“Bags, to me, are like entertainment,” Betsey Johnson tells Us. Hence why the designer, 76, creates her own whimsical and over-the-top purses. Her current favorite? A TV crossbody. “Everything twirls and works,” she explains, calling it her “little toy.”
Us tunes in to her purse.
Tiny Trinkets
“I’m traveling a lot. [My keychains] are my airport purchases. I have two grandkids who want my giraffe, this real little pen, which is handy-dandy for me, and then I’ve got my Hulk.”
Finding Her Zen
“[As] a very personally heavy-duty touch, I carry oil of patchouli because sometimes I like a real take-me-away smell.”
Always Booked
“I love my calendars. I’ve saved about five years of them. After a while, they don’t make sense and I can’t read them, but they’re my bible.”
DIY Queen
“My wallet is [made from] elastic. I live on these, which you make from cutting your pantyhose in strips.”
Common Scents
“At the moment, the heaviest thing in my bag is my new perfume [Pretty N’ Punk]. It’s a revival of the perfume I did in the ’80s.”
Mouthing Off
“I’m a red-lipstick girl. [Nars Powermatte Lip Pigment] has an amazing red, and in 30 seconds it will dry. It’s like a tattoo.”
What else is inside her bag? A hot pink hair clip; an iPhone in a Bandolier case; glasses; a black Beauty Blender; a CoverGirl lipstick in red; an IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream; an IT Cosmetics Contour & Highlight Brush; an Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics blush brush; a Bobbi Brown brown eyeshadow; a Marc Jacobs Highliner in black; a Charlotte Tilbury compact; credit cards; emergency doctor cards; cash; a Vons card; a black Sharpie; a nail file and tweezers.
