Kelly Preston looks smashing in her pink and black Betsey Johnson coat. Minnie Driver opts for the designer's black lace dresses. Salma Hayek and Kirsten Dunst love her violet lace gowns and flowery tea dresses.
It's no wonder these actresses can't grab enough of Betsey Johnson's designs. The godmother of the mini-skirt, who appeared on the cover of People magazine in black leather with a motorcycle, loves to invent and stay young.
The Manhattan-based Johnson, 64, once dubbed the "punk Pippi Longstocking," has built her long-standing career by following her own iconoclastic set of rules. And she is a New Yorker through and through. When she relaxes on weekends, she loves her East Hampton home which she calls, "my escape." She has spent many hours on the interior design of that country house as well as in her Manhattan apartment.
In the industry, and in Hollywood, she is known as a go-go gal who celebrates the exuberant, the embellished and the outrageous. Johnson has been rocking the fashion swells with her one-of-a-kind designs for more than 36 years.
Her classic looks of grunge, gypsy, slumbery and party vamp have paved the way for her current lace gowns, faux-fur collar shrugs, black and gold bra-revealing halter tops, big pleated skirts and floral, georgette, embroidered, satin peasant skirts. Add to that sarongs, ruffled net coats and wildly colored, patchwork leather skirts and you get a sense of who she is.
"Making clothes involves what I like, color, shape and movement," says Johnson. "I like the everyday process, the people, the pressure and the surprise of seeing the work come alive walking and dancing around on strangers."
"Like red lipstick on the mouth, my clothes wake up and brighten and bring the wearer to life, drawing attention to the beauty and specialness, her dreams and fantasies," she adds.
If someone like Johnson, a fun-loving Dorian Gray character, did not exist, the fashion press would have to invent her. In addition to her own shops - she opens between six and eight per year - her designs are available in more than 1,000 department stores and specialty shops around the globe. Her signature perfume, bath and beauty products are sold exclusively at her stores worldwide.
Her more upscale line, Ultra ($300-$2,500+), offers the best of her wide repertoire of silhouettes reinterpreted in high-end fabrics and delicate detailing of beads, rhinestones, embroidery and lace. They appeal to movie stars like Jennifer Aniston, Helena Bonham Carter and Heather Graham. (Bendel's in New York has done very well with it.)
"The clothes I am crazy about are strange, gorgeous little treasures," she says. "They are usually made with puff sleeves and are tightly fitted in rich, strong colors. The fabrics are nice to the touch."
Her ability and moxie to change with the times and remain unintimidated by over-the-top looks have made her a superstar with celebrity clients from Cher, Britney Spears and Julia Roberts to Liv Tyler, Ashley Judd, Rod Stewart and Melanie Griffith.
Her runway shows attract a who's who of art, music, film and business, including visits from Steven Tyler and Donald Trump. Bedecked in her own designs - bustier over a teeny weeny sundress over black leggings, with striped socks and blue or red platform shoes - she ends her jam-packed fashion shows with a trademark cartwheel.
"Betsey remains the youngest designer in the business," quips Fern Mallis, Executive Director of the Fashion Designers of America, which gave Johnson a "timeless talent" award two years ago.
Inspired by everything she has seen and experienced - from theater to music to street life - Johnson always stands by her own set of rules. "I'm one of those types like Tina Turner who kind of froze in an age where we were the happiest," says Johnson. "I wear everything today that I did at 16. The young never forget to feel special. That's why they get looked at."
Smart as one of her leather whip accessories and optimistic about her breast cancer treatments, Johnson feels as energetic as ever. Born in Wethersfield, Connecticut (near Hartford), Johnson spent her childhood in dance classes. At age four, she was taking ballet, tap, jazz and aerobics classes.
As a young dancer, she was constantly changing outfits and wearing dazzling, sequined costumes in bright, saucy colors. She loved the drama of dance, the excitement of recitals, and the silk, satin, lace and organza used to create the costumes. "I was greatly inspired by dance as well as what I saw in the movies, what kinds of music I heard, and what other kids were wearing," she recalls.
Johnson's first attempt at fashion design was a t-shirt. After Mademoiselle ran a small item about it, she got orders as well as a call from Paul Young who was looking for a hip, young designer for his hot company, Paraphernalia, a clothing boutique that showcased top London designers like Mary Quant, Tufin and Foale.
Soon her sexy silhouette designs and hippie inspired, flowing fabrics with whimsical detailing, were being worn by the "it" crowd - Twiggy, Marianne Faithful, Raquel Welch, Penelope Tree - and Johnson became a cult figure on both sides of the Atlantic.
"These were my ideal kinds of customers," she says, "extensions of me. I wish there were more like us around - then and now."
Forever young and full of life, Johnson spends her off time promoting breast cancer awareness causes and charities. Nothing will hold her back. n
