“I’m not a crier!” she apologised backstage, while a beaming David Beckham stood nearby, holding baby Harper while the models queued to take his picture. “It was just such an emotional collection for me.” It was also her best yet.

After eight years building a small dress collection into an internationally significant brand, Victoria Beckham has a self-confidence that allowed her to move the signature aesthetic sharply on. There were flat shoes (conceived with the help of Manolo Blahnik, no less). There were men’s shoes! Hell, there was even trousers! But most of all, there was a sense of quiet assurance.

“Everything that was important to me when I started out is still important,” she explained. “I always design what I want to wear - but I wanted to design more than just another dress. It was about taking my aesthetic and applying it to separates.”

Citing long periods travelling on work trips to China as an inspiration, the collection introduced new ideas of versatility and ease. Silk, canvas and leather were worked together – “texture was a real focus” – into knee-length dresses, sometimes spliced with mesh panels. Victoria herself was wearing one of these black dresses, cut to mid-thigh, banded with lace and ruffled at the hem.

Lingerie detailing was also a feature: bras with sportswear banding peeped from beneath most dresses or were worn alone under a jacket.

But more significantly, the collection introduced a new kind of tailoring: sharply-cut silk and crepe jackets, worn over slick, slim trousers or long, fluid skirts.

“I am so proud of them!” Victoria said, wiping away more tears. “I am particular about shoulders and fit, which is why I’ve waited to design those. Now I can’t wait to wear them.”

And what did David think? “Just brilliant!” Harper only smiled.

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