In a time when fashion is getting faster than ever, with designs knocked off from the runways just weeks after a collection is shown, it's a miracle that Betsey Johnson is still in business. It's her brand of wearable, trendy looks that are most copied and her customers are just as likely to look to mass retailer H and M for their wardrobe staples as they are to Johnson. It would seem to only be a matter of time before we see a Betsey Johnson for H and M or Target collection.

Her clothes really aren't so different in terms of quality or style from these retail giants, but the crucial element they possess is the cachet of the Betsey Johnson name, worn by those loyalists who think of themselves as a "Betsey Johnson Girl." Though this girl might be appear to be something of a poor rock 'n roll groupie, slumming it on Avenue A with her punk boyfriend, she's actually armed with her own credit card and frequent flier miles. She may not be a lady, but she still likes to play dress-up in ladylike clothes - "like" being the operative word here.

For fall 2007, it was tea party time at the Betsey Johnson "School of Charm," her theme for the show held on Tuesday afternoon, February 6 at Bryant Park. Swapping the usual front row seats for tiny tables, atop which sat shiny silver teapots and chocolate cookies for guests like Russell Simmons, Fran Drescher, Cyndi Lauper and Amber Tamblyn, Johnson set the stage for a collection filled with her usual assortment of party dresses and sassy day looks.

After starting the show with two French maids who walked down the runway with feather dusters in their hands, Johnson's opening looks were a series of subdued - and quite charming - navy and white day ensembles, ranging from silk and knit dresses, to a knit capelet paired with a polka dot twill dress, to a sweet navy and cream shorts suit. It was sophisticated, but in a girlish way.

But for a night out, after one has put in their hours learning the art of being demure at finishing school, Johnson offered an endless array of frilly party frock - tiered organza ruffles being a key theme, along with lace.

At the close of the show, Johnson came out with her granddaughter Layla before her grand cartwheel finish. Just like the collection, the ever-youthful Johnson will always be a girl at heart but perhaps now that she's a grandmother, she's also ready to put on the hat of a grown-up.

- Renata Espinosa

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