DESIGN INSPIRATION: BETSEY JOHNSON

i have been a Betsey Johnson girl since i was a kid..as soon as i came into my pre-teens and got into fashion i wanted to wear Betsey Johnson..her designs definitely attract a broad spectrum from very young girls to older women..their was only two boutiques in Miami at that time one in Coconut Grove the other in South Beach..i would always beg my mom to buy me a dress from their and in a rare case she caved and did..i bought the cutest cherry red satin baby doll dress which i have till this day..and at the time it carried a price tag of $100 allot for my mom (thanks mommy)..but now a days her prices are far from that range..

at the age of 17 (1994) i heard of an opening at the Betsey Johnson store in South Beach i was sooo excited, because at that time i was not working for too long in retail..i was anxious at the possibilities of getting my foot through the door since i new how very hard it was in landing a job there..most of the Betsey girls stay on very a long time making it a career and even moving up within the company..i did not get the job at that time which truly bummed me out but just a few weeks later to my surprise i received a phone from the Coconut Grove store to come in for an interview..the manager at the South Beach store recommended me because she loved my style (i was wearing a vintage dress with combat boots) and personality and needless to say i jumped for joy when i got the job..

i felt like i was on top of the world at that time because i was working at Betsey Johnson, making decent money, getting an amazing discount and racking up on clothes and i was going to Fashion Design school all by the age of 17..Betsey was one of my many inspirations on why i went to school for design..it was a cool time in my life until bad decisions took me on a different road..(but that's another story)..

when it comes to why i'm inspired by Betsey the reasons are that i admire how she she built her brand from the ground up..she studied art but fell into design..her illustrations shows the artist that she is..





Betsey was part of the NY Warhol scene and married John Cale from The Velvet Underground which Warhol started..she was designing for the boutique Paraphernalia did styling for the Velvet Underground and had Edie Sedgwick for a fit model

Edie wearing Betsey




she then went to open up a boutique called Betsey Bunky Nini, designed under many other labels like Alley Cat and very properly the dance brand Capezio and made patterns for Butterwick (which i need to get my hands on)..until she formed her own brand label Betsey Johnson in 1978..

vintage Alley Cat






vintage Paraphernalia



Betsey Johnson for Alley Cat Butterwick patterns





one of my favorite vintage Betsey era's is the 80's where she came out with her big cherry prints, flowers & skulls..i also loved all the dance inspired designs like her body suits, jumpers and corseted tops..so lucky for us Opening Ceremony came out with Betsey Archives which is on sale right now but i think i'd rather hunt down for the real vintage....





Betsey designs of things she loves which shows in her prints and has always stayed true to her quirkiness which is why it's worked..she has been able to maintain a loyal following and has built her brand by staying connected with the fun girl inside of us..from her beginnings she marketed herself by wearing her designs in the NY scene and truly beats to her own drum in the fashion world..she inspires me..



~bella








source: ebay, wmagazine, fidm, butterwick, opening ceremony

MORE RUNWAY FAV'S

spring 2010 has so much color which i love! i'm sifting through all the designers and picking favorites..so much fun to see what's to come and then interesting how the mass market will interpret it or in some cases flat out copy it...but that's how the fast fashion industry works..and how many of us can afford these fabulous pieces..

i did not start appreciating threeasfour until a couple of years ago, i wasn't sure if they were being real out there for the sake of being out there, but no this is what they do and they do it well..i still would love to get my hands on the round bag that garnered them lots of attention a few years ago..i like their silhouettes and the way there clothes drapes and flows..and i like of the idea of owning a very limited piece of threeasfour..i'll keep dreaming...

nanette lepore! color comfy cool..reminds me of my home town miami..

betsey johnson..always fun always bold very betsey..she never strays and has always done her thing..i appreciate that..one of my first jobs was working in her boutique when she had one in coconut grove, miami back in 1995..i bought many pieces with our incredible employee discount and back then her pieces were not priced how they are today..dress's $60-$150..shirts $40-$60 etc..so at 16 i could afford this! sadly i cry today because many of those pieces which i could of taken out of the closet today i gave away arghhh..BUT i did keep a few...mostly my baby doll dress's which maybe my pre-teen child might eventually want to take away from me..

i see there is a bow thing going on on the runway..and in mister marc jacobs case he never disappoints...oh marc i so wish i can work for you, i love your prints, vision, vintage influence and the fun you put into your clothes...sincerely, one of your many admirers...

today is a happy day, i will be fabric shopping for some concept pieces i'm working on and Zoe's halloween costume..some chain shopping for some vintage necklaces i will be posting on Etsy soon..fun, fun, fun! aaaannd of course more vintage clothes to be posted in the shop by sunday..come by and say hi!

happy saturday!
~bella

source: nymag, style.com