维多利亚·贝克汉姆:从时髦辣妹到职业辣妈

　　她是昔日的乐坛偶像“时髦辣妹”，

　　她是足坛巨星贝克汉姆的优雅贤妻，

　　她还是拥有四个孩子的潮流辣妈。

　　然而，维多利亚・贝克汉姆

　　并不满足于仅仅拥有上述身份，

　　她希望自己能跻身时尚界，

　　打造属于自己的时尚帝国。

　　短短几年间，

　　她凭借自己不懈的努力

　　和无所畏惧的开拓精神

　　成为特立独行的时尚先锋，

　　完美实现了

　　从歌手到职业时尚设计师的华丽蜕变。

　　Past the closed-circuit cameras， past the nondisclosure-agreement-wielding security guard， past the Damien Hirst1） pictures， past the hyper-organized assistant and the bold monochrome2） walls and the sumptuous3） gray sofas and the three giant orchids―past all the accouterments4） of the celebrity household―a toddler sat on the floor， playing with her nanny.

　　The nanny， a minute5）， seemingly nondescript6） person in a careless ponytail， was doing the decorating. She looked up. “I’m sorry―I’ll be looking after her while we do this，” she said， a remark that prompted a moment of severe cognitive dissonance7）， because this was not the nanny at all， but Victoria Beckham herself， barefoot， T-shirted， skin glowing， so tiny as to appear to be in danger of dissolving into the furniture.

　　Harper， 2， is Beckham’s daughter， but of course we know that already. We know it just as we already know the names of Beckham’s three sons， the name of her husband， her Spice Girls8） handle9） （Posh Spice）， and many other interesting Beckham-related facts both important and trivial.

　　Beckham seized fame by the collar in 1996， when the Spice Girls emerged to become， briefly， the biggest thing in girl bands since the Supremes10）； fame in turn grabbed her by the throat when she married David， then a dishy11） Manchester United midfielder with mercurial12） hair， boundless talent， and a yen13） for the limelight. They were more than the sum of their parts； he， one of the world’s most famous soccer players， with a deadly free kick； she， the impossibly thin， impossibly high-heeled quintessential14） wife， followed everywhere， photographed everywhere， even her most banal utterances repeated and dissected.

　　But in the last few years， a new kind of renown has been creeping up on15） Victoria Beckham. This is the renown that comes from having a serious job and being seriously good at it. Five years after she shocked the blasé16） New York fashion world by unveiling a collection of beautifully made， elegant dresses that were chic and understated17） and ultra-flattering， Beckham has established herself as a powerful force in the industry， proving again and again that she is far more than another celebrity slapping her name onto someone else’s product. 　　She knows her product intimately―she often says she designs clothes that she herself fantasizes about wearing―and they reflect her tastes： nothing busy， very few prints， color used sparingly， lots of calm clean grays， creams， navys， blacks. Her first collection evoked the work of Roland Mouret18）， one of whose dresses she made famous when she wore it to David’s official introduction ceremony with the Los Angeles Galaxy19）， but she has gradually acquired a new boldness； the confidence to find her own style.

　　Beckham’s ready-to-wear collection is still purposely small， but she is thinking big. She has branched out into sunglasses， handbags， and denim. She has started a younger， less expensive line， Victoria， Victoria Beckham， which features clothes that are less tailored， more casual， more colorful. She has taken her brand global and is expanding most rapidly in the Asian markets， particularly China.

　　Her ambition is endless. “I want to reach as many women throughout the world as I can，” she said. “There are more categories that I want to enter into. I have five categories at the moment. But at some point I would love to do shoes， I would love to do fragrance， I would love to do makeup， I would like to do underwear. There are so many things I want to do.”

　　At the moment， though， it was time to eat lunch. （Yes， she eats， though on the other hand she spends a large chunk of time each day doing a Tracy Anderson20） workout with a personal trainer.） We moved to the table. On one wall was a huge collage-y Julian Schnabel21）； on another， a David Beckham original： a blown-up22） black-and-white photograph of the four children bouncing together on a bed. The house is a rental， and Beckham said she missed Los Angeles where the family lived most recently―the climate， the openness， the work ethic. “I am very career minded， and I think my personality is more suited to America，” she said. “I am a working mum.”

　　She is also a perfectionist involved in every aspect of her company， from the smallest detail on a cuff， to the type of cushions on the spectators’ chairs at her fashion shows， to the largest strategic decision about where she wants the company to go. From the beginning， Beckham said， she realized that her work was “not just turning up on the red carpet wearing my dresses.” She has in the last few seasons begun doing proper runway shows， but wisely started out doing small presentations， making a point of23） introducing each collection personally， walking the buyers and editors and sales reps through24） every aspect of every piece， dazzling them with her command of her product. She frequently schedules in-store events in which she talks to customers trying on her clothes in the dressing room， advising them even as25） they advise her right back. 　　Lunch―corn soup followed by a salad of greens and fruit for Beckham； sushi for Beckham’s assistant and me； and a fruit platter26） for everyone―was prepared and served by a chef. “You are going to think this is real―this is what I get every day！” Beckham said. But it is not， apparently. “Chris”―that is the chef―“comes in a couple of days a week and might make a giant lasagna27） so I can put it in the freezer and then do it myself，” Beckham said. “David does the cooking.”

　　David does the cooking？ “Yes， he’s really good，” his wife said. When David was playing soccer in Italy a few years ago， she explained， the family was living in L.A.， and he was left alone on his days off. “So he decided to go to culinary school.”

　　She says he is a hands-on28） father， just as she is a hands-on mother. The nanny apparently works just a few days a week， too， and so Harper sat with us at lunch. If they can， either Victoria or David always drives the children to school―three boys， three different schools―and collects them. At least one of them， she said， is at every parents’ meeting， every play， every sports event.

　　Beckham said that she has never missed a birthday， and that it is important to her to keep the children grounded29） and unspoiled. Both she and David come from close， hard-working families： David’s father was a gas-company engineer， and hers was an electrical wholesaler.

　　After lunch， Beckham put Harper down for her nap， the nanny having materialized30）； sat for hair and makeup； changed into her work outfit， all in black. The ordered taxi failed to show up， so an operative from the on-site Beckham security detail31） drove us to Beckham Ventures Ltd.， where the various teams―the handbag group， the denim group， the financial group―all work in a big open-plan32） space， and where Beckham was due to have her photograph taken by Juergen Teller33）.

　　Beckham is incredibly controlling of her image. Even in supposedly candid34） photographs， she is invariably shown posing as if she were on the red carpet： one leg in front of the other， body leaning back so that her hips jut forward and emphasize the slenderness of her form.

　　She never smiles―it is almost as if someone once told her that she looks better scowling35）―and instead affects36） a mien37） of distant hauteur38） that can come across as snobbishness， but in person reads more like shyness and insecurity. “I dunno，” she said， when asked about the no-smiling phenomenon. “I smile in family pictures.” Perhaps， she mused， the reputation she got for being moody during the Spice era stuck. Also， she said， “When you’re in a position to be paparazzi-ed just walking down the street， you’d look a little daft if you were smiling all the time.” 　　She says she is relaxed about how she looks in pictures. “I don’t want to be made to look like I’m 25，” she said. “I’m 39. I don’t have any issues with my age.” That is what she said， at least. But she fretted a bit before the session， and as Teller prepared to take her picture she asked―jokingly， but not―that he go easy on her wrinkles （not that she has any noticeable ones）.

　　David， who spoke on the phone to his wife several times during the afternoon but， alas， never appeared in the flesh， is no slouch39） in the fashion department， either. They work well together， she said， and then began talking without irony about the brand―the brand she and David have fashioned together， along with Simon Fuller40）， creator of American Idol―as if being part of a brand was the most normal thing in the world； as if that is simply what people do.

　　“You know， we don’t look at it as a big brand，” she said. “It is， but it happened very， very naturally. It seems that now everybody wants to make a brand； everybody wants to build a brand. Ours happened very organically.” And then she said： “The most important thing is each other and the children.”

　　The Beckham brand is one thing； the Victoria Beckham brand is another. “I just wanted to create beautiful clothes， good quality clothes I wanted to wear myself，” she said. “And then I wanted to create handbags， because I couldn’t find the right handbag that I wanted to carry. Then I couldn’t find the right sunglasses， so I decided to make my own sunglasses.”

　　There is no stopping her. “I want to get bigger and bigger，” she said. “I absolutely want an empire.”

　　走过闭路摄像机，走过需要遵守保密协议的安保人员，走过达米恩・赫斯特的画作，走过那名做事极为干练的助理，走过醒目的单色墙壁、奢华的灰色沙发和三株高大的兰花――走过名人家中的所有这些摆设――只见一个学步期的孩子坐在地上，正和她的保姆玩耍。

　　那名保姆身材瘦小，看上去毫不起眼，头发随意地扎成一个马尾。她正在为孩子打扮。她抬头看了一眼。“抱歉，咱们在采访时我还得照看她。”她说。她的话引发了一个在认知上极不协调的瞬间，因为她根本不是什么保姆，而是维多利亚・贝克汉姆本人。她光着脚，穿着T恤，容光焕发，纤瘦得仿佛会淹没在家具的包围之中。

　　哈珀今年两岁（编注：英文原文发表于2013年10月），是维多利亚的女儿。当然，这我们早就知道了，就像我们早就知道维多利亚三个儿子的名字、她丈夫的名字、她在辣妹组合的称号（时髦辣妹），以及其他许多与她相关的趣事，既有重要的事又有琐碎的事。

　　1996年，维多利亚为了成名而努力拼搏，那时辣妹组合崭露头角，一时成为继至高无上乐队之后最成功的女子乐团；而当她与大卫结婚时，名声又反过来压得她喘不过气。当时的大卫在曼联踢中场，是个发型多变、天赋极高、渴望引人注目的帅哥。两人结合的效应超过了他们各自效应的总和；他以精准的任意球著称，是世界上最著名的足球运动员之一；而她则是瘦到不可思议、鞋跟高到不可思议的模范贤妻，无论到哪儿都会被人跟随、被人拍照，连她说过的最平常的话都会被转述和解读。

　　但在最近几年，一种新的名声已经悄然落在维多利亚・贝克汉姆的身上。这种名声来自于她有一份正经的工作以及她真的擅长这份工作。她曾发布了一系列制作精美、优雅别致、看似低调却极为衬人的时装，令对此已司空见惯的纽约时尚界为之惊艳。在此五年之后，维多利亚已经使自己成为业界的一支重要力量，一次次地证明她远不是又一个将自己名字贴在别人产品上的名人。

　　她对自己的产品了如指掌――她常说她设计的是她幻想自己也会穿的衣服――这些服装反映了她的品味：毫无杂乱感，很少有印花图案，用色有节制，大量使用沉稳干净的灰色、米色、藏青色和黑色。她推出的第一个时装系列令人联想到罗兰・穆雷的作品――她曾身着穆雷设计的一款礼服出席大卫加入洛杉矶银河队的正式发布会，令那款礼服广为人知。但她逐渐获得了新的勇气和自信去寻找自己的风格。 　　维多利亚仍有意将成衣系列控制在较小规模，但她的想法很宏大。她已将业务范围扩展至太阳镜、手提包和牛仔裤。她还开创了一个更为年轻化、价格没那么昂贵的品牌――维多利亚-维多利亚・贝克汉姆。该品牌的服装剪裁不那么修身，更加休闲，色彩也更鲜艳。她已将自己的品牌推广至全球，其在亚洲市场特别是中国市场的扩张最为迅速。

　　她雄心勃勃，没有止境。“我想要尽我所能，向全世界尽可能多的女性推广我的品牌，”她说，“我还想涉足更多的品类。目前我有五类产品。但说不好什么时候我会想做鞋，想做香水，想做化妆品，想做内衣。我有太多东西都想做。”

　　不过这会儿，午餐时间到了。（是的，她也吃东西。不过另一方面，她每天都会花大量时间在私人教练的指导下做特雷西・安德森式的健身训练。）我们走到餐桌前就座。餐厅的一面墙上，挂着一幅朱利安・施纳贝尔的巨幅拼贴画风格作品，另一面墙上则是大卫・贝克汉姆的原创作品：一张四个孩子在床上一起蹦跳的黑白放大照片。房子是租的。维多利亚说她很想念前一阵和家人一起住过的洛杉矶――想念那里的气候、那里开放的氛围和敬业精神。“我的事业心很强，我觉得我的个性更适合美国，”她说，“我是名职场妈妈。”

　　她还是一个完美主义者，会参与到公司各方面的事务，从袖口上最微小的细节，到她举办的时装秀上观众席坐垫的式样，再到她想让公司向何处发展的最重要的战略决策。维多利亚说，从一开始她就意识到，她的工作“不只是穿着自己品牌的服装出现在红毯上那么简单”。在过去几个时装季，她已经开始推出正式的T台时装秀，但她很明智地从举办小型展示会着手，一定要亲自介绍每一个系列，为买家、编辑和销售代表耐心介绍每件产品的方方面面，而她对自己产品的熟悉程度也令众人赞叹不已。她经常在店里举办活动，期间与在试衣间试穿衣服的顾客们交谈，向她们提出建议，同时也得到她们反馈的意见。

　　午餐由一名厨师做好奉上――为维多利亚准备的是玉米浓汤，然后是蔬菜水果色拉；为她的助手和我准备的是寿司；最后则是每人一份的水果拼盘。“你会认为这是真的――这就是我每天吃的东西！”维多利亚说。但显然不是这样。“克里斯”――就是那位厨师――“每周来两三天，可能会做一份超大的意大利千层面，我可以放在冰箱里，然后自己再加热，”维多利亚说，“平时是大卫做饭。”

　　大卫做饭？“是的，他做得很好。”大卫的妻子说。她解释说，几年前大卫在意大利踢球时，家人都住在洛杉矶，他在休息日时孤身一人，“于是他决定去上烹饪学校”。

　　她说大卫是一个凡事亲力亲为的父亲，就像她是个事事操持的母亲。她家的保姆似乎也是一周只工作几天，因此午餐时哈珀一直和我们在一起。只要情况允许，维多利亚或者大卫总会亲自开车送孩子们上学――三个男孩分别就读于三所不同的学校――还要接他们。维多利亚说，学校每次开家长会、运动会或是有演出时，他们两人至少会有一人到场。

　　维多利亚说，她从未错过孩子们的生日，而她认为非常重要的一点是不要宠坏孩子，要让他们脚踏实地。她和大卫都来自关系亲密、讲求吃苦耐劳的家庭：大卫的父亲是煤气公司的技师，而她的父亲则是一名电气批发商。

　　午餐过后，维多利亚放下哈珀让她午睡，保姆突然现身了；她则坐下来打理头发和化妆；然后换上全黑的职业套装。预约的出租车没有出现，于是一位在场的贝克汉姆保安分队的安保人员开车送我们到贝克汉姆风险投资有限公司。公司的各个团队――手提包设计团队、牛仔裤设计团队、财务部门――全都在一个超大的开放式空间里工作，而尤尔根・泰勒为维多利亚拍照的地点也约在这里。

　　维多利亚对自身形象的管理是超乎想象的。即使在那些可能是抓拍的照片中，她也总是摆出仿佛是在红毯上的姿势：一条腿在另一条腿前面，身体向后倾斜，使髋部向前探出，突显其身材的修长苗条。

　　她从来不笑――就像是有人曾对她说她板着脸更好看一样――转而摆出一副冷淡、傲慢的神态，会给人以势利的印象，但在亲眼见到她本人时，你会觉得那更像是害羞和不自信的表现。“我不知道，”当问到她从来不笑这件事时，她回答说，“我和家人一起拍照时都会笑。”她思忖着说，或许是她在辣妹组合时期落下的喜怒无常的名声延续了下来。她又说：“当你走在街上都能被狗仔队跟拍时，如果你还一直微笑，看起来就有点傻了。”

　　维多利亚说她对自己被拍成什么样不太在意。“我不想被弄得看起来好像25岁似的，”她说，“我39岁了，我对自己的年龄没有任何困扰。”至少她是这样说的。不过，在拍摄环节之前她还是有点不安，在泰勒准备为她拍照时，她要求泰勒――用玩笑的口吻，但不是玩笑――对她的皱纹手下留情（其实她并没有什么明显的皱纹）。

　　大卫在时尚领域也颇为内行――他在下午给妻子打过几次电话，但可惜他本人并没有露面。她说他们在一起工作很合拍，接着她又不带调侃地谈起他们的品牌――她和大卫以及《美国偶像》创始人西蒙・福勒共同打造的品牌――仿佛作为一个品牌的一员是世上最平常的事，仿佛这不过是人人都在做的事。

　　“你知道，我们并没有把它当成一个很大的品牌，”她说，“它是个大品牌，但它的发展非常自然。现在好像人人都想做一个品牌；人人都想打造一个品牌。我们的品牌是自然而然地发展起来的。”她接着又说：“最重要的还是彼此和孩子。”

　　贝克汉姆品牌是一回事，维多利亚・贝克汉姆品牌则是另一回事。“我只想制作自己想穿的、品质上乘的漂亮衣服，”她说，“然后我又想设计手提包，因为我找不到自己想拎的合适的手提包。再后来，我找不到合适的太阳镜，于是我决定做自己的太阳镜。”

　　没有什么能阻挡她。“我想要越做越大，”她说，“我绝对想要做成一个时尚帝国。”

　　1. Damien Hirst：达米恩・赫斯特（1965～），英国艺术家，其作品极具争议性。

　　2. monochrome [?m?n??kr??m] adj. 单色的 　　3. sumptuous [?s?mpt?u?s] adj. 华贵的，豪华的

　　4. accouterments [??ku?t?m?nts] n. [复] （外表的）装饰；装饰品

　　5. minute [ma??nju?t] adj. 极小的，微小的

　　6. nondescript [?n?nd??skr?pt] adj. 毫无特色的；毫无吸引力的

　　7. dissonance [?d?s?n?ns] adj. 不和谐；不一致

　　8. Spice Girls：英国辣妹组合，世界上最成功、影响力最深远的女子流行组合之一，代表作为单曲“Wannabe”。

　　9. handle [?h?nd（?）l] n. （尤指奇怪的）名字，名称；别号

　　10. the Supremes：至高无上乐队，20世纪60年代在美国流行乐坛盛极一时的女子三重唱组合

　　11. dishy [?d??i] adj. （尤指女人眼中的男人）帅气的，迷人的

　　12. mercurial [m??（r）?kj??ri?l] adj. 多变的；变化无常的

　　13. yen [jen] n. 渴望，热望

　　14. quintessential [?kw?nt??sen?（?）l] adj. 典范的；典型的

　　15. creep up on （sb.）：（某人）不知不觉中体验到（某种情感或状态）

　　16. blasé [?bl��?ze?] adj. （因司空见惯而）无动于衷的

　　17. understated [??nd?（r）?ste?t?d] adj. （服装、外表等）朴素的；低调的

　　18. Roland Mouret：罗兰・穆雷（1961～），法籍时装设计师，其设计的结构复杂的解构主义裙装颇受明星青睐。

　　19. Los Angeles Galaxy：洛杉矶银河队，美国职业足球大联盟（MLS）的球队之一

　　20. Tracy Anderson：特雷西・安德森（1975～），美国知名健身教练，被誉为“好莱坞塑身天后”，是众多明星的瘦身顾问。

　　21. Julian Schnabel：朱利安・施纳贝尔（1951～），美国当代艺术家，新表现主义运动的代表人物，其创作涉及多个领域，如摄影、绘画、雕塑、电影执导等，代表作为电影《潜水钟与蝴蝶》（The Diving Bell and the Butterfly）。

　　22. blown-up：（照片）放大的

　　23. make a point of （doing sth.）：一贯注重；重视；明确要做

　　24. walk （sb.） through：耐心地给（某人）示范；详细地教授（某人）

　　25. even as：正当，恰好在……的时候

　　26. platter [?pl?t?（r）] n. （尤指奶酪和水果的）大拼盘

　　27. lasagna [l??z?nj?] n. 意大利千层面（以多层宽面条夹奶酪、肉末和蔬菜制成）

　　28. hands-on：亲历亲为的；事事过问的

　　29. grounded [?��ra?nd?d] adj. 头脑清醒的；脚踏实地的；理智的

　　30. materialize [m??t??ri?la?z] vi. 突然出现

　　31. detail [?di?te?l] n. 分遣队；小队

　　32. open-plan：（建筑物、办公室、房间等）开敞式的，大开间的，无隔断的

　　33. Juergen Teller：尤尔根・泰勒（1964～），德裔艺术家、时尚摄影师

　　34. candid [?k?nd?d] adj. （照片）趁人不备时拍摄的，抓拍的

　　35. scowl [ska?l] vi. 阴沉着脸，绷着脸

　　36. affect [??fekt] vt. 假装；佯装；装出……的样子

　　37. mien [mi?n] n. 仪表；（尤指）神态

　　38. hauteur [???t??（r）] n. 傲慢

　　39. be no slouch：擅长（某类活动）

　　40. Simon Fuller：西蒙・福勒（1954～），美国著名娱乐节目制作人，《美国偶像》（American Idol）的创始人，贝克汉姆夫妇的好友