Betsey Johnson Energizes Fashion Week

She put dozens of prom queens on the runway, but Betsey Johnson was the belle of the ball at the preview of her spring collection during New York Fashion Week.

She took her bow in the company of her granddaughter, Layla - they wore matching tutus and silver ballet shoes - kissed a male model half her age and then did her customary cartwheels, much to the delight of the crowd at the Bryant Park tents Tuesday afternoon.

Johnson's show is a traditional high point of New York Fashion Week, not so much for the styles on the runway but because it's always a high-energy, happy event. The theme this season was prom-worthy party dresses inspired by each decade from the 1950s through now.

"I'm a little biased," said InStyle fashion director Cindy Weber-Cleary. "Not only did I have a big Betsey Johnson prom dress with crinoline around the time of 1979, my daughter wore a sweeter version in pale pink with a much smaller skirt to her first middle school dance."

When Johnson was coronated at her own prom at Terryville High School in 1958, the "in" look was strapless dresses with big poufs. Well, she brought them back in glittery candy-colored versions.

The '60s were sleeker and Johnson's reinterpretation of that decade reflected that: The "Twiggy" tulle minidress was body-hugging except for the puffy sleeves. Its sparkle came from its rhinestone buttons.

From the '70s, she offered a yellow off-the-shoulder gown with an empire waist that she named in honor of the late singer Karen Carpenter and a short yellow coat with daisy decorations in the spirit of all those former flower children.

The '80s was an era of look-at-me fashion, and Johnson captured that look with a "punk party dress" that was a short strapless number with a tiers of hot pink satin over tiers of black lace, and with a black strapless dress with hot pink bows along the hem. The '90s were, apparently, more nondescript, with just a handful of styles from then, including an icy blue dress with tank straps covered in fabric flowers.

And for Johnson, the 2000s have been more political. She turned out a "Miss America dress" with a tight red corset and a pouffy skirt made of alternating tiers of red, white and blue netting.

The last runway look was worn simultaneously by four models in tiny red lace tap pants and giant silver letters on their backs that spelled V-O-T-E.