Betsy Johnson Retiring Rumors

A few days ago, NY Mag published an interview with Betsey Johnson where the designer alluded to her possible retirement after her September runway show. Ah! What will we do without Betsey?? We know that Betsey is one tough cookie and a trooper - she’s beat breast cancer and continued to work on her eponymous line. So what gives - are the rumors true? And if they are, who will take her place?

The rumor mill has been working overtime on this one - People magazine checked in with the designer herself and she said, “I will never retire while I’ve still got my legs and my make-up box.” Haha, very Betsey. Her company had a more official statement:

With rich history and significant opportunities for future growth, Betsey Johnson wants her brand to live on forever. It is only wise that key management and talent is put in place to secure the continued health of the company for the future. Betsey Johnson will continue to provide creative inspiration and leadership as long as she is with us.

So it looks like Betsey is not leaving … for now, but who will take her place when she does? The first choice is always someone who has worked closely with the designer, in this instance, Eric Santori, the brand’s creative director, with experience designing for Vera Wang, Herve Leger and Azzedine Alaia. But what if they don’t stay within the company? What if they look for new blood? Who will they choose? Here’s my two cents…

When I heard that BJ was possibly retiring, the first person I thought of to take the healm of BJ was Richie Rich. Richie Rich’s penchant for fun, cute, girly design fits perfectly with the Betsey Johnson look. And, with Heatherette no longer taking up much of his time, this would be a great career move to keep him on the up and up.

If not Richie, then who? I thought of two more men - Jeremy Scott and Brian Lichtenberg (who at the M.I.S.S. HQ we call the young Jeremy Scott). Both designers don’t take themselves too seriously and have that “girls just wanna have fun” element to their designs. Would they do it? Jeremy may be too well known for his own designs and may not want to water down his image. Or, he could surprise us…after all, Uncle Karl designs for Chanel, Fendi and his own line - and he makes it all look very easy. This would be a great move for Brian Lichtenberg as he’s not as well known as Jeremy Scott and this would definitely put him on the fashion map.

All of this is just speculation, the last word is that BJ is not going anywhere (yay!). But, we know that she won’t be here forever so it’s a question that will need to be answered sooner or later. I just wonder if doing a cartwheel will be part of the job interview - I hope it is!

Spring is in the air, and you know what that means - time to add some new sunshine to your wardrobe! But if you’re anything like me, the recession is hitting you and your dreams of brand new shoes and dresses will have to go on hold for a while. But who says you can’t cop some cute baubles at great prices in the meantime (at least until those heels you’ve been drooling over go on sale for 50% off!)?

Head to Alex and Chloe and take full advantage of their “Back to Life” Spring Sale through April 30th! Select jewelry, pieces all inspired by the beauty of nature, are now marked down. Mirrored feather-shaped earrings, 14k gold anchor necklaces, and even the Brian Lichtenberg x Alex and Chloe collabo pieces that M.I.S.S. first introduced you to back at Project in Feb are all up to 20% off!  So pull out your wallets and pick up a few of these stunner pieces to keep you happy - and fresh to death - as spring rolls in.

Last month we got a quick look at the upcoming Alex & Chloe t-shirt line “Forever and Never” that will be hitting stores in May. At a time when we’re overloaded with loud graphic tees, it’s nice to be able to have something a little cleaner and more grown-up when needed! Minimalism at its finest, the tees feature the trademark geometric patterns and shapes we’ve come to know the label for, with a muted palette of black, white, dark violet and navy – renamed black smoke, white smoke, purple dusk, and galaxy blue.

A standout piece for me is the “Laced” tee in white smoke – a collabo with Brian Lichtenberg. I know I said I was a bit over the whole loud print thing, but we can make an exception here right? The Laced tee has an all-over print made up of a bunch of different patterns - does sound a little bizarre, but at the hands of Mr Lichtenberg, it works.

“Forever and Never” doesn’t drop until May, but till then feast your eyes on the eerily beautiful “Tar” collection of necklaces and bracelets - “beautiful and odd objects found in the depths of the earth and sea, blackened in ‘tar’.”  By “beautiful and odd objects” we’re talking brass keys, cone shells, and a kinda creepy rabbit foot made to look like they’re well, coated in tar! Hung from antique adjustable brass chain, each piece is unique, varying in size, shape, and texture.  Jewelery that can work either as a subtle addition to any outfit or worn as a statement piece - and with the majority of pieces around the $65 mark, why are you still reading this?

Take a look at more from both collections on the next page.

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Brian Lichtenberg

Blood Is The New Black is back again bringing the best of contemporary art and serving it up for you on a soft comfy t-shirt. For Spring/Summer ‘09, Blood Is The New Black continues its work with Brian Lichtenberg. In addition to the stellar styles from last season, the RIP YSL is available in two new colorways and two new graphics were added. One, a model with pearls and the second, an instant M.I.S.S. favorite reads “I’m as serious as cancer when I say rhythm is a dancer.” Now I can’t get the song out of my head!

Josh Slater

Other graphics include the art of Brendan Donnelly, Sumi Ink Club, Matt W. Moore, Michael Sieben, Andrea Shear, Cali Dewitt, Dan Monick, Demonbabies, Dylan Haley, Hannah Stoufer, Josh Slater, Keren Richter, Kime Buzzelli, Mel Kadel, Patrick Jilbert, Porous Walker, Steve Green and Travis Millard. Mitra Khayyam, founder and creative director of Blood Is The New Black, always does a wonderful job of curating the art and producing a collection of tees that are fun and hip. The new collection can be found on the Blood Is The New Black website.

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Joy Rich hearts you! Why else would they make such amazingness?  Joy Rich is a boutique in Los Angeles, on Melrose, with an eponymous clothing and accessories line.  They take the best of sportswear add just the right amount of “street” and lots of “glam.”  Inspired by all things 80s, including the luxury and pop culture brands that grew out of that era, Joy Rich has a new collection that is pure fire and will definitely keep you warm through the fall and winter months.  From tees emblazoned with references to Chanel, Nike, and super models, to puffer jackets, varsity jackets and the absolute favorites - acid wash jackets!  The collection also includes accessories from jewelry, bags and glasses.  One of the very exciting projects that Joy Rich has coming up is a collaboration with Brian Lichtenberg.  The project started out as one-offs and then it naturally progressed into a full co-branded project with a collection of t-shirts and accessories.  The jewelry features laser cut acrylic pendants in black, clear and neon pink and yellow.  They are not for people looking for something subtle to wear - these are all statement pieces - loud ones.  Joy Rich can be found at the Joy Rich boutique on Melrose.

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The ever très chic Alex & Chloe have done it again.  Their jewelry and sunglasses are seen on the likes of Nicole Kidman and the actors on Gossip Girl, and last year they launched their unisex t-shirt line.  The Alex & Chloe booth was teaming with loads of great accessories (and Brian Lichtenberg himself) and we wanted one of everything!!  Their newest accessory, that was one of the “best in show,” is the Cube Purse.  Made of soft leather, the Cube Purse is well, shaped like a cube.  The cube comes with a wristlet holder, as well as a mini cube attachment for keys, change or anything small that you need to keep handy.

The new t-shirt line called “Forever and Never” features the Alex & Chloe trademark geometry that their jewelry line is known for.  The graphics included lots of triangles, lines, stripes and 3-D line drawings of geometric shapes.  The color palette is classic and muted with lots of black, white, deep cerulean and dark violet with pops of gold foil here and there.  The line will drop later this summer so stay tuned! In the mean time, you can be Alex & Chloe’s friend on Myspace and don’t forget to check out their pieces featured in Brian Lichteberg’s SS09 show.

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Back in August we gave you a sneak peak of the new Brian Lichtenberg tees for Blood Is The New Black - and they happened to be some of the best tees we saw the whole show.  We were lucky enough to get our very own!  Liz and I each got the RIP YSL and the Motorcycle Jacket tee.  I love these tees so much I almost don’t want to wear them and just save them so they stay pristine.  But you know that won’t happen!!  Don’t be sad, you can get yours too right here!

One word: under-boob…or is that two? Regardless, leave it to Brian Lichtenberg to work under-boob into his SS09 collection. Debuting at this past L.A. Fashion Week, BL offered a collection which included his signature patched together wonders, including a full body stocking that my body is craving to be encased in, a bandage/bondage dress that my own personal under-boob is desperate to peep out of, neck pieces as part of a collaborative effort with Alex & Chloe and headpieces that would have made Isabella Blow proud by L.A.’s Franc Fernandez.

Untitled from Brian Lichtenberg on Vimeo.

Litchenberg has been on the rise and seems to be continuing in that direction. Dressing the likes of M.I.A., Katy Perry, Santogold, Yelle, Lady GaGa and even Mz. Beyonce is found rocking BL in her latest video “Diva”. Yeah, I’d say he’s doing alright.

See his entire SS09 Collection, including under-boob after the jump!

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Gareth Pugh SS09

This video is all about the wardrobe for me. The song is second in my opinion. I actually have never listened to the song all the way through until I watched the video. For some reason I could never get through the opening of the song, there’s something about it that irritates me instantly…oh well thankfully Beyonce’s wardrobe makes-up for that. Those metal fringe shades…I swear to gawd a version just landed on Canal St. as I’m typing this. The wardrobe roster includes Brian Lichtenberg, Franc Fernandez for Brian Lichtenberg, and Gareth Pugh to name a few.

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