The Feathers of one American Songbird: Jane Morgan’s Performance Gown Collection Displayed for NYFW
Under the 15’ ceilings of The 3 West Club’s elegant, old-world-New York Pratt Lounge, a prolific life is traced through a collection of more than 30 sequined, beaded historic performance gowns. They are Jane Morgan’s, a beloved singer who rose to fame during the Golden Age of American show business. The setting in this elegant New York living room inspired by The Met’s “In America: An Anthology of Fashion,” the exhibition itself was born from a friend’s rather shocking discovery of the extensive bespoke gown collection in the barn of Morgan’s Maine estate. After careful restoration, the collection, a sort of time capsule of a glamorous mid-century American show business, is in a sense returned to thestage, displayed before the public and glittering under stage lighting, just as they were meant to be.
Costume designer, stylist, and tailor Shirlee Idzakovich and her creative team from her company The Zaks, were brought in to style the exhibit for NYFW. Shirlee and her team brought to life Jane Morgan's collection of more than 30 iconic gowns, shoes, and accessories within the elegant space of the Pratt Lounge befitting of the singer's history and continued fashion and entertainment legacy. The Zaks currently works with carefully chosen clients around the world. The show was curated with 70+ gowns by Bonnie Bien.
A tour of her storied career, “Jane Morgan: In My Style” is a celebration of both her accomplishments in music and Hollywood, as well as in fashion. It was, after all, not for nothing that she was considered one of the best dressed performers in the world (and self-styled). Organized chronologically, the exhibition begins at her early life. Born Florence Catherine Currier in Newton, Massachusetts, on May 3, 1924, Morgan from a young age performed in theater productions at the Kennebunkport Playhouse in Maine (interestingly, also where her good friendship with George H.W. Bush and the Bush family began). In grade school she competed in singing contests against other students, and, upon graduation, moved to New York to train as an opera singer at the Juilliard School of Music. Working to fund her Juilliard tuition and performing anywhere from bar mitzvahs to nightclubs, Morgan was eventually hired at the Roseland Ballroom.
It was around this time that French impresario Bernard Hilda, a prominent French society bandleader, was looking for a young singer to perform at his new nightclub in Paris. In the end, Morgan was his singer of choice. In 1948, she accompanied him to Paris where she became an overnight sensation. Mentored by Edith Piaf and dressed in gowns by the likes of Balmain and Dior, she remained in Europe for more than four years.
Upon her return to the United States, Morgan, the “continental chanteuse,” underwent an Americanized re-brand; her first album was even titled The American Girl from Paris. The album was released under Kapp Records, the new recording label she signed to after having been noticed by Dave Kapp at the Latin Quarter. Under that label she recorded “Fascination” in 1957. The song was an instant sensation, selling millions of records and remaining in the top charts for 29 weeks. This marked the start of an incredible American career. After “Fascination,” came bookings on major television programs; her television credits include the Andy Williams, Jerry Lewis, Jackie Gleason, Perry Como, Johnny Cash, and Dean Martin shows, as well as more than 50 performances on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Her illustrious career included more than 70 singles, 41 albums, six gold records, performances for six American presidents and one French, a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, singing appearances at the Oscars, Academy Award nominated songs. She retired from performing in 1973. Displayed here are her gowns created by famed designers Kathryn Kuhn, Donald Brooks, Stephen Yearick, Ben Reig, Ruben Panis, Oleg Cassini, Gunter Project 2, Monte Streitfield, and Don Loper of California The exhibition carries on her legacy. Donald Brooks, creator of the “American Look,” designed more than 3,500 costumes for stage and screen, winning an Emmy for his work, while Oleg Cassini was a designer for First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, creating the “Jackie Look” of the mid-1960s. An American icon, Jane Morgan’s dresses were designed by artists who, like herself, helped shape American culture.
Article by Sienna Ropert, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Alexa Dyer, Graphic Design Coordinator, PhotoBook Magazine
*All photos taken by Sienna Ropert
