Betsey Johnson: Fairy Godmother Of Fashion

I know a lot of people buy clothes like shopping for groceries; they are necessary and need to be replenished often. Not everyone buys strictly for the designer label either. When I am out thrifting, I do keep an eye out for those labels and one in particular is Betsey Johnson.

Betsey is probably the coolest person I know of from this planet. She has been a fashion editor, a fashion designer, has owned her own boutiques on and off since the 60's (Edie Sedgewick was her in house model for a short time AND she designed the clothing Edie wore on her last film, Ciao! Manhattan), she created sewing patterns for Butterick, took dancing classes and was even married to The Velvet Underground's own John Cale for one year.

Betsey even had her own line of 
fashion fabrics!!

Edie Sedwick 1969 modeling for Betsey's Boutique under the label Betsey Bunky and Bini c1969

As one journalist recently quoted, "If Betsey Johnson didn’t exist, we would have to invent her, simply to remind ourselves that fashion can be fun. She's the original wild child and set to paint the town pink!” 

When someone mentions Betsey I immediately think of youth and the color pink. Pink is Betsey's signature color and you see it on almost all her merchandise and boutiques.

Her clothes are fun and flirty, colorful and alive. I am drawn into her visual and soak it up like a sponge. Betsey has led a full and fantastic life. I am in awe of her and her magnificent style. I would love to randomly run into her somewhere in Manhattan and take a selfie with this fangirl! I would be tickled pink!

circa 1990

from 2014 runway show

circa 1985

Classic Betsey splits

Dessert Oasis In The Desert

Karl's Quality Bakery - Phoenix, AZ

Have you ever heard of a cronut? What about a cruffin? Well up until last year I never had heard of either. But apparantly they are all the rage; as fashionable on the streets of NYC as a pair of Louboutins. BTW cronuts are the most delicious, innovative donut. It is the pillowly goodness that comes from a croissant and a donut crossover. Created by chef Dominique Ansel of NYC. Anyway- my favorite bakery was on the local news and was offering these delicacies and people from all parts of town were driving to my neighborhood to be part of the cronut craze. Trendy donuts!

cronut

Karl's Quality Bakery has been in my neighborhood for about 20 years now. Karl the baker is from Austria and you get that european feel in his bakery, rich smells and warm, inviting atmosphere. Karl's offers up everything a bakery can from artisan breads and muffins to the best macaroons ever! They even make an iced sugar cookie shaped like viking helmets in green and white with SHS on it for Sunnyslope High School which is directly across the street. 

Karl's daughter, known as the baker's daughter, began her own line of chocolates a few years ago and they are still sold in the bakery. Chocolate is always in fashion, right?

You may not use baked goods in a fashion blog but these cookies are very fashionable and delicious! I call food porn!

My favorite though is the decadently, sinful creation - the cream puff.

As Homer Simpson would say; "Mmm, doughnuts".

another view of the bakery

So if you ever find yourself in the Sunnyslope neighborhood in Phoenix and want a special treat - just go to Karl's located at 111 East Dunlap Suite 113 Phoenix, AZ 85020. Closed Sundays.

I love the throwback to the old bakeries and package their fine treats in pink cardboard boxes and twine! Sooooo vintage!!!

Fit To Be Dyed

I really hate my natural hair color- It's kind of a dark, dirty blonde and makes my skin and face look pale and ashy. I have been dying my hair black for almost 8 years (minus the year and half I had breast cancer and didn't have any hair to dye)and I get tons of great compliments on it. However, since the cancer my skin and hair makeup have changed and coloring my hair with over the counter products really isn't an option anymore. 

I was diagnoised with contact dermatitis the last time I dyed my hair about a year ago. The dermatitis affected my scalp, back of my neck then spread to my arms and ankles. So ever since I have been wanting to dye my hair again but with some research first.

Anyone remember Fanci-Full from high school? The product that used to give grey haired old ladies purple hair? I have been thinking of trying it. However, it is very temporary and washes out with each shampoo. BUT it does not contain para-phenylenediamine, which is the most popular allergen in permanent and semi-permanent hair dye.

While I have been researching the best hair dye to use over the counter, I stumbled on some interesting facts about hair coloring. The first is that hair coloring was first introduced by using plant dyes as far back as the 1660's. Colors that were able to be dyed were black, gold, green, yellow, red and white.

Second thing I learned, but already practiced, was washing your hair prior to coloring put a protective plastic like coating on your hair and won't allow the strands to collect the color and be absorbed. I would usually go three days or so before coloring- the dirtier your hair the better it will take the color. Also a third thing was L'oreal is said to be the first synthetic hair color manufacturer back in 1907. 

Nowadays L'oreal has several haircoloring products. I can't say that I have tried any except the Excellence brand, but that was before my new allergy.

I think I would like to try some funky color like aqua or purple ombre with the Manic Panic products. 

Only downfall with these temporary dyes is you have to maintain them on a constant basis to achieve the look you want. If anyone has any suggestions on other brands I might try I would love to hear from you. But for now I will suffer through this and hope I find some alternative soon. In the meantime it is colored wigs for me!

Plastic Memories - A Melmac Story

I remember having a plastic divided plate as a child. I think it had Peter Rabbit pictures on it. I ate off that plate until I was much too old to use such a plate but the pictures never faded even after all the washing.

But that wasn't the only plastic plate I remember eating off of in the 60's and 70's; back then we had what I condsidered to be some of the ugliest pea green dishes. Turns out those ugly dishes were actually Melmac dishes. Highly collectible today.

Vintage Melmac Saucers $6.99

Melmac or melamine as it is often referred to because of the melamine resin or melamine formaldehyde used to produce the plastic dishes that were popular in the 1950's and 1960's; were found in just about every household in the US. 

Melmac was sold as affordable dinnerware. 

Texasware- another plastic resin company is popular for it confetti mixing bowls. 

Now 40 something years later, I have a few collectible Melmac pieces in my own kitchen. One of which is a pea green divided serving bowl to remind me of my childhood.

Let's Get Cheesy With It

Fondue is the french name for melted cheese served in a fondue pot and heated with a candle or spirit lamp where bread and meats are dipped into it with long forks. 

Fondue has been around for centuries but was popularized by the US in the 1960's. Pots were make from ceramic and copper to stainless steel with most of them made of aluminum with an enamel coating.

They were decorative with food motifs on them like pictures of cheese or mushrooms. Some were very plain and utilitarian. Here are a few.

Vintage Orange Fondue Pot

Fondue parties were all the rage in the 70's. Fondue sets was a poplular wedding gift for the time. Almost every household had one. 

A tradition has it; that if a man loses his bread in the pot then he buys the drinks all around and if a woman does then she must kiss her neighbors. 

If you don't feel like melting your own cheese for a special meal there are several chain restaurants as well as small independent ones that cater to the fondue craze. The Melting Pot is one and it is based out of Florida and has over 150 locations across the US, Canada and Mexico.

Vintage Avocado Green Fondue Pot $24.99

So the next time you are feeling cheesy, just pull out the old fondue pot, grab a loaf of crusty bread and good bottle of wine and have your own party.