of a broader conversation,' the designer says. A decade ago, she commissioned Iranian-British architect Farshid Moussavi to create her London store's breathtaking interior, set respectfully within its Georgian framework yet a dynamic testament to the modernity of concrete, soaring ceilings, and display cases inspired by Donald Judd.
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'When I opened on Dover Street, I didn't want a traditional retail space, I wanted somewhere you could exhale—somewhere that felt as welcoming as a home but could also double up as a space in which to showcase and celebrate other incredible talents,' she says, citing an ongoing partnership with Sotheby's to curate exhibitions instore featuring seminal contemporary artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Yoshitomo Nara, and George Condo. It has become a passion for both the designer and her husband, former footballer David, after being first introduced to collecting by Sir Elton John. 'Art sharpens my eye and teaches me to see differently.'
A trio of evening gowns in this year's fall-winter collection have been informed by the Olii works of 20th century Argentinian artist and sculptor Lucio Fontana (a favorite in Beckham's own modern art collection). 'Transposing his way of treating canvas as fabric, the material of the gowns is ruched around wired holes placed at the neckline or abdomen as if it were paint, creating an intense and erotic perforated effect,' she explains.
Last winter, Beckham invited the British interior designer Rose Uniacke to reimagine the store's interiors to spectacular effect. Against walls swathed in a rich forest green (custom colored in a vegetable-resin paint by Uniacke for the designer), clothing and accessories jostled alongside extraordinary works like a tapestry woven from stainless steel by Simone Prouvé, a 19th-century gilded console, and a midcentury Italian walnut desk designed by Gio Ponti. 'Rose has an extraordinary eye,' enthuses Beckham. 'Her ability to balance restraint and richness is so rare. That deep green we used felt almost like a fabric in itself; it cocooned the pieces and gave them a new energy. Pairing that with antiques, sculptural furniture, and layered lighting gave the collection a more intimate, storied context.' It was a reminder, Beckham says, that clothes don't live in a vacuum. 'They come to life through space, atmosphere, and the people that live in them.'
Victoria Beckham's pre-SS 2026 residency at Centurion New York runs from May 21 through May 23, 2025.
Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
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