The 4 signature poses Victoria Beckham has invented to evolve from tacky Spice Girl to fashion icon & what they mean
WE ALL know Victoria Beckham as a fashion icon with killer style and even better poses – but this wasn’t always the case.
The 49-year-old, who shares four children with husband David, was once a part of then up-and-coming band the Spice Girls. And despite her nickname – Posh Spice – she was a little less elegant when it came to her fashion sense and signature poses back in the nineties.
Known for wearing nothing but black, skin tight dresses, a much younger Victoria would greet the red carpet with dramatic hand-on-hip poses.
But after parting ways with the rest of the band, she hunkered down on building her own fashion empire and changed the way she presented herself, making her the stylish icon that she is today.
On Tuesday night, she showed her fashion boss credentials in a slick white suit at the premiere of their four-part Netflix series, Beckham.
Body language expert Judi James told Fabulous: “Victoria has not only adapted her fashion sense – she’s changed her entire body language over the years to present herself as a powerful and confident woman in a cut-throat industry.”
Here, we examine four of the top poses she coined to make her mark on the fashion world – and what they signify, according to Judi…
The bag grasp – the ultimate power pose
When Victoria isn’t posing on the red carpet with her doting husband David, 48, she’s often pictured heading from one important meeting to another.
According to Judi, “everyday is a fashion shoot day” for the brunette beauty and she often gives the impression “this is her signature look, whether she has an audience or not”.
Seen here in a beige jacket with navy trousers and a pair of high-heeled boots, she grasps her bag in one hand and puts the other in her pocket as she confidently walked across the street.
“Here she wears her fashions like a model too, with one hand slung into the pocket or a big slouchy bag carried as a prop,” Judi says.
“This pose shouts business boss with the wide stride suggesting she’s in a hurry and the hand in the pocket projecting power.”
Reverse flamingo – ‘envy me’ pose
Victoria’s iconic leg pose is one she regularly does on social media – and it shows her jovial side as well as her fashion credentials.
Judi explains: “The most extreme pose is the leg up in the air one, where she lies down with one leg held up at 45 degrees to the other, like a flagpole.
“This is less a fashion statement and more a boast about how she can multitask.
“She will do this at the drop of a hat and it is shocking more than stylish.”
She added: “She’s filing her nails as though barely noticing that leg raised at an impossible angle, showing a flexibility and an enviable amount of work-outs.
“This is the kind of pose that puts her up there with other yoga/exercise celebs like Gwynneth Paltrow.”
The toe point – fashion queen pose
Judi explained that Victoria’s classic toe point pose, among others, is a world away from her Spice Girls body language and “something she seems to have adopted deliberately to move up into the heady world of high fashion”.
Judi says: “There’s the pelvis slewed at an unfeasible angle, the way one leg is placed in front of the other with the knee bent and toe pointed, and the hand placed carefully on one hip.
“She wears her fashions like a model, with one hand slung into the pocket or a big slouchy bag carried as a prop.”
However, Judi said that actual designers don’t use this kind of body language as they often want to look ‘real’.
“So what Victoria has done is to create looks that define her as a model as well as a designer,” she says.
“These aren’t even current model poses though. Her extreme contortions and precise limb positions would look more at home in a fashion magazine of the 50’s.”
Judi went on to share that this is Victoria’s “fashionista” pose, adding that it’s an elegant stance to take and one that exudes power.
Boss B**ch – ‘Girl Power’ pose
Victoria has always had a knack for finding poses that make her look stylish yet powerful and this one is no exception.
In this particular snap, the fashion mogul can be seen in a black jumpsuit with a white sweetheart neckline.
Posing with her legs slightly apart and both hands tucked into pockets, she can be seen facing cameras dead-on during a red carpet appearance.
Judi says that the poses she’s developed over the years, including this one, show “very high levels of self-control and a desire to look perfect.”
She continued: “David described her as a strong woman and these poses would come from a place of determination, ambition and strength.”
Judi added: “This pose harks back to her days in the Spice Girls. Her legs are splayed in a ‘Girl Power’ challenge pose, her hands are in her pockets and her head is dipped to emphasise that challenging stare.”