Jane Seymour is the star not only of more than 50 films and television series, she's also the star of an ever-expanding galaxy of design.

She exhibits her watercolor paintings and sketches around the country, often giving the proceeds of special commissions to her favorite charities to help children and dance companies. From her floral scenes and Impressionist watercolors, she developed designs for the Jane Seymour Signature Collection, a line of moderately-priced women's wear.

Recently, she introduced a line of linens and home accessories, using as inspiration the designs and fabrics in her 15th-century manor house in England, St. Catherine's Court.

This weekend, Ballet Florida will use Seymour's set designs and costumes for the ballet ''Five Poems,'' by Ben Stevenson, which kicks off the West Palm Beach company's season.

We talked to Seymour about art, style, clothing and design:

Q: What century or style is your favorite?

A: ''Oh, I've worn so many centuries! And there are so many things that I like about each one. I loved being Marie Antoinette (''The French Revolution,'' a 1990 miniseries). Those costumes were the most exotic and extraordinary, because they re-created all the silks and fabrics of the era, and that was fascinating.

''And, obviously, ''Dr. Quinn'' (set in the Colorado of the 1860s): I got involved with all the costumes, and I'm allowed to keep them, so I realized I had a whole collection of crocodile wallets, watches and purses.

''So when things go out of style, I've learned that they'll just come back again. If I have space in my closet, I'll keep it until it's back in fashion. What's going on now in Paris is tweeds. I looked at the vintage tweed jacket I have, and I'm thinking of throwing sequins on it and wearing it with jeans.

''So I have Victorian, Edwardian, (styles from) the 1920s, '30s, '40s, '50s through '80s, and obviously contemporary things. I have everything up in my closet. I love Edwardian. It's very elegant and slimming. But I also love the bustle dresses.

''My daughter Katie loves my vintage clothes; she wore them all the way through high school. Both daughters and I are (close in size), so things seem to fit all three of us, and they can always go into my collection.''

Q: What clothing designers are your favorites?

A: ''Valentino, of course! In terms of being clever in a practical sense -- Diane Von Furstenberg for the wrap thing. Nolan Miller, who rediscovered the '40s and the great ages of the silent screen and the designs for Bette Davis and that whole amazing era.

''Who I like depends on if I'm dressing me for everyday or black tie, or dressing to enhance the look of the person. A dress, when you see it on the runway, may make you say, 'Wow, it's an extraordinary dress!' But if it doesn't look good on you, it's no good.

''And I love (Badgley) Mischka. They do amazing ball gowns!

''In terms of dresses, I like those that are really well-cut, have long lines and don't cut me in half and are not too froufrou, (that is) not too much pattern. I have just come into wearing patterns recently, but I don't like very large florals on me because I'm so small (5-foot-4, 115 pounds).''

Q: What are your favorite colors?

A: ''I love colored leather. I have leather jackets in almost every color imaginable because they're very easy to keep clean and maintain, and look good on television. I especially like red or coral, particularly coral right now, and an acid green, like the yellow-green of the first leaves in spring.

''I have two different-colored eyes: one is brown (the right eye) and the other is green, so I also wear dark brown and rust. In the summer, I wear a lot of pale blue and periwinkle blue.''

Q: Do you have any 'movie-wear'?

A: ''In my clothing line, I have a silk wrap-around tunic, lacy and silky, and it is the best seller. And that's from ''Somewhere in Time'' (the popular romantic 1980 film with Christopher Reeve). I based it on the dress from the movie. It's the only time where I've taken something directly from the movies and made it affordable.''

Q: Your biggest influence in set design?

A: ''Turner, definitely Turner,'' she says, referring to J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851), the renowned English romantic landscape painter. ''I love his skies. You have so many happy confluences of shadow, light, color and motion.

''I think the first art that excited me was by (Marc) Chagall. With Chagall, I love the colors, the whimsy. Then there's (Claude) Monet, (Pierre-Auguste) Renoir, Berthe Morisot -- the Impressionists, basically.

''Why Morisot? Paintings of mothers and children are always fascinating to me. I've been dressing children for years! Of course, (the four oldest of seven children are on their own) now, but I have two 7-year-olds (twin boys) in the house, and finding clever and fun things for little boys to wear is always a challenge.''

Story Filed By Cox Newspapers
Palm Beach Post