The A-listers patching things up
ZA SPENDDOGIGIAND their nights YN at home armed with a needle and thread? Have they discovered a talent for handicrafts in 2020? It certainly looks that way. In the last couple of weeks, both have been spotted in patchwork pieces (right).
Alas, no – as far as we know, the Gen Z power couple haven’t taken up a new hobby. Rather, they are just the latest names to fall for the appeal of patchwork (her cardigan is by Ksenia Schnaider, his jtnahcaekmeet ftrookmnow, Bode – also a favourite of Harry Styles). This season, the hand-worked technique is given a haute makeover. You could see it on the S/S ’20 catwalks, from Missoni and Oscar de la Renta, to Natasha Zinko and Jacquemus. It was stripped back in white at Gabriela Hearst and sporty at Koché.
So what is the appeal? For starters, patchwork exemplifies the optimistic, joyous spirit of fashion right now. It’s a no-holds-barred way to embrace clashing print and colour; a potent tonic to lift your mood. Shrug on Dôen’s nearly sold-out Sedona jacket, and you invest any look with a jolt of carefree bohemianism.
In a Wifi world, there is something tantalising about an artform that’s so resolutely handwrought. It’s the ultimate in digital detox dressing; the sartorial equivalent of a handwritten letter.
‘Patchwork exemplifies craft and the historic narrative of the female,’ says Bode’s Emily Bode, a 2020 Woolmark Prize finalist. More pertinently, it represents an evolution of our desire to embrace sustainability. Many brands are using patchwork to breathe new life into unwanted scraps and offcuts, creating something beautiful out of something disregarded. Bode’s pieces are crafted from upcycled textiles; Ssōne’s knee-high boots are made from deadstock leather panels. Menswear designer Greg Lauren’s fondness for patchwork springs from his love of vintage fabric. ‘I wouldn’t throw away any scrap. I’d see a scrap and think, “That’d make a great collar, or pocket flap,”’ he explains. ‘I somehow felt connected to every detail.’ When he couldn’t fit any more offcuts into the storage unit he rented, Greg began making pieces out of them.
‘Our customers are looking for luxurious pieces that have a point of difference, and it’s often the provenance behind the collections that inspire them,’ says Matchesfashion.com’s fashion and buying director, Natalie Kingham. ‘They want to invest in beautifully crafted pieces that can be treasured forever.’ And if people think you’re handy with a needle and thread in the meantime, well, that’s just an added bonus.
PARIS IS THE CITY of love, so you can hardly blame Victoria and David Beckham for looking head-over-heels when they visited the French capital last week. Guests of honour at Kim Jones’s star-studded Dior couture show, seated alongside their eldest son Brooklyn, 20, ‘Fun Beckham’ mode was evidently engaged. At their hotel before the show, David filmed his wife of 20 years apparently unawares as she tried to snap the perfect selfie, while Victoria posted an Instagram story showing David getting down on his hands and knees to tie her shoelaces for her (her trousers were just too tight, according to VB).
It was a rare couple’s trip for the busy Beckhams who, at the end of last year, were spending a lot of time apart due to busy work and travel schedules. ‘He’s a very good dad,’ Victoria told US chat show host Jimmy Kimmel in November. ‘David is watching the kids, and we swap. When I’m at home, he’s away, so one of us is always there looking after the kids.’
This is about to become something of a normal routine for Victoria and David once again as he prepares to fly to Miami for the official launch of the city’s first Major League Soccer team, which David has been working on for six years.
‘This launch is hugely important to David, he has so much time and money invested in it. From this moment onwards he will be spending extended periods in Miami, while Victoria plans to remain based in London for work, and also for their children,’ said a source close to the couple, who adds that the Paris trip was a perfect last-chance getaway to spend some fun, quality time together before their schedules separate them. ‘They also had a long break in the UK over Christmas as a family, which was a really happy time.’
Of course David and Victoria are no strangers to having many miles between them because of their careers. During David’s footballing heyday he divided his time between Paris and London, as well as Madrid, Milan and Los Angeles (where the whole family eventually moved in 2007).
This will be the first time since they settled back in London in 2013, though, that they are facing long periods apart once ag’sg rsaoainzui.ace r explains, however, that Victoria and the kids will be in Miami as much as possible. ‘Victoria has a lot of work to focus on in London, but she is planning to travel to be with David for the launch,’ said the source, who adds that, although the couple have been househunting for a base in Miami (including viewing a £36m apartment in the Zaha Hadid Tower), they are yet to find anywhere. ‘They have no shortage of places to stay when they come to town, so the real-estate hunt isn’t something they’re panicking over. Right now they’re working out logistics for the whole family, to keep their many interests safely taken care of when it does come time to travel to the States.’
As for Victoria and David, the prospect of time apart isn’t something that fazes them too much: they have learned to make their schedules work together and they always keep in communication religiously.
‘They have been happier than ever lately,’ says the source. ‘Victoria is loving this new lease of life in her relationship with David. It’s no secret that they have previously struggled to find time for each other in their busy lives – with their businesses and their children – but they’re confident in where they’re at right now. And that will help them find their rhythm when Miami life begins in earnest.’