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“I’ve Done A Lot Of Photoshoots, But Vogue Will Always Be Vogue”: Victoria Beckham Looks Back On Her Covers
On Victoria Beckham’s 50th birthday, the beloved British designer is feeling a touch nostalgic. Looking back at her 30 international Vogue covers – the only magazines she frames for the walls of her office – she’s struck by a feeling of pride. “It’s so impressive, isn’t it, when you look at how many Vogues there are in the world, and the fact that I’ve been lucky enough to be on the cover – not just of British Vogue, but Vogues all around the world?”
From her first Mario Testino-shot cover as one fifth of The Spice Girls for the US title in 1998 – “I was more excited than the other girls… It was such a big deal for me” – to her most recent moment as one of 40 stars on Edward Enninful’s final UK cover – a career highlight that saw her end the day on a supermodel night out – Beckham still gets excited to be on set. “I’ve done a lot of photoshoots, but Vogue will always be Vogue,” she shares. “I’m always excited to put myself in the hands of the creative teams – I am quite a control freak, but it’s the one time I like to hand over to them.”
“Obviously I have an opinion,” continues VB. “But I want to hear what their thoughts are because, when you put all these 30 covers on the table, they look totally different. It’s still me, but every single one of them stands out. I’m like a sponge, I’ve learned so much that’s helped me with my fashion and beauty brands. I love to listen and I’ve struck up relationships with the best creatives in the world.”
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Understanding the vision from the get-go is the secret, she maintains, to a successful cover moment. “I like photographers who shoot on digital and will share the screen, because I’m such a visual learner and I like to see how I look, so then I can really understand what the photographer is trying to pull out of me. It’s hard if I can’t see that, so I do like a team that’s collaborative, because you get the best out of everybody.” An early night and “thinking twice about that glass of wine” are the other ingredients to the perfect Vogue cover recipe. “I am very disciplined anyway,” she reminds us.
If this all sounds like the tale of a powerhouse who has it all, looking back at her journey is still chock full of pinch-me moments for Beckham. “When I was younger and growing up, I was constantly told no, no, no,” explains Victoria. “I’ve proved that if you really work hard and believe in yourself, the sky’s the limit. I always say dream big, and then dream even bigger. I was never the best at anything, I was never the popular girl, I’ve always had to work really, really hard.”
Thanking the industry for its continued support – “some people took a gamble putting me on the cover and I’m very appreciative” – Beckham adds that it’s still not something she takes lightly even decades down the line. As Victoria looks forward at 50, she recalls the memories behind her British Vogue cover shoots, before pondering, “I wonder which country is next?”
Nick Knight1/6April 2008
“For me to get the cover of British Vogue on my own was enormously exciting. It was a very glamorous shoot in London and I remember Sam McKnight did the hair. It was very, very old-school glamour. I love this cover.”
Alasdair McLellan2/6February 2011
“This British Vogue cover really means something to me, because I was pregnant with Harper at the time, but I didn’t know it. I was wondering why I was so emotional, I thought I was a bit of a lunatic on set, because I’m not a particularly emotional woman. But I was obviously going through the hormones and I did not understand why! I remember now, it felt like a different version of me, it’s more homely.”
Lachlan Bailey3/6October 2016
“I really like Lachlan [Bailey], his lighting is impeccable and he’s so easy to work with.”
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Patrick Demarchelier4/6August 2014
“I feel lucky that I’ve worked with so many incredible photographers – some of whom are no longer with us – and I wouldn’t have had those opportunities without Vogue. I’ve learned so much from every single shoot that I can now apply to what I do day to day. The bar was always quite high and I got used to working with this calibre of team.”
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Mikael Jansson5/6October 2018
“One of my favourite photographers is actually Mikael Jansson, and it was so exciting to be on the cover of British Vogue with all of the children. Olive, my dog, made it on the cover! I remember we shot this in the British countryside and it was a really beautiful day – the first time I’ve ever done a shoot with the children.”
STEVEN MEISEL6/6March 2024
“I felt so proud to have been invited to take part in this iconic cover with these incredible women. Cindy Crawford invited me to go on a girls’ night with the supermodels, because they were all in town, and so not only did I have the luxury of doing a shoot with all of these women, I went out with Cindy Crawford, Helena Christensen, Christy Turlington, Amber Valletta and Kaia Gerber. I was like, ‘Okay, this is one hell of a girl’s night.’ I felt very, very, very proud of that.”
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