Victoria Beckham's new collection ditches black for bright colours and sparkle

Models present creations from the Victoria Beckham Spring/Summer 2018 collection at New York Fashion Week in Manhattan, on Sept 10, 2017. PHOTO: REUTERS

NEW YORK (AFP) - Victoria Beckham unveiled her latest fashion collection in New York on Sunday, throwing shade at her once beloved black for the colours of Play-Doh and for sparkly slippers named after her daughter.

"It's Play-Doh, it's ice cream but it's not too saccharine," she said of the new colours in comments to reporters backstage at Cipriani in downtown Manhattan. "It's not too sweet at all. It's just the right amount."

Guests were welcomed on the beautiful late summer morning with tall, chilled glasses of ginger-and-peppermint iced tea, before being ushered to their seats in-the-round in the imposing marble interior.

Beckham's retired football star husband David sat in the front row between the new editor of British Vogue, Edward Enninful, and the Beckhams' eldest son Brooklyn, 18, who is now enrolled at the Parsons School of Design in New York.

"A great show," Mr Enninful tweeted afterwards.School is already underway in London, and there was no sign of the Beckhams' younger children, Romeo, 15, Cruz, 12, or Harper, six.

"It feels fresh and happy. I love the sparkly shoes; I'm obsessed with the Harper slipper," the 43-year-old former Spice Girl said, wearing high-waisted jeans and a white T-shirt."I'm a bit of a magpie. I love a little bit of sparkle," she added when a reporter asked whether dressing her daughter had changed how she designed.

Her statement shoes were sequined silver-and-green sparkly heels paired with daywear, and silver sparkly flat sandals with more monochrome dresses better suited to evening.

Beckham prides herself on making clothes that are wearable; she said she had concentrated on lightness and layering for high-end customers who travel a lot.There were tailored skinny pants, ruffles at the throat on filmy silk shirts, the most delicate of inlaid prints, long hemlines, low-slung skirts and dresses so filmy they were near see-through.

The pistachio, peach-rose and pale purple colours freshened up her more customary black and white, with splashes of red. There was also liberal use of very fine, delicate check.

"It reminds me of being at school, doing a maths exam," she told AFP of the check. "It feels like graph paper, that was the inspiration, a little bit of a menswear feel."

"I used to wear so much black, and I really enjoy wearing colour - it makes me feel really happy," she said.

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