Betsy Johnson's Eyes On You

I got to meet Betsey Johnson today! Thanks to a rain storm that took me off the beach this afternoon, I was able to make it to the unveiling of the newest styles from the Betsey Johnson eyewear collection at Grueneyes in East Hampton. Betsey Johnson, I find, is a creatively daring, fun, and fun-loving fashion designer whose personal style and charisma translate well into her designs.

In 2006, she launched an exclusive eyewear collection to compliment her designer fashion label, and today we got a peak at the new styles for next season.

The party to celebrate her eyestyles was exactly what you would hope for and expect from Betsey: fun, bright and breezy. Huge rainbow colored lollipops, pink rose petals, jars filled with bright red twizzlers, bowls of Hershey’s Kisses and other gummy treats, baby cupcakes with pink icing being passed freely and OF COURSE pink cocktails were some of the things that adorned the atmosphere at Grueneyes. The luxe eye boutique was filled with as many balloons as it was with fabulous people.

Jon and Joan Gruen with the help of Betsey drew in a great crowd. In short, the afternoon party was a sweet tasting and visually pleasing time.

My first introduction to Betsey Johnson as a designer was out in the Hamptons one summer when I was in Middle School. I didn’t actually meet her, but she was the buzz word on every 13 year old girl’s lips who I knew. While I was deemed a “country boy”, being from Connecticut, all my summer girlfriends were slick Manhattanites from the Grid. At that age and time, all the girls had to get party dresses for multiple friends’ Bar Mitzvahs. These girls would just DIE if they didn't get dresses from Betsey Johnson.

On a regular basis it seemed that all the girls at tennis camp and sailing camp would discuss things like “I have like 8 Betsey Johnson’s and I need another because I can’t repeat a dress at a party,”. And no, they were NOT kidding. Knowing what I know now about fashion and Betsey Johnson, it’s impressive that she was the chosen designer of many of those young savvy girls, who many years later, are some of the more recognized names in fashion, society and business.

For Betsey Johnson to have had such a young following of in the know up-and-comers who still wear her fashions today is ample proof of her versatility as a designer -one who has been able to create fashions which speak to all ages. That right there is success personified.

If today’s party was an example of Betsey’s following, all my impressions are correct. I noticed there were partygoers of all ages dining on cupcakes and Twizzlers. No matter what age – all the kids at heart came out today, even mine, to see the fantastic eyewear collection. I left the store with my big rainbow lollipop and was satisfied to find the party was so wonderfully Betsey Johnson! To check out her sophisticated eyewear just stop into Grueneyes on 10 Main St. in East Hampton.

[Image via GooGoo Eyes]