Kate’s 2¢: “Betsy: A Memoir” by Betsy Johnson and Mark Vitulano

“Betsy: A Memoir” by Betsy Johnson and Mark Vitulano
Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read. I’m just saying…

I could identify with Johnson’s learning how to sew at an early age. My at-home mother was a good seamstress, but she didn’t like to hem anything. She’d thread a needle for me and I’d do the straight hem work. I became expert at the ‘blind stitch’, which is ironic because, now, I am totally blind and, yes, I still sew. I also sympathized on needed to custom fit clothing my mother and I made for me. The back hem had to be longer than the front…weird, but it made the outfit look great on me, since I have a ‘big following’.
I know I’ll never get to England, so, I relished Johnson’s chronicle of her working visit to London as a Barbizon Girl sponsored by ‘Mademoiselle Magazine’; as well as her other world-wide jaunts in connection with subsequent gigs.
While I can identify with neither her life style of marrying three times with disastrous results nor keeping her breast cancer a secret, I can feel solidarity as a sister breast cancer survivor. In my dance with cancer, I shared the music with everyone.
As Johnson read her auto-biography written with Mark Vitulano, her enthusiasm for her life and bubbly personality come through her voice.
After her successful open heart surgery, she wondered what she’d do for the next 20 years. Wouldn’t it be great if she began reading for the Library of Congress’s National Library Service.

From: Betsey Johnson® Apparel – betseyjohnson.com
https://www.betseyjohnson.com
• “Girls do not dress for boys. They dress for themselves, of course, each other. If girls dressed for boys, they’d just walk around naked…
• “Always have fun with fashion. Dress to entertain yourself.
• “You have to hold onto your fantasy.
• “Just to see what a pink dress can mean to a woman, any woman, but a disabled woman, that’s extra special and thrilling…
• “Keep your sunny side up, keep yourself beautiful, and indulge yourself!
Mark Vitulano is a freelance writer living in New York City. He worked for Betsey Johnson thirty years ago answering the telephones at her NYC showroom. He kept his ears and eyes open. The two have been friends ever since.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:
Betsey: a memoir DB98887
Johnson, Betsey; Vitulano, Mark. Reading time: 6 hours, 41 minutes.
Read by Betsey Johnson.

Hobbies and Crafts
Biography

Memoir of famed fashion designer who first rose to prominence in the late-1960s. Discusses growing up in Connecticut, life in Manhattan in the 1960s and 1970s, relationships, motherhood, surviving breast cancer, and building her business empire. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2020.
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