What's Trending With...Betsey Johnson

Fashion designer opens up about her new show and current obsessions

Betsey Johnson is one designer we'd love to be best friends with.

From her eccentric style (pink! petticoats! sparkle!) to her vivacious and loving personality, the fashion designer has made a name for herself in the industry while simultaneously carving a place in the hearts of fashion girls everywhere. 

When we had a chance to sit down with her at Lucky Magazine's FABB conference in Los Angeles, where she was gleefully dishing on her new show XOX, Betsey Johnson on The Style Network, we couldn't wait to learn more about her.

Here's what happened: 

Betsey, you have so much charisma and energy! Where does it come from? It's a panic energy, mostly! It's an anxious, nervous panic that I have felt since I was little. I didn't know that I had it. A few months ago, in the middle of taping the show, my daughter Lulu said to me, 'Mom, you're so ADD.'  I'm like, you guys and your initials! I grew up with no initials. Not even PMS. I can justify my scatteredness because they have an initial for it now.

So between your clothing line and the show, what do you do to relax? Do you have a favorite workout or playlist? There's not a favorite workout. Right now, I value my classical station and I turn that on as soon as the light comes through thewindows. I support this classical music station. What's on my iPod? I don't know. The guy who did my music for my last show, Chris, put some chunks of music on my iPod. I haven't listened to it yet. I'm really bad with these things...anything computer-esque! I just catch music in taxi cabs.

What about books? Or blogs? What are you reading right now? I don't read anything online...but I'm on the second Fifty Shades of Grey! It's a good beach read. Yeah, but otherwise I don't really connect with the internet. A psychic once told me years ago that there was a no way that me and anything that you plug in will work. I don't get along with it. I have a wonderful assistant who does all my communication...I use the computer, but through other people!

You have such a distinctive look that we absolutely love. Tell us your beauty secrets. I have my own red lipstick that I had custom made. I had to order 252 tubes of them about three years ago, so I still have about 10 left. And any eyelashes that are long and gross work! As for fragrance, I'm ruthless. I just try new fragrances all the time. I think my backbone is Creed. I really enjoy discovering different things for myself. And my other must-haves are my hair extensions. They're like real hair!

Where do you unwind in New York when you're not working? I think my favorite place to go is down to Lulu's, my daughter's apartment. Hang with the grandkids. But I do that too much. We're working on that. I love going to my work space with my assistant, and I love going to my favorite five or six Italian restaurants. 

Do you have a favorite meal? For brunch, I get a shrimp cocktail because I don't have a hot meal at lunch. I'm a total branzino freak. It's a whole fish that they filet and what's interesting is usually every Italian restaurant has it. That's my life, right? My whole nightlife is filled with fish. I haven't had time to get into all the museums and all the culture up in my neighborhood, though. It's really bad.

And finally, tell us one thing we'd be surprised to find out about you.  I want to travel. I want airline tickets. I want to go to weird, new, exotic places. I want to be in the sun and go to the beach. I'm very happy when I'm on a break and I can finally wake up in the morning, and not know what time it is.

I don't know how heavy-duty stars do it because there's always a weird feeling that somebody's looking at me somewhere. And I don't want to let anyone down. I'd love to be without my lipstick or my compact. It's a wonderful thing and it's a weird thing, but what I really enjoy is going someplace where nobody knows me or recognizes me. Then I know that I don't have to be me. I'm a different person when I'm separate from my stuff. 

And there you have it!

(E! and The Style Network are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)