Without a doubt, Betsey Johnson’s show is one of the most eagerly-anticipated events in all of fashion week. No other designer has imagination or vision that can even come close, & Betsey has been doing this a long time. She’s 69 years old… & it still didn’t stop her from doing her trademark cartwheel — & this year, a split! — on the runway!

Monday night’s show was a retro-pop extravaganza, exploding with colour, sequins & faux fur. The collection was called “BETSEYMANIA”, & opened with archival footage of teenage girls screaming for The Beatles. Suddenly, the catwalk exploded with girls. Wearing round Lennon-esque sunglasses & newsboy caps with vertically striped stockings, they rocked it out in houndstooth, tweed, bright fluffy coats & elaborate embroidered Sgt Pepper coats.

A sheer white shirt worn with a skinny black leather tie & lace-front leather mini was a highlight, & like everyone else, Betsey showed a black duster coat. (Definitely something to pick up for next fall if you like the look!) The set of black, white & red was capped off with a sheer black shift covered in silver beading, & then the colour came.

There were hot pink faux fur shawls & leopard-print swing coats; huge pink & orange hats; an orange plaid coat with fur cuffs & collar; a psychedelic monarch butterfly-print coat; big orange & pink faux fur hooded coats worn over shift dresses; a pink & black striped pantsuit; floral-print silk pants worn with a sheer yellow blouse & a hot pink faux fur scarf; & neon pink stockings worn with high black boots.

The mix of pink & orange was gorgeous & totally inspired. I predict we’ll be seeing a LOT of it, soon!

The music — as it always is at Betsey’s shows — was some of the best of MBNYFW. 50 Cent battled it out with Dusty Springfield & Jimi Hendrix; old Beatles tunes were mixed into loud, dirty dubstep, & the audience was dancing in their seats.

It was such a sublime show. I’ve been to every Betsey Johnson show for years, & they never disappoint, but I can say without a doubt that this was one of her strongest in recent years. The direction was sharp & clear, with a huge sense of humour, & plenty of wearable pieces for bold girls! In fact, to get an idea of what the show was really like, you can watch it right here. (The music, sadly, is different!)

She always turns it out for the goodie bag, too. The contents, for the curious: A giftbox containing twelve miniature bars of Green & Black’s chocolate; Aveda Damage Remedy daily hair repair; a sample of Betsey Johnson’s Too Too fragrance; a little card alerting us all to the fact that Betsey Johnson is releasing a nail range through Sephora by OPI in March!; Maybelline Illegal Length mascara; Betsey Johnson Sephora by OPI kiss-print nail stickers; Betsey Johnson Too Too Shimmer Powder; a pair of hot pink rose print ankle socks; a striped thong; & three pink glittery Betsey Johnson Baked by Melissa cupcakes!

Thank you, Betsey. You always delight & inspire us. We love you!

Words by Gala Darling  (@GalaDarling)