Betsey Johnson's Comeback - Why Full-figured Girls Should Care

Back in February when Betsey Johnson filed for bankruptcy and closed down all 63 stores the internet exploded. Where would all the kitsch-loving retro-inspired fashion bloggers buy their cupcake dresses and rhinestone cat necklaces? As a fan of the brand for years I have amassed a sizable collection of Betsey Johnson necklaces, bracelets, shoes and bags. As a full-figured girl I was dismayed at the lack of sizes in her clothes--all her stuff only went up to a junior's size large, her bras only to a modest C-cup, some dresses went up to a very slender size 12. When Betsey Johnson stores closed down I did not weep, the one and only time I was in one the only clothes on the sales floor were in sizes 0, 2, and 4--if you wanted a larger size the salesgirl would have to pull it from the back. As someone who works in retail I know these decisions are not arbitrary, Betsey Johnson LLC was clearly sending a message to women everywhere: they don't want chubby women to wear their clothes.  The brand was tailored to Betsey-clones with skinny bodies, small frames, and preferably blonde hair. Girls like me could only stand outside peering through the frost-crusted window into a warm world full of pink tulle, roses, glitter, and lace.

See this dress? It's authentic from the 1950's but there is only one.

This is Betsey Johnson's Tea Party dress. She made it every season in a  new color, just not in my size. 

While Betsey Johnson LLC tanked my local Macy's still carried the jewelry and handbags. Before the announcement of the bankruptcy Betsey fans may have noticed a steep price drop in the brand's shoes and handbags, that's because the accessory part of the brand was sold to Steve Madden in 2010. Steve Madden scaled back the brand considerably and a few months after the bankruptcy announcement the Betsey website was up and running again, minus the clothes. Betsey herself blamed corporate structure and the "stores [that] started knocking off my $250 prom dresses for $49.” I find the statements by the designer very short-sighted when it comes to the changing climate of American retail and the shifting attitudes of the American buyer. Women interested in Betsey's clothes could afford her dresses in the failing economy if only the garments fit and flattered a more mature body, as one analyst said "the younger women that buy her don’t even have jobs anymore, let alone income.” In other words the American women with buying power are not young, rich, AND skinny anymore (arguably the BJ-trifecta necessary to wear her clothes.)

Send in the Betsey clones! Young, rich and skinny only please!

Lucky for us ladies with meat on our bones Steve Madden acknowledges this shift in the buyer's market and will be resurrecting the clothing brand in Macy's and Nordstrom stores. “ 'They’ll be young in spirit like Betsey is, but accessible for women up to 40 years old,' said Lisa Andriulli, a vice president of Macy’s. [She] added that the dresses have classic Johnson touches like fun prints and petticoats, but are sized more generously." Hopefully this means more wearable clothes for a wider variety of women that will still retain that retro aesthetic and young party-girl sensibility. However this is not the first time Betsey has promised diversity in her clothing line only to release Pink Patch in the same old tired junior sizes. Hopefully under the influence of a successful mass-market retailer like Steve Madden Betsey Johnson's resurrection will mean I can finally buy her iconic Marilyn sweater in a misses size large or extra-large and a tea party dress in a proper size 14. 

A Pastel Dream: Let Them Eat Lace!

It's no secret that pastels are having their day in the sun thanks to designers like Louis Vuitton's pastel carousel and Prada's retro-riffic video. This photo shoot called "Let Them Eat Lace!" embodies all the trends of the season with a strong dose of rococo flavor thrown in. Here are a few of my favorites by photographer Nicole Patricia Malina but you can see the full photo set HERE!

Thursday's Movie Review - How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)

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My Marilyn Monroe sighting in All About Eve (1950) has inspired me to watch more of her movies. I couldn't resist How to Marry a Millionaire (1957) since it also starred Betty Grable and Lauren Becall. Set in New York City the movie is about three models who rent an apartment outside their means to land themselves millionaires.



I love old romantic comedies like this that shoot straight--the movie is unapologetic about women wanting men for money and men wanting women for youth and beauty. The tale is as old as time but the fact that the women are actively trying to trap the men gives a fresh take to the story, politically correct or not. The actresses are endearing and the clothes left me drooling, there is even a fashion show in the middle of the movie! Watch this one with your single girlfriends so you can concoct your own plans to land a man that's "holding!"



Copy Lauren Becall's sophistication with the essential plainweave jacket ($158) and side banded pencil skirt ($60) in navy from The Limited. You can play around in the blue ASOS belted midi dress ($81) paired with a pink Candy Violet petticoat ($49) just like Betty Grable! Or channel Marilyn Monroe's effortlessly sexy style with the J. Crew Teddie dress ($198), Urban Outfitters Risky Readers ($14) and add a faux fur or vintage fur collar from Etsy (prices vary)! Bonus points for referring to a cute girl as a "strudel" or saying "creamy" in a sentence.

Viva La Juicy Ad Campaign

I love pretentious perfume ads--there's nothing quite like getting dressed in 19th century lingerie and making love to a giant perfume bottle while a French woman whispers to the camera.



There are a lot of things I do like about the ad. I like seeing women in their beauty routine, there is something about the transformation process that speaks to me. I love the unkempt French-girl aesthetic. That bottle with its perfect pink bow. Lastly I love the fantasy of the ad, after all isn't that what pretentious perfume ads are all about?

Corsetry and Petticoats, Oh my!

Every lady needs a foundations wardrobe, while Spanx may be effective they won't fill the vintage requirements of an anachronistic fashionista. Enter Vivien Hoffpaur of Candy Violet's retro waist cincher ($36) and petticoats ($39-56) to carve pudgy middles into a sleek hourglasses. The cincher's lace panels, waist bands, steel boning and garters make a girl feel sexy under her lolita frock or retro wiggle dress. Viv's classic fluffy petticoat now comes in four colors--pink, blue, black and white. Perfect worn under 1950's full dresses, lolita skirts or on their own as street fashion (think Betsey Johnson!)