Victoria Beckham may be the Spice Girl most synonymous with fashion, but arguably the member with the most enduring influence over style is Sporty Spice, Mel C.
Right now London’s streets are once again a sea of sporty Adidas-heavy looks, after all. And this week, the Cheshire native is proving she’s the girl who can do both, having been cast as JW Anderson’s latest campaign star, in which she models a series of polished yet pared-back looks.
Mel C is the face of the campaign for Jonathan Anderson’s new Loafer bag, and the laid-back shots feature a fresh-faced beauty and hair look which would make Pamela Anderson proud. Chisholm wears the brand’s Resort Spring / Summer 2026 collection, which includes oversized knitwear and outerwear pieces, Japanese-crafted denim, embellished Chelsea boots and several iterations of the brand’s Loafer bag, in denim, suede and Italian leather. It’s confirmation that she does louche and luxe just as well as sporty and chic.
While as an Eighties child, Anderson’s fandom of the Spice Girls should be a given, Mel C has said she had no idea that he was an admirer of hers until the campaign offer came. “I was really flattered,” she told British Vogue. “Jonathan is such an incredible designer, and so eclectic in everything he does. I had actually never met him before this, so it was really nice to sit down with him and realise that he was a fan of mine [as well].”
And while this might be Chisholm’s first major turn for a luxury campaign, she’s no stranger to the fashion world, and over the years her personal style has evolved effortlessly beyond sportswear and crop tops (not to say she isn’t still partial to them). Here’s some of the defining looks which prove she has found her signature style.
Her hype collection moment for Palace X Gap
Last spring, Mel C was tapped to star in a collab between Gap and skate brand Palace. The shots were signature Sporty as she wore a shell tracksuit in burgundy and navy from the sell-out collection. Speaking of the importance of sportswear being seen as high-fashion she told Dazed at the time: “I feel very proud of how sports and streetwear has gone from strength to strength from the football pitch and the playground to the catwalk. I was just doing what all the kids where I grew up did, and for a long time sportswear was deemed quite scruffy when actually it’s incredibly stylish.”
Stylish suiting for VB’s 50th
Whether it’s a tracksuit or a trouser suit, Mel C has form with turning out cool takes on two-piece looks. In recent years her red carpet style has evolved to see minimalist looks with a twist become her signature — and usually in all black. For Victoria Beckham’s Netflix premiere she opted for a velvet suit in a flared cut. The strong-shouldered jacket featured satin lapels.
Modern minimalism at the Brit Awards
The Brit Awards 2024 proved the rule, as she wore a black suit with a punk touch courtesy of a gold belted detail, while a satin crop top recalled her Spice Girls days.
Harking back to her Spice Girls uniform at Glastonbury
Performing a DJ set at Glastonbury 2022 and when joining Blossoms on stage at the festival, Mel C wore Adidas track pants and chose a personalised tee emblazoned with ‘Alexa, play the Spice Girls.’ Proof she’s comfortable with owning the Sporty Spice look that came to define her, albeit with a 2020s twist.
Where it all started...
When the Spice Girls entered the charts and popularised the idea of girl power, Mel C broke out into the scene styled in glittering Nineties separates. But whenever she was clearly allowed to go her own way, it was football shirts and Adidas tracksuits she chose, often with her signature cross tattoo on show. All of which have endured in her 2020s looks.
