Victoria Beckham has launched a new perfume named Hotel Portofino, inspired by a romantic 1997 trip to Italy with her husband David Beckham.
The 52-year-old business mogul promoted the new scent on Instagram with a series of promotional photographs. In one shot, she laid across a green sofa wearing a blush pink dress, while another photograph showed her posing in a white satin halter-neck gown.
Hotel Portofino is the businesswoman's first extrait de parfum formulation. It marks her fifth fragrance collaboration with Jerome Epinette, who serves as master perfumer at the French fragrance house Robertet.
Fragrance details and inspiration
The new scent returns to the same inspiration behind Portofino '97, which was the pair's initial fragrance collaboration, but offers a more intense aroma than the original edition.
Victoria explained the distinction between the two fragrances during an interview with Bazaar. She said that while Portofino '97 was all about falling in love and the rush of infatuation, Hotel Portofino was inspired by the same trip in 1997, but represents a new chapter about staying in love and the deeper echo of enduring love.
She added that she believes their fragrances are very unique, interesting, and undoubtedly ours, noting that there is a strangeness that is very on brand and almost addictive. Victoria stated that having something polarizing is a compliment, as she would always rather be part of the conversation and have something interesting than something boring and safe.
Hotel Portofino retails for £303 for a 50ml bottle and is sold on the official Victoria Beckham website. In the perfume industry, an extrait de parfum is the highest concentration of fragrance compound available, containing significantly more perfume oil than standard eau de parfum mixtures. Perfumer Jerome Epinette works at Robertet, a historic French fragrance company based in Grasse that specializes in natural aromatic raw materials.
Italian Riviera getaway
The resort town of Portofino holds sentimental value for Victoria and David Beckham. It was the location of their first secret getaway to Italy in 1997, taken before their relationship became public knowledge.
Located on the Italian Riviera in the province of Genoa, Portofino is a famous coastal fishing village known for its picturesque harbor and luxury hotels. The couple revisited the destination last month during a European family holiday, where they stepped out for a date night at a high-end hotel in the resort town.
During their recent evening out, the pair spent time alone away from three of their four children. Their eldest son, 27-year-old Brooklyn Beckham, was notably absent from the family holiday.
Date night and Instagram tribute
Victoria wore a black lace gown for the date night that featured a plunging neckline and sheer detailing over her lingerie. She later posed alongside David for photos during their evening out.
David shared a photograph of the couple on Instagram to commemorate the occasion. He added a caption stating that 29 years ago they came to Portofino to the same hotel before anyone knew they were dating, noting that they had now returned to the location together.
Origins of Posh and Becks
The couple first began dating in 1997 after David asked to meet Victoria. He had seen her wearing a leather catsuit in the music video for Say You'll Be There, a hit single released by her pop group, the Spice Girls.
Before founding her fashion line, Victoria rose to international fame in the 1990s as Posh Spice in the Spice Girls. David was establishing himself as a star midfielder for Manchester United and the England national team. David recalled watching the music video with a friend and telling him that she was the girl for him and that he was going to get her, calling her his idea of perfection.
Victoria revealed that nobody wanted to date her before she was introduced to David at his request following a charity football match in 1997. Writing for Vogue in 2016, she stated that love at first sight does exist, adding that it happened to her in the Manchester United players' lounge.
The couple announced their engagement in January 1998, just over a year after they met. They subsequently married in an elaborate wedding ceremony costing a reported £800,000, where both wore bold ensembles that featured prominently in OK! magazine.
Beckham family dynamics
Victoria and David Beckham have four children together: Brooklyn, aged 27, Romeo, aged 24, Cruz, aged 21, and Harper, aged 15. The family was long recognized for their close public bond.
However, relations within the family cooled after Brooklyn issued a public statement in January. In the statement, their eldest son denounced his family and stated that he wanted nothing to do with Brand Beckham. Victoria and David Beckham have not publicly responded to his statement.
