The Tamesis
It was 1997, and Victoria Beckham was still Victoria Adams, one-fifth of the pop group the Spice Girls, and professionally on top of the world. The song “Wannabe” became a rage, spice world (movie) and spice world (The album) will be released in the UK before the end of this year. Privately, she also developed a new, very secret relationship with a very famous football player.
“Before that, we had kept our relationship secret, only going on secret dates in very obscure places,” Beckham told me over Zoom early one morning, recalling the early days of her courtship with husband David.
The mother of four and fashion designer was feeling nostalgic as she chatted in a fitting room during Paris Fashion Week’s Fall 2026 presentation. When she and David decided to go public, they booked a romantic trip to Portofino with much fanfare. “I remember it clearly: how blue the sky was, how fresh the white sheets smelled. It felt like no one else was there except me and him.”
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In many ways, the rest is history. The Beckhams married in Ireland in 1999 and have been together ever since. But that early trip has stuck with her — in fact, Beckham has used it as the basis for her Victoria Beckham Beauty fragrance, which she revisited in a new editorial this year. The aptly named Portofino ’97 captures a frothy romantic moment with notes of cypress, musk, bergamot and vetiver.
It’s something the two of them love to share. “I like to put on perfume right after I get out of the shower and before I go to bed,” says Beckham. “David also wears Portofino, and he does the same thing. So I love that when he rolls over at night, he can smell my Portofino in the place where he sleeps.”
The Italian seaside village remains one of the Beckhams’ favorite haunts, and now, nearly 30 years after that fateful trip, they visit with their family. In fact, they were there last summer. “This is the most romantic place on earth,” Beckham said. “We took the kids to the hotel where it all started and we had delicious meals and wine at all these places. David and I were really romantic and the kids were with their partners, so it was a really special moment to share.”
