BRING BETSEY BACK!
Editor’s Note: Betsey Johnson is known for cartwheeling down the runway, and for a while there, she cartwheeled into the palm-treed shopping landscapes of teen girls and teen women with her retail stores that were giant pink and punk checkmarks amid the muted desert neutrals of the mall. Below, Jessie Stackhouse writes about Betsey Johnson’s boutique stores, having visited her first in a mall in Jacksonville, Florida. Could there be some new version of the bedazzled Betsey fantasy for our “current real life fantasy” (as Jessie writes)? Here’s hoping! More escapist boutique atmospheres do seem to be in order. To contribute your own Betsey Johnson boutique memory, email kelsey@veryfamousmagazine.com or DM us on Instagram. — Kelsey
No one screams I AM VERY FAMOUS quite like Betsey Johnson!
Bedazzled.
Adorned.
Adored!
She’s 80 and still FABULOUS. Platinum blonde and tan with thick, black mascara-lined eyes matched with an all-knowing glossy grin.
Her iconic thorny roses are so bright and punchy! I swear you can smell them from…the screen. At least, that’s what we’re stuck with these days. I’m still dripping from the thorn of discovering ALL BETSEY JOHNSON STORES are CLOSED. Apparently, they’ve all been closed for a decade. How is it possible I’m just now learning this as a 40.5 year old “adult”?
I remember the first time I walked into my first Betsey Johnson boutique experience in Jacksonville, FL. It was my cubicle break/jail break/lunch break. I drove my 100-degree Corolla to the Gate Parkway outdoor mall. A blast of cool AC greeted me from that humid FL air. My spirits were quickly lifted as my fingers grazed chiffon, satins, pleathers, vinyls, and all sorts of statement making! accessories. Black and white sparkling tiles were gleaming and leading me down to the register as though I was headed down the aisle…forever.
I was in LOVE. Head-over-black-glitter-platform heels. With bows!
Betsey is notorious for illuminating and bringing to life any fantasy we have, regardless of our age. She transforms our reality to the people we dream we can be, the people we are, and the people we will become.
Feeling VERY famous goes along with being adorned in Betsey.
Are you a mermaid? She’s got the iridescent glitter-crusted shell earrings with starfish, not too heavy, not too big, they’re just right.
You’re a platinum cowgirl? She’s got the bedazzled boots to kick the serious shit you’re dealing with.
Skulls + spider rings crawling up your fingers for those who walk on the dark side.
There is always flair and something special for the wild ones. Something special for YOU.
Top off your look with a spritz or two of her signature syrupy yellow-gold liquid perfume with the high-quality plastic pink chandelier topper. (To me, her signature scent is reminiscent of running around as a child in oversized heels + smeared lipstick + oversprayed with my Mom’s ’80s Aqua Net and Red Door perfume.) Nostalgiaaahhh.
With Betsey, you can step out of reality into any dream. And that’s what it was like stepping into her store.
Any purchase came in a slick BRIGHT HOT PINK bag with satin black handles plus the signature black Betsey Johnson logo. So chic overfilled with fresh, soft, and vibrant PINK tissue paper.
Speaking of tissue, I wanted to reach for one when I discovered all stores closed. Snif. Snif. Is it even more terrible that I didn’t discover this until 2023? Eleven years since she filed for BK? Our world is virtual now, I get it. We can still scroll, click hearts on IG, and purchase online. I consider myself lucky to still be able to poke around online or find a hidden gem of hers in Marshalls or T.J. Maxx.
Her online business must be booming. I’ve been hit with at least a dozen relevant ads since I started this piece 48 hours ago. My feeling is, Betsey Johnson is still thriving. As an entrepreneur, I’m sure she made the right call to close shop and pivot. I imagine her poolside in Mexico sipping champagne in Betseyville right this very moment.
JUNE GLOOM is full-force today in LA. I can’t help but daydream about walking into her store again for a burst of Betsey energy. I know it’s just a bedazzled fantasy, I just can’t help but wish she’d relaunch an actual retail space. There’s plenty of open retail space (sadly, more stores closing left and right) in my current real-life fantasy in Los Angeles for a L.A. flagship…or at least a pop-up. The old Wildfox spot (now empty) on Sunset? West Hollywood? Melrose? Anywhere?!
XOXO,
Jessie
***
Jessie Stackhouse is a 40.5 year old fashion school dropout + Fitrepreneur residing with her cat, Pea, at the base of the Hollywood sign in L.A. Jessie is the Owner and National Recruiter at Just Fitness Staffing. She staffs boutique fitness studios and big box gyms throughout the United States. Follow her adventures on Instagram @jessie.stackhouse and fitness job opportunities @just.fitness.staffing.
