Victoria Beckham show begins with moment of silence for 9/11

NEW YORK — The one sound you usually never hear at a fashion show, with its pounding music and high-decibel chatter, is silence. But just before the Victoria Beckham show on Sunday — at 10:28 a.m. — the room fell silent in observance of the 15th anniversary of 9/11.

The only sound was the clicking of cameras, as the designer's husband and oldest son — soccer great David Beckham, and Brooklyn Beckham — stood in remembrance, along with Vogue editor Anna Wintour.

Then came the fashion, with Beckham focusing this season on innovations in traditional fabrics like velvet, lace and satin. "I really feel I've come into my own with this season, I really do," Beckham said. "It's a lot about fabric development — I'm doing a lot of really exciting things in-house."

Specifically, the collection was about "taking traditional fabrics ... and washing them, and crushing them, and pleating them, and smocking them — to really make them feel new and fresh," Beckham told reporters backstage. Especially prominent was velvet — a particularly light version of a fabric most people associate with the colder winter months.

Beckham said she had also experimented with new colors like a bright peppermint and a bold orange. Also new: a lightweight summer boot. "I can't remember the last time I saw a boot that was light, that looked cool and new and fresh," she said. "I'm really excited to wear that boot."

Many of the ensembles Beckham sent down the runway came with their own matching fabric handbags. A number of the outfits also featured bra tops, a new element that she said gave a very feminine flavor to the collection. Knit dresses also featured bra tops peeking out from underneath.

But enough about the clothes. Will Beckham be dressing the new British prime minister, Theresa May, one reporter asked? "We'll see," she said coyly, implying that she had at least thought about it. "She has a great body and she likes dresses that are quite fitted," Beckham said. "So I think there's lots in the collection that she would like."

Inevitably the same question was asked about Hillary Clinton. "Oh, I would love to dress her!" Beckham replied, adding that she had some trousers in the collection that she thought the Democratic presidential nominee might like.