BETSEY JOHNSON’S BIRTHDAY

Recently, New York Magazine reported that Betsey Johnson was yearning to retire. She told them that she’s “basically screwing up” because she’s not retired, and that she’d like to go into her office four days a month so she can spend her time traveling.  She added that she and her partner, Chantal Bacon, have been working on a succession plan for a year now. Who might succeed Johnson? It’s hard to imagine anyone, but the designer points to Eric Sartori, who previously designed for Vera Wang, Hervé Léger, and Azzedine Alaïa as a potential fit.

Retirement plans aside, Johnson has been drumming up buzz about her birthday this year in true Betsey style.

Johnson has always been known to be a wonderful, ebullient personality who cares about her customers, so it was fitting that she hit all of her New York stores the eve of her big day to greet and mingle with customers as they indulged in cupcakes and lemonade in celebration of the birthday girl.

The designer said that events like this help boost sales, and that the numbers are just beginning to get better. What are her hot sellers? Despite what some may think, her bestsellers are her “crazier” items, including a black and white skull-printed jumpsuit and a red and black spider-printed hoodie. 



For those who couldn’t make it to a Betsey boutique, but still want to get in on the nostalgic fun, the designer just brought her collection of archived fashion shows, dating back to the designer’s first show in 1978, to her Web site, betseyjohnson.com. The show videos will also be posted weekly on Johnson’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.

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