Stef Does...

...A Visit to the Statue of Liberty!

2011-09-18T19:27:00.000-07:00

Three months ago my boyfriend, Alex, and I made reservations to go to the crown of the Statue of Liberty and today was the day that day! Alex, a native New Yorker, had never been and of course, Me, a New-New Yorker had only dreamed of going to the famed green lady. Our story begins like so many immigrants with a boat ride...

We then disembarked and got to see Lady Liberty up close and personal...

...And because we made our reservations three months ago, we were able to snag Crown tickets which allowed us to climb the three hundred some odd stairs into Lady Liberty's head...

Stairs, Stairs, Stairs...

...and more stairs!

Finally we reached the top and into...

...Her Brain!

Her windows to the world! So Steampunk!

The best part about finally reaching the crown was that, for a whole ten minutes, we were the only people there! And believe me, that is saying something for a New York tourist attraction! Turns out that the Parks Department only allows 250 people a day to have crown access! It was indescribably special.

Me in the crown!

Not since 1916 has the torch been open, but you can see the old torch in the lobby on the pedestal.

I would like to tell you that I reenacted that scene in Splash where Deryl Hannah arrives nude from the ocean on to Liberty Island but... if I had it would have already been on the five o'clock news.

Anyway... Thanks Lady Liberty

You put tourists attractions back on the cool list!

x-Stef

...Count Down To Fashion Week - The aftermath!

2011-09-17T08:04:00.000-07:00

Hi All,
I guess you might have seen our show! If not here is the live stream with the ever adorable Andrew Bevan from Teen Vogue!

Now that I am finally well rested I will finally be able to post more things so keep checking back because eventually I am going to post the insiders look at Betsey's Spring 2012 Fashion show!

x-Stef

...Count Down To Fashion Week - Day 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2...

2011-09-11T06:33:00.000-07:00

The Days are a complete blur now and all I know how to do is work! BUT...Tomorrow is our show!!!

I have get to work now but here is pretty much what I feel like

Oh and you know it is fashion week in New York when things like this seem completely normal...

x - Stef

...Count Down To Fashion Week - Day 7

2011-09-05T21:54:00.000-07:00

Day 7...

This picture appeared on our show board today because I bore a striking resemblance to Nick Nolte's mug shot. This is what fashion week does to you...

Also to make things even more awesome, we took this picture for facebook and someone commented on how that guy on the left made a fashion faux pas...that guy is me and that coat is 80's classic vintage Betsey. Too bad the commenter missed the super sexy legs on that guy on the left! hah!

x-Stef

...Count Down To Fashion Week - Day 9 and Day 8 sheesh!

2011-09-04T22:23:00.000-07:00

Day 9 and Day 8

Well time flies when your having fun or when your so sleep deprived that you don't realize that two days have passed!

So here is the low down on what happened this weekend...

1. We had model casting and confirmed some bomb shell girls for the show

2. Locked most of the looks for show

3. Met with DJ Chris Bones about our banging show music

4. Astar happened...

We ate pizza and drank beer and then this happened...

Jen our social media guru is in a box to go to the warehouse!

5. We did some serious trend research at Accessories Palace

Astar happening again!

Next trend?

6. Char and her friend had Betsey draw XOX on them and then got it tattooed

7. Betsey drew on me but I can't tell you why or show you until after show

8. All my hard work with the accessories, such as shoes and jewelry, is starting to pay off in the over all tone of the show.

9. We almost finished garments for Fashion On Ice

10. Summer 2012 Pink Label is starting to look spectacular

11. And finally, we ate more pizza and drank more beer

I think that is how most of the weekend went. Now I will sleep and begin again tomorrow!

x-Stef

...Count Down To Fashion Week - Day 10

2011-09-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

Day 10...

100 years of East London style in 100 seconds. Sept 13th 1911 - Sept 13th 2011

My friend Andrew posted this video on my facebook. I thought it was fitting as far as count downs go and also brilliant!

Went home a little early tonight, well like 9:30, to prepare for the weekend filled with model castings, styling, working on pink label and Fashion On Ice and general all around fun!

x-Stef

...Show Count Down - 11 days till show!

2011-09-02T08:38:00.000-07:00

Day 11...
Don't quite know what happened last night but this picture was on my phone in the morning!

Jen, Ash, and Petra vogue-ing

x-Stef

...12 Days till show!

2011-09-01T06:15:00.000-07:00

Day 12...

Not quite sure what this has to do with show but it appeared on our show table last night!

What do you think is in there?

x-Stef

...Show Count Down 13 Days to Go!

2011-08-30T22:29:00.000-07:00

Day 13...
This is how we ended the night...

This Framboise is bad news only 13 days till show!

9:00am - Coffee with half and half

12:00 - Cappuccino

2:00pm - Peanut Butter and Honey sandwich that my boyfriend has been making me every morning

5:00pm - Another cappuccino

6:00pm - Traveling Music (champagne)

8:00pm - Red wine

9:00 - Kettle one, water and powdered drink

1:00am - Framboise

Oh yeah... and in between we did some work on show;)

x-Stef

...Show Count Down 14 Days to Go!

2011-08-29T21:39:00.000-07:00

Monday August 29th - So I finally left work at about 11:30!

So busy that we did not even have time to clean up and you could barely leave the design room because of the racks parked in the showroom!

I took this picture around 8:30 but due to technical difficulties (my work computer being a piece of shit) I had to get home before I posted today's events.

1. We finally started styling the show! It is looking amazing but there is still a lot of work to do... and I once again became Mowgli from the Jungle Book... if you don't know what this means you can read all about it in my Fashion Week Daily Assistant Files article...

2. We got Peter Gray to do the hair for our show! He is my favorite!

3. We worked on Fashion On Ice which is an exciting event that Betsey is doing after the fashion show which is a story I cannot wait to share with you all! So look for that post at the end of September.

4. We also worked on concepts for Summer silhouettes and Fall prints for Pink Label which is another exciting line that Betsey is working on! So many projects, so much to look forward to! ( I think the exclamation point will be the first key I wear out on my new computer, ha!)

5. Most importantly, we survived the first day of the two week count down until show!

More tomorrow!

X - Stef

...Count Down To Fashion Week - The Calm Before the Storm

2011-08-28T21:01:00.000-07:00

Thank you Hurricane Irene and random earthquake for kicking off the Count Down to Spring 2012 NY Fashion Week!

Irene...NYC is under there somewhere...

All of us feigning fright after we evacuated our building due to Tuesday's Random quake

With the inclement weather and the shakes behind us, I feel like we are finally at the top of a hill in our fashion go-kart (without brakes) about to plummet into the two most exciting weeks every season...

...NY Fashion Week!

Stay tuned for updates from the front lines of how Betsey's band of misfits is going to pull this off! That is unless we get swept away by a tsunami...

x-Stef

...A Count Down to Fashion Week - The Bike Show

2011-08-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

The Bike Show as it is fondly known around the showroom, but more formally known as Le Tour De Betsey, is the second show I did with Betsey and by far one of the most exciting and in your face shows.

Bikes?...

Yes, Bikes... cue crickets...

When it comes to fashion bikes are not exactly the first thing to pop into my head, maybe like ten years ago when it was ultra fashionable to date a BMX'er or a skateboarder but that was so ten years ago (believe me I was one of those girls)

So we are back to Bikes with a big fat question mark at the end of it?

Here is how it all happened...cue flash back screen fade...

This theme came early to Betsey this time, really early, like three months before show early. Usually we are biting our nails and asking for deadline extensions before Betsey finally settles on a theme. You can imagine our surprise when Betsey came into work one day in June and announced that she had the theme for the show. We all breathed a sigh of relief and then she announced the theme...

Bicycles! ...ummmm...wha?

A series of coincidences occurred to help her get to the theme of Bicycling and ultimately her show being called Le tour De Betsey. First her daughter was really into soul cycle exercise club, second her hair dresser would go away for cycling trips upstate which they would always talk about while she was getting her hair done and third while walking up Madison Avenue, Betsey wearing her loud Warhol - esque tile print in primary colors and carrying the matching bag, was trying to figure out what part of the population she dressed like, when a cyclist with all his own matching gear pulled up to the vary same corner where Betsey was standing. They looked at each other and laughed cause their outfits were so similar yet two completely different circumstances. And so it was…the birth of Le Tour De Betsey!
Usually there are two meanings to every Betsey show and this year's duality was the celebration New York fashion week’s tents moving to Lincoln center.

Needless to say, this idea grew on us and here is what we came up with...

...The Elements...

The invite…a pink bracelet a la Lance Armstrong style

The program …a bike map of Manhattan which led the audience through each vignette which took place in a different location on the island.

The production – LDJ production company for the tents installed an amazing LED screen upon which we played a video of traveling through the streets of Manhattan from a cyclist's perspective!

The Runway - Down the center we had LDJ put reflective tape to simulate road lanes

Jewelry - Necklaces that read "Ride Me" in huge rhinestone letters.

We even attempted to have bikes form Bowery Bicycles on the runway. But because of music cue mishaps we had to pull them at the 11th hour, no big deal because we did get a skateboard on the runway!

During this show I met a lot of new friends who do really cool things...

First cool new friend I met is Peter Gray! He is a hair stylist who was sponsored Redken for our show and is now my friend and one of my favorite people I have met since I moved to new york city. He spent long hours with us at the showroom perfecting the hair look until we were all happy with what turned out to be a teased and matted little pony tails held together with tiny rubber bands that look like the brightly colored bicycle tire spoke beads. Since the bike show I can’t imagine working on a runway show with any other stylist who would have his conviction to see a vision through. I also owe my white hair to Peter.

Second cool person…the very talented Sarah Lucero with Stila Make-up! The previous show we worked with Stila, so it was a treat to get them back for a second year! Betsey was sure that she wanted a green eyelid and Sarah gave us a very cool thick green racing stripe lid and highlighter pink lipstick. I love working with Sarah, she gets Betsey through and through.

This was my second time on Betsey's runway! I wore this amazing orange dress that another designer and I were huddled over still sewing the morning of the show!

Later Zink Magazine did this amazing editorial with the dress

One of the best things that happened during the preparation for this show was Betsey hand air brushing dresses. Heather, our airbrush expert gave Betsey a tutorial on how an airbrush works and once she got the hang of it there was no stopping her! So much so that we had to convince her that not everything in the show needed airbrushing. Needless to say we trashed the showroom and for about a month after the show we were finding paint and glitter everywhere.

This beautiful hand painted dress was worn by Katy Perry to the People's Choice Awards

One very special element to a Betsey show is the "bye-bye"! For each show there is always a different saying, VOTE, LOVE, etc. This years was RIDE ON! Betsey takes this part very seriously and we practice with the models in the showroom. When the models who will be in those last looks come for their fittings Betsey will jump up from her chair and start singing this stripper song and we will get in line to practice the dance on stage and then the contagion of turning around to slowly reveal the "bye-bye"! Usually everyone does a good job of getting it right!

I am the "N"

Hope you enjoy reading this! Starting Monday it will be two weeks till showtime and I will be keeping up with you all by posting a daily status of how we are surviving fashion show preparation!

Let's get ready to rumble!

X - Stef

...A Trip to the off-set printer for The Betsey Johnson Spring 2012 Fashion Show invitation

2011-08-22T21:30:00.000-07:00

Today Ashley and I went to Karr Graphics to approve the Betsey Johnson Spring 2012 Fashion Show invite! Our buddy Larry offered to give us a tour of their factory and my morning was transformed into this Sesame Street episode

Sesame Street is so timeless, I even dig the music! and orange is cool all over again!

When you enter Karr Graphics the first thing you see is a collage of old fashion wood carved letters. I am in love with this wall and want to install one in my apartment but Larry told us that these blocks go for big bucks on eBay.

This is the machine that they print our invites on! OOOOH!

Voila! Our invitation is being printed right before our eyes!

Then Larry took us upstairs to meet the Papa Bear Machine! Here he is, with his paper ready to go!

And here are all the irresistible shiny buttons you press to make Papa Bear run!

I nerded out a little bit but so cool! right!?

x-Stef

...Fashion Drugs - A Healthy Addiction - Kelsy the Blonde Bad Ass

2011-08-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

This weeks muse is Kelsy! She is a fellow NYC blonde who works as a hair stylist slicing up some bomb hair cuts at Cutler Salon. She did this to me...

Kelsy did the hair and of course Betsey did the rest!

When Betsey and I went to the New York City Ballet gala, Kelsy was the hair stylist recommended to me by my good friend and hair artist, Peter Gray. The end result was perfect and since then I have been trusting Kelsy "do" me right. Since Kelsy has so much style with the "complex fibers" I could not wait to see her Fashion Drugs picks.

Enjoy

x-Stef

The Blonde Bombshell reincarnated, Kelsy!

My Personal Style

One thing I love about fashion is it's yours to explore and own! All yours. So I take full advantage of it. I never feel like an outfit is complete without that punch of the unlikely. Something to make people think a little. The edge of ugly and beautiful.. Perfect.

Outfit number #1:

So here's the deal. I LOVE androgyny . The fine line between feminine and masculine is a good one to be on. Get it right and you've got an original head turning look.. And, at the end of the day isnt it just too fun dressing like a boy?!

#2 - Super girly pink dresses worn with a studded leather harness. Perfect. Yes, here I am contradicting my feature pieces again. The love of oppositional harmony. How about super literal statements you ask? I say yes as well. Creating interesting outfits that makes people think. To me that's what's fashion is all about. Take as you will.

more intensity!

D.Y.S.P.. Don't ever forget the words of the blonde goddess herself..

Thanks Kelsy!

An affair to remember. by kelsylillian featuring flower rings

I'm not gonna hurt you baby.. by kelsylillian featuring underwire tops

...Shaping Up!

2011-08-17T14:06:00.000-07:00

Which shape are you?

Isn't this funny, I found it when I was doing show research...

x-Stef

...A Cheap Saturday In NYC

2011-08-14T15:15:00.000-07:00

This weekend I set out to prove to myself that I did not have to "break the bank" in order to have a good time in New York City!

I began the day by downloading the Hipstamatic camera app on my iPhone ($1.99)

I always wanted to download this app but it seemed like such a guilty pleasure that I wanted a really good reason to buy it. After all, why spend the money on a day of frugality? These two dollars bought me a whole day worth of entertainment and all the pictures for this post!

My boyfriend Alex and I went to the Summer Streets event which is sponsored by NYC DOT, who closes down Park avenue from Central Park to the Brooklyn Bridge so that everyone and anyone can bike, run, walk, skateboard and roller blade down the famous ave. Sadly, thinking we would be able to get in on the free bike rentals they were offering, an hour wait to ride a bike did not seems so appealing. So we walked from 51st to 14th. Along the way we stopped in St. George's Thrift Shop near Gramercy Park where I bought this $9 pair of Lucite shoes.

Hipstamatic makes me have Frankenstein veins

The next place we stopped was the union square farmers market where we picked up some juicy peaches! ($2.00)

After doing the farmers market circuit, we stopped into Trader Joe's wine shop to pick up some really cheap wine. We got two bottles the low, low, low priced ($2.99) rose and the slightly higher priced ($3.99) Chardonnay. We mixed the two together because one tasted like syrup and the other tasted like water. Anyway it did the trick!

After we mixed our wines, we got ready to go to Gini's house warming party! Where I really got to play with my new app.

Alex on the train reading the NY Times. He was reading the business section and I read an article about a Greek island called Hydra in the travel section of the Times. $2.25 train ride later we arrived at Gini's new apartment...

Gini in her new house!

Me trying to be hip for the Hipstamatic.

Later that night I found $20 dollars on the ground at the Woods (a hip Williamsburg bar) that bought me and Alex a drink with $6 left over!

So let's do the math...

Hipstamatic app................................................- $1.99

Summer Streets.................................................- Free

Lucite Shoes.....................................................- $9.00

Union Square Farmers Market Peaches............- $2.00

Two Bottles of Trader Joe's wine.....................- $7.00

Train fare to Gini's new apartment....................- $2.25

Finding $20...................................................... +$20.00

Drinks at The Woods........................................- $14.00

$36.24 - $20.00 = $16.24

Pretty good! A great day and only $16.24 spent!

x-Stef

...Count Down To Fashion Week - The Haze Sets In and "KISS,KISS-BANG,BANG"

2011-08-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

So it is a month until our fashion show and the days are already starting to blend together! So much so that I totally spaced on posting the story about my first fashion show at Betsey Johnson...and finally here it is.

Fall 2012 - Kiss, Kiss - Bang, Bang!

Betsey and I playing dress-up!

The first show I ever did with Betsey was the Fall 2010, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang! This was my first experience with New York fashion week after being hired from intern oblivion into the world of Betsey Johnson. The small hiccups, quirky moments and hilarious missions are what made this show happen! Here is a little inside info about how Betsey puts on a show!

Where to Begin? Divine Inspiration?

Well not quite divine inspiration but a series of team meetings, happenstance, and constant hope that we will find a new show concept every six months! So where did we start? We started from where you can always learn from…the past. We brought out stacks of DVDs of our past runway shows and looked at what worked and what didn’t. From production to lighting to scenery and clothing we picked apart every aspect until we had talked all the elements to death. At the end of visiting the past, we had not come to any conclusions, but somehow we were closer to a concept.

Nailing down a theme...

One thing unique to Betsey’s shows is that each one is like a mini dance recital, with characters in a setting all doing their part to tell a story. There is always a handle, a reason for the art. This is probably the toughest part of putting on a Betsey show. Betsey never allows her self to opt out of the fun and just have a regular show. So we brainstorm over about a thousand different themes and until she really feels it and it “cooks” in her brain she won’t be satisfied.

For this particular theme we came across an old show with hay on the runway and Steven Tyler toting fake pistols. (Betsey tells a funny story about how Steven Tyler almost did not make the show because he had attempted to bring his own real pistols through airport security. You have to love authenticity.)

Why not the hay? Why not the pistols?

The idea of doing a cowboy show had not completely formed until Betsey brought in a Bridget Bardot movie called Las Petroleras which featured the actress as an oil drilling cowgirl decked out in a pastel petticoat and bustier! A totally impractical western ensemble, but oh so Betsey!

Las Petroleras - Betsey's show inspiration

After this inspiration discovery the pieces of the puzzle began falling into place…

…The Show Name - Since our fall show typically takes place on Valentine’s Day, we always try to tie love into the theme so it was called Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. Kisses for love and Bang Bang for the pistol waving cowgirls!

…The invitation - a spinner that would choose which western male character would be your Valentine.

The program – Instead of naming the clothing with typical “fashion mumbo jumbo” like Look #1 – Silk organza gown, we named our looks, “The Widows” or “Bankers” or “Banditos.”

The finale – Each model came out with a large plastic blow-up heart that they threw into the audience at the end of the runway.

The Music – a mixture of old and new and kitsch and cool beginning with the sultry Bang Bang by Nancy Sinatra and ending with the up beat “All Is Love” by Karen O & The Kids

Our show mentality had been transported back to the old west and we began to style the show accordingly. Choosing the looks for the runway began by sorting through the vintage racks that were parked in the show room, the current line and new line. We made piles and color stories, mix and matched and played dress-up and slowly molded what eventually made it on the runway.

The very last look in the show was made two days before the show as a tribute to Alexander McQueen who committed suicide during this time.

In retrospect we probably got a little too costume-y, but hey it’s Betsey and we pride ourselves on being a little extreme. Just the other day, Betsey said, “excess is more and more is what I like” and if that includes a toy gun as a prop well then so be it!

Kelly Osborne - Pistol Toting Cow Gal!

Another fun addition to the show was the very rockin’ Kelly Osborne who led the Runway with a Yee-haw and strutted her stuff as a Banker with a mustache, bowler and her own real puppy. Backstage with her was a riot, especially when she presented Betsey with a singing valentine dressed as a pink monkey, who ended her performance with a cartwheel a la Betsey style.

Kelly Osborne - she was such a good sport about wearing a mustache, in fact she was stoked about it!

...Behind the Scenes...

Because Betsey is always down for a party, our back stage serves as a giant party and is like no other backstage at fashion week. There are always balloons, candy, a DJ and champagne! Don’t get me wrong there is a lot of work and urgency going on but we do it in style. This show was especially busy for me because I was walking the runway as a model and working as a design assistant at the same time. One moment I would be in make-up and the next I would be helping prep for the show. It all became rather funny when while waiting in model line up for a pre-show run through, I leaned over to Betsey and began explaining to her what we needed to do after rehearsal and she looked at me utterly perplexed and asked “who are you?” I replied, “I am Stef your assistant.” She burst out laughing and said that she had hardly recognized me in all my hair and make-up!

My first time modeling at New York Fashion Week!

Sometimes Betsey likes to use guys in her shows and because of a tight budget that year the crew of Betsey faithfuls did our part to save the company money and went bar hopping to pick up dudes. (Total drag, right? Wink! Wink!) The reason for male models was to hold the long coat tails and trains that Betsey had styled into the show. Where do you go for the hippest looking guys?... Williamsburg of course (center of young America). At favorite local bar union pool we handed out business cards to any hot guy we met up with and towards the end of the night, as we kept the PBR’s coming, just about anyone. Every guy who got a card was instructed to come go the showroom for casting. We only needed five guys and we already had two one of which was my, very-best-long-time-friend, Andrew (he sometimes takes pictures for this blog.) When casting time came we started getting worried that no one would show up or that in our drunken state we may have picked a not so handsome looking fellow that we would have to turn away. Luckily the guys showed up for casting and we dressed them in union suits and taught then how to walk down the runway.

My very-best-long-time-friend, Andrew!

…What happens when something goes wrong?

Even if you have checked and rechecked and then just because you can’t fall asleep at night because you keep thinking about all the details, checked again and everything seems like smooth sailing, there is always at least one thing that goes wrong and this years was a doozy. Long story short our DJ showed up under the influence of something that made her unable to get the music cues right. After the first DJ botched rehearsal we brought the DJ from backstage to run the show while Ashley stood in the DJ box and cued him. Luckily, the crisis was averted and everyone who saw the show loved the music and was none the wiser.

…Then “BOOM” It’s over…

At the end of every Betsey show she likes to send a message like vote or bye-bye. This year it was love! I am the L.

This being my first fashion show I was shocked when the short and sweet 15 minutes of runway chaos was over. All the work for so little time! Those 15 minutes were so precious! Immediately I felt that I could not possibly wait six months to do this again! That feeling made me certain that for the rest of my life I wanted to be putting on a fashion show. Betsey was just as pleased with the show she told us over a celebratory dinner at Tanuki Tavern in the Gansevoort Hotel. After a nice dinner and a lot of champagne we headed the after party at the Griffin where we finally had a chance to watch the show! There is always a rush copy sent over to the after party because Betsey cannot wait until the next day to watch it and neither could I.

x - Stef

...Intern Theme Day - Betsey's Birthday!

2011-08-11T16:01:00.000-07:00

Instead of a theme day, we just dressed up and celebrated Betsey's 69th birthday!

The interns got Betsey a coffee cup that says "Betsey's Funny Coffee" (that means champagne in Betsey language)

Love ya Betsey, Happy Birthday!

x-Stef

...Fashion Drugs - A Healthy Addiction - An Austin Texas Insider!

2011-08-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

This weeks muse is Kaylan! She is one of my best home town friends. This chick has got it going on, she is sharp as a tack, drop-dead gorgeous and has a killer sense of style. It only made sense to have her partake in fashion drugs so you too could share in her sensational fashion sensibilities. On my recent visit to Austin, Kaylan took time out her busy schedule to show me all the hip vintage shops after basking in the sun at Barton Springs and gossiping over 'Ritas at Curras. She is the genuine cool!

ENJOY!

x-Stef

My style reflects reflects my life growing up and living in Austin, Texas. I split my time between the city; where I go to school and go out at night to see shows and hang out with my friends, and the country; where I spend weekends (when I can) and during breaks from school. Austin is such an inspiring city to live in, I'm constantly modeling for local designers and vintage store owners which has allowed me to experiment with so many different styles. I used to dress like a total hippie, and while I am still constantly inspired by past eras, my style these days is cleaner, more modern, and practical than it used to be. I've come to find myself feeling the most like me when I wear more understated clothes that have subtle references to lifestyles or movements that mean something to me. Whether I'm channeling a weekend trip to the lake or west Texas, a Woody Allen film, or a modernist painting, I like to start with neutral pieces and then layer color (sometimes) or interesting accessories. Mixing preppy vintage pieces with contemporary designers and jewelry made by friends is my basic strategy for dressing in a way that is authentic to my life.

day ---> night by drakeslake featuring clutch handbags

This outfit encapsulates my basic day to night style. Austin is very hot for about four to five months out of the year. I do not understand people who insist on wearing jeans and boots into the dog days of summer. The dress is perfect for the heat and the environment. During the day I'm usually on foot, going to class at UT and running errands. Luckily for me, there are plenty of grassy lawns, and general cleanliness to validate the choice of wearing flip flops during the day. The tote bag is perfect for carrying my laptop, books, and snacks. The scarf is in there for chilly classroom time, and the ray-bans help me blend in (a little) with the seas of fraternity boys and sorority girls. The calming voice of Bill Callahan helps me get through the busy stress of the day. When I'm all done with my work its time to switch to this pair of slightly outrageous heels, some statement earrings, a super dreamy bag by Sedgwick, and chillwave sounds from Washed Out to unwind in the evening at the Hotel San Jose lounge.

Don't you want to be like her when you grow up? I DO!

take me to west texas by drakeslake featuring circular sunglasses

This outfit is my West Texas vacation uniform. Marfa, Texas is one of my absolute most favorite places in the world. The landscape blows my mind every single time I return there to take a break from Austin and relax with my friends who live out there. During the day it is usually very warm, but since it is the desert at night the temperatures drop significantly. I consider boots and jeans a must, even if it is hot, due to all the rocks, tall grass. prickly scrub, and potential snakes, spiders, and scorpions. I love the Navajo inspired cardigan and cozy scarf to layer against the chilly nights, while the sunglasses are essential for the big bright light during the day. The backpack is the perfect way to minimize packing to just the essentials (don't need a lot of outfit changes out there) and the rings made by the Brooklyn designer Catlin Mociun are the perfect, unobtrusive, finishing touch. Tunes by Townes Van Zandt are all I want when playin' pool and drinkin' whiskey at Padres Bar with my friends late into the night.

...A Count Down to Fashion Week!

2011-08-05T10:39:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentleman we are nearing that magical time of year where New York City comes together at Lincoln Center for Fashion Week.

We are gearing up at the showroom for all kinds of adventures that may happen in the next five weeks. In that time we will put our hearts and souls, not to mention blood, sweat and tears, into presenting Betsey next vision for the future of fashion!

In the weeks preceding the show you will be able to read about...

...the past three shows that I have done with Betsey (weekly story starting the 11th of August).

          1. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
          2. Le Tour De Betsey
          3. He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

...An insiders view of all the hijinks, hilarious happenings and all around high times that happen at the showroom during the "fourteen days till' show count down." (Daily Blurps starting August 29th).

Can't wait?... Check out The Tents - a documentary about the evolution of New York Fashion Week!

Stay tuned to our amazing adventure!

x-Stef

...Intern Theme Day - Wiggin' Out

2011-08-04T16:36:00.000-07:00

Yeah this happened!

x-Stef

...Fashion Drugs - A Healthy Addiction - Lizzie's Drugs!

2011-08-02T12:33:00.000-07:00

In order to get ready in the morning Lizzie super glues her entire body and run through her local thrift shop...Amazing! If she has been arrested too many times for this indiscretion, she will then choose to stalk the Topshop website. Lizzie hails from London (cute accent and everything) and would give her first born for an unlimited expense account at Topshop. Lizzie and I have our desks next to each other at work and when I asked her to send me her fashion drugs she said, "I don't have a style like Gini's, you don't see something and say oh I could see Lizzie wearing that." Well Lizzie my dear, I beg to differ... You most certainly have style and a lot of it! So get on with your bad self and keep inspiring!

Here's Lizzie

This is just a little fancy outfit I put together on my new favorite website Polyvore. From a distance it may look like something you put on in the dark. But I feel that once it is all assembled it is true British style going on in there. I am pretty much obsessed with those pants and I am running to the shop right now to buy them. Tootles!

home from home by betsey_boo featuring knit tops

Esther Perbandt knit top, €235
TopShop flower pants, $80
Work boots, £90
Celine bag, €2.400
Maison Michel lace hat, €350
Karen Walker Eyewear oversized sunglasses, $180
Art Wallpaper Union Jack blue , 000422 Model: 000422 from Art : Buy..., £26
MODELS.com Feed » Take It To The Streets!

This is dream outfit #2! I like to switch it up between London without the dirt and hippie without the dippy (I have enough dippy without needing it in my fashion) depending on my mood. I have already started saving up for those red boots!

Lizzie's feathers by betsey_boo featuring beaded hair accessories

TopShop peter pan collar blouse, $40
TopShop green skirt, $80
Red lace up boots, $150
Crossbody bag, $50
Spell beaded hair accessory, £75
Spell headbands hair accessory, $135
Gucci brown belt, €249
Vintage All Eyes on Brew Mug, $18
french connection Womens Magic Garden Beige Multi Printed Tunic Dress, £24

This was a minute before I was running into the Anna Sui Fashion show last September. I pretty much Just wanted to wear all my prints at once!

yes this is all from Topshop

It was a cold winters day and I had to take the dog Whitman for a walk. All I had on was the stripe dress and I had to rummage around for a coat and a warm pair of tights. I threw on the first thing I laid my hands on, hoping I would not bump into any familiar faces. Low and behold I bump into my favorite fashion photographer/blogger, Mr. Newton and he thought my mistake was a happy one. The happiest fashion mistakes are the ones you find at the bottom of your closet!

Lizzie stole someones dog for this picture

Thanks Lizzie!

x-Stef

...Musing Over Muses

2011-07-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

What is a muse?

After a recent video showroom tour with Gala Darling, where I introduced myself as Betsey’s muse and assistant, Gala received a tweet from a fan that asked, "When that girl says she's Betsey's muse, what does that mean?" From this I decided that maybe there was a little de-mystifying to be done about being Betsey’s muse. Strictly speaking, I am Betsey’s design assistant and in that role I am her sometimes muse. It’s always a bit tongue and cheek when I introduce myself as such because, fact of the matter is, no one pays me to be her muse even though Betsey has referred to me as such. And when walking down the street people don’t turn their heads and say, “Oh look there goes Betsey’s muse!” I often struggle with defining myself in this way but in essence being the muse is just a fun aspect of my job when I am in the showroom. It is sort of like an inside joke between myself and all the Betsey employees. So I am going to swing a bat at the topic…

The Nine Greek Muses

First I did a little research…

When I started writing about what being Betsey’s (sometimes) muse meant, I really had a hard time explaining it. We all know a muse to be a source for inspiration for an artist but I wanted to see what other definitions I could find. Dictionary.com defines a muse as “a goddess presiding over a particular art,” which my immodest side loves. Wikipedia’s entry speaks of the nine original Greek muses as, “the source of the knowledge, related orally for centuries in the ancient culture that was contained in poetic lyrics and myths. The compliment to a real woman who inspires creative endeavor is a later idea.” Well said Wiki!

Talk about a lot to live up to, or did I really have to just be myself? I was not willing to accept that just by being myself I could inspire someone like Betsey Johnson. So I reached the point where I began writing down things I do for Betsey and finding things I do for her that no one else could. From my list, I came to the conclusion that it is not painting her nails from time to time, modeling, or acting as a design assistant, it is not anything I do it is why I do it. I’d do anything for her because I am her friend.

Betsey and Me and the Betsey for Tweezerman PA

How I became Betsey’s muse…

When I met Betsey as a design intern she immediately asked me to head to tech design (where specs for clothing are finalized) and have my measurements taken. Little did I know that this was the gateway to spending my days in the showroom playing dress-up…

…Betsey was working on designing retail specials for Fall 2010 and her process involves searching through her vintage, trying it on a body, and tweaking it to make it new. Since according to tech design I was close to a size four, I became the new body.

That day I remember Betsey and I going through her archive collection and separating things into piles on the showroom floor and laughing at the fact we were going to get in trouble for the mess we were making. At the end of the whirlwind we had succeeded in designing all the retail specials and trashing the showroom.

Working

Long Story Short…

In the following weeks I spent more time with Betsey and became her “Gal Friday.” I was not just a body at that point, she began to ask my opinion and listen to it. I watched and learned and really got to know the method to Betsey’s madness. The first Christmas time we spent at the showroom Betsey gave me the present of a job. So here I am two years later as (sometimes) muse and design assistant to one of the most creatively brilliant minds.

In all of our dress-up silliness, it never really occurred to me that this meant I was her muse. The distinction happened on an extraordinarily busy day before or Fall 2010 show when our PR manager introduced me to the production crew saying, “This is Stef, Betsey’s muse and assistant.” I remember becoming flush and thinking, ‘really?’ Slowly I felt that idea swell inside me, a little embarrassed, but proud of it as well. I felt unique.

A portrait of Marie Therese Picasso's Muse

Anyway, what the hell does a muse do?

I had some insight to this question during a recent visit to the Gagaosian Gallery to see the Picasso and Marie Therese exhibit. The subject matter of this exhibit was Marie Therese as Picasso's muse and how her image was translated into some of Picasso's most exquisite works. After seeing the juxtaposition of a photo of Marie Therese and Picasso’s cubist interpretation of her identifying features, I began to understand the bare bones of what a muse does. Muses are sort of like out lines, not models, but outlines. Picasso painted from Marie Therese. Betsey designs on me. Picasso manipulated the paint around Marie’s image and Betsey cuts and pins to shape my body. Marie and Picasso had a child and a love affair together – Betsey and I have a friendship and an understanding. I like to think that the conversations we have while she is designing make an impact on the out come of a garment. So I am an outline for Betsey, a jumping off point, which is easier to face then a blank canvas.

Betsey is really good at not objectifying me in this role and that is why I am mainly her design assistant. After she is finished designing something on me, she trusts me with putting it into work and seeing it though to the end. I take most pride in this part of my job. You have to speak Betsey to be able to accomplish this task, which I can only imagine to an outsider would seem like alien language.

A lot of my job involves being supportive of Betsey’s vision and encouraging and challenging her creativity. Let’s face it, everyone, even Betsey Johnson, needs to be reassured that they are doing a good job. I also try to be the best sounding board for her ideas, which means that I do not agree with her all the time. Constantly being told you are doing everything right is not healthy for anyone. Between us is just the right amount of understanding where she can tell and accepts that I do not like something. Recently, Betsey brought to my attention that I curl one side of my lip if I don’t like something. She calls this the Stef lip and she takes note.

Betsey and I celebrating my 28th birthday

In Conclusion…

Every relationship between muse and artist is intensely personal and unique. Because this is so hard to define I want to “open up the phones” so to speak and see if you have any questions. Mostly the sometimes muse part of my job is something that I make up as I go. It is like an encyclopedia sized “choose your own adventure” book because every day is different, which suits me just fine.

x-Stef

...Intern Theme Day - Harajuku Girls!

2011-07-27T12:49:00.000-07:00

Harajuku Day!!

Domo arigato Betsey for jumping in the picture with us!

Peace, Love and XOX!

x-Stef

..."Fashion Drugs" - A Healty Addiction - "Gini" sais quoi

2011-07-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

Muse of the week is Gini!

I am really inspired by Gini's little "bow" peep chic style. Gini always looks pressed to perfection. Even if the Apocalypse happened and we were living in ashes, Gini would still blossom out of the dust into something ethereal. To illustrate this point I will share one of my favorite stories about Gini and when a group of Betsey girls went to the Mets Baseball game.

At the end of a long day of work everyone changed into our ragged ball game clothing (jeans and a tee), everyone that is except Gini who looked much like she does in the photo below. It was quite the sight to see prim Gini drinking a beer among ball-capped-clad die-hards. That day she turned more then one Mets fan's head with her style, especially when a fly ball landed right in the middle of our little party!

Photo by Char

This week on "Fashion Drugs" Gini lets us in on how to get a little of that "Gini" sais quoi...

...Enjoy...

...My style is hard to describe. I take influences from different cultures and combine them to form my own aesthetic and I should definitely add that Japanese fashion never fails to fascinate me. It's all about the imagination, the fairy tale which gets broken up but still retains its beauty. I love layering, poofy skirty and I will never ever leave the house without some kind of hat or headpiece on my head. Everybody here at Betsey Johnson will confirm that! Hats, flowers, all kinds of bows...and most of the time everything combined. I like to have a variety of style options depending on my mood, as long as they all tell the same story - Mine to be specific!

Summer love von Gini Ginelli, flower jewelry enthaltend

...there is little "bow" peep-chic! This is what I wear most of the time. This dress by Angelic Pretty is all I love about summer! Poofy, bright, fun and cute. You just want to go to a park, have a tea party and game of croquet. The shoes (love!) add a bit of elegance to the whole thing, whereas the hat (Topshop) and the earrings just top the whole thing off with a summer-y mood.

Black&White von Gini Ginelli, oxford shoes enthaltend

This set from Innocent World is just perfect for going into fall. You can dress everything up and down while still looking whimsical - in my case I would combine it either with one of my favorite little top hats - also Innocent World. Then you can wear cute oxford shoes on your way to work and switch to these high heeled beautiful darlings by Poetic License and tadaa-you're perfect!

As you can see, I am absolutely obsessed with high-waisted dresses as skirts as Betsey makes them all the time! They are perfect for any girls who want to accentuate their tiny waist and have fun while slenderizing around with a big petticoat. At the end of the day - this is what fashion is about right? It is your own little world that you and no one else creates.

Everyone paints their own picture-

its like a first conversation without words!

Thanks Gini!

x-Stef

...The Tents @ Newfest!

2011-07-24T08:56:00.000-07:00

Last night the Betsey clan went to see "The Tents," a documentary about the history of fashion week tents and how they helped put NYC on the fore front of fashion. Among many other fashion forces in the film, Betsey did a hysterical and informative interview. The entire movie was great and if you love fashion you will get excitement goosebumps as the first scene comes to the screen. Congrats to Deryck Todd "The Tents" production supervisor for a wonderful film and thanks to him for reaching out to me and getting us tickets!

Check out "The Tents"

Check out Deryck Todd - he is a jack of all trades!

* all available on Betsey Johnson.com

So much fun!

x - Stef

...A Vintage Extravaganza in Austin, Texas!

2011-07-22T07:44:00.000-07:00

When it comes to new fashion, I am a tough customer, but when it comes to vintage I get weak in the knees. At Betsey we live and die by our vintage; old Betsey creations, designer vintage or obscure brand vintage, it does not matter it is all extremely integral to the designing of a new collection. Sometimes we will out right copy a garment only to tweak it in prototype stage or we will use a garment's smallest detail, such as a stitch or button, to incorporate into a new garment. Every piece I choose has to have something unique that inspires a new garment. The challenge of finding those details is what makes crossing the threshold of my favorite vintage boutiques intoxicating. I know when all is said and done I will leave with unique treasures. Last Friday I woke up in Austin Texas, my home town, bursting to go on the vintage hunt!

First Stop - Feathers - I made out like a bandit here! There are so many good things in this store that it is near impossible to make decisions from the inevitable heap you will take into the dressing room with you.

Black and white knit halter (Feathers find) - I choose this because it reminded me of a dress that Betsey did in her Spring 2004 show Guys Heart BJ

Color blocking is so cool!

Check out this one piece khaki wonder! (Feather's find) I chose this garment because there are about 20 different things I can think of to create based on this unique find.

Next on the list of superb vintage hide-aways is Laced With Romance - My friend Kayln took me here for the first time and my jaw hit the floor. From the road, the shop has black windows and looks like a front for a secret under ground club but when you enter you are thrust into a steam punk meets rock and roll taxidermy heaven.

Steam punked! (Laced with Romance Find)

In the picture above and the picture below I am wearing Betsey vintage! Because of Betsey's 40 wonderful years of dressing all the wild children of the world, without fail I find something Betsey at every vintage store.

A Betsey Pin-up Beauties Pop-over (Feather's find)

Another goodie shop is New Bohemia if you want a cotton sundress this is your spot and for the guys, pearl snap shirts are never in short supply. Plus, they probably have the best vintage experts; that's right, I am talking about you, Mallory and Llana!

These two pieces are probably the most amazing vintage finds I have had in a long time, Chiffon pants (Laced with Romance) and a fitted jacket with amazing cut out sleeves (Feathers). I feel like Lady Gaga in this outfit!

And last but not least, based in Austin but only available on-line, is Sisters of The Black Moon - You could base your entire life style on their carnival fortune teller meets Indian princess vibe.

One of Betsey's favorite pieces from the bundle I brought back are these acid green maintenance - suspender pants. (Feathers) I briefly showed them to her the day I got back and the next day she came into work and asked me to put the suspenders on because she had been thinking about them. If Betsey Johnson is thinking about them for a whole day, you know they have to be a good find!

Of honorable mention are several other amazing vintage locations that I didn't quite have time or money for...

Amelia's - Oh so retro!

Flashback - buy a brassier here

Cream Vintage - yummy!

All of Austin's vintage getaways can be found on the Vintage Around Town Guide

Till the next adventure!

x-Stef

...Intern Theme Day - Gaga Inspired!

2011-07-19T14:03:00.000-07:00

Lady Gaga Day! I will let the picture speak for its self!

We are definitely on the "Edge of Glory"

x-Stef

...Break Time in Austin, Texas!

2011-07-16T18:41:00.000-07:00

Hi Faithful Followers!

I am in my home town of Austin, Texas taking some much needed R&R before we begin the count down to fashion week! I have been busy letting my family and friends make sure I get my fill of home. Which means, as soon as I get back to the Big Apple that there will be plenty to read!

Me at Curras getting some Tex-Mex after a lovely day of swimming in Barton Springs!

Coming up next week...

- All new ..."Fashion Drugs!" with a new guest muse.
- Every one's favorite ...Intern Theme Day.
- A look at my vintage buying extravaganza and some insight to why designers love vintage!

Later...

- ...Musing Over Muses - What does it mean to be a muse?

Until Next Time...

x-Stef

...In The Wild!

2011-07-16T17:56:00.000-07:00

For this theme day, the interns and I channeled our inner animal spirit...

...Things got a little wild...

...then we had a good laugh at ourselves and went back to work!

x-Stef

..."Fashion Drugs - A Healthy Addiction" - Your Rock and Roll Lifestyle Edition

2011-07-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

Muse of the week is Char! She is pretty awesome and if you ever meet her, you might find yourself wanting to be her. She works at Betsey Johnson (duh). Her role at BJ includes designing some pretty sick T-shirts and making Charbucks (That's code for really really strong coffee) when we have to work late.

I saw this picture on her facebook and decided to dedicate this edition of Fashion Drugs to her and asked her to throw me a few brain nuggets on her unique style!

Enjoy!

This is Char - She could peer pressure you into anything

“Less might be more but more is way more fun”. <3 - Char

Well first of all as a precautionary warning, my style is super all over the place but I think that’s what makes it “my style”. I like to mix different vibes,… tons of different things I like, into one outfit and be kind of a mish-mosh. That’s my personality, anyway…. I like to think I can’t be contained in any kind of labeled box. One day I might look like a mix of rock n’ roll with a splash of girly and a weekend at Woodstock, and other days I’m more along the lines of “Compton took a field trip to 7^th Avenue!” But isn’t that what makes getting dressed everyday fun!? If clothes were intended to only cover our bodies, we’d all be out of business (in the fashion industry) and completely bored and uninspired!

Here’s some pieces I would definitely throw into the mix with those AMAZING Jeffrey Campbell Tick peeptoe wedges.

I have spent many years working on t-shirts (product development and design) and I seriously LOVVVVVVVVVVVVVE tees. They are timeless! EVERYONE wears t-shirts….. your boyfriend, your Mom, your neighbor, your 3 year old cousin. They aren’t going anywhere! And they’re only getting cooler and cooler with advancement in manufacturing and technology! I love this shredded tee by Chaser. I wear a lot of solids but like to mix it up with some “conversation pieces”. I LOVE stripes (my favorite things EVER are stripes, Rasta colors and leopard print). The Jeffrey Campbell Tick wedges would make this outfit total money. It’s super mixed up with all the elements but totally comes together in a funky way.

I love this sheer top by Alternative Apparel. It’s super sexy but understated. I’d pair the Tick wedges with these Cheap Monday skinny acid jeans and TONS of bangles. I like throwing in just a little colorpop and I love accessorizing. The Tick wedges would bring this outfit to a really sleek level while the sheerness of the tee is really sexy and the denim is really funky. The bangles bring that rocker feel and the turquoise is total earthy/hippy. I love the conflict!

I LOVE the graphic tees that KR3W makes and I’m stoked that they started doing them for the ladies (even though their target customer is the dudes). I would probably cut this tee shirt up to be a tank with oversized armholes and throw some safety pins in the back to tighten it up. I love these floral denim pants by Insight and love the contrast between the girly pants and the creepy/edgy feel of the tee. I’d wrap this look up with this briefcase style handbag by The Extras and probably deck out in tons of gold and silver chain necklaces. I completely challenge anyone who thinks you have to make a choice between gold and silver hardware in your outfit. If you have the right attitude you can mix up ANYTHING and pull it off!

Thanks to Char for letting me pick her lovely brain!

...Here are a few of my own Rock n' Roll picks a la Char-ness!

Alexander McQueen Scarf - R.I.P you amazing man. Thank you for everything you did ever!

Chanel Chain Glasses - For your hang over. If this doesn't satisfy check out more rock n' roll worthy sunglasses here

Mata Hari x Lovemade Backpack - you must start a little black book if you own this

Ether Ore Jewelry - Delicately dangerous!

Betsey Johnson Boom Box Biggie Top - Banging! Char designed this top with Betsey!

As always send me anything you can't live with out!

x-Stef

Fashion Drugs - "A Healthy Addiction" - Beach Bum Edition

...Twister In McCarren Park!

2011-07-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

I have discovered the best way to get happy in an instant and exercise at the same time!

Twister!

Photo By Andrew Curran

In action on the Twister board in my Betsey Johnson Ditsy Printed sun dress!

Photo by Andrew Curran

Right hand red!

Photo by Andrew Curran

Left hand yellow!

Photo By Andrew Curran

Right foot blue!

Photo by Andrew Curran

Left foot green!

I ended up the Twister Champion! Anyone want to challenge me?

x-Stef

...More Media From Bullett Magazine!

2011-07-08T13:37:00.000-07:00

Refinery 29 posted the video from Betsey's Bullett Magazine shoot enjoy and read more in the Bullett's III vol. The Golden Issue and Stef Does...The Bullett Magazine Shoot .

I love the video, I Love Bullett!

x-Stef

...Dress Up with Betsey!

2011-07-08T07:33:00.000-07:00

I have been sort of M.I.A from the Blog-o-sphere lately but the explanation is simple!

Betsey and I were too busy playing dress-up!

Although the day is filled with laughs and many wardrobe changes...with two lines, fashion week approaching and many other interesting projects in the queue, work has been keeping us busy. I had one of the interns take some pictures of a particularly hilarious end-of-day design session.

Enjoy!

Believe it or not this is a typical day for me in the show room. I am a fashion pirate armed with my trusty tape measure!

Betsey is hard at work...I might be goofing off just a smidge;)

Here we are doing "serious design thinking" (retract champaigne bottle)

I think we were tap dancing in this picture!

x-Stef

...Fashion Drugs - A Healthy Addiction - Beach Bum Edition

2011-07-04T09:35:00.000-07:00

A healthy addiction to all things fashion, prescribed every Monday!

Happy Fourth of July!

Welcome to the first edition of Fashion Drugs!

I had everyone in the Betsey Johnson showroom send me a link to some of their favorite beach bum fashions. This is what we liked for putting your toes in the sand.

Enjoy!

Black Milk Clothing - So cool you can't even buy this any more but you will find yourself craving it.

Vivienne Westwood Corset - If any "trip" you had resulted in a desire to be a mermaid

Alice and Olivia Resort 2012 Collection - bold, bright and breath of simplicity, it keeps you wanting more

Food Jewelry - Shay Arron Miniatures - This hot dog pendant is not as drastic as Lady Gaga's meat dress but it will attract attention

Hermes Orange Towel - My boyfriend actually owns this towel which is strictly reserved for beach use only! Although, sometimes I sneak a quick hit of its luxuriousness and use it to wrap myself in after a hot shower. Ahhh, the thrill of Hermes!

J. Crew Tote - acid colored totes! What's not to love?

Jeffery Campbell American Flag Boots - This is not an illusion these really exist!

La Roche - Posay Sunscreen = Prevention - I literally typed "the best sunscreen in the world" in to my search portal and this came up...I am going to try it and let you know;)

Hope you enjoyed the first edition of Fashion Drugs! Stay tuned next Monday for another fix! In the mean time, if you find your self obsessing over anything, send me a link!

x-Stef

...Taco Tuesday

2011-06-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

Once every year the Betsey babes and dudes throw down against another fashion company to see who can raise the most money for charity. All this combined creates the unforgettable night we lovingly call Taco Tuesday!

This year, Side Bar hosted the ladies of Urban Outfitters who were playing for the Young Survivors Coalition, while we represented NYC Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell Breast Cancer Center.

We decided to theme the night Red, White and Blue with nautical accents (I had the interns making bows and tin foil sailor hats all day)

So how do we raise the money? The night is pretty much filled with shameless acts such as the kissing booth, Betsey babe auction, Tin foil elephant hats, a raffle and oh yes lots of shots!

I wore my Betsey blue twill sailor shorts, vintage Betsey Punk Label red corduroy jacket that has the most luxurious puff sleeves and all of Betsey's nautical themed jewelry! Oh yeah...and an intern customized tin foil hat!

Sasha and Jen with their kissing booth tip jars. Would you be surprised if I told you these girls make the most money for every charity event we have?!

The Urban Outfitters girls dressed in sequins and arrived from Phili (UO's HQ city) in a white party bus. They were stuck in city traffic and arrived a fashionably two-hours late! To make them feel better, after the long trip, we stood on the street in a line and saluted them as they pulled up to Side Bar

Betsey got a hold of the mic and started emceeing from on top of the bar. By this time the Betsey clan had taken control of the bar! Would you expect anything less?

We raised a lot of money and had a great time all in the name of charity but I think Betsey's shirt sums up the evening best!

x-Stef

p.s. a some point during the night we did eat tacos!

...The Assistant Files!

2011-06-28T15:23:00.000-07:00

Photo By Giorgio Niro

Last Friday the Daily Front Row online came to the showroom to interview me for The Assistant Files. The questions they were going to ask made me really nervous and I felt like I would not think of any good stories or that I might freeze up and give some monosyllabic answers. Luckily when Alexandra started to ask the questions it was as if I had taken a vow of silence and this was the first time I was breaking the silence. Enjoy my rambling!

The Assistant Files

Also, If you want to know more about Betsey and me knocking Sarah Jessica Parker off her heels, which I mention in the interview, read my post Stef Does...The NYC Ballet Gala and Anger Management!

x - Stef

Photo By Giorgio Niro

...Learning About Fashion History

2011-06-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

We can all be obsessed with fashion as much as we would like but, to really appreciate an art form you have to learn its roots. Here are three amazing designer exhibits hanging out in the western hemisphere for the summer.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty - The Metropolitan Museum of Art - New York City

Of the three exhibitions, Savage Beauty was the only one I got the privilege of seeing twice. The first time I saw the exhibition it had just opened. Walking through the many garments on display, I felt like I finally was able to pay homage to the late Lee Alexander McQueen. It was sad and beautifully eerie but, absolutely inspiring.

The second time at the exhibit was a Betsey design team field trip. A friend hooked us up with member access and we jumped to the front of the line which, had grown to an hour-and-a-half wait since the opening. Nothing was lost the second time around and if you have to do it, the hour-and-a-half wait is worth it.

Opens until August 7th, 2011

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier - Montreal Museum of Fine Arts - Montreal

Does anyone want to take a field trip? JPG is one of my favorite designers and I just might make the pilgrimage to this mini Mecca.

Opens until October 2nd, 2011

Balenciaga and Spain - de Young Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco - San Francisco

In January, The Queen Sophia Spanish Institute in NYC hosted this exhibit. The Betsey crew, along with Andrew Bevan of Teen Vogue, met Betsey for a liquid lunch to talk about our upcoming show and to take a jaunt through the Balenciaga Exhibit. Curated by Hamish Bowles and conceived by Oscar de la Renta, the exhibit not only celebrated the brilliance of Cristobal Balanciaga but the influence his Spanish heritage had on his career.

If you find yourself in San Francisco, the de Young museum is an amazing institution and even more fantastic with this exhibit under its roof.

Opens until July 4th

x -Stef

...Polka Dot Tuesday

2011-06-21T15:58:00.000-07:00

So Tuesday is theme day for the interns at Betsey Johnson. Last week was "Party Dress Tuesday" and they did not do so hot. So I made this week a little easier with "Polka Dot Tuesday" and they did much better.

L-R - Matilda, Alison, Emma, Caitlin, Pattra (she is a designer and wore polka dots that day even though she did not know it was polka dot day!), Me, Silivia, Quiana, Lisa, Megan

x - Stef

... The Betsey Johnson Sample Sale

2011-06-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

You cannot miss this sample sale!

x - Stef

...Prints For You, Prints For Me, Prints By The Amazing Ashley!

2011-06-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

Here in Betsey Johnson land we love our prints! Even more we love the woman behind the prints, Ashley Miller! Ashley works very closely with Betsey to create one of a kind prints. Read Ashley's blog! She will tell you what is trending in print design and what is just plain cool. I suggest you check it out if you don't want to be a square.

This Tutti Frutti print Ashley created appeared in the NY Post, Nylon and Glamour UK, after it was featured in Betsey Spring 2011 Show. Alas, you cannot buy this at our stores because it was dropped form the line. Don't be sad because we are fighting for it for you, plus, all the BJ employees want one too! Send a comment if you like this and want it bad!

Glamour UK May 2011

x - Stef

...The Hamptons

2011-06-15T09:49:00.000-07:00

Let's take a little break from the bonkers world of Betsey and enjoy the sun in the Hamptons.

Friday night when I was having a glass of champagne with Betsey and Katelyn at Muranos, our local garment district hangout, my boyfriend Alex called to tell me he had arranged for us to hop on the Jitney bus to the Hamptons! I downed my glass of champagne as Alex arrived to pick me up. We hurried home to pack. I threw the essentials into a canvas tote and hopped in a cab to the Jitney stop. A short nap and a couple of hours on the Long Island Expressway and we were in the country. I love Manhattan but the reason people live in the city is to get out of the city.

My boyfriend's dear friend picked us up from the bus stop in his sweet 1974 Mercedes. He had recently rode a Greyhound bus to Ohio, where he purchased his classic dream car and drove it 600 miles back to the city. We hopped in the red car, affectionately named Ruby, and headed to the vineyard where we would be staying. On the way there the boys gushed over every detail of the car and I could already tell that this would be a main topic of conversation our whole weekend. Boys will be boys!

We cruised to the Channing Daughter's Vineyard where our group of friends would be staying for the weekend. The Channings own an exquisite vineyard in Bridgehampton that might actually be heaven! When arriving an amazing sense of release and peace washes the city away. The clean air stops my mind from going a hundred miles an hour and I start to breathe easier. The first thing I want to do, whenever I get the privilege of a visit, is run straight out into the lush green field that extends far enough into the distance it would make you believe it never ended. Dotted throughout the field is the sculpture garden. Among the patriarch Walter Channing's many passions is turning found wood into clever sculptures. Through this medium, Walter has created a special world of masterfully carved marvels. It is hard to make a comparison to the world of the vineyard because it is so unique in character that I have yet to experience its equal.

These pictures do not do the property justice! The green orbs are fiberglass which light up the great lawn at night.

The upside down tree is the symbol of the vineyard and a common theme among the sculptures on the property. The tree below is on the label of the Channing Daughter's New York Times top rated wine.

At the vineyard there is never a shortage of food and meal times are brought outside so one can enjoy the vista. All the guests gather in the kitchen to pitch-in to prepare a meal. A table is set and wine is poured and we eat...and eat...and eat. After everyone is fat and happy, we share conversation and slowly clean up. It took me a good half an hour to fold this table cloth because of the wind. Also, the fact that is was circular and that I was in tipsy snail mode.

After clean up and maybe a nap, we put our swim suits on and strolled down to the pool for some sun bathing.

When sunset comes, Alex and I head up to the house where dinner is being prepared. We help cook to avoid clean up. After another amazing feast we drag out more bottles of summer wine. Be sure to snag a bottle of the Channing Daughters Rosso Fresco before the season is up! When you drink it make sure you are outside relaxing in nature. After reclining on the lawn and counting the stars as they come out, we start to feel the pull of the city and begin our journey home.

Till next Adventure!

Stef

...An Attempt at Party Dress Tuesdays!

2011-06-15T06:35:00.000-07:00

I am coordinator of Betsey's army of devoted interns. Without them we could not survive. To make their summer internship more fun we have theme days. Tuesday they were suppose to dress up in a party dress! This was the first time we attepmted theme day with the new interns. I think they thought I was kidding. I am giving them a second chance next week! Any thoughts on a theme?

L-R- Chiarra, Erin, Lisa, Matilda, Emma, Caitlin, Brittney, Me, Alison, Megan, Silvia

x - Stef

...A Little Japanese Reading

2011-06-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

We just got our new Japanese brand books! These things are so cool although, I can't read a single word in them. The book includes interviews with employees, runway show images, and Japanese models in Betsey clothing and accessories. Also shrink-wrapped in the book is a make-up bag that matches the print on the cover! So cute, so coordinated, so Japanese!

I have been in a couple of the brand books and even a Japanese magazine called Glitter! I love shooting with Betsey's Japanese team they are so nice and enthusiastic!

Later, I was inspired to put on the Tom Waits song "Big In Japan" and dress up in my Jean Paul Gaultier Asian inspired net dress and my Jeffery Campbell platform heels. These shoes are reserved for cleaning the house because they are treacherous on the streets of Manhattan.

Terrible pic but I literally cannot walk down the stairs in these shoes!

Until the next adventure!

Stef

...The Bullett Magazine Shoot

2011-06-07T18:31:00.000-07:00

Best Day Ever with Bullett Magazine and Betsey!

My new favorite magazine and Betsey teamed up to do an eleven page shoot to take the readers though each decade of the world of Betsey. We spent a month conceptualizing the shoot with our pink tank-think tank (Betsey, Katelyn, Petra, Ashley and I) and the endlessly creative Bullett team. Buy a copy now you will not be sorry! I have some great candid photos to share as we go through the best day ever.

After Betsey decided she wanted to do a retrospective of each decade of her designs, we began searching for her vintage garments she wanted in the shoot. This is no easy task because her archive is in an enormous warehouse in quite a state of disorder. Betsey knew which pieces she wanted for each shot, so the pink tank-think tank went to the warehouse and searched until we found everything.

Once we had everything together Betsey began to style each look for five shots. Outfits for four models and Betsey, no problem I thought...I was wrong it was like doing a fashion show. We changed our minds left and right, alterations were needed along with finding accessories, all in a very short time. I tried on countless outfits as we considered how we wanted each shot. We were styling until the last minute. We were even styling at the shoot!

Another major part of the process was deciding where to shoot. After mulling over location after location, Betsey finally decided that she wanted to shoot at her apartment. Logistics nightmare! Her apartment is tiny! Thankfully, we had the most amazing photographer, Mick Rock. He is the kind of guy that makes everything work and turns your whole experience into a rock and roll show.

The day of the shoot we were prepped and ready! We met the camera crew 9:00am sharp at Betsey's apartment. The models trickled in and we began sitting for make-up which was inspired by this photo by Ellen Von Unwerth.

Mick Rock arrived just as we finished hair and make-up. I had all the garments labeled and ready for each model for each shot, so it was simple to dress everyone. Since I helped style I got first dibs (tehe lucky me)! I picked the sickest black and white striped cotton Lycra jump suit and motorcycle gloves.While the camera crew was setting up, Mick went in to the bedroom and meditated. This was interesting to me and I was interested to see how this would help him in his creative process. When he finished meditating, Mick brought Betsey and the four of us into Betsey bedroom for the 80's shot. We all piled on the bed and Mick began growling and yelling "yes, give it to me!" The five of us erupted in giggles, his rantings had helped us relax. He was everything you think a New York fashion photographer would be and it was really easy to "work it" for him. I now think that maybe I should try meditation. Later Mick got on the bed with all of us for some memories.

Mick is burried in there some where!

The next shot was the 60's! We changed our lipstick and jumped into bright color-blocked frocks and heidi hats. Betsey sported a David Bowie T-shirt as she sat a top a ladder on her balcony. I stood on her right and held on to her leg because I was scared that she would fall off as she vogued on top of the ladder.

For the 70's shot we dragged Betsey's bed out of her bedroom so we could stand in front of the wall of mirrors attached to her closet. Betsey did the splits on the floor and the four of us stood over her in sexy model poses.

Next we took it to the streets to literally stop traffic for a Beatles Abby road shot. We danced down the side walk to 5th ave and came to the realization that we could not possibly stop Manhattan traffic. Undaunted, we headed into central park and posed on some stairs. Betsey joked, "we looked like a rock band, Betsey and the Babes!" After we started to draw a crowd with our antics, we headed back to BJ's apartment for the final shot.

When we arrived back at the apartment we realized that it was only three o'clock, why not do an extra shot? Luckily, I had thought ahead and pulled some other excellent risque vintage from Betsey archive including; a bathing suit with shark teeth on the tits (of course I wore that one!), a chiffon lime dress that says flapper and another neon pink pop-over tunic with a picture of hands on the nipples above the word JOB. You can make your own assumptions about the way this shot went, but it was quite girltastic! This shot didn't make the spread in Bullett but you still get to see it!

We saved the 90's shot for last because we had to get all wet (this story is starting to sound really dirty;)! Betsey's idea for the shot was to have all us in chiffon dresses, soaking wet in her tub. The boys shooting B-roll got quite the kick out of all of us hosing each other down and there were a couple of red faces in the room!

Mascara running, freezing cold

(L-R) Natalia, Kim, Me, Julie (from Bullett), Rachel, Betsey, Mick Rock, Sah (from Bullett)

After we dried off and packed up we popped a bottle of champagne to celebrate the shoot and my birthday, which was the next day! Betsey found some random birthday napkins and set them out with some pastries from Dean and Deluca. She is such a great hostess!

The next day Betsey gave me a picture she drew of me in the shark teeth bikini from the shoot. This is probably one of the coolest things I own!

Thank you so much Bullett and Betsey!

Till next adventure!

Stef

...A Tour with Gala Darling!

2011-06-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

Watch me guide Gala through a tour of Betsey's showroom at galadarling.com!

Please excuse the showroom mess! We work better in creative chaos!
Thanks to Gala for joining our party for a couple of hours, it was a treat to have you!

Till the next adventure!

Stef

...Lunch at Muranos

2011-06-02T13:03:00.000-07:00

This just happened at our lunch meeting today to discuss new projects.

L-R Ashley, Katelyn, Betsey, Ira, Me

Thanks to Ira for the Champaign toast!

Till next time!

Stef

...Shoe Design and a Tour with Gala Darling!

2011-06-01T16:43:00.000-07:00

Below is what I spent most of my day looking at to figure out how to create detailed packages for Betsey's Spring 2012 runway show shoes.

Luckily they won't look a thing like this but I needed to learn a thing or two about shoe parts in order to relay, to our shoe team at Steve Madden, Betsey's vision for our Spring 2012 show. You will have to wait until fashion week to see how well I did!

Also last Tuesday I took Gala Darling, best blogger babe of Betsey's, on a tour of our showroom after Betsey looked up her skirt...well, I'll let you all read about it for yourselves at galadarling.com. and make sure you stay tuned for the showroom video tour.

Till Next Time!

Stef

...The Bullett Magazine Shoot

2011-05-31T19:20:00.000-07:00

Betsey did an amazing project with Bullett Magazine that I got to model in! I can't tell you the whole story yet but check out the first look posted by Refinery 29 and stay tuned for the full story coming soon!

Till then!

Stef

... The Tulips and Pansies Headress Affair 2011

2011-05-29T13:42:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday was the 10th annual Tulips and Pansies Headdress Affair benefiting Village Care. Betsey collaborated with In Bloom New York to create a Marie Antoinette inspired look with a punk rock twist. Participating in this event is by far one of my favorite things that Betsey does each year. Last year we attended the event and ended the night dancing on the runway with Patricia Fields at the after party. How could this year get better then that? Well... this year I was in the show!

Me all decked out on the Runway!

At about four o'clock Petra, our PR extraordinaire's devoted assistant and I walked over to Gotham Hall where the affair would take place that evening. We arrived and met the headdress designers Roshy and Parker from In Bloom NYC. Their headdress creation was gorgeous! Peonies and baby's breath with wispy neon feathers, how much more fabulous could something be? Roshy and Parker were anxious to try the headdress on me to make sure that I could carry the weight and balance it by holding the stick attached to the base. After some teeter totter I had it down and felt confident that I would not drop it on the runway.

After figuring out how to balance a floral arrangement on my head, walk the runway, hold my dress out from under my heels, act like a punk rock Marie Antoinette all while chewing gum (just kidding), I sat down in make-up. The make-up team from Illamasqua white powdered my face, added a rosy circle cheek, a touch of mascara and a heart shape lip. I looked like a porcelain doll or a hybrid clown/geisha, but it worked perfectly with the whole look.

Next task was to accessorize! Petra and I lugged two huge bags of Betsey accessories from the showroom to the event so that Roshy and Parker could have their pick. I put on the dress they chose from Betsey's Spring 2011 runway show Le Tour de Betsey which they based the design of the headdress around. This dress is amazing because Betsey puffy paint/air brushed it herself! Betsey slinging paint all over the showroom to create this dress was quite the spectacle and pee-your-pants hilarious! From chaos, Betsey makes the most amazing things. To the one of a kind gown, Roshy and Parker pinned a cluster of neon plastic flowers. They added a black lace necklace and gold sequin boots. The final touch and my favorite accessory was a pair of hand cuffs, which they attached to the stick that I held to balance my headdress! Using the handcuffs was pretty clever and tied the whole outfit together.

When the show began, I finally got to see every headdress creation in full glory. Each collaboration was a success!

When it was my turn to parade out on the runway, MC for the night James Aguiar, who was decked out from head to toe in a suit made of googly eyes, provided witty commentary. "Marie Antoinette isn't she like 12?" quipped Aguiar as I vogued at the end of the runway.

Roshy and Parker were waiting back stage with big smiles on their faces! They thought my embodiment of punk rocker Marie was fantastic! We did a toast and cheered. All the models did a finale walk to show off the amazing creations once more.

Did I mention it was a contest as well? Unfortunately, I have to report that we did not win a prize. Don't be sad though, doing the show was an amazing experience and everyone was happy to contribute to Village Care. I took off the headdress and transformed from punk rock Marie Antoinette back into Stef because luckily there was an after Party!!! I love a good after party don't you? At the party I met up with Katelyn (PR extraordinaire), Petra (Katelyn's DA) and Ashley (Mistress of print design), all devoted Betsey employees, who had come to cheer me on. Katelyn texted Betsey pictures from the show and she loved them! We ended the night with some bubbly and dancing to the mixing of DJ Lady Bunny.

L-R Petra, Stef, Katelyn, Ashley

A couple of days after the show I received the most beautiful bouquet of peonies from Roshy and Parker as a thank you for modeling. It was such a pleasure to work with In Bloom NYC to support Village Care. Check out their blog about the event and how they created the amazing headdress.

Till next time!

Stef

...The New York City Ballet Gala + Anger Management

2011-05-24T16:46:00.000-07:00

At the New York City Ballet Gala Premier of Lynne Taylor-Corbett's "The Seven Deadly Sins" Betsey and I walked the red carpet as the sin "anger." Well, walk is maybe an understatement because Betsey literally dragged me down the red carpet on the end of a leash.

You might be wondering, how did we get ourselves into this? Well... Betsey's public relations extraordinaire, Katelyn, sent me an email two weeks before the gala inviting Betsey to create a look based on one of the sins and present it on a model on the red carpet. Betsey chose anger and I agreed to put on my pointe shoes from my dancing days and ignight the red carpet with some performance art.

When Betsey first started to brainstorm for the look she wanted to do a take on Black Swan. It made perfect sense to dress me in a one of her new tutu dresses and pointe shoes and flutter around like an angry caged bird. After some thought, we decide that was too literal and predictable. Wanting to shock, awe and do something new, we dug around the showroom vintage and pulled out a large hoop dress shown in Betsey's Spring 2011 runway show. It was the perfect amount of avant-garde for the gala.

We had the killer dress, now we needed to find our handle. How could we tie it to a story so that on the red carpet we could be characters and really put on a performance? A good rule of thumb for Betsey in these situations is, when in doubt grab a sharpie! Hence the sharpie tattoos. She wrote "scram!" "Back off!" "Don't Bother Me Boy!" and my favorite "Piss Off!" all over my skin. She completed the art by writing "ANGER" boldly across my chest just above a sharpie cleavage shadow. (hubba hubba) Now that we had my roll as anger we had to make up a roll for Betsey to play. On the morning of the gala Betsey went to have her hair done and through salon chat her hair dresser suggested that she play "anger management." We sent one of our devoted interns to XXX shop to pick up a dominatrix collar and leash, making her in control of anger, aka me.

With the look and back story complete we prep-ed for the night! Betsey and I did our own vampy make-up with her signature red Betsey's lips. I reached out to my friends the amazing Peter Gray (Hairstylist savant and fellow jack of all trades) and Kelsey Osterman (brilliant from Cutler salon) to create my hairstyle using long-choppy extensions, a lot of product and a lot of back combing! After we were all gussied up we practiced our choreography which included hiking my skirt over my head to show off red bloomers and sharpie pantie hoes seams. End result...

After parading around the showroom tethered to Betsey we hopped in the car and headed to Lincoln Center for the gala.

Arriving on the red carpet we started our show

Light bulbs were going off everywhere as we put on our grand performance. There are plenty of pictures on the web of my red bloomer butt! Following closely behind us on the red carpet was Sarah Jessica Parker. After the event the NY Post wrote that we. "almost knocked her off her heels." As we reached the end of the red carpet we broke character in a fit of giggles. Betsey began doing interviews and a reporter asked me if wearing the leash hurt. Betsey, the sharp tac that she is, answered "Do dogs complain!" We did not stay for the ballet because Betsey had another engagement and I could not imagine sitting through all the acts in that hoop skirt. Plus, we had a bottle of champagne at the bar that was calling our names.

The next day I woke up with a cold and couldn't make it into work and Betsey called me to see if I felt better and thank me for putting on a show with her. She is just that nice of a person!