All Hail Betsey Johnson!

Last Saturday the Michigan fashionistas were out in full force. Macy's Somerset hosted an in-store appearance and shopping event that featured everyone's favorite fun designer, Miss Betsey Johnson. Fans began lining up promptly at 10 a.m. when the store opened and the crowd screamed when she finally came down the escalator to greet her fans just after 2 p.m. But, before she greeted her fans, Hip in Detroit got the chance to sit down and have a chat with Betsey behind the scenes.

Betsey took over a small room in the executive offices of Macy's and began making hats on the fly while she got ready for her appearance. The teeny, tiny fashion designer was a fun and fabulous as her clothing. Betsey talked about her favorite fashion dos and don'ts and what made her a successful business women for the last half a century. Check out out 6 minutes with the star and scope all the great shots of fans that we took during the event! 

Meet Betsey Johnson at Somerset this Saturday

Betsey Johnson has been a fashion icon for decades. Most trends come and go, but her eye for the over the top and her ability to stay true to herself has kept her brand going for almost half a century. In the 60's and 70's she dressed Edie Sedgwick when she ran around town with Andy and in the 90's she changed style forever when she put Lisa Loeb in one of her little black dresses for the video Stay.

 At the turn of the century, she became the only upscale designer that made fun things for women who still wanted to feel great and stand out in a crowd. This trendsetting black sheep of the fashion industry has done what most designers cannot. She has stayed relevant and stayed ahead of everyone else in the game, which is why it will be so special to meet her in person at Macy's at Somerset this Saturday, May 19th. Betsey will be making an in-store appearance at Macy's from 2 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. to take pictures and say hello to her die hard fans. To meet the queen of color you can come to Macy's to shop her latest line. If you make a $50 purchase, you will qualify to receive a special gift bag filled with goodies and to take a snap with Betsey. To find out more about the event click here.  

~S

Betsey's Back!

This past weekend I got some great news from my sister! There's yet another store that I can buy Betsey Johnson gear at! Unfortunately, it's not at her own, cute, little hot pink shops. Sadly, they're still closed. Instead, you can now purchase Betsey's "Betseyville" line at your local JCPenney! Probably the best part about this is that all of the merchandise is super affordable, even more so than the "Betseyville" line has been in the past.

After checking out the collection online, I ran over to the Penney's at Lakeside Mall yesterday to see the goods for myself. Tons of cute stuff! The department store is carrying shoes, boots, pajamas, bags, tights, leggings, jewelery, scarves and other accessories. Oh yeah, did I mention... it's cheap! 

The bags were all pretty cute and ranged from about $30-$60. Most were some sort of cloth, but there were some that were faux leather. Some were a little younger looking, but the large totes would be great for overnight bags! There's also a wide variety of pajamas, including hooded robes that are only $35 and look super comfy! 

My favorite selection was definitely in the shoe department though. Although the shoes are all priced affordably, ranging from $35-$65, they still seem to be really good quality and classic Betsey style. There are
even knee high boots for $65! And they're cute! That's a steal regardless of the name slapped on the sole! 

Overall, I liked the selection the store had. I picked up a pair of cute black flats with spikes on the toe, which I'm sure you will catch me wearing all of the time now. Some of the accessories weren't quite as cute as I would have liked, but others were way nicer than I expected. I will say, the jewelry was all quite disappointing though. Quite chincy and maybe even a little tacky. It definitely seemed to be geared towards younger shoppers. Luckily, many other department stores still carry the regular Betsey Johnson jewelry!

In addition to the new "Betseyville" line, JCPenney has added some other brands that you might not expect to see there. It's all part of the new look they are going for. You can now find Buffalo clothing and a line by Cosmopolitan in their stores, as well as mini Sephora and a Levi's "shops" within the department store. I was really excited to see them featuring Levi's after they closed most if not all of their store fronts this year! This small little shop was super organized (unlike the Levi's section at some other stores) and also priced fairly well. (The Levi Leggings were regularly priced at $35, usually that's the sale price at other stores!)

All in all, the "Betseyville" line and the other additions to JCPenney are a great reason to go into a store that you normally might pass up unless you were buying a gift for Grandma.

~C

It's a Sad, Sad Day.

This morning I woke up to one of the most upsetting emails. It contained the picture below. 

 

Could it be true!?!?!? All Betsey Johnson stores are closing!?!?!? Such a bummer! 

Honestly, it isn't that surprising. The last year or so I really haven't been impressed with her collections. But still! I can't believe they are going out of business! What girl isn't drawn to that bright pink store every time they walk into Somerset? Even girls like me, that don't like pink, can't stay away! Hell, I even know plenty of guys that enjoy going in there just to see the cute girls on staff. And let's be honest boys, if you buy a girl something Betsey for any occasion, they will love you forever. Or at least like you for a while.

Nonetheless, the store will be no more. As you can see on the flier, right now everything is 20-50% off. It sounds like Betsey's merchandise will still be available at department stores and a few of her shops in NYC might stay open. So at least we will still get to buy her gear. I will still miss going in to her stores and looking at all of the pretty and fun things, wishing that I could afford them all. 

If you want more info on Betsey's bankruptcy and store closings, here is a good article I found.

The two nearest Betsey Johnson stores are at Somerset Mall on the North side and Twelve Oaks in the newer addition by Nordstrom. If you need me in the next few weeks, I'm sure you can find me at the Somerset store pretty much every day!

~C