Page 46 - Tracy Anderson Magazine – Summer 2020

hen I dial in to speak with her, a girlfriend from childhood, Victoria laughs as she talks lip stains, skincare, and more, Victoria strongly believes
Victoria Beckham is nestled at home about the ways in which her mom would perm her hair
in the UK countryside with her hus- and the confusion from people she would encounter. “My
band and three of her children. Like hair was so big. I had these crazy perms! But I don’t look
much of the world, the COVID-19 back and cringe. I look back and smile at everything.”
pandemic has led to several ad-
W justments in her professional and With the days of leg warmers behind her, Victoria has
personal life, but being the pioneer that she is, Victoria grown into an international businesswoman, with a
remains committed to creating a better and more empow- namesake fashion label that is known for its impeccably
ered future for us all. This isn’t my first time speaking with fitting and timelessly chic designs. The minimalist pieces
Victoria, as she has been a cherished friend and client for have a way of making beautiful statements without any
more than eight years. “I was at a dinner in Los Angeles fuss. “I have such a clear vision,” she tells me as we begin
with Mr. Valentino and friends, and Gwyneth Paltrow was speaking about her brand and the ways in which she meets
there,” she reminds me. “Gwyneth told me about you and with women in the fitting room to really understand what
what you do, and the next day introduced us over e-mail. her customer desires. “Fashion is so intimidating to most
I’ve been doing your workouts every day ever since.” women. They’re scared to put on a colored shoe.” Similar
to her “girl power” motto in the ’90s, Victoria’s mission
You see, there’s a certain kind of woman who when you’re is to empower everyone through her designs and beauty
introduced to them, and feel their do-good energy, you’re products. “I’ve learned so much from looking at pictures
instantly drawn into their world. And fortunately for those of myself on red carpets. It’s important to me that things
who have the privilege of knowing her, Victoria’s world is look good at every angle. I always say that it’s about the
one of beauty, kindness, and generosity. As a global fashion illusions you can create with clothing, and taking all those
leader, beauty innovator, UNICEF ambassador, devoted things into account when designing.”
wife and mother of four, Victoria Beckham is everything
you’d hope she would be, and more. Already knowing so I’ve always turned to Victoria’s label as a way to really
much about her, I begin our conversation with a feeling treat myself. Season after season, I’m excited to build my
of gratitude for the opportunity to ask the questions that wardrobe with her pieces because I feel confident and put
my community wants to know, including when she’ll be together on the outside when I wear them, even on days
sharing another workout video on Instagram, which she when I might not feel so great on the inside. When Victoria
enthusiastically tells me will be the following week. teamed up with Reebok, I remember thinking how smart
it was of the global footwear and apparel company. When
One of the things I love most about Victoria is her natural, I initially had a chance to tell Victoria how excited I was
self-sustaining devotion to consistently deliver the best about the collaboration, she had such a sweet, nostalgic
of herself with a remarkable balance and ability to focus. view of Reebok, and the product has a level of cool that
However, as she tells me, not everything comes easily. keeps me excited to move and create more content for
“I’ve always been a very focused person. I’ve always had to people to move. What I wear on the gym floor has always
work really hard. I was never the most academic in school. mattered to me and motivated me. I hope this partnership
I had to work really, really hard and that has continued never ends. I just ordered the coolest silver high-tops!
throughout my whole life. It’s not about luck. It’s about
real, hard work, and I don’t think that’s easy. With any- Last fall during London Fashion Week, I had the honor
thing I do, I want to give 110 percent of myself, whether of joining Victoria to celebrate the launch of Victoria
big or small.” Beckham Beauty, “a beauty brand of the future,” as she de-
scribes it. “I would walk around department stores and ask
Known for her impeccable style and taste, Victoria has had sales assistants questions about packaging, sustainability,
a love for fashion since an early age. “I loved watching my or what’s in the formulas, and no one could give me those
mom get dressed,” she shares with delight. “Whenever I answers.” So, she did a lot of homework, and this “dream
found a fashion magazine, I was always inspired. I made come true” brand came to life. For Victoria, her beauty
the most with what I had, and I’ve always taken a lot of products are about getting the right tone. “Everything
pride in the way I look.” Growing up as a dancer, Victoria works inclusively on all skin types. To find the perfect nude
spent her teenage years either wearing a school uniform, or lip is difficult. I wanted to create the perfect nude lip, but
ballet leotards and tights. “If I did have any time to myself, it is, of course, difficult based on your skin tone.” As I can
I was wearing tight, dusty pink shorts, Doc Martens, and personally attest, “every person will be able to find their
a prissy top of some sort. I’m not sure when good taste own nude lip” within Victoria Beckham Beauty’s clean
kicked in, but I’m happy it did.” Like reminiscing with and sustainable product line. With eye palettes and liners,
44
“LET’S JUST HOPE
that “you don’t have to compromise” when it comes to
the products you use. This is one of the reasons why her THAT WE’RE ALL
website is so transparent about what’s in each product.
I slowly shift our conversation from the outer beauty that KINDER TO EACH
I’ve known for years. We begin speaking about the lives OTHER, OURSELVES,
we all know to be Victoria to her inner beauty, which
of our children and how they’ve been affected during the AND THE PLANET.”
COVID-19 pandemic, and how we’ve personally been
coping through maintaining a healthy lifestyle. “I remem-
ber Gwyneth saying that doing a workout should be just – Victoria Beckham
like cleaning my teeth. You don’t think about it, and for me
working out is exactly like that,” she shares. I had told this think everything is an extension of me, and I like to sur-
to Gwyneth when we first started working together and I round myself with people who hopefully understand and
needed her commitment many weeks and days a week. respect it.” While giving much praise to her business part-
When good advice clicks, it travels fast. “I’ve probably had ners and design teams, she admits that “it’s a double-edged
three days over lockdown when I didn’t work out. It’s just sword because what I say and do gets a lot of attention,
what I do, it’s who I am.” Having followed my weekly stra- and that doesn’t always work in my favor. As a team, we
tegic design sequences for many years, I’m still impressed understand that we will get scrutinized in a way that other
by Victoria’s dedication and her ability to balance it all. “I design houses won’t. You take the rough with the smooth.”
get up every day, I have my coffee, I set up the kids, and
then Mommy goes into the gym and works out,” she says With so much achieved this far, what does the future hold
of her daily mornings. “If I don’t, I really notice it.” for Victoria Beckham? “So much is going to change when
we come out of lockdown, for everyone, not just in fashion
“I love how you have made working out fun. It’s not a or beauty. It will be interesting to see. Sustainability is so
chore, and it just makes me feel good about me. I love that important to the industry, and is something that as a brand
it’s dance-based because I used to be a dancer. I love how we are constantly educating ourselves on. We are certainly
you have your [body] prescriptions and it always changes. not perfect, but we will continue on that quest for sure.”
When I finish each two-hour session, there isn’t one single In an industry where excess is the norm, Victoria is ready
part of my body that doesn’t feel like it’s been worked. I’m to embrace a much-needed shift. “I’m excited about the
always using different muscles, and I love how the Method change, to be honest.” The ways designers will present, the
lengthens my body. Your technique doesn’t bulk, and most size of productions, and creating an even playing field in
importantly, I feel strong.” the industry are all things that Victoria is thinking about.
But more than anything, she’s hopeful for a kinder world.
As a working mother, Victoria knows what creating
balance looks like. “As working moms, you feel guilty “Let’s just hope that we’re all kinder to each other,
when you go to work. I try to be the best professional I can ourselves, and the planet.” Life, as Victoria says, “should
be, the best mom I can be, the best wife I can be. It’s just really be about being kind. It used to be cool to be cruel,
about trying to get that balance. I do my best to try and now I think it’s cool to be kind.”
get it right.” After chatting about the new leg series that is
coming her way, we pivot to how she brings a positive ex- Before we go back to our businesses and helping children
ample into the lives of her children. “It’s important that the with schoolwork at home, she graciously shares, “Your
kids see that Mommy eats healthy food, and that working method really did change my life, who I am, and how I
out is a big part of what we do. Sometimes Harper will put feel in my own skin. It gives me confidence, energy, and
on her leggings, her little workout T-shirt, and she joins in.” allows me to be the best version of myself. I’ve been doing
We also share a laugh over her “hell of a fit kid” Romeo this for eight and a half years, and plan to be doing it for
joining last week’s workout, and his response being, “I the rest of my life.”
can’t do this! How on earth do you do this!”
She adds, “I would have been a very different person had I
As Victoria said, it’s about really hard work. not been at that dinner with Gwyneth.”
We start to close our virtual conversation by speaking And this is why Victoria Beckham is the true definition of
about Victoria Beckham, the person that is the brand. “I girl power.
45