When did fashion become the go-to second career for celebrities in need of an Act II? It has crept up on us, like all trends, starting with a sighting here – Sarah Jessica Parker prolonging her role in the public eye between Sex and the City via Halston Heritage – and a campaign there: Björn Borg finding life after tennis in athletic wear. Then, suddenly, it’s everywhere: Emma Watson growing up via niche collections with Alberta Ferretti and People Tree; Justin Timberlake getting elegant with William Rast; Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen re-inventing themselves as serious designers with The Row, and ditto Victoria Beckham.
Clothing, in other words, is the new fragrance, but with potential not just to add to a celebrity’s bank account, but actually bestow on them a new form of professional longevity. No wonder it has just been announced that Mr Victoria Beckham wants in on the act.
As David Beckham’s contract with LA Galaxy draws to an end, he is codifying himself as Brand Beckham, with a new logo (his name with a hole punched in it, to suggest a soccer ball has been kicked through), a new expertise in bodywear (which is to say, underwear, though apparently underwear is no longer an acceptable term for – well, underwear), and, natch, a new scent, all starting to roll out this autumn. As one career wanes, the new one dawns. It was probably inevitable.