David Beckham is an undisputed and enduring style icon. From the early days of his career to solidifying his sartorial standing alongside wife and designer Victoria Beckham, Becks’ style — while ever-changing — has never failed to garner attention. Here, we explore the life and style of one of the world’s most iconic sporting greats.
David Beckham burst onto the scene in 1992, taking to the field for Manchester United at just 17 and quickly earning a name for himself for his on-field victories. But, as it would transpire, it was his fashion wins (or, some would say, faux pas) that began landing him in the tabloids.
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From frosted tips to square-toed shoes, track pants paired with blazers, Becks never shied away from experimentation when it came to his wardrobe, and once he met Victoria in 1997 (marrying her quickly after in 1998) the couple began to find their collective fashion footing. The rest, as they say, is history.
From the all-black leather Versace co-ords the pair wore to a New Year’s Eve party in 1999 to the all-white, bedazzled ensembles the couple donned at the 2003 MTV Movie Awards, to perhaps their most memorable collective look of all — their wedding attire, an ever-iconic poppy purple suit and matching floral-festooned dress (with a baby Brooklyn Beckham donning a suit in the same hue), the duo have never failed to turn heads. But much has changed since then, and it’s fair to say that Becks’ style, much like the sporting great himself, has matured marvellously.
As Beckham’s stardom grew, the footballer streamlined his aesthetic, turning to quintessentially British suiting in the early noughties and never looking back (no one can pull off a suit quite like David Beckham can). Bringing woollen cheese cutters back into cultural consciousness, making head-to-toe chocolate look incredibly appetising, and inspiring millions of Brits to sharpen up, Becks, with his rugged good looks and worldwide following, changed the way men approached their wardrobes — reshaping the face of men’s fashion in the process.
In the 2010s, as Victoria’s standing in the fashion world grew, Becks too became a regular fixture on the fashion circuit, evolving his style further still to find a place amongst the UK’s fashion set, sitting front row at his wife’s shows. At the same time, the couple were growing their family, with Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper changing the couple’s lives, and the now-father-of-four’s style, irrevocably.
Fast-forward to 2024, and now in his 50s, as a father, sporting great, and co-owner of Florida’s football team, Becks’ style is polished and refined. It comprises impeccably tailored suiting, well-cut outerwear, a neutral, tonal palette, denim, exquisite jewellery (more sleek watches than the gold crosses he was known for in the 90s), and luxury accessories — continuing to prove why he will always be an undisputed fashion icon — and one that has undeniably impacted the fashion zeitgeist across the past three decades.
