Zingy Betsey Johnson/Alley Cat Separates, 1973

Alley Cat by Betsey Johnson, Mademoiselle for August 1973 ad ~ FINNFEMME

Just when I think I had finished scouring my old fashion magazines for anything Betsey Johnson, I FIND ONE MORE! And this has to be my favorite.

OMG, these ‘zingy, snappy cotton separates’ are the BOMB. With Betsey’s delightfully quirky yet intricate styling, they are SO fun and happy and whimsical. I wore a lot of Betsey Johnson designs in the 70s, but they were sewn for me from Alley Cat’s Butterick patterns by my mom.

The prices may seem cheap for 2021 standards – Corduroy jacket ($32), Corduroy pant ($22), Corduroy checkerboard hat ($8), Clown print shirt ($24), Ribbed sweater with clown patch ($16), Quilted clown print pant ($30) – But when you’re making 50 cents an hour as a babysitter in 1973 as I did, it was quite out of reach.

I’m just so glad I got to live through the 70s as a teenager/young adult. So many fantastic fashion memories! 🙂

~Marilyn

2 Responses to “Zingy Betsey Johnson/Alley Cat Separates, 1973”

  1. Laurel P

    Hi Marilyn! My mom has the clown print quilted jacket made from this fabric! Dying to know what it’s worth now. Thank you for sharing this!

  2. finnfemme

    Hi Laurel,
    That is so cool that your mom has the clown print jacket! I’m sure it is now worth $$$ as original Alley Cat pieces are quite rare. A collector’s piece for sure!
    ~Marilyn

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