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Betsey Johnson Profile

Website: www.betseyjohnson.com

Betsey Johnson was born in Hartford, Connecticut, USA in 1942. Johnson spent a year at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, before graduating from Syracuse University in 1964.

During 1964, she was guest editor on the summer college issue of Mademoiselle and was hired by the magazine for one year after graduation. During that period she made and sold clothing designs in her spare time and later became a freelance designer, retailing through a New York boutique called Paraphernalia.

In the 60's, Johnson gained a reputation as a radical young designer, producing chalk-striped 'gangster' trouser suits, a clear vinyl dress sold with paste-your-own star motifs, a 'noise' dress made of jersey with loose grommets attached to the hem, silvery motorcycle suits, clinging T-shirt dresses and a wrapped cowhide mini dress which was worn with thigh high leather boots.

In 1969, she opened a New York boutique called "Betsey, Bunkey and Nini' In the 70's, Johnson turned to Disco wear and showed extravagant body-conscious clothes, many made up of stretch jersey. In 1978, she opened her own sportswear business.

In 1999 the Council of Fashion Designers of America, presented Betsey with their Timeless Talent Award, as a recognition of her ability to change with the times and her continued success in the fashion world for over 3 decades.

A dress with a 10-inch extended collar, worn by Julie Christie, the film star, made her name when it sold in the thousands. Betsey says : "fashion is all about having fun and mine are clothes to have fun in". Going into the 21st century, she is still making fun clothes.

For her Spring 2001 collection, Betsey recruited 29 Playboy bunnies to model her line of bikinis and bustiers. It was a real smash.

Betsey has been married three times and has a daughter Lulu. She gives no attention to age and says she feels as if she is 22. On her 60th birthday in 2002, she did a back-flip at the party by her pool.

In the year 2000/2002, the city of New York decided to honour American fashion designers by placing bronze plaques along the pavement of 7th Avenue, the great street of fashion in New York. This has been called the "FASHION WALK OF FAME." Betsey Johnson was one of those honoured with a plaque.

Spring/Summer 2003

• Betsey showed the Spring/Summer 2003 collection at the New York Fashion Week in September 2002, which was greeted with aclaim.

Autumn/Winter 2003 Ready-to-Wear
New York - February 2003

• Betsey's dresses always bring out a smile. She showed full satin gypsy skirts in emerald green and electric blue, embroidered lingerie dresses with boldly coloured tights and giant sneakers. Mini jumper dresses were in swirls of orange and plum. Betsey as always, had the audience rocking and rolling in the aisles.

Spring/Summer 2004

• Betsey Johnson's Spring collection was shown during New York Fashion Week in September 2003.
• While Betsey gets older, her clothes get younger. She was inspired this season by cheeky French maids wearing skirts that brushed their bottoms like feather dusters. She included a sweater embroidered with S M, romper shorts and the rap singer Wyclef Jean taking his bow at the end. Her collections have a Peter Pan quality to them.

Fall/Winter 2004

• The Fall collection was shown during New York Fashion Week in February 2004. Betsey paid homage to rockers from the past such as Mick Jagger and Tina Turner. Her models wore red Indian hairdresses, and Surrealist eyeglasses.

Spring/Summer 2005

• During New York Fashion Week in September 2004, Betsey Johnson presented her Spring collection. Two outfits from the show are pictured on the left.
• Betsey showed her clothes with the usual colour, verve and vivacity, with lots of frothy petticoats and ruffles. The designer herself defied her 62 years by cartwheeling down the catwalk. Betsey is Queen of the proms.