Betsey Johnson's Cartwheel Days Are Over!? And Scope Out A Preview Of Her New Watches!

Fashion writer, Hayley Phela, brings us readers the latest scoop on Betsey Johnson!

"Last night, I popped over to Macy’s flagship for a meet-and-greet with Betsey Johnson who is launching her new timepiece line at the famed department store. And, I have to say, interviewing the kooky Betsey Johnson went down exactly as you’d expect.
After being ushered into a room filled with a couple of Betsey‘s handlers, I was welcomed to take a seat next to the famed designer, while another employee spread Betsey’s just-launched watch collection on the table. I introduced myself to Johnson, who gave me a warm welcome and motioned a hello with one hand–the other hand was otherwise occupied, getting a manicure. “I need my quick dry…where’s the quick dry?” she rasped, turning to her manicurist. “I have to fix the tips on my nails, if anyone takes pictures…” she trailed off, giving me a knowing look.



Once Betsey settled in a bit, we got down to business: The watches. “I hate to say it,” said Johnson, picking up a classic-looking round watch with leather strap, “But after the digital space cadet one, this one is my favorite because I’m grandma classic.”

“I just really love them. The numbers are big, they have a real weight to them…I mean Frankie has me down,” she said, before motioning to a man holding a champagne glass nudged into the back of the room. “Frank, he owns the company…,” she said and then turned to him asking, “Frankie what’s your last name?”




After establishing the man’s identity, Johnson went on, “Anyway, we license together in jewelry…what is it now? Seven years. And now he does my watches. Miriam Haskell is the company and she has been one of my favorite vintage jewelry designers.”

We have to say, whatever Betsey and Frank have been cooking up, it looks good. While there is certainly a fair dose of classic Betsey–think glitter, hearts and skulls–the watches were surprisingly sophisticated, and yes, “grandma classic.”

“What I love is that the collection has something for everyone,” Johnson said, strapping on a fifth watch to one of her wrists. “We go from kiddie to grandma, classic to cute, twinkly to chic.”



But it’s not every day we get to interview Betsey Johnson so we had to ask one final question: Got any cartwheel tips for the gymnastically-challenged?

“Oh, I don’t want to tip into a cartwheel anymore, believe me!” she laughed. “No, you know, it’s a rough thing but it’s a great thing to have to pull off every season. Actually I screwed up for the first time this season. I went to kick and I felt completely off-balance…everything was great, and then I walked out of the tents and the next thing you know in Las Vegas on an appearance scheduled the next I ended up in the hospital getting a leg brace from ankle to thigh that I got from just walking! So I think cartwheel is less dangerous for me.”

At the end of the interview, Johnson glanced at her wrists, which at this point were sporting four watches each, before asking, “Can we fit any more on here?”

And that’s kind of Johnson’s whole philosophy: More. We don’t think we’ve ever met a designer with such a lust for life–and seriously, we wouldn’t have Betsey any other way, kookiness included!"

Zac Posen Talks It Out!

Fashion writer, Hayley Phela, spoke to Zac Posen at his opening for his new shop called "Z Spoke".

"Last night we popped by the opening of Zac Posen‘s new Z Spoke store in the Meatpacking district. The new space, painted white and replete with a red carpet, fresh flowers and stacks of fashion-y book, is, much like it’s dynamo designer, the last word on glamour. We caught up with Posen, who looked adorably dapper (of course) in a pantsuit and colorful graphic shirt, to talk about the new space, his crazy work schedule (sometimes he doesn’t sleep) and the future of Z Spoke.



Fashionista: The store looks amazing. How did you pick this spot?

Actually the spot picked me! Our CEO is also the CEO of Scoop so we wanted to build the new store into Scoop’s space. I wanted to have a store that was a destination location, and I feel like this is it. You know, I’m a born a bred New Yorker so I knew it was important to have a destination.



Where in New York did you grow up?

I was born in SoHo on Spring street. My dad’s an artist, he worked in half the loft and we lived in the other half.



Is the building still standing?

My parents still live there! Yeah, so what I think of my parents is that they were hipsters. That’s why I’m so into glamour.



They were the original hipsters!

Yeah, they moved into the SoHo loft in the very early 70s–illegally. And you know back then it was all artists and young people. And now it’s…



Right. The property value must have skyrocketed.

Well, exactly. So I wanted to open a store in a place that felt like it was on a good path. And also a place that wasn’t hard to find.



Has this been a crazy-stressful or crazy-exciting time for you, getting everything ready?

Well, you know, [Z Spoke] is about creating what I think is the highest quality product at the lowest price. And I really love women and I love my customer so I’m going nuts trying to get her what she wants! It’s just the beginning and it’s going to get better. The bags are selling, they’re like flying off the shelves. And the clothing is still limited distribution so if I were a collector and wanted to buy…it’s a good time to start buying!



Are you excited to be showing again in New York this year?

I think that the experience I had in France gave me really great clarity–a great foundation for going international. And now I think I have great clarity on what I can give to America and who my customer is [here]. I think supporting American retail is really important.



What is your secret to making it through Fashion Week without collapsing?

Health food! Lots of green juices. Lots of rice. I go down to my Japanese supermarket on Broome and West Broadway to get my rice. I cook myself rice and beans every night. Even if I come home at like midnight from the office, I have to cook to relax. That’s my therapy–cooking.



Do you usually work till midnight?

I’m usually at the office till 9 or 10 at night. But during the shows…it can get quite intense.



What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep?

For real? Probably like two and a half days.



Wow. And you’ll do it all over again in just a week or too.

It can be daunting but it’s also really exciting. It’s exciting to see your brand grow, and you know branch of into different things.



Where do you see Z Spoke going?

I really see the brand as moving into a lifestyle brand–doing furniture and homeware.



What kind of pieces would you create?

Something very functional. This is a brand that is all about function!



And glamour we would add." - Fashionista.com