A new, large-scale location should have been a sign that Victoria Beckham, who usually shows her collections at intimate presentations, is ready to battle it out with the big boys.

But should you need extra proof, the designer’s spring/summer 2012 collection will rub your nose in it and then some.

Following her signature form for fitted lines and flattering structure, sharp, clean-edged dresses appeared as standard throughout the collection, interspersed with explosive volume on sporty jackets and billowing floor-length skirts.

Ah yes, sporty – perhaps the most unlikely of adjectives you’d expect in a Victoria Beckham review, but the pair make a surprisingly good fit.

From lightweight jackets with functional pockets and drawstrings to swimsuit-shaped necklines on dresses and Stephen Jones-designed polished baseball caps, Beckham’s collection has a decidedly sporty feel, which seems to suit her easy-elegance surprisingly well, even creating room for cool.

Zippers and metal hardware – like clips on straps – created a utility edge to soft shapes, but there’s no doubt these pieces, in blocks of black, navy and orange, sometimes separated by silvery slate and pearl and lightened with white, would work from office to party without extra work.

The real highlight? Coats – a boxy ink-navy jacket with black edging in particular – and handbags (unsurprisingly), especially the Celine-esque box bags in tangy tangerine.

A move up from her Upper East Side aesthetic (hell, she’s even doing dresses over leather trousers), Victoria Beckham’s got substance next spring in what is probably her best collection yet.

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[Images: Vogue UK]