Seven ways of Betsey Johnson style on your holiday table

by Sarah J. Gim (Subscribe to Sarah J. Gim's posts)
Posted Nov 17th 2006 at 1:21PM

Stylista, you absolutely must set a stylish table for this upcoming Thanksgiving to match your adorable self when you present the Big Bird, but that doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune (that you could use toward shoes, instead!) buying designer pieces to dress up your table. And your table most certainly doesn't have to be red and green, blue and white, or gold and silver. Instead, do what Neiman Marcus did: pick your favorite designer and build your tabletop based on that designer's style - linens, dishes, flatware, glasses, and even the centerpiece.

Betsey Johnson isn't actually a favorite designer of mine, but her sense is easy to replicate because it's so distinctive and recognizable with bright, hot colors and lots of flair. For this table, I'm picking up on her use of black lace and bright purple in Fall '06 collection.

Tablecloth - For a table, you have to start with a good foundation, which is the tablecloth. For the Betsey style, go with a nude, er beige, basic tablecloth that you can get anywhere, then add sexiness with black lace on top, just like you'd wear a shapeshifting nude slip with a great black lace tankdress on top!

Table runner - On top of the black lace tablecloth, now you get to accessorize. Think of a table runner as a belt. Pick up a wide, shiny black satin runner and by loosely ruffling it along the length of the table, you create a little volume. Do the best you can, since you don't have the help of layers of crinoline like Betsey does on her dresses and skirts. If you get motivated, get an extra long runner, tie it into an enormous that sits just off center of the table (you need room for the centerpiece).

Napkins - Carry the same theme by skipping napkin rings and tying tablecloth-matching beige napkins with wide strips of shiny black satin ribbon into huge, fluffy bows -- very Betsey.

Dishes - Since I'm sticking with Betsey's signature use of purple, the Metallic Glass Tableware from Target in color plum is perfect. If you can bring yourself to put up with the potential of scratchmarks on black dishes, alternating them with the plum. Each set of 4 dinner plates, salad plates, and bowls is only $15.99!

Flatware - Strangely enough, all those spoons, forks, and knives that you've been collecting through the various stages of your life from college into one mismatched collection might actually do well on the table because Betsey makes odd color/print/texture combinations totally work. Of course, if you can't bear the thought of Dad trying to cut his slice of turkey with a Pic n Save stainless steel fork and a knife with an acrylic bamboo handle, I like this gold-plated set from Neiman Marcus that looks just like the shiny dresses from the Fall collection.

Glasses - The plum colored glassware that matches the dishes is a natural choice, but you can also go with traditional crystal stemware. Just dress them up by tying black bows around the stems!

Centerpiece - Sure, the turkey or the Holiday ham might work as a centerpiece, but what will the guests ooh and aah over before the main course arrives at the table? Flowers are a no-brainer for Betsey, and on a table, they're real instead of a floral print. The bigger the better, and I'd stay with giant pink and purple blooms (in you can find them this season). You need some green, so make sure there is some foliage on that centerpiece.

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