Fun, Funky Betsey Johnson Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1942

Betsey Johnson was born August 10, 1942 in Wethersfield, Connecticut to Lena and John Johnson. She has a brother named Robert and a sister named Sally. As a young girl she took dance classes which helped to foster an interest in costumes. After high school, she studied at the Pratt Institute and Syracuse University.

Answer: A cartwheel into the splits

Johnson's runway shows match her personality and clothing designs - fun and over the top. It is customary for designers to come and take a bow after a runway show. Betsey is known for doing a cartwheel into a split at the end of her runway shows. Johnson celebrated her seventieth birthday and at the end of the runway show, did her customary splits with her daughter, Lulu, and her granddaughter, while 50 Cent's "In Da Club" played!

Answer: Mademoiselle

Johnson spent a summer as an intern at "Mademoiselle" magazine and won a Guest Editor Contest at the magazine. While there she was mentored by editor-in-chief Edie Locke. Within a year of this, she was the in-house designer for a fashion boutique in NYC called Paraphernalia.

She became part of the 'youthquake' fashion movement that integrated fashion with music and pop culture. She also associated with Andy Warhol and the likes of Edie Sedgwick, Velvet Underground and Lou Reed.

Answer: Betsey Bunky Nini

In 1969, Johnson opened her own boutique with the very cute name Betsey Bunky Nini and model and actress Edie Sedgwick was the house model. Johnson designed the clothing worn by Sedgwick in her last film, an avant-garde film about addiction and fame called "Ciao! Manhattan."

Answer: Alley Cat

In the 1970s, Johnson took control of the 'Alley Cat' fashion label that was associated with rock and roll musicians. In her first year with the label, her first collection reportedly sold five million dollars in volume and she won the Coty Fashion Critics' Award.

She designed a second collection for her own line in 1978 which did not do as well and apparently left her with more than three thousand unsold pieces and not enough funds to host a runway show to promote them.

Answer: Lisa Loeb

Johnson designed the dress worn by Lisa Loeb in her 1994 video for "Stay (I Missed You)." Loeb is wearing a forest green Betsey Johnson dress and a pair of tortoiseshell glasses that she became famous for wearing. The video was directed by actor Ethan Hawke who was a neighbour of Loeb's and influential in getting the song on the soundtrack for "Reality Bites."

Answer: Funky and sexy

Johnson's designs are generally very colorful, fun, feminine and whimsical. They have been described as over the top and embellished. Johnson describes the formula for the style as "take a leotard and add a skirt." Known for her dresses, in 2003 she expanded her fashion line to include handbags, accessories, hats, and scarves.

As of 2011, she had more than sixty-five stores throughout the world.

Answer: Cyndi Lauper

In September 2012 Betsey celebrated forty years in the industry with a party and a runway show. At the pre-runway show party, Cyndi Lauper performed, and yes she sang "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." She proclaimed that she had been a fan of Johnson's since the 1980s - which makes sense since their styles are so similar.

There were many celebrities at the show, a full capacity crowd, and some unhappy people lining up outside to try to get in.

Answer: Riding bicycles

The show for Johnson's 2011 spring/summer ready-to-wear collection created quite a buzz because the rumour was that models would be riding bicycles down the catwalk. During a rehearsal, this idea turned out to be a bit too dangerous for the models so they went with the slightly less dangerous idea to have the models ride skateboards instead. During the live show, one of the models rode a skateboard in open-toed platform heeled shoes, fell, lost a shoe and had to carry the skateboard back up the catwalk.

Answer: Yes

She certainly is! This award winning designer was inducted into the Fashion Walk of Fame in 2002. The bronze plaque commemorating her induction includes one of her original drawings. In 2009 the National Arts Club awarded her with a Medal of Honor for Lifetime Achievement in Fashion.