Betsey Johnson: A Lifetime of Achievement

• Email
• Print

New York — The designer Betsey Johnson is an unmistakable presence, even on these patchwork streets crowded with exhibitionists, goofballs, ding-dongs and eccentrics all competing for a second glance. Traffic doesn’t screech to a halt when she passes by, but at least one police officer stops to give her an admiring hug.

Johnson is not just style. She is a walking expression of youthful joy, inspirational stamina and several lifetimes’ worth of accomplishments.

A tiny woman, she favors dropped-crotch leggings, tight rocker-chick T-shirts and a pair of frog-shaped coin purses that she swears are stitched out of actual amphibian carcasses. She wears makeup unrepentantly, eschewing any goal of a Bobbi Brown natural face to delight in the daily invention of an artificial one. “I could put makeup on all day,” Johnson says. “It calms me down.”

Her distinctive hairstyle — somewhere in the vicinity of braids, dreadlocks or the ropelike mop of a rag doll — is currently a platinum bob with streaks of taxicab yellow. Getting it to the perfect state of bed-head dishevelment requires the aid of a stylist who commutes from the West Coast to New York four times a year, where he attends to Johnson’s locks for a marathon 12 hours each visit. Looking haphazardly thrown together takes time.

At 72, Johnson epitomizes the mood — and the look — of her brand, which speaks most directly to adolescent girls and women in their 20s, young birds who are looking for adventure and independence and who camouflage their fears and doubts with swagger and recklessness.

Johnson’s clothes are commercial, which is to say they are less about appealing to magazine editors and celebrity stylists and more about attracting mass-market customers who do not want to spend a fortune on a dress. She loves crinolines, sequins, slip dresses and the color pink. Her clothes offer bad-girl attitude without the cleavage or the drug haze — and for less than $200 a frock.

Johnson is celebrating her 50th year in fashion, a feat that is rare because tastes are unpredictable, clothing production is complicated and retail is an unforgiving enterprise. Her design heyday was the 1960s, when the fashion industry was not yet swarming with would-be designers, celebrities seeking synergy and Instagram stars.

Yet Johnson has endured because, just a few millimeters below that exterior of overdrawn false eyelashes and candy-colored hair, there is a determined, hard-working, competitive woman — a former prom queen from middle-class New England — who is under no illusions about her niche in the fashion industry.

“I’m very commercial-minded,” Johnson says. “I’m very Connecticut; I’m Doris Day. I’m very much an all-American girl. I was a Brownie and a Girl Scout.”



The Council of Fashion Designers of America marked Johnson’s longevity with the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award at its annual gala earlier this month. That she is receiving such a commendation from her peers is quite a feat; the CFDA awards have long been bedeviled by cliquish back-patting that keeps the same few designers rotating through acceptance speeches.

“The fashion industry is not that kind to people like Betsey” who ignore trends and cling to their own visions, says Kim Hastreiter, a co-founder of Paper magazine who has known Johnson for almost 40 years. “Her clothes were never really expensive; they were always really in the junior market. Her personality was probably not the kind of personality that high-fashion types could relate to.”

Johnson does not travel in the same billion-dollar demographic as Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors. She doesn’t party amongst the in-crowd ruled by Marc Jacobs and Alexander Wang. And, unlike Donna Karan, she does not traffic in an uptown view of Manhattan as glimpsed from penthouse apartments and the tinted windows of chauffeured cars.

“I’m an outsider. I think that’s what I represent. I did my own thing. I figured it out,” Johnson says. She survived changing aesthetics, breast cancer, a recession and a 2012 bankruptcy.

So pull up a chair. “I like my story being told,” she says, “because I think it’s inspiring.”



Johnson’s workroom on West 38th Street in the Garment District is small, like a studio apartment. She’s been installed here about two years, since filing Chapter 11. The front door is covered with Crayola drawings by her granddaughters, age 6 and 9. Inside, the single room is filled to capacity with crinolines that hang from the ceiling like hundreds of cumulus clouds in shades of ivory, tan and blush. Lingerie-style dresses are stuffed alongside brightly colored sequin dresses on rolling racks. Parasols are propped inside an umbrella stand. Plastic boxes piled against a wall are labeled by their contents: belts, sunglasses, tights. Bolts of leopard-print fabric await inspiration.

Johnson’s aesthetics are founded on the persona of a suddenly liberated, fun-seeking good girl and that was precisely who Johnson was when she began.

She was the middle child, sandwiched between an older sister and a younger brother. Her father was an engineer, and her mother was a homemaker and later a high school guidance counselor. Both were steeped in kindness and common sense.

Johnson’s black-and-white high school graduation photograph shows a chubby-cheeked young woman with close-cut hair wearing a crew neck. It is a quintessential 1950s portrait. She doesn’t look sad or distant; there’s no hint of the punk princess that she would become. She graduated from Syracuse University where cheerleading was her passion.

Her first dream was to be a dancer, but mostly she wanted to move to New York. In 1964, she won a contest to be a guest editor at Mademoiselle magazine, which was a bit like an extended internship. It included a trip to London, where she saw fashion’s “Youthquake” up close.

Johnson never studied design, but she knew how to sew, and that provided a way to make extra money. Her career began with a “hippie-dippie” T-shirt, made in her Brooklyn apartment, that looked hand-crocheted. It had long sleeves and a little velvet bow along the neckline. “I was creating something you couldn’t get anywhere else,” Johnson says. “I was like a horse with blinders on. I was unaware of a lot of stuff. I was optimistic.”

The magazine recommended her for a design position at Paraphernalia, a new Manhattan clothing boutique deeply influenced by London. “At Paraphernalia, I learned that you’re only as good as your last sale,” she says.

Johnson socialized with a creative crowd, settling in at Max’s Kansas City, a clubhouse for artists such as Andy Warhol and designers including Stephen Burrows. She had found the crowd and the spirit she longed for. She married — and eventually divorced — John Cale, a founder of the Velvet Underground, the band whose music presaged generations of rock to come. She was friendly with the influential designer Giorgio di Sant’Angelo, who in the ’70s helped make knitwear sexy. He encouraged her to start her own label. She hesitated. But then, “an astrologer told me to just do it,” Johnson says.

The seed money came from Bayer aspirin.

She was a freelance designer when the advertising agency for Bayer came calling in search of a hipster spokesperson. “They were doing a commercial with actor Ozzie Nelson and golfer Lee Trevino, and I said, ‘I don’t think my customers will buy my clothes if I start promoting a product’ — this was the early 1970s. But it was $10,000,” Johnson says. “So I called back and said, ‘Everyone in my family has taken Bayer aspirin. I don’t feel like I’m lying.’  ” She ultimately earned $60,000 from the ad.

She partnered with her friend Chantal Bacon. They raised $40,000 from friends and family and took out a bank loan. The Betsey Johnson label debuted in 1978.

The label’s earliest coup was wholesaling to Fiorucci, a trendy Euro-cool boutique that was, for a time, referred to as the daytime version of Studio 54. It was buzzing, and so was the new Betsey Johnson collection. Bacon ran the business; Johnson designed; scenesters such as model Penelope Tree and Warhol acolyte “Baby” Jane Holzer wore her clothes.

“We both were in it together,” Johnson says of her relationship with Bacon. “We said, ‘If we’re going to sink, it’ll be in a ship we love and believe in.’ ”

Johnson had no illusions about a life in the avant-garde nether regions of fashion. Her runway shows were parties, not high church. Johnson plucked her models from among her friends and acquaintances. She used dancers, strippers and actors. She put them on roller skates. Her finale included her own signature cartwheel on the runway — a gymnastic feat she continues to perform.

“That cartwheel is kind of the image that reinforces what her brand stands for. That moment is fun, girly and feminine,” says Stephanie Solomon, fashion director at Lord Taylor, where Betsey Johnson is one of the top-selling dress lines.

Over the years, her label embraced the devil-may-care ferocity of punk; it eventually slipped into flower-child bliss. Her original customers matured, found careers and built families, but Johnson captured the desires of their daughters and granddaughters — most notably, and lucratively, for that singular rite of passage: the prom.

Johnson creates clothes for that moment when girls are crafting a grown-up version of themselves that underscores their sex appeal and sexuality but in a manner that is more Katy Perry than Beyonce. They help a girl be pretty but with a few sharp edges.

“It’s the music and clubbing and parties. Every girl always went through a phase of wanting to wear Betsey Johnson,” Hastreiter says. “And, being a woman, she made clothes for girls’ bodies that had hips and boobs and a teeny little waist. They’re made for girls by a woman who won’t grow up.”



By the mid-2000s, the company had solid sales of about $150 million annually, along with licensing deals for lingerie, shoes and accessories. Looking to expand, Johnson sold a stake in the company to a private equity firm. The economy tanked, and the company fell deeply in debt. In 2012, the company declared Chapter 11, and Johnson closed more than 60 stores. The stories in the news and business press read like obituaries.

The brand was restructured and resurrected thanks to shoe impresario Steve Madden, who assumed the company’s debt and purchased the trademark in 2010, keeping Johnson on as creative director. That same year, Bacon retired.

Today, Johnson oversees licensing and organizes runway shows that function as biannual revivals ministering to the company’s soul — which, ultimately, is Johnson herself.

The clothes, says Lord Taylor’s Solomon, never lost any of their verve: “They retain that girly, feminine sensibility, but always with a little bit of the rebel.” The Betsey Johnson company racks up a reported $200 million in annual retail sales.

When the CFDA announced that Johnson would receive the lifetime achievement award, she was stunned. Not that she didn’t think she deserved it.

“Every year, when the lifetime award came up, I voted for myself,” Johnson admits with a laugh. She did so for five years.

The CFDA’s board ultimately decides who receives the award. It takes suggestions from the wider fashion community, and it can ignore them, too. With Johnson, there wasn’t a lot of debate, says Steven Kolb, the organization’s chief executive. It was finally her time: She had been in the news. She had risen from the ashes. She’d been on Dancing With the Stars.

“This award is like a huge exclamation point,” Johnson said. “This is an industry seal of approval from an industry I never really played ball with.”

Share and Enjoy

The best and worst things to buy in June

June marks the official start to summer, which for most people means spending more time outdoors. However, with graduation ceremonies and Father’s Day on the horizon, June can quickly turn into an expensive month. To ensure you don’t blow through your summer budget in the first few weeks of the season, we’ve created a buying guide of items you should and shouldn’t purchase this month.

Peruse the advice, then consider signing up for the DealNews Select Newsletter to get the best deals of the day delivered to your inbox.

Warmer Weather Means Hot Deals on Lingerie

Never miss a deal!Get the hottest sales delivered to your inbox.

June has traditionally been a great month for lingerie sales, and few stores can rival the Victoria’s Secret Semi-Annual Sale, which typically lasts three to four weeks. The sale takes an impressive 70% off a variety of items and as we noted in our analysis, discounts get better toward the latter half of the sale.

As a result, we encourage shoppers to wait a few days and take advantage of the more aggressive discounts that come later in the month. The merchant’s shipping threshold, for instance, gets lower as the sale progresses, starting off with free shipping on purchases of $100 or more and later changing to free shipping on $25 or more. In terms of purchases, we recommend looking at deals that offer low per-unit prices when you buy multiples, such as three bras for $19.98 ($6.66 each).

Although the Victoria’s Secret Semi-Annual Sale will offer the widest selection of items, it’s by no means the only retailer to offer lingerie deals this month. Last year, Target offered BOGO bra sales and packs of six underwear for $20. For standard everyday styles, Sears took up to 80% off select undergarments, including those from Maidenform, which started at $8. Likewise, Spanx offered its best sale of the year, taking an extra 25% off sale items, many of which were already discounted by 60% off. Finally, expect Frederick’s of Hollywood to jump start its Fourth of July Sale in late June with up to 70% off select items. Aerie by American Eagle will also take 50% off items.

Treat Dad to an Unconventional Gift

Although Father’s Day sales don’t get as much hype as Mother’s Day sales, retailers will still offer a variety of deals on gifts for your dad. You should avoid buying predictable gifts like grills and shirt-and-tie combos, which won’t offer much in terms of savings. Instead look for deals on non-traditional gifts such as free entrees at select restaurants, which is a popular deal amongst nationwide chains such as Boston Market, Chili’s, and Outback Steakhouse. Various museums and zoos across the nation will also offer free admission for dads, sometimes also for accompanying children as well.

Avoid Any Grill Purchases

Nothing evokes thoughts of summer like a backyard BBQ, but as tempted as you may be to purchase a new grill this month, our research shows that the best time to buy a grill is in August and September. That’s when you can find discounts that take up to 50% off your favorite name-brand grills. If you can, make due with your current grill and upgrade at the end of the season.

Stock Up on Outdoor Gear

With warmer weather on the horizon, more people will want to exercise outdoors rather than inside a gym. The good news is that June is traditionally a good month for fitness apparel and accessories. Expect to see clearance sales from the likes of adidas, 6pm, and Puma. Discounts will range from 50% to 73% off items such as fitness shoes, apparel, and accessories.

Be Cautious With Your Apple Purchases

June is traditionally a busy month for the folks at Apple and that means consumers should make Apple purchases with caution. On June 8, Apple will commence its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, where its rumored to launch a variety of new products, from a redesigned Apple TV to its new music streaming service, Beats Music. While most of Apple’s computer hardware has already been updated, you should still wait on your Apple purchases because various back-to-school retailers are bound to discount Apple gear, including the Apple Store itself.

Likewise, if your iPhone is starting to show its age, you’ll want to wait until at least August before making the leap to a new iPhone. September is traditionally the month when Apple refreshes its iPhone line and that means you’ll find the year’s best iPhone 6 deals during the months of August and September.

Pass on the TV Purchase

If there’s one thing you should avoid buying in June, it’s a new TV. The summer months are traditionally bad for TV deals in the sense that you don’t see many deals, and prices are higher than usual.

However, if you must buy a new set, we recommend sticking with 55″ TVs. These deals have hit $500 every month since the start of the year, making them reliable and easy to find. If you don’t have room for such a set, 42″ TVs have plateaued at $300, although these deals aren’t as numerous as the deals on 55″ sets. Alternatively, we recommend looking at TV deals from Dell Home, which bundles generous gift cards with many of its TV deals.

Back-to-School Laptop Sales Begin

Although June is traditionally when students wrap up their school semester, many retailers use this month to launch their back-to-school sales. The Apple Store kicks things off with its back-to-school education discount, which last year bundled a $100 or $50 Apple Store credit with the purchase of a Mac computer or iPad/iPhone, respectively. Apple rarely experiments with its sale, so it’s likely we’ll see the same discount again this year. Just remember that stores like Best Buy and Amazon traditionally match, if not beat, Apple at its own game, so you’ll want to compare prices before committing yourself to a sale.

On the Windows front, we’re extra excited about this year’s back-to-school sales because on July 29 Microsoft will officially launch its new operating system, Windows 10. While the free upgrade may not directly affect deals, it could lead to trade-in incentives as we’ve seen in the past from retailers like the Microsoft Store, which offers a store credit when you trade-in an older Windows machine for a newer one.

As far as June prices are concerned, May was a blockbuster month with excellent deals on mainstream 15″ laptops with Intel’s latest processor, codenamed Broadwell. These machines sold for as low as $349. We expect deals on mainstream machines to remain within the same $349 to $399 range for most, if not all, of June.

Just keep in mind that back-to-school sales won’t begin until late in the month, and in the weeks to follow, you’ll be able to find laptops with discounts that take an extra 6% off the above-mentioned prices. Moreover, our data shows that the best sales traditionally arrive in August, so if you can afford to wait, we recommend holding off on any deals you see in June.

Ready to put this information to use? Set up an email alert or download the DealNews app in order to keep abreast of any and all of these best buys in May.

Louis Ramirez is a writer at DealNews, where this article first appeared. 

Share and Enjoy