Why WAS Victoria Beckham's fledgling label included in a British fashion hall of fame at last night's Olympic closing ceremony?

There were more than a few raised eyebrows at the Olympic closing ceremony last night - and not solely thanks to Boris Johnson's dance moves.
Onlookers in the 70,000-strong audience at the Olympic stadium were baffled by the inclusion of Victoria Beckham's high end designer label in a fashion hall of fame that featured in the lavish show.
The Spice Girl's fledgling brand took its place on the list of showcased designers with Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen.

 

 

 

Shoe-in: Georgia May Jagger wore a gold fit-and-flare Victoria Beckham design on stage during the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games last night

Georgia May Jagger (second from right) in Victoria Beckham's design took her place alongside fellow models, from left, Lily Cole, Karen Elson (back row), Stella Tenant, Kate Moss, Alessandra Ambrosio, Jourdan Dunn, Naomi Campbell and David Gandy

Mrs Beckham – who only launched her fashion range in 2007 - was included on a supposedly selective roll call of the finest fashion designers the country has ever produced.
Only nine of the very best – namely Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Christopher Kane, Burberry, Erdem, Jonathan Saunders, Stephen Jones and Paul Smith - were featured.


With her fashions only a few years old – and receiving lukewarm reviews among some critics – observers will question whether her presence on the list is little more than a giant advert.
There was a supermodel for each great British fashion designer featured in the fashion segment, with Georgia May Jagger modelling Beckham’s wares.

 

Giant advert? Onlookers were baffled to see Victoria Beckham's fledgling label included in a showcase of Britain's most legendary designers

Ms Beckham designed the bespoke fit-and-flare piece in gold gazar especially for yesterday evening's event, saying in a recent interview that when she created it, she was thinking of 'the ideas of high performance - in terms of quality, fit, fabric and stitching,' and adding that she revisited one of what she says is one of her signature designs.
Eleven cutters and designers are reported to help Mrs Beckham to design the clothes lines that bear her name.
And the results have received mixed reviews in the fashion world.
There have been accusations that the designs are seriously overpriced, with dresses in her mainline brand costing around £1,650 each, and a pair of leather leggings bearing her name once priced at £1,250.
One of her lines - entitled, ‘Victoria, Victoria Beckham’ – was recently marketed as being affordable and good value for money.
But the marketing caused ridicule when it emerged that a sleeveless wool shift dress cost £500 while a long-sleeved day dress cost £750.
She has also been criticised for marketing herself as a ‘British’ designer while having her clothes made overseas in Morocco and Portugal, instead of in Britain.