If Jane Powell were food, she'd be something wholesome, homemade and very sweet. Like a sugar cookie, or a donut with pink and purple sprinkles. (Apparently I did too much baking last week, since I'm starting to compare people to food. lol :). There's no denying that Jane was the picture perfect girl-next-door, complete with golden curls, a wide smile, and big baby-blue eyes. She's the girl who would have every space on her dance card full, and a wide group of friends following enthusiastically in her tiny footsteps.
Jane was a petite girl, at just over 5 feet tall, but had personality and a singing voice big enough to fill the largest room. One of the few successful sopranos of the "golden age of Hollywood" she recorded and performed numerous musical numbers with an astonishingly high, birdlike voice. Jane also had the honor of singing at President Truman's inaugural ball in 1949.
Coming to the big screen at the tender age of 15, she rose to stardom in the popular musicals of the day, most famously headlining the classic Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (which remains one of my favorite family movie musicals of all time :).
It's interesting to see how similar the style of these dresses are to some of the fare that has graced the department stores over the past few years. I know for a fact that I've found modern sewing patterns for all of these looks. So if you're in a "Jane-ish"mood, there are lots of options available...
Lastly, just because I want to get you hooked on Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, take a peek at this clip from the movie. This only one of the many memorable moments in the film, and I just adore it. This movie comes highly recommended. ;)
There. Who would have thought that backwoodsmen could be such great dancers? ;)
Images: Jane Powell Scrapbook
