NorthStar Vintage

Vintage Clothing from Maine

Northstar Vintage Webstore: Betsey Johnson for Alley Cat Dress

Posted on | February 24, 2010 | No Comments

Betsey Johnson has always been ahead of her time, not just with her fashions, but with her business sense, her trajectory, and even her own sense of style.

After winning Mademoiselle Magazine’s “Guest Editor Contest” (which sounds like the 60’s version of Project Runway) Johnson was hired on as a designer for Paraphernalia, a company known for bringing the British Boutique and Mod look to the U.S.

Influencing and being influenced by the Andy Warhol art scene, in 1968 Johnson married John Cale from the Velvet Underground, who were pretty much the soundtrack of the movement.

Again, Johnson was decades ahead, by going pantless (a la Lady Gaga to her own wedding). According to New York Magazine (2003), she married Cale at a civil ceremony wearing a crushed velvet tunic, and “Definitely showing crotch” after she was turned away for wearing pants.

Changes at Paraphernalia, meant Johnson was losing creative control, she left to form her own company, Alley Cat, in 1970. She designed high fashion/low cost clothing for stylish (and poor) young women, and preceded today’s DIY movement by putting out patterns, and even a series of cutout paper dolls in Mademoiselle magazine.

From this era of Betsey Johnson design, we are offering this amazing 1970’s embroidered peasant dress in a very forward shade of hot pink. This dress is from a woman who lived in Greenwich Village during the 1970’s, and wow, am I jealous of her! (Click on the dress to see more).

pinkbjmain

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