"This is the grandma show of all time!" enthused Betsey Johnson, who welcomed Ella, granddaughter number two, into the family fold this year. The show had a seemingly tyke-friendly theme of pirates-meets-Peter Pan, but—needless to say—Betsey is no ordinary Grams, and although it was a romp, this was no Romper Room.
Johnny Depp, a.k.a. the drunken Captain Jack Sparrow, was another inspiration behind the collection; it seems he and Johnson have formed a mutual admiration society. (Hey, they both wear ribbons in their hair, don't they?) The models, even when sporting strangely attractive hoop-skirted dresses in kiddie-nursery prints, didn't G-rate their sex appeal. And the final "Robbed Royalty" section of the show, which involved handcuffed brides, kept Ellen von Unwerth's flashbulb popping.
Johnson herself, who took her traditional runway cartwheel dressed as Peter Pan, conceded that some of the show clothes were "over-the-top." (They will, of course, be adapted for retail.) That said, she really is focusing on broadening her label's appeal. Victorian jackets, bathing suits, intarsia sweaters, va-va-voom corsets, and tie-dyed maxi dresses added an accessibly trendy Tinker Bell flash to the zany proceedings. Clap your hands if you believe in magic!
