Good evening lovelies! I hope everyone had an amazing Mother's Day, and for those who are still celebrating I hope it stays sweet.
Tonight, I want to talk about a bit of news that I just heard in the fashion industry that has blown me out of the water: Betsey Johnson is closing down.
Yes, the beloved Betsey Johnson is closing many of the 63 stores in the country after over 40 years in the business. Starting out with Betsey Bunkey Nini in 1969, the company grew, but after experiencing more than 20% sales loss since 2007 and not recovering, Steve Madden couldn't even save the company, and now the websites and stores will now close for good. Every store location has started a liquidation process that will end sometime in July with all the stores closing.
Remembering Betsey Johnson: My Style
I fell in love with Betsey Johnson about 5 years ago when I first moved out for school in San Diego. I had no idea who Betsey Johnson was or even the slightest notion that such a style existed, but many girls in my classes wore her clothes and a few girls even worked at the store 5 minutes down the road. Very quickly, through various class presentations and unintentional fashion shows, I became quickly acquainted with the brand and fell in love. I was quite lucky that Fashion Valley Mall was only 5 minutes away and happens to house a very small but well-stocked Betsey Johnson boutique. Unfortunately the prices were so high at the boutiques I could never drop $50 on a ring at once, so I just had to admire from afar. It wasn't until one day venturing into Macy's that I discovered the store carries Betsey Johnson, and also happens to offer a credit card (Debatable as to whether that's a good thing since I seem to keep paying it off and then finding more things to "need"). My first-ever purchase from Macy's was a giant Betsey Johnson gold heart-and-glass ring that says "Fly Away with me" with a mirror background. If i hit someone with that ring they'd be down for the count.
Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Coach; none of those brands meant anything to me once discovering Betsey. I found myself gravitating to the overall style the line exudes. Luxury to me was not to be toting around the latest Coach, but to be wearing a Betsey Johnson dress with a beautiful flower in my hair and red lipstick with cute wedges. To be honest, that's still my style aesthetic. Sweet, feminine, and just enough quirk to make it interesting.
While I will no longer be able to go to a Betsey boutique and drool outside of it's windows longingly, I will be able to remember the sweet style that Betsey injected into the world, and take that style into my own wardrobe. The company will be re-done and Miss Johnson plans to have a fashion show in September. We can only hope!
Rock on!!!
