This blog post was originally written and published for Parsons School of Design’s website in February of 2014. Meeting Victoria Beckham was such an exciting experience that I wished to share the story here on my personal blog as well. It says that dreams really do come true. Enjoy!
Like thousands of other young girls in the 90s, I wanted to be a Spice Girl when I grew up. Their glamour and message of “Girl Power” were magical to impressionable young girls and encouraged us to be the confident and determined women we are becoming today. My favorite Spice Girl was
always Posh, now the fashion designer Victoria Beckham. Due to her influence, my closet full of little black Miss Selfridge dress have become my signature, and when she entered the world of fashion it encouraged me to pursue my childhood dream of working in fashion. We had both begun life as ballerinas and memorizing her style book That Extra Half An Inch is what gave me the confidence that I could follow in her fashion footsteps. Last year, before applying to Parsons, I was in London when Victoria Beckham was lecturing at the London College of Fashion – I remember thinking they were the luckiest students on earth and wishing I was one of them.
So here I am now, an online Marketing student at Parsons and working as a manager and stylist at a boutique in Massachusetts. During the Fall 2013 semester, my first at Parsons, in Prof. Gretchen Harnick’s class we were allowed to choose a fashion company to analyze during the entire semester. I knew immediately that I had to study Victoria Beckham! As a new company and one run by a “celebrity” this was going to be challenging and much different from the other student’s choices. There were certainly challenges, and perhaps some panic when analyzing advertisements (Victoria Beckham does not advertise in a traditional way such as magazines) but it was well worth it. I now know her and her company through and through, and felt that I left a friend and co-workers behind at the end of the semester. I admire the company’s attention to detail, quality and the customer, combined with elegance and witty humour.
I was on lunch break at work one day last month when I found an unexpected note on Twitter from Prof. Gretchen, contacting me about last semester’s project (as a student, my first thought was that I had done something wrong!). I nearly fell off my chair when she told me that Victoria Beckham was coming to Parsons and, because of my Marketing project, would I please be one of the select few to personally meet her! As an online student, this was an unbelievable opportunity and luckily for me I live only three hours from campus. I barely slept for the next week I was so excited – I felt like a child on Christmas Eve. When the day finally arrived, happily without a snowstorm that day, I embarked on the two hour scenic drive on the Taconic Parkway to Tarrytown to stay with a friend, and then a picturesque train ride along the river into the city. While very familiar with New York, it was my first time on campus. It was a wonderful experience to see the new building, as well as the trendy outfits worn by everyone around campus.
For myself and the other fourteen lucky students, we lived a dream that day meeting one of our idols. It was a pleasure to spend time with fourteen other students who shared the same excitement and Spice Girl influences as myself. We were a jittery gleeful bunch as we were ushered into the classroom to sit and wait around the large table for Victoria Beckham’s arrival while the lighting and camera crew prepared. A hush went around the room when Victoria walked in and great big smiles came to everyone’s faces. I don’t think any of us could have asked for a more wonderful experience with her (besides a photo perhaps) – she was talkative, interested in us, funny and informative. She gave all of our questions time and consideration with well thought out answers. She and her crew all looked impressively perfect and stylish, giving us an addictive taste of life in luxury fashion. Her advice was realistic and encouraging, and all of went home more inspired and determined. Following her example of hard work leading to success, Victoria was very supportive of new designers, encouraging students to send her examples of their work. She also repeated this statement at the lecture to 800+ students! One of the most memorable parts was during the lecture when Victoria said “Girl Power” and the entire audience squealed like teenage Elvis fans.
After meeting Victoria Beckham and having a glimpse of the glamour, I am hooked. Being at Parsons that day was the first time in my life that I have ever felt as if I fit in and was accepted. That is the beauty of fashion – you can fit in and stand out at the same time by being yourself. I am so grateful to Parsons and Victoria Beckham for this unforgettable opportunity that I only dreamed could happen.
