BJ, Betsey Johnson that is!

I have not been able to make a blog post in a while. But I am here today to give you a short and sweet ( with lots of pics) post on my first love in purses: Betsey Johnson.


A little anecdote: I got my first Betseyville purse from London when I turned 17. I fell in love with the quirky, cool designs she made. I went to her shop 5 out of the 14 days that I spent in London, buying every purse I thought I could not live without , both sale and full priced. I came back to the states and my purses were a hit among my peers. Girls all over wanted to know where I got my purses from and I was more than happy to tell them " Oh, they are only the hottest thing from London." Little would I know, Betsey would become insanely popular to the point where she started to sell her purses in Loehmans and other discount designer places... kind of bumming me out because that made my London originals loose their shine. But I still love them and I continue to buy Betseyville and Betsey Johnson Purses annually, only from her store of course.

So that's my little history with Betsey, let me tell you about her history.


Born in Wethersfield, Connecticut August 10th 1942, this new york based designer was making her original designs since the 1960's. Her inspiration, however, came from her desire to be a dancer and her love of the costumes.

In 1964 she entered and won the Mademoiselle magazine " Guest Editor Contest" and then landed a position as top designer at Paraphernalia a year later .


As apart of the youth quake, the 1960's Warhol scene, Betsey established her style with sexy silhouettes, hippie inspired fabrics, whimsical detailing and a great fit. If you ask me, her style seems to resemble that of Patricia Field very much.

Anyways, in 1969 she opened her first boutique called Betsey Bunki Nini.


In the early 1970's she became the creative director of Alley Cat which was a rock 'n roll clothing label.

She won a Coty Award in 1972, making her the YOUNGEST designer to ever received the honor, she was 30 years old.

After designing for other labels, Betsey teamed up with Chantal Bacon and started her current label, Betsey Johnson, in 1978. That same year they opened a store in Soho and in the early 80's opened up on Melrose Avenue in LA.


In 2003 was when the licensing endeavors began, giving her the opportunity to make shoes, underwear, belts, eye wear watches, jewelry, purses and much more.

Also in 2003 she visited Mexico and purchased a hotel and named it Betseyville. She visits there to get inspired and to work. She purchased a second house in Mexico and named it Villa Betsey. Both homes were featured in In Style Homes in 2005.


I bet you didn't know this: Betsey Johnson is a breast cancer survivor. She works as a strong advocate to fight against the disease. She was even appointed Honorary Chairperson for the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer initiative by the CFDA.

I learned some new information today. You all know that fashion week is approaching and everyone is doing all they can to get publicity. Well Betsey and Sharpie have joined forces and will make a sharpie shirt. Don't worry, she isn't the only one who will get to design with the permanent marker. There will be the first ever sharpie bar on select days during Mercedes Benz Fashion week where editors and attendees can get creative with plain white accessories, apparel and you can even draw on yourselves... but idk about that. Beginning September 15, fashionistas can visit www.sharpieuncapped.com to view some of the amazing Sharpie fashions and accessories, in addition to behind-the-scenes footage and an exclusive Betsey Johnson interview.


I don't know about you but fashion has gotten a whole lot more hands on and customer oriented lately... maybe because they want us to buy more so brands like Alexander McQueen won't sink like the Titanic.


Anyways Betsey has a daughter, Lulu, who was born in 1975 and inspired her freelance gig making Betsey Johnson's Kids, a line for children in edition to a line for men and maternity.
Award Center
-1999 Timeless Talent Award from the CFDA
-2003 Coty Award
-2002 Fashion Walk of Fame
- 2004 honor by the National Breast Cancer Coalition
-2005 Lifetime Achievement Award from NAWBO-NYC committee
-2007 Designer of the Year Award from Fashion Accessories Benefit Ball



Some words from Betsey herself: “Making clothes involves what I like…color, pattern, shape and movement…I like the everyday process…the people, the pressure, the surprise of seeing the work come alive walking and dancing around on strangers. Like red lipstick on the mouth, my products wake up and brighten and bring the wearer to life…drawing attention to her beauty and specialness…her moods and movements…her dreams and fantasies.” – Betsey Johnson


citation: 1,2,3

Blacks in Fashion... yes, again!

omg, did you miss me? I know I know! :-) I'm back now, so I have to give you, your blog fix.




So I have been thinking about my " Million Dollar Question" post on black designers after the huge/great response it received in addition to the release of the Italian Vogue " Black" issue. I am going to address both topics today.



So I am not retracting my beliefs that there are no black people doing what I believe we are capable of in the fashion industry, making it to the Gucci, Fendi, Prada status, because there aren't any. I just believe that black designers face a lot of challenges and disadvantages when it comes to the industry. As you have read many of the designers I have featured came from or married into money. Those who didn't, like Oscar de le Renta, had to work extremely hard to get to where they are. They also had strategic business moves and connections that helped propel them into popularity. A lot of black designers didn't have those luxuries, but some designers did try.

Aside from the few designers I named in my previous post, there are a few more that deserve mention. I don't want to forget to at least acknowledge reality TV designers, Mychael Knight and Korto Momolu from project runway. They were good designers and still are. They are both making a name for themselves in niche markets, Mychael in ATL and Korto making accessories.

The problem there is that they didn't win these shows so they really haven't had the opportunity to make it big like, say....

Christian did.



There are also the designers that I am not always too proud to mention, those are the entertainers/entertainers family members turned "designers." Now the reason I feel I need to talk about these people is that they made up the majority of " BET's list of Top Black Designers." Which included people like the Simmon's sister for Pastry, Beyonce and her mother for House of Dereon, Jay Z for Rocawear, Kimora Lee Simmons for Baby Phat, and the list started to taper off into the real "street fashion" like Apple bottoms, Vocal, and Billionaire Boys Club by Pharrell. While I am proud of all the designers for doing what they love and for what they have accomplished, I never believe in making clothing that I would never, ever wear. I know there is a market for everything, but morally I don't want to be responsible for young woman exploiting their bodies and some of these lines I think contribute to and profit from that epidemic.


Ok, so the list did include 3 designers that I think are worth mentioning, Sean Combs, Benjamin Bixby, and Tracy Reese. Now Sean Combs, believe it or not, is a member of the CFDA and has won an award in 2004 for menswear designer of the year. In case you don't understand what that means, no black people have won that yet, sooo. I mean we all love to hate him but the guy is doing his thing ! His fragrance 'I AM KING' won the Fragrance Foundation 2009 FiFi Award for Fragrance of the Year for men as well. He must have a great team helping him along. He also has the money to be the best and I'm glad he is taking advantage of that.


Benjamin Bixby, better known as Andre 3000. I just wanted to mention him because his style is so quirky and I love it. He also got into Barney's and was featured (positively) on The Cut blog. His line never got a lot of hype and is practically dead now, but he had a nice shot. He stuck to what he liked and he designed clothing that I know he would wear which is respectable. Do him a favor and buy his last shirt from Barneys.com, please !! :-)


Last but not least Tracy Reese. See now , our girl Tracy Reese is really doing her thing. She, too, is a member of the CFDA ( one of literally the handful of black people that are members) like Diddy. Well like many of the other successful designers, she studied in Paris as an apprentice. She attended Parsons School for Design and she also worked as the design director for the Women’s Portfolio at Perry Ellis. She has become known for her flowy, feminine dresses and vintage inspired separates that were and still are picked up by Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and other high end boutiques as well as in Europe and Asia.



One of her dresses was also worn by Michelle Obama on the cover of People Magazine. This is a huge deal because First Lady Obama has come under a lot of heat for not wearing African American designers. She chose to wear one of the best African American designers she could find. In fact her hubby, Mr. President himself, wore a suit by Oswald ( remember, from my previous post) in Ghana. Now all the critics can calm down because they have done their part. It's not there fault there aren't many options.


Anyways, Tracy Reese has a profile on NYmag.com and everything. Her Jazz Age inspired style has been a big hit across color lines and I can only hope she continues to grow. Check out some looks from her recent lines.





Another designer that was not mentioned on BET's list, but should have been, is Edward Wilkerson. From the age of 10 he knew he wanted to design. He went to an Art and Design high school in Manhattan and then on to Parsons School of Design. He worked with top designers like Donna Karen and worked in successful fashion houses like Anne Klein and Calvin Klein. He received the honor from Donna Karan to become a designer for the Donna Karan collection. After working with Donna for 13 years he was fired, but later told he could join her again at anytime.


In 1998 he joined Lafayette 148 New York as Design Director. While at Lafayette he uses his inspiration from Africa and his passion for photography to guide him in the clothing creation process.


What I love about him is that he built up the Lafayette 148 and he also has plus sized clothing which don't look like crap. However, I do think his price points are EXTREMELY high for a designer that is not that well known. I also am very confused about Lafayette 148's ownership . No where does it say he started it, but merely he built up the brand. He didn't join until 1998 and it was started in 1996. With that said, I am strong advocate of ownership, and I hope that he has some in that company because his designs are great and I would hate to see him taken advantage of like so many other designers ( black and other races).

Finally, let me not forget to tell you how I feel about the black Italian Vogue. I think it was a good thought however if they wanted to give black people the chance in the fashion industry that we are so often denied, they could have done it all the way. I think it should have featured black designers, black stylists, black make up artist, black editors, and black writers. I mean, I know the Vogue people are giving us an inch and I am taking a mile, but who says we don't deserve a mile? Who knows, people might actually like what black people have to offer to the fashion world, wouldn't that be a shocker? ( sarcasm)


ok loves, until next time. Sorry for the opinion overdose, but hey I'm sure you learned something lol.

<3

Citations: within entry

Once Princess, Now Queen Diane von Furstenberg: Leading Lady of the CFDA

This wrap dress queen was recently featured on MTV's The City for one of her many reality tv show collaborations. But she is more than a boss or a fashion critique. Much, much more.


Born on December 31, 1946 in Brussels, Belgium, DVF's real name was Diane Simone Michelle Halfin. Her Jewish middle class family consisted of her father was Leon Halfin who was Russian and served in WWII and her mother was Liliane Nahmias, a Greek Holocaust survivor.

She attended finishing schools in Switzerland, Spain and England. In 1965 she went to the University of Madrid and transferred the next year to the University of Geneva in Switzerland and studied economics. It was there that she met Austro-Italian Prince Egon von Furstenberg, heir to the Fiat automobile fortune. They got married in Paris July 16, 1969. When she realized she was to be married to him she decided she wanted a career and make something of herself and not just the girl who married up. Of course, for her wedding she wore her own design that was made by the house of Dior.

In 1969 she worked as an apprentice with Italian textile manufacturer Angelo Ferretti and began making his signature simple jersey dress .


Late 1969 the von Furstenbergs changed location and moved to New York City so the Prince could work on Wall Street. It was in New York that she was making samples out of her dining room of her Park Avenue apartment.


Her top cheerleaders Bill Blass, Kenny Lane, and Diana Vreeland encouraged her to put together a collection of her dresses. In April of 970 she had her first show at the Gotham Hotel in NYC within a moderate price range of 25-100 dollars.

In April of 1972 she established her own manufacturing business to make more clothing on a large scale. Richard Conrad and her father's $30,000 loan were the keys to Diane's first showroom on Seventh Avenue. It was there that she created her sweater dress named Angela after the black activist Angela Davis. She then birthed her wrap dress that topped $1 million dollars within the first few months. She was selling 20,000 wrap dresses per week.


Just as her career was taking off her marriage was dying. In 1975 her and the Prince separated and in 1983 they divorced and Diane kept their two children, Alexandre and Tatiana.



Her business only continued to grow after the split. She added more to her line such as furs, jewelry, shoes, scarves, sunglasses and the works, even house wears.

In 1977 she published her book Diane von Furstenberg's Book of Beauty.

Diane is much like our other business savvy designer, Liz Claiborne, in that she appealed to working women with her clothing. However her approach was to give them more luxurious clothing that would work for them during their work days. As if she wasn't already doing enough, she even included nurse uniforms and eye glasses which contributed to her $1 billion in sales in the 80's.


In 1985 she took an unexpected turn and moved to France to live with novelist Alain Elkann and founded a publishing house. 4 years later they broke up and she moved back to the US to her trusty farm in Connecticut that she lived in through her first marriage and break up.


In 1991 she made another book Beds and in 1993 The Bath for celebrity homes and bathrooms. Her commercial success only grew larger and larger with the years. In 1993 she also brought Lowel Nesbitts studio upon the death of the artist. The studio was famous for the figures and celebrities who once gathered there and even had a indoor swimming pool. She used this space until the early 2000's until it was sold and demolished.



She tapped into the home shopping network by marketing her dresses, furniture and other items on cable TV in the mid 90's. During her first segment, she sold $1.2 million in the first 2 hours.


In 1997 she published yet another book, this time a memoir " Diane: A signature Life." She also relaunched her clothing line this year and her wrap dress was once again warming the hearts of women everywhere.


In 2001 her love life caught up with her career and she married American media mogul Barry Diller, someone who had been off and on with since the 70's.



Award Center

• 2006 President of the CFDA
• 2005 CFDA life time achievement award
• 1986 May of the City of New York's Statue of Liberty Medal
• 1984- 1988 Savvy Magazine Award
• 1984 Einstein College of Medicine Spirit of Achievement Award
• 1983 City of Hope Spirit of Life Award
• 1977 Fragrance foundation award

More recently, actually from today, was the CFDA meeting held to discuss the future of fashion week. What was once a trade show is now becoming a burden for designers and their financially failing lines. It is costing them more then they are getting back and all the designers expressed their concerns to Diane, the president, in a town hall meeting style. Though no consensus was reached, Diane did reassure everyone that she will have a solution before she leaves office.


Well I think Diane is the B O M B D O T C O M because I mean who else do you know modeled a dress after a black activist ? I am honestly love everything she has done and I think she is a woman to emulate. She married up and decided that she wanted to work and be independent, how many times have you heard that. Usually woman take the lazy route when they marry royalty, but not Diane. I'm so loving her Bestey Johnson-esque, Lavin-like clothing. It is fun and well constructed. She knows what women want and she has been knowing that since the beginning of her career.

I am also impressed that she takes her business very seriously. For example she did not hesitate to sue Target and Forever 21 for copying her designs. She also speaks out against the unmentionables: underweight models and lack of diversity on the runways. Did I mention that she opens her studio regularly to host cultural events? Honestly, who could be a better role model ?


She is a woman who makes her own money, obtains her own success, stands up for what she believes in , and continues to grow as the years pass by and personally, I NEED to be like that. I'm also definitely not surprised that she is still making money through this recession, only the best of the best are. Her economics background, people-person personality, and eye for what women want are all factors that play into her success through out the years.

I am so impressed with her. That's the bottom line.


<3



Citations : 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,