Betsey Johnson

Betsey Johnson started her style at Paraphernalia: sexy, hippie inspired and over the top.
The Mermaid Dress (above) is made from 100% silk. It features a low V-neck and a unique design at the waist.
Get the Mermaid dress @ Couture Candy.

The pink Satin Bow dress (left) is also made of 100% silk. It's fun, flirty and sexy. The cap puff sleeves and the ruffles give it a playful character.
The Tiered Dress in blush (center) is also pure silk with polyester lining. The flirty design makes this a perfect choice to go out.
The black mini dress (right) is made from silk for comfort. The dress features white printed hearts, for an adorable look.

The pink Satin Bow dress, Tiered Dress in blush and the black mini dress are all available @ Couture Candy.

The seventies brought a new job for Betsey Johnson. She became the creative head of "Alley Cat", a brand popular with the rock stars of those days. With her rock n'roll clothing, she won the Coty Award, which made her the youngest designer to receive the award.

In 1978 however, designing for other labels was a thing of the past. She started the Betsey Johnson label and opened a store in the center of Soho.
The eighties brought expansion and fame to the label. They opened a store on a store on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles and from there many more stores, bringing the total tot over 50 worldwide today.

The international fame started in London, when the (now very popular) store opened in 1998. Vancouver and Toronto followed soon in Canada and in 2006 Japan was no longer a dream.

The black & cream Halter dress is extremely sexy. The center front zipper adds to the sexy look. It's made of acrylic, silk and polyester.

The Chiffon Bow dress (left) has a navy accent and is made of 100% silk. It's probably a good choice for the less daring woman that wants to wear Betsey Johnson.
The Sequin Strip dress (center) gets back to what Betsey is known for: sexy, daring and glamorous. It's made of 95% polyester and 5% spandex. The funky dress gets more style from a razor cut back and more glamor from the silver and black stripes.
The Trapeze Dress (right) is a perfect little black dress. It's 100% pure silk with short puff sleeves.

Get the black & cream Halter dress (top), the polka dot Chiffon Bow dress (left), the Sequin Strip dress (center) or the black Trapeze dress @ Couture Candy.

The expansion of stores is one thing, but the brand also grew a lot.
2003 was the start of the expansion of the brand with shoes and lingerie. it didn't stop there though: handbags, belts, cold weather accessories, eyewear, watches, jewelry, swimwear, legwear and perfume all got a place in the Betsey Johnson brand.

You can measure the success of a brand in 2 ways. One is the obvious expansion of the brand. Another is the awards earned by the designs.
The Fashion Walk of Fame (2002), the Lifetime Achievement Award by Signature Awards and NAWBO-NYC (2005), the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Accessories Council (2005), the Designer of the Year Award at the Fashion Accessories Benefit Ball (FABB) (2007) are some very notable awards received.

Many celebrities are wearing Betsey Johnson designs: Courtney Love, Sarah McLachlan, Minnie Driver, Lil' Kim, Salma Hayek, Cyndi Lauper, Heather Graham, and Helena Bonham Carter are just a few.