Hot off the trails of Boston Fashion Week, Betsey Johnson, a New York fashion designer and owner of her own label since 1978, held a fashion show at the Cyclorama this past Saturday in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Proceeds from tickets went to the South End Community Health Center's new breast cancer prevention program. The 69−year old designer, who fought breast cancer over a decade ago, has since used her success and talent to promote the cause.
And yet this doesn't quite answer: Why Boston? Breast cancer awareness events happen all over the United States — especially in October — and after Boston ranked in GQ'sworst−dressed cities list, it seems to be an unlikely locale for a high−profile designer to put on a show.
It turns out Johnson did have an ulterior — though hardly insidious — motive for choosing Boston. Her visit came on behalf of her brother, Bobby Johnson, president of the South End Community Health Center and local Boston resident.
Regardless of Johnson's reason for coming, fashion lovers and patrons of the cause were promised a complete, New York−style show exhibiting Johnson's Fall/Winter ready−to−wear collection.
While fashion shows typically last for half an hour at most, Johnson seemed truly determined to host an evening−long affair. Guests mingled, combed through their gift bags, took photos in front of a BetseyJohnson−logo backdrop and even met the designer herself when she appeared among the crowd before the show.
In addition, the Cyclorama was transformed into an open, glossy white space. Pops of pink reflected Johnson's signature color while alluding to the iconic pink ribbons of the breast cancer awareness cause.
Though the show was scheduled to start at 7 p.m., it kicked off a few minutes fashionably late. When the seating lights finally dimmed, the long, illuminated white runway became the main focus. Johnson briefly appeared onstage and playfully spray−painted"XOXOBetsey" in pink beneath her label logo.
Next came the models. It's worth mentioning that the average Betsey Johnson model is nothing like the stereotypical, expressionless waif associated with most designer shows. They have more in common with the lovely ladies of Victoria's Secret than the avant−garde Kate Moss. Rather than using models as walking coat hangers for her designs, Johnson chooses women who are sexy, playful, energetic and confident — personality traits that fall perfectly in tune with, and even amplify, the style of the clothes.
The clothes themselves stayed true to Johnson's typical over−the−top canon. Bold cheetah prints, touches of pink and skull patterns adorned a number of pieces, and the cuts carefully danced between girly and all−out sexy. The show was clearly about "girl power" — a fitting message for an event benefiting breast cancer awareness.
Standout items from the show included a skull−coveredbodysuit, a red plaid and pleated schoolgirl skirt with a matching blazer, a pink and purple ruffled dress with lace sleeves and graphic tees designed to look like comic−book pop art. Johnson contrasted nearly all of these feminine looks with her staple '80s glam necklaces and chunky, aggressive footwear.
After the last model strutted down the runway, Johnson appeared before the cheering crowd in her iconic pink tutu and customarily cartwheeled into splits right on the catwalk.
Soon after Johnson's lively performance, the string of models reappeared, sporting graphic pink tanks. The shirts bore an altered design of the famous "We Can Do It" illustration from the 1940s, subbing in Johnson for Rosie the Riveter.
The show ended with a speech by Johnson and her brother, which shed light on the creation of the event and the breast cancer program it benefited.
After their words, in perhaps the biggest surprise of the night, a representative from the Boston Mayor's Office thanked Johnson for her contribution to the city, and somewhat comically proclaimed Oct. 15 as "Betsey Johnson Day."
Whether or not the new citywide holiday will inspire Beantown residents to trade in their St. Patty's Day gear and Bruins jerseys for pink tutus is yet to be seen. Regardless, by the end of the night, it was clear that Johnson had contributed more than her name and her clothes to the fundraiser.
The event represented a sincere effort on her part to put on a show worthy of a New York stage, all while raising a significant $150,000 for an excellent cause.
