Victoria Beckham’s Style Through the Decades, From Posh Spice to Modern Minimalist

Over the course of her three decades-plus career, Victoria Beckham has undergone quite the fashion evolution. The pop-star-turned-British-designer, who celebrates her 51st birthday today, has marked each chapter of her life with a transformative new look, starting back in the nineties with the Spice Girls.

As one fifth of one of the most famous girl groups of all time, Beckham had an audience of millions almost instantly. She lived up to her posh moniker with an approach to performance style that was sleek and sexy. Her highly distinctive monochromatic wardrobe was brimming with thigh-skimming little black dresses, modish miniskirts, and skimpy bra tops, many of which were designed by Tom Ford for Gucci. Even still, Beckham never took herself—or her fashion choices—too seriously. In Spice World, the musical comedy in which Beckham and her fellow Spice Girls play themselves, she even pokes fun at her signature look. “It must be so hard for you, Victoria,” Sporty Spice says, “having to decide whether to wear the little Gucci dress, the little Gucci dress, or... the little Gucci dress!”

By the 2000s, the group had dismantled, and Beckham embarked on a brief solo music career. In the meantime, her romance with David Beckham had blossomed—they wed in 1999—and the pair began to coalesce around a shared aesthetic. After making a series of high-profile red carpet appearances together, they cemented their status as fashion’s It couple; take their 2008 Met Gala ensembles, for instance, when David wore a classic tuxedo and Victoria a white lacy gown. From there on out, her appetite for high fashion grew exponentially. She added euerbrant designs from the likes of Chanel and Roberto Cavalli to her roster of sultry Gucci outfits. It was only a matter of time before she became a Fashion Week fixture. In 2007, she caused a sensation at the Haute Couture shows in Paris with her friend Katie Holmes.

Come the 2010s, Beckham began to get serious about her own fashion label, which had launched in 2008. In keeping with her personal tastes at the time, the focus of her label was on body-skimming sheath dresses at first, later shifting towards the minimalist, sophisticated look she’s known for today. These days, it’s rare to see her wearing anything other than the midi-length dresses, neat collared shirting, and smart suiting she designs. Her impeccable street style is the subject of endless paparazzi images, furthering her position as one of the most watched—and best dressed—women in the world.

Below, more of Beckham’s best looks over the years.