Betsey Johnson Says She Took Her Pants Off to Get Married in 1968

Betsey Johnson has always been unconventional — even on her first wedding day in the '60s. In a video posted to her official TikTok page on Monday, the 80-year-old fashion designer looked back on

Betsey Johnson has always been unconventional — even on her first wedding day in the '60s.

In a video posted to her official TikTok page on Monday, the 80-year-old fashion designer looked back on marrying John Cale, a co-founder of The Velvet Underground, in 1968.

At the time, according to Johnson, she wasn't allowed to wear pants during the ceremony and had to change on the spot.

"We went to City Hall to go get married," she said in her video. "All of a sudden, they're saying, 'We can't marry you in pants.' Can you believe that?"

The video has been viewed more than 255,000 times as of Wednesday.

Johnson said she had been wearing "a beautiful, burgundy, crushed-velvet tunic top" with bell-bottom pants, while Cale was clad in a canvas suit she'd made for him.

While she noted that women "couldn't do anything" in pants at the time, she didn't want the style standard to interfere with her nuptials.

"I was wearing a crotch-length, little tunic top," she said. "So right in front of the judge, I said, 'I'm not gonna go home to change. I'll just take my pants off.'"

A post shared by Betsey Johnson (@betseyjohnson)

Despite her original outfit, Johnson still seems to appreciate classic wedding gowns.

After divorcing Cale in 1971, the designer married Jeffrey Oliviere in 1981.

Little is known about their relationship, but photos reveal that they married in a church while Johnson wore a white gown with balloon sleeves.

The designer has also featured multiple wedding dresses — each with quirky, colorful touches — in her runway shows over the years.

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Betsey Johnson Says She Took Her Pants Off to Get Married in 1968