Betsey Johnson has been around since the heydays of commercial fashion; she started by designing for the boutique Paraphernalia in the 60s, then moved on to her own line, Alley Cat, and finally the eponymous line that she designs to this day. Not bad for someone who is 66 years young.

Her clothes always embody at least one of her tenets of style: color, pattern, shape, and movement. They are often printed with whimsical patterns (guns, flowers, cherries) or decorated with rows of fluffy ruffles.

Her designs for Paraphernalia are understandably rare as hen’s teeth (hanging out all night in a warehouse with Edie will do that to your clothes), but there is a surprising amount of 70s and 80s Betsey to be found.

A vintage floral bodycon minidress, probably from the early 90s.

Simple, sleek and pretty vintage Spandex dress from the 80s.

Wear this sweater to Christmas dinner, if you want to make Grandma cry, unless Grandma is in fact Betsey. She has kept the brand in the family by working with her daughter Lulu and granddaughter Layla.

To browse the wide variety of vintage Betsey Johnson available on eBay click here or view the previous posts on vintage designers.

Author Gothic Preppy aka Brooke also scribes her own fashion blog.