Victoria Beckham launches lower-priced dress collection

Victoria Beckham is to launch a lower-priced dress collection called Victoria by Victoria Beckham. Launching for spring 2012, the collection will be a more wearable version of her aesthetic, focusing on less structured, looser silhouettes.

"These are the kind of dresses I've been searching for," said Beckham. "The perfect little summer dress, something that was fun, something that was girly, something that was easy to wear, something that would take you from day through the night." Prices are expected to retail from £350-£550.

"Where I am currently, I like a more modern attitude," she told WWD. "It means that I'm opening these designs to women and girls of all different shapes and sizes, people who maybe want something less tight and clingy and structured. It also makes it more comfortable for during the day. You can wear them with a pair of flats or a pair of heels and they look great."

Fans of the style icon might be surprised to hear about the muse for the dress collection, which she claims was inspired by the cartoon character Emily the Strange, the goth-girl cartoon beloved by EMO teens the world over, whose Sixties A-line dresses are very in keeping with the Victoria Beckham look. Emily's influence can be seen in the collection's magical prints - clouds, moons, and lots of cats (one called "Victoria cat" the other "Cutey cat", giving the line a younger, more fun feel than the sophistication of the main line.

The singer-turned-designer says she plans on "making quite a fuss when this launches at retail", with reports she may hold a party during London Fashion Week in September.

Images: Victoria by Victoria Beckham SS23