Author Nora Jane Struthers

Country Girl in 40’s Checks

by Nora Jane Struthers in 1940's, Vintage Fashion Blog



Dear Friends,

I found this darling dress in an antique mall in Vinton, VA. It was $22. Hooray!

The material is teal and brown cotton with raised white crisscross stripes and the skirt is sort of peasant style ruffles. The neckline is a sharp V and I love how the pattern is lined-up horizontally to create V’s on the top and is straight up and down on the skirt. Very flattering!

I feel like I sould be heading to a barn dance every time I wear this sweet sweet dress. I’ve paired it with my 40’s style brown heals and a brown leather belt.

Thanks for reading friends!

Sincerely,
Nora Jane

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The Details

by Nora Jane Struthers in 1940's, Vintage Fashion Blog




Dear Friends,

This lovely navy and white 1940’s number is unlike any dress I own. It has three-quarter length sleeve, a v-neckline, and a really flattering detail around the hips and bum. It was a little loose on me and, while a wonderful woman (pictured above) offered to tailor it for me, I choose to take an olive-tan 50’s cocktail dress that fit me perfectly.

The lesson: Unless it’s perfect, don’t take it (even if it’s free) because you simply will not wear it.

Thanks for reading friends!

Sincerely,
Nora Jane

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California 40’s Red Crepe

by Nora Jane Struthers in 1940's, Vintage Fashion Blog



Dear Friends,

This is my first west coast vintage piece and I love it. It’s a beautiful the softest 1940’s crepe dress I’ve ever met…I mean, felt. 🙂 The print is whimsical and wonderfully colorful. I lvoe the deep pockets and the bright red buttons. I recently decided that wearing red on stage is definitely a good move so I’m keeping my eye out for red dresses.

This gem was given to me in Newman, California. Thanks Farris!

Thanks for reading friends!

Sincerely,
Nora Jane

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Bearfoot Nora Jane

by Nora Jane Struthers in 1940's






Dear Friends,

I am thrilled to formally announce that I recently became the new lead singer in a totally awesome band called Bearfoot! Hoorah! For the first photo-shoot with the band, I had a serious decision to make: should I carry-over my custom of performing in vintage clothing or should I create a new persona and have my vintage duds be exclusive to my solo carrier. (I even considered choosing a different decade for the new band!) Well, after hours and hours of thought, I finally decided on a comprise.

For my solo gig I am going to continue performing in 1940’s and 50’s dresses– mostly of the cotton day-dress variety– and with Bearfoot, I am going to give myself a little more freedom to use vintage pieces along with modern pieces. (Although, for the shows we played two weeks ago, I wore a 1950’s red dress…nothing modern about it. 🙂

In the above photos I am wearing a 1950’s teal bathing suit and a 1940’s thick-woven linen skirt. The bathing suit, I purchased several years ago in Brooklyn, NY. At the time, I felt a little silly spending about a hundred of my hard earned bucks on a 50 year old bathing suit (complete with wire ribbing and rooshing!!!) but now I am so glad that I grabbed it when I did. I found the skirt in Nashville’s very own vintage treasure-trove Pre-to-Post Modern on 8th Avenue.

For more photos, videos, and tour schedule, visit the band’s:

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/bearfoot.fp

Website: www.bearfootband.com

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/BearfootbandAngela

Thanks for reading friends!

Sincerely,
Nora Jane

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