Victoria Beckham is wearing a sharp white suit with a tie at the back that cinches her waist, just outside of a white house in Costa Brava, Barcelona.
It has been just two days since her 50th birthday party, where she reunited with the Spice Girls and rode out of the celebration on husband David Beckham’s back. I can hear people mention it behind me—some swearing their favorite Spice Girl was “always Posh,” others wondering if David would appear to “sweep her away”—as I watch her photo get taken. But quickly, all the comments turn to her outfit, which she designed for her latest collaboration with Mango.
“I’m going to need that,” says a friend, and I nod in agreement. Then I see television presenter and model Alexa Chung appear behind Beckham, in some other pieces from the collection: an oversize suit jacket, and a lacy white two-piece lingerie set worn with black stockings. “No, no—I need that,” I correct myself. By the time Emily Ratajowski has joined the party—literally, it is a party for the collection’s official launch—in a pair of flared black trousers and more form-fitting tailoring, a group of editors alongside me have decided maybe we just need the whole collection. Considering all 46 pieces, which range in price from $80 to $500, are now available to shop, it is definitely the right time and place to start daydreaming about our Mango shopping carts.
Much like everything Beckham has done recently, this collection went viral when it was announced in early April. On TikTok, videos popped up on my FYP with excited fans’ heads floating over a green-screened photo of the style icon, exclaiming that they were “screaming” and “dead” over the news. I felt the same. By the time I found myself standing feet away from the newly 50-year-old designer, I fully understood why we were all so gagged. The collection is everything Beckham is: cool, easy, effortless, and yes, very Posh.
Mango has quickly become a favorite among not just those who love clothing but also those who actually love fashion. In New York, I often see cool girls on the streets styling their latest Sandy Liang loafers with a pair of Mango capris or accessorizing a head-to-toe Maryam Nassir Zadeh look with a Mango scrunchie and chunky jewelry. When I bring this up to an editor at the party, she agrees: “Mango is that brand It girls turn to when they want to attainably fill in the gaps of a wardrobe inspired by the runway.”
I’ve long been a fan of the Spanish brand for that exact reason. Before it made its way Stateside in 2006, I’d shop at Mango while visiting my family in Andalusia as a fashion-obsessed tween. When I’d go back home to New York, I’d brag about my Mango finds like they were designer gems. And honestly, they might as well have been, because they made me feel like the kind of fashion girl I grew up so desperately wanting to become. And now, all these years later, the brand has become a go-to for the very fashion girls I’m friends with, who can often be seen posting about their Mango wish lists alongside their The RealReal favorites. In 2024, everyone brags about their Mango finds alongside the designer gem finds they plan to wear with them.
So a collection with Victoria Beckham, one of the most stylish women and designers alive, doesn’t simply feel right for Mango—it feels inevitable.
When I ask Beckham about how it all came together, she says, “I really wanted to speak to a wider audience in a way that feels relevant to my brand and retains my aesthetic and DNA, and I am very proud of what we have created together. It feels very modern to bring the two brands together and build on our expertise, and I was very impressed by the Mango team’s level of execution, attention to detail, and savoir faire.” She describes the collaboration as fairly easy: “It was an exciting challenge to embrace another creative process without compromising on the creative and desirability.”
As for who exactly the Victoria Beckham x Mango woman is, the designer calls her “Multifaceted. It’s not about being any one type of woman, but for me it’s really about wanting whoever wears my collections to feel empowered and … like the best version of themselves.”
The collection itself feels inspired by the coastal Spanish beach town the launch celebration took place in, with slinky slipdresses you can wear barefoot or with a pair of vintage mules, and blazers that look just as good over a button-up as they do with a mesh bra top Beckham also designed.
Beckham admits she loves “the easy slipdresses and the tailoring” in particular. “I have always played with both the feminine and masculine, and want to offer an effortless women’s wardrobe that is versatile and wearable, yet rooted in modernity with a sophisticated ease. Something might appear simple, but so much thought and execution has gone into how that piece fits or sits on the body, the way it creates a strong silhouette—it’s always about silhouette for me.”
Looking out into the crowd of people surrounding her, I notice not just how badly I want everything everyone is wearing, but also how different everyone still looks, despite all of them wearing something from the same collection. Chung still looks like herself, as does Ratajkowski, as does a Mango girl who is wearing the triple-beaded chain belt not with a pair of trouser pants, but slung low around the waist of a long black dress. Everyone is feeling themselves on the dance floor, or wistfully looking out over the ocean and taking photos.
A friend turns to me just as I’m about to tap her on the shoulder, and we both utter different versions of the same sentiment from earlier: “Yeah. We need it all.”
Mango’s collaboration with Victoria Beckham is available now at mango.com.
Tara Gonzalez is the Senior Fashion Editor at Harper’s Bazaar. Previously, she was the style writer at InStyle, founding commerce editor at Glamour, and fashion editor at Coveteur.
