Photos by Matthew Passiglia
Exuberant. Vivacious. Effervescent. Betsey Johnson’s S/S16 collection was FUN. Dedicated to her childhood dance teacher, The Curious Case of Betsey Button celebrated 50 years of Betsey’s career as a fashion designer. 50 years!
The show began, Benjamin Button style, with her most recent work first, featuring her signature bold color palette and voluminous silhouettes. As each mini collection took us back through the decades, Betsey narrated in between each set, evoking the trends of the time with her own unique twist and cheeky commentary. The entire run was like a dance party you never wanted to leave. Her models amped up the already lively show by dancing and twirling down the runway while assuming alter-egos of each decade, from punk, flower child, rocker to tiny dancer. The final nine looks were all inspired by Betsey’s childhood dance costumes, marking the perfect end to a fantastic walk down memory lane.
Ending the show with a parade of balloons and her signature cartwheel into splits, Betsey Johnson truly is a living legend. Earlier this year she was awarded the CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award. I don’t know what’s next for the designer. Her S/S16 collection was equal parts celebration and bittersweet. What I do know is that it was truly an honor to be a part of such a monumental collection. Betsey is a designer that tells a story, invokes a feeling and does it all with her own special dash of theatricality. I thoroughly enjoyed the show.