Skip to main content

Working with Betsey Johnson

A while ago now I got chatting with Robin Avidor from Rockin’ Robin’s Red Nest and it turns out she used to work with the fabulous Betsey Johnson! As I’m sure so many of you do I have always loved and admired Betsey so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to find out more, and what working with the incredible fashion icon was like.


The wonderfully quirky Betsey Johnson.

Sarah Jane: When did you first start working with Betsey and how did you get the job?

Robin: I started working with Betsey in 1982/83, I had been working at FCUK and wasn't too happy. I had loved Betsey's designs but never thought I would end up working with her.

I was browsing Women’s Wear Daily and there it was, an advert for a job at Betsey Johnson. I almost died! So I called and I got an interview, I was ecstatic! Then came the panic! What do I wear? After going through every possible combination of my wardrobe, it hit me! I had bought the best Betsey Johnson "suit" at Trash & Vaudeville. I decided that was what I would wear and I did. The interview day quickly came and I walked into the tiny showroom and knew I was exactly where I wanted to be.

Sarah Jane: Why did you not liking working for FCUK?

Robin: There wasn't any design or opinion, when the line came in all we did was show it, so it wasn't creative. Also, we didn't get the small boutiques as much so showing the line was always very corporate.

In the background: Robin is seen in a velvet purple dress.

Sarah Jane: What was your roll within her company? And what did you do during that roll?

Robin: When I first started working with Betsey it was a very small operation. We were in a tiny two-room place. The first room was the showroom and the other was our office. We all shared the office, which wasn't too bad because there were only four or five of us.

I did anything that had to be done including painting! My hubby and I actually painted the show room Betsey’s signature pink!

We all worked together as a team brainstorming in design meetings, making cold calls to boutiques all over the states to promote the line. I remember calling potential buyers who had never heard of Betsey then, but as we all know the company quickly grew and grew! Next thing we knew we were moving into a big new showroom. I was even given my own office, well cubicle, but it was all mine!

As the company grew so did my job. I became what you would call the northeast sales rep and the public relations rep. I travelled every six weeks and could have even more but I turned it down. In retrospect I should have travelled more.

I also showed some of our collections to top magazine editors, and picked out outfits to send them when they couldn't come to us. I worked with stylists and assisted in dressing Downtown Julie Brown, one of the first video journalists for MTV.

In addition to all of this, there were plenty of times I was thrown in front of a camera to do interviews and did photo shoots. I still have all the footage of me on a VHS tape.

Part of my job was also to be seen in her clothes. So for the 6years I worked there that was all I wore.

Sarah Jane: What were your favourite and your least favourite part of the job?

Robin: I guess the best was being in designs meetings. It was a great experience to work with such a talented team lead by Betsey Johnson. But when we insisted on a design being in the collection we were expected to sell at least 300 pieces of it, so there was a lot of pressure too.

In the background: Robin wearing a purple velvet Betsey Johnson dress.

Sarah Jane: What was Betsey like?

Robin: Betsey was great to work with. She was as kookie as you could imagine but kind and open to our opinions and ideas. She was very energetic and lived and breathed creating and recreating her designs all of the time. When under pressure she was very intense and persistent. 

Sarah Jane: Why did you leave? Would you go back?

Robin: I know I am so lucky to have had the best possible career for me during the time I was with her. I left because I couldn't see raising kids and working in such an intense and involved job including travelling.

Oh yeah, I am ready to go back now When I left working there I left my whole life behind to start a new one. I just didn't know how to incorporate both.

I had to rediscover myself without her, I didn't own any clothes other than hers; I didn't even own a pair of jeans.

So I packed up all of my clothes and memories and put them in the attic and didn't look back for a long time. I really wish I would have not been so strict with myself and allowed myself to stay in touch with my former life. But I just couldn't figure it out, how to do both. So I immersed myself in being a "super" mum for many years and never looked back.

Big mistake because after a few years I really missed my old life. I felt I had closed a door behind me and that I could not open it again.




To find out more about Robin and what she does now you can find her lovely little fashion blog here

SJ
x

Comments

  1. Betsey Johnson is a great fashion designer. I've seen a lot of supermodels in clothes from this designer.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Screen Printing - Bitmapping

So the other day at uni we learnt a little tip to add depth to our screen prints, its called bitmapping First load the image you want to use in photoshop Heres mine - its something I'm looking at using for mothers day The you'll need to convert you image to Grayscale - to do this go to [Image] [Mode] [Grayscale] You'll then need to adjust the contrast of the image to help add depth later - to do this [Image] [Adjustment] [Levels], play around with the slider until you get the desired effect - you can also use [Brightness/contrast] but I prefer Levels Your image must be a minimum of 150ppi, although it is better to be 300ppi. To adjust the number of pixels within your image select [Image] [Image Size] and you can change the resolution Now its time to Bitmap the image - to do this go to [Image] [Mode] [Bitmap] - this will open this window change all of the settings to be the same as those in the image. Depending on your type of screen mesh you may need to adjust the

10 Most Shocking Tennis Outfits Ever

This week sees the start of Wimbledon and as Wimbledon is the smartest, most well dressed tournament there is, I thought it would be fun if we looked back at some of tennis' biggest fashion blunders. At number 10 we have Anne White from Wimbledon, it may have been 1985 Anne but that doesn't excuse turning up in your pyjamas to work. Next up we have tennis' very own Lady Gaga, Bethanie Mattek, who is famous for her outrageous dress sense, although this outfit from the 2007 US Open is relatively tame for her. At number 8 we have the five times Wimbledon champion Serena Williams with her biker inspired look from the Australian Open in 2004. Nice shin pads Serena. At number 7 sees Bethanie again, this time dressed as a cowgirl at the 2005 US Open. You're playing tennis Beth, not attending a fancy dress party!  Bethanie is still holding on to the title of worst dressed tennis player at number 6, sporting this design from Alex Nomble at Wim

Roberto Cavalli Fashion Illustrations

While I was a Fashion and Textiles Design student I was forever looking for the top designer's fashion illustrations, as I always found them so inspirational. I've recently stumbled across some I really love by Roberto Cavalli, so I thought I share them with you. This first two are designs made for Cindy Crawford and Georgia May Jagger, and they are amazing. Copyright of Roberto Cavalli This one below is for the lovely Sharon Stone. The snake back detail will look incredible, and adds a perfect little twist to the classic strapped back/backless dress. The next one was designed for Liu Wen, and it's my favourite. The colour and the indication of the pattern are beautiful. I love the expressive lines of the design and how subtle shading shows how the dress will fall. You could only expect the best from an amazing designer like Roberto Cavalli and he definitely delivers. Copyright of Roberto Cavalli There is no need to try and imagine how the finishe