NEW YORK (AP) – Of course she did her signature cartwheel. Of course she landed in a split, rolled over on her back and lay splayed on the ground, just luxuriating in the applause.
Folks, she’s Betsey Johnson.
The 73-year-old designer with the signature blonde mop on her head was having her usual grand old time on Friday at New York Fashion Week – actually, perhaps even grander than usual – as she celebrated 50 years in fashion with a delightfully zany show heavy on sparkle, color, stripes, flounce and pizazz. Oh, and balloons: the show ended with all her models holding silver “50” balloons as they skipped around in a circle, Johnson among them.
In a backstage interview, Johnson said she was dedicating her show to her now 94-year-old dance teacher from her hometown in Wethersfield, Conn., Ann Pimm, who traveled to New York for the occasion.
“She was my teacher from when I was 4 years old until high school,” Johnson said as she prepared for the show. “Ballet, acrobatics and tap. You know, I wanted to be a Rockette.”