Betsey Johnson Is Always a Party

Halfway through the wait for the Betsey Johnson show I became convinced that someone was going to jack my seat, and more importantly, my gift bag.

Worse, I was sure it would be someone's toddler, and then I would be left to decide if I've really become the kind of person who wants to fight over lip gloss with a small child. (Answer: Tragically, yes.) I justified it to myself like this: What would a two-year-old do with a Betsey Johnson thong?

The clothes were loads of fun, as usual. Later in the day, I sat next to another journalist at the Ports 1961 show and she mentioned that Betsey Johnson is "for high school kids ... not for us." Now, I understand that I might be a little arrested, but I disagree. I think just about every woman can use a good party dress, and that's Betsey's specialty. This year, there was a lot of black, which made for a less Betsey-like show in some ways, but is a lot easier to wear. (Those of us who don't fit into the high school kids group should probably avoid anything super-ruffley. Some of the ruffles in this season's show were like six inches long. That's a lot of ruffle for a grown-up lady.)

My favorite part of the show, though, was the end when they showed some of Betsey's favorite of her clothes over the past thirty years. This was all in honor of the line's thirtieth anniversary, and it reminded me why I love her clothes so much: they're fun.

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images. Betsey Johnson Fall 2008.