Heavens to Betsey
The wild child of fashion, the singular sensation, the nonconformist girly-girl, latter-day punk/modern-day woman, the one and only Betsey Johnson was honored by The National Arts Club in New York City on October 13. The award-the Medal of Honor for Lifetime Achievement in Fashion-was presented by the Fashion Committee of the club. Situated on the south side of New York City’s picturesque Gramercy Park, The National Arts Club (properly, the Tilden Mansion, a Victorian structure that dates from the 1840s), was founded in 1898 by Charles de Kay, then literary and art critic at The New York Times, in an effort to establish a gathering place for artists of every stripe—including, at least in the modern age, fashion designers.
The early evening ceremony was billed as black-tie-fitting for most fashion designers, and for the formal setting-but one that could just as well have been billed as “black jeans and lacy underthings,” such is the offbeat aesthetic Johnson is so known for. It’s this fun and frills milieu, as well as her vast insider knowledge, that’s kept Johnson fresh for so long—and kept her in business, for nearly four decades. “I’m so excited, honored and thrilled. It doesn’t get any better than this,” said the designer of the award. Johnson’s business partner, Chantal Bacon, introduced the designer along with International Fashion Syndicate editor Marylou Luther. The painter Dianne B. Bernhard is working on a portrait of Johnson that will be presented to the designer and eventually hung at the club, allowing Johnson her rightful place as an artist in these hallowed halls.
Tagged in: betsey johnson, fashion designer, radical fashion, national arts club, punk chic, radical, punk,,
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