Ah yes, when it comes to New York Fashion Week it can certainly feel like the most mystical place on earth. And while top designers were showcasing their ready to wear collections, shoe designers were showcasing the fact that shoes are just as important as the rest of the attire. And in this case, shoes were used to commemorate a very special event that kicked off the New York Fashion Week. It was the 70th Anniversary of the Wizard of Oz and top shoe lines participated in the Ruby Slippers Event at Saks Fifth Avenue.
Betsey Johnson was born in Wethersfield, Connecticut on August 10, 1942. This 64 year old fashion icon has spent almost half of her life in the business and has certainly earned the respect she is given. In 1967, Betsey married Velvet Underground’s John Cale, only to divorce him a year later. Out of this marriage came her beautiful daughter Lulu, who she will tell you, is the love of her life.
Betsey broke into the biz in 1964 when she won a contest held by Mademoiselle magazine. The contest was to be “Guest Editor” and Betsey proved to Mademoiselle, and to the fashion world, that she had the hootzpah it took to make it in the fashion industry. She started tinkering with patterns and fabric and became a part of the Youth Quake movement with Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick, who she used as her house model. During this time Betsey also outfitted the band Velvet Underground where she met her husband. In 1978, Betsey debuted her namesake collection after working for a variety of other labels. 2003 her empire expanded to include a much sought after accessories line. Betsey started off her design career being known for her fun girly looks, and carries this look even to today.
Betsey Johnson is a breast cancer survivor who has won noted acclaims in her industry, taking the Coty Award in 1972, and being inducted into the Fashion Walk of Fame in 2003. In 2005, she won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Accessories Council, and in 2006 she won Designer of the Year by the American Apparel and Footwear Association’s Image Awards.
Making clothes involves what I like…the surprise of seeing the work come alive walking and dancing around on strangers….~Betsey Johnson
This philosophy definitely rang true for the Betsey Johnson addition of NY Fashion Week. The collection was described as loads of fun, and as you can see from the slideshow, there is no better description. Some of Betsey’s collection looked a little high school, on pieces that garnered 6 inch ruffles for example, but once you turned to her party dress series, you would second guess that original thought. Betsey used quite the color range, starting with a dark stream of black and moving to deep fall colors mixed with some jewel tones.
Key pieces in the show included the opening number of a fringed leather jacket, and moved towards mix and matches that included a suede wrap skirt, twill blazer, leopard leggings, and zebra cardigan. The entire collection in fact was a long series of mix and matchables. With the dark and bold lines, Betsey describes the collection as “kick ass with a harder hard edge in a Joan Jett kind of way”.
The end of the show was everyone’s favorite as Betsey celebrated her 30 years in the business by closing the runway with a collection of anniversary pieces. You can catch these in the last segment of the slide show, and note how timeless her work really is. It’s really hard to see the difference between contemporary Betsey and vintage Betsey. The last few pieces in her collection were her personal favorites over the last 30 years and include pieces from the ‘70’s and ’80’s.
I am changing formats to offer you a better view of the Fall Collections, so have a look at the slideshow and tell us what you think of the latest Betsey Johnson line.
