Betsey Johnson

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Betsey Johnson
Born	Betsey Johnson 10 August 1942 (1942-08-10) (age 65) Wethersfield, Connecticut, United States of America
Residence	New York
Nationality	American
Occupation	Fashion Designer
Spouse	John Cale (1968–1971)
Children	Lulu Johnson
Website http://www.betseyjohnson.com

Betsey Johnson (born 10 August 1942 in Wethersfield, Connecticut) is a fashion designer best known for her feminine and whimsical designs. She also is known for doing a cartwheel at the end of her fashion shows. She took many dance classes as a child and adolescent which inspired her love of costumes. After high school, Johnson studied at the Pratt Institute and then later graduated from Syracuse University where she was a member of the Alpha Xi Delta sorority.^[1]

In 1968 she married Velvet Underground's John Cale. They divorced later in the year. She had a daughter, Lulu, in 1975 who now works with her and a granddaughter Layla.

She resides in New York but spends time in a house she owns in Mexico, which she named "Villa Betsey". Betsey also converted an old, small hotel in Mexico into a house which she rents out to interested people; this is called "Betseyville", and can accommodate 8–10 people.

[edit] Career

Johnson's fashion career started when she entered and won the Mademoiselle Guest Editor Contest. Within a year she was the in-house designer for the Manhattan boutique Paraphernalia. Johnson became part of both the youthquake fashion movement and Andy Warhol's underground scene, along with The Velvet Underground, Edie Sedgwick and Lou Reed.

In 1969, she opened a boutique called Betsey Bunki Nini on New York's Upper East Side. Edie Sedgwick was her house model and Johnson designed the clothing Sedgwick wore on her last film, Ciao! Manhattan.

In the 1970s, Johnson took control of the fashion label "Alley Cat" which was popular with the rock 'n roll musicians of the day. In 1972 she won the Coty Award. In 1978, Johnson started her own fashion line and then opened up her first retail store in Soho. Today, there are over forty-five of her stores worldwide. Tara Marie is her best friend.

In 2002, Johnson was inducted into the Fashion Walk of Fame. Then, in 2003, she expanded her line for 2004 to include handbags, accessories, hats, and scarves.

Johnson has designed for many celebrities including but not limited to: Courtney Love, Sarah McLachlan, Minnie Driver, Lil' Kim, Salma Hayek, Cyndi Lauper, Heather Graham, and Helena Bonham Carter.