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!

. . . but thankfully Richie Rich is still kicking! The last few months have been pretty busy for this glitter-loving, rollerskate-wearing ex-club kid. After losing financial backing for the now-defunct Heatherette, he split with collaborator Traver Rains to do his own thing with his namesake line.

On the eve of his first solo show he sat down with BlackBook to chat about the new line, his love for Marilyn Monroe, the challenges of keeping the clothes “amazing but affordable,” and the demise of Heatherette.

Peep the full article here.

Oh, and he lists a bunch of his favourite New York haunts if you’re keen to get your stalker on!

M.I.S.S. ladies are not ones to gossip, but I just read about this and I couldn’t help myself because it involves two of my favorite brands. Word on the street is that Mac may be teaming up with Hello Kitty for their newest collaboration. Mac representatives would neither confirm or deny the rumors, though based on their past collaborations with Fafi, Heatherette and and upcoming October project with Emanuel Ungaro, it seems very likely. I hope they do this it would be soooo kawaii!!

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We are crushing on Richie Rich - the other half of Heatherette - right now.

Last week, we posted a interview of Richie Rich with Karmaloop Tv, and in the four minute segment, he discussed everything from his first encounter with wild child Paris Hilton to his inaccurate portrayal in Party Monster.

However, what has made us watch this interview at least five times now has nothing to do with the awkward pauses and glances exchanged between the two men, but it’s when Richie Rich starts talking to the interviewer about “glitter tantrums.�?

Yes, it was priceless and it has only made us even more anxious to see what is hiding behind the pink Barbie-esque like packaging in Heatherette’s new cosmetics line!

Although full details have not been made available, we do know that the limited edition Mac and Heatherette collaboration will hit counters on March 27. Expect all of this to disappear very quickly when its released.

We love what we see so far, but wouldn’t you expect more glitter? Also, silver nails for spring?

Images from LouLou magazine

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Just in time for the holidays, the ladies behind the addictive women’s fashion magazine, MissBehave, have dropped their sixth issue with Heatherette favorite Lydia Hearst on the cover.

If you aren’t a devoted follower yet and haven’t subscribed to the mag, issues can be bought at Tower, Barnes and Nobles, Borders, and major Newstands nationwide.

Happy reading!

OMG!! Two of my favorite brands, Heatherette and Irregular Choice have teamed up to produce the cutest shoes eva! The shoes, designed especially for Heatherette’s Spring/Summer ‘07 fashion show were in such demand that a limited line are going to be sold through irregularchoice.com beginning in June. The website will stock all the styles and deliver worldwide. The shoes will be available in some stores but the locations are secret for now. All I can say is mark your calendars and plan out your outfits because these shoes are darling!! I hope this will be the beginning of a new and lasting relationship.

More pics after the jump . . .

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