"This is the grandma show of all time!" enthused Betsey Johnson, who welcomed Ella, granddaughter number two, into the family fold this year. The show had a seemingly tyke-friendly theme of pirates-meets-Peter Pan, but—needless to say—Betsey is no ordinary Grams, and although it was a romp, this was no Romper Room.
Johnny Depp, a.k.a. the drunken Captain Jack Sparrow, was another inspiration behind the collection; it seems he and Johnson have formed a mutual admiration society. (Hey, they both wear ribbons in their hair, don t they?) The models, even when sporting strangely attractive hoop-skirted dresses in kiddie-nursery prints, didn t G-rate their sex appeal. And the final "Robbed Royalty" section of the show, which involved handcuffed brides, kept Ellen von Unwerth s flashbulb popping.
Johnson herself, who took her traditional runway cartwheel dressed as Peter Pan, conceded that some of the show clothes were "over-the-top." (They will, of course, be adapted for retail.) That said, she really is focusing on broadening her label s appeal. Victorian jackets, bathing suits, intarsia sweaters, va-va-voom corsets, and tie-dyed maxi dresses added an accessibly trendy Tinker Bell flash to the zany proceedings. Clap your hands if you believe in magic!
