Betsey Johnson Does L.A.
Betsey Johnson made no formal appearance at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Sudios, but Betsey-mania came to town on Oct. 22.
She greeted more than 100 fans during a rare visit to the Betsey Johnson boutique on Los Angeles’ Melrose Avenue. Store sales went up an estimated 50 percent, said manager Jenny Angelillo. “It’s like prom and Betsey is the homecoming queen,” she said. A crowd of 200 contributed to a similar hullabaloo when Johnson visited Nordstrom in Costa Mesa, Calif.
The long reception line at the Melrose store didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of fans such as 17-year-old Kristen Burzynski. She had traveled from Mission Viejo, Calif., to give Johnson a pink box filled with chocolate truffles and have her picture taken with the longtime designer. Johnson was a veteran of Andy Warhol’s Factory scene of the 1960s and owns more than 45 self-named boutiques.
Thirteen-year-old fan Sophia Spektor came from Los Alamitos, Calif., with her mother, Zoya, to gain sage advice from the designer.
“She told me to enjoy high school, buy a sewing kit and make clothes for friends. If I think something is particularly good, show it to a boutique,” Spektor said.
Johnson, who was wearing one of her “Marilyn” three-quarter-sleeve tees, said she would probably limit her Los Angeles appearances to store visits, not fashion week galas. “I get close to doing it,” Johnson said of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios. “But I already do a [fashion week] show in New York. Doing another show would be like doing an extra cartwheel.” —Andrew Asch
