The National Arts Club awarded iconic fashion designer, Betsey Johnson, with the Medal of Honor for Lifetime Achievement last Tuesday at a black-tie function. An event which normally brought in a conservative formal crowd for honorees such as Carolina Herrera, Martin Scorsese, and Jeff Koons; this night was full of eclectic styles of dress. Among the few traditional penguins and gowns, there were those in vintage Betsey Johnson dresses, and Betsey herself in a neon lime green suede jacket, electric blue leggings, and her trademark pink tutu. This was certainly not your average night at the Tilden Mansion in Gramercy Park, but it was an evening of fun and excitement for the fashion industry’s energetic icon.

The evening brought in a packed crowd where it almost seemed that 300 people were invited, 150 were expected but all 300 came anyway. Who would want to miss out on such a wonderful event to honor such a deserving artist? I certainly made sure my calendar was clear! As dessert was being served(chocolate souffle, mmmm), NAC Vice President and accomplished painter, Dianne Bernhard presented Betsey with two portrait paintings after dancing with the designer to “All That Jazz”. In her tribute speech, she mentions meeting Betsey for the first time and the one thing that stuck in her mind was her smile. “I just had to get that smile down on canvas,” she gleams.

As the club’s President, Aldon James, awarded Johnson with the gold Medal of Honor, she asks, “Is it made of chocolate?” Betsey entertains the crowd and mimics the “vanishing-coin-and-reappears-behind-the-ear trick”. Her humor and joy is just so contagious I could not help but chuckle.

Nervous and excited, Betsey invites her long time business partner, Chantal Bacon, her daughter Lulu, friends and brother to the stage to hold up her fabric timeline mural as she gave her thanks. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Betsey Johnson party without a DJ and dancing to top off the evening. Congrats Betsey, and many thanks to your contribution to timeless style and being a pioneer of a new fashions!