Author Nora Jane Struthers

Dear Friends,

This darling, zip up the front, 1950’s number is one I have had for a while. {I wore it in my music video for my song Willie.} The fabric is almost like a thin canvas, or a thick linen and the dress features two large pockets with strawberry appliques as well as a front tie at the waist. I bought it for $25 at a vintage store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn when I was living in NYC and teaching at a high school in the neighborhood.

I think of it as a summer staple, but last month, my band-mate Todd Grebe, was playing Music City Roots with his Honky-Tonk band and I needed something to wear. So, I gave it a little fall flare by pairing it with pearls and riding boots. It was a surprisingly cool night and threatening rain so I tucked a little blue and white polka-dotted hanky in my pocket and grabbed my trench coat and headed out to the show…(Which was fantastic!)

Click here to check out Todd’s Music

Click here to check out Music City Roots
(My band Bearfoot is playing here on Nov. 2nd!)

Thanks for reading friends!

Sincerely,
Nora Jane

Dear Friends,

I had been coveting this skirt since my Vintage Voyage extravaganza before I released my solo album in June 2010. It hung on the rack at Fanny’s House of Music for an entire year and I finally decided, the day before my band Bearfoot played at the world famous Station Inn, that I’d waited long enough and it was destined to be mine.

I am so happy I finally broke down and got it! Circa 1950, the print is just amazing. It looks like watercolors and features hula girls, canoes, palm trees, swimmers on a beach and so much more! They just don’t make prints like this anymore.

Thanks for reading friends!

Sincerely,

Nora Jane

Dear Friends,

On a recent trip through Kansas, I stopped off in the lovely town of Lawrence and did a little vintage-shopping, where I found this charming 1940’s day-dress; the label calls it “Lounging Apparel.” 🙂

It is a wrap-dress and it fastens in the front with two buttons. On the very LARGE pockets, are sewn actual cloth, flower seed packets. The pattern is a sketchy white polka-dot on a beige background. I love it and knew when I saw it in that antique store that it would be perfect for my family reunion at Gull Lake in the North Woods of Minnesota.

Thanks for reading friends!

Sincerely,
Nora Jane

Dear Friends,

The Bootleggers and I spent a magical 10 days touring in northern California in February. One the highlights of our adventure was a private event hosted by the lovely couple, Tiffany and Jonathan, pictured above.

The Theme: Mad Men
The Guests: San Fransisco’s Finest. Hard Working, Good Looking, Well Spoken, and Exquisitely Dressed.

As you may know, I specialize in 40’s and 50’s dresses, and the hosts did not tell me until we were already in California that the party was a Mad Men Party! It was pure serendipity that at our first gig in California, at The West Side Theater in Newman, the woman who runs the theater gave me this lovely 1960’s olive-taupe velvet cocktail dress which fit – perfectly. This dress features a crepe sash and billowing- swag down the left side and a open neck-line. Tiffany is also sporting a 1960’s coctail dress with a similar floral motif. I love her dress’s brilliant turquoise and gold and with Tiffany’s blonde hair, it’s a knock-out combination!

Special thanks to Farris for the dress and to Tiffany and Jonathan for such a memorable evening! I hope to see you soon.

Thanks for reading friends.

Sincerely,
Nora Jane

Dear friends,

You may recognize this red late-50’s number from my first music video for the song “One Notch Tighter”…if you don’t recognize it from that you can find the video on youtube here: One Notch Tighter 🙂

Anyway, I made that video over a year ago and I don’t think I’d worn the dress since…that is…until Bearfoot’s show in Grand Forks, North Dakota. I recently decided that for performing on a stage, red is absolutely the best color, so I have started both searching for beautiful red dresses on my vintage shopping excursions and utilizing the red dresses I already own.

The fabric of this dress is a neat texture; it sort of reminds me of a muslin Indian scarf. There is a broach-like fabric design on the chest and the best part?…there is a muff-like pocket in the front–it’s like a pouch. (you can sort of see it in the third photo.) I feel rather kangaroo-ish when wearing it. 🙂

Thanks for reading friends!

Sincerely,
Nora Jane