Victoria's Secrets

She was 1/5 of the biggest female pop group in the world to date. Her husband is recognized internationally, admired for his athleticism and his body. And her family is made brighter by her three young boys. Around the world, she plays the character of Posh Spice, but in Elle's January issue, writer Holly Millea attempts to give readers a glimpse at the woman behind all of that — Victoria Beckham. But in the article, titled “Victor Victoria,” Victoria Beckham appears to show as much warmth and sincerity as she does in the paparazzi pictures and on the red carpet. As an audience, of not just the magazine but also pop culture and celebrity gossip culture, I feel very informed on Victoria Beckham’s move to the U.S., her fashion book, her reunion with the Spice Girls, and her aspirations of being a brand. Unfortunately, these are the things focused on in the article. When I think of Victoria Beckham, I think of a person who is reserved, conservative, and, truthfully, cold. And Millea’s interview with the star did very little to change my impression of her or reveal new sides of Beckham that I had not previously known. While there were points in the interview where Beckham disclosed heartfelt stories from her past that one might sympathize with, in my opinion they were no different than the sad stories celebrities tell of their pasts. To me, Beckham’s attempt to pull on the heart strings felt very contrived.

But aside from the content of the article, the way Elle packaged the story along with photos, headline, subheadline, and drop caps is visually decadent yet clean. The combination of light and heavy typefaces is balanced, while the drop caps are a study in minimalism. Photos are layered and fitted together like a quilted collage. The way the photos are cut out, with rounded free-flowing edges, and fit together is unlike anything I’ve seen in magazine editorials. The combination of fashion photography with landscape photography adds depth and interest to every spread. The technique of layers and cutouts is reminiscent of a child’s arts and crafts project, except this time, the end result is chic and, like the subject herself, quite posh.

The middle picture above is a photo I took of one of the pages of the spread, to get an idea of the cutout style used. I believe you can click on the picture to make it bigger.

How do you feel about this style of laying out photos? Is it too busy? What about the article? After reading it, do you feel you've gotten to see a more intimate portrait of Victoria Beckham, or was the story a publicity move to show how domestic Victoria can appear?

Below is a behind the scenes video of the Elle photo shoot, shot by Gilles Bensimon, just for fun.