Beyond Beauty Basics has been invited by the National Arts Club Fashion Committee to attend Betsey Johnson’s awards dinner this Tuesday!  How exciting!  Stay tuned for a full report on this black tie event, but in the meantime, here’s the press release.

LEGENDARY FASHION DESIGNER BETSEY JOHNSON TO RECEIVE THE NATIONAL ARTS CLUB’S MEDAL OF HONOR FOR LIFETIME ACHEIVEMENT IN FASHION ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13TH

New York, NY – Legendary fashion designer and New York native Betsey Johnson will be awarded The National Arts Club’s prestigious Medal of Honor for Lifetime Achievement at a dinner held in her honor at the historic members-only Gramercy Park club in New York City. Johnson, who has earned a much-deserved stellar reputation within the fashion industry by following her own set of rules, will join the esteemed ranks of previous lifetime achievement honorees including Geoffrey Beene (2003), Oleg Cassini (2004), Carolina Herrera (2005) and Arnold Scaasi (2006).

There will be a retrospective showing of Betsey Johnson’s work during this event in the entrance of The National Arts Club in addition to the unveiling of a new portrait of Johnson, which was painted by Visual Arts Committee Chair Dianne Bernhard. The portrait will be displayed in The NAC’s permanent collection.

“I’m so excited, honored, and thrilled! It doesn’t get any better than this,” states Betsey Johnson.

“It is an extreme honor for the Fashion Committee of The National Arts Club to have the privilege of formally recognizing the unmatched visionary talent we call Betsey Johnson with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Fashion,” says Chrishaunda Lee, Chair of The NAC’s Fashion Committee. “Her vivacity and timeless message of an energized and inspired life through her designs has influenced the fashion industry for over three decades and runs parallel to our mission statement at The National Arts Club.”

Since the 1960’s, Betsey Johnson has been rocking the fashion industry with her over-the-top, exuberant and embellished unique designs. She began to first make her mark in fashion history as top designer for Paraphernalia (1965) and it was then that she began to apply her childhood aspirations of becoming a dancer and love of costumers to developing her trademark look of sexy silhouettes; hippie inspired flowing fabrics; whimsical detailing; and a fabulous fit. Thirty years later, alongside her friend and business partner Chantal Bacon, Johnson has witnessed the evolution and expansion of the Betsey Johnson label as it continues to rank as one of the top recognizable American lifestyle brands with over sixty retail stores in international markets. The National Arts Club’s Fashion Committee is proud to honor Betsey Johnson for a lifetime’s worth of success and will continue to support her with all of her future endeavors.

The National Arts Club:

Run by volunteers, the Arts Club was founded by Charles de Kay, New York Times literary and art critic, in 1898 with the mission to stimulate, foster and promote public interest in the arts and educate the American people in the fine arts. A historic staple in Gramercy Park, the Arts Club is located in the Tilden Mansion which was built in the 1840’s. Today, The National Arts Club hosts art unveilings, award dinners, film screenings, lectures, dances and many more various types of art performances. In order to help recognize untapped talents, the Arts Club’s committees frequently award scholarships to young artists, writers and singers to help them develop their talent and work towards their dreams.