Author Nora Jane Struthers




Dear Friends,

I bought this dress in Leesburg, VA at The Black Shutter three years ago and I’ve been trying to get back there ever since!

I wore this lovely relic last Friday night at our show in Thomas, West Virginia at The Purple Fiddle.

VINTAGE DETAILS
*Fabric: cream colored cotton, with beautifully colored print
*Cut: high waist and A-line skirt
*Hem: just below the knee
**Wow Factor: PINK SPARKLY buttons all the way down the front, quilted collar and cuffs, and pockets to boot!

Pair with a pale blue linen belt and trusty neutral heels and you’ve got a classic look.

Thanks for reading friends.

Sincerely,
Nora Jane

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Dear Friends,

This is one I will remember.

Holiday Red circa 1950

VINTAGE DETAILS
*Fabric: gorgeously rich red corduroy
*Cut: high waist and full skirt
*Hem: just below the knee
*Wow Factor: scalloped, off-the-shoulder neckline with embroidery and sequins

This one stayed in the store too…but I wish it had made it into the van.

Thanks for reading friends.

Sincerely,
Nora Jane

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Dear Friends,

This past weekend we played shows at venues on the North Carolina coast and I took the opportunity to check out the area’s premier vintage haven: Flashbax, located on Front Street in Wilmington, NC.
Here I’m wearing a lovely, lemon drop yellow 1950’s gem.

VINTAGE DETAILS
*Fabric: horizontally ribbed
*Cut: high waist, full skirt, and darts
*Hem: just below the knee
*Wow Factor: details around the top including buttons, lace, piping, and round collar

Sadly, I did not take this one home with me. Maybe next time!

Thanks for reading friends.

Sincerely,
Nora Jane

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Dear Friends,
Last weekend I played model for my friend Dycee. She sells vintage clothes on her Etsy.com page: “Lovely Rags by Dycee”. All the cloths she sells are vintage, though most of them are not of my vintage (she only has a few 40’s and 50’s pieces). All of them are in beautiful condition.
You can check out the photographs and the clothes at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Dycee
As payment for hours of hard modeling work, Dycee let me choose a dress to take home from her collection and hang in my closet! I chose Marilyn Monroe. Thanks Dycee!
Thanks for reading friends!

Sincerely,
Nora Jane

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Dear.Friends,

After a stop at the Bedford Cheese Shoppe to purchase some sundries for my papa’s birthday, we walked down a few blocks to the wonderful, Beacon’s Closet where I could have spent hours and hours, if we hadn’t already made dinner plans with friends in Manhattan.
Vintage shopping in a time crunch requires focus and expertise, especially when you’re hunting for gems of a particular vintage (in my case, of the 1940’s and 50’s). I made a B-line for the dress racks in the back of the store and then narrowed my focus, simply looking at the material of the dresses; more specifically, I searched for dresses made of cotton and linen—the fabrics of the earlier half of the twentieth century.
I found six that looked promising and headed for the dressing room where I found that several of them fit, but only one was a keeper and here’s the shocking part…it was new dress made in 1940’s style. (No, not as good as an original 1940’s, but hey, if the dress fits…)

Vintage Detail:

*cris-cross back with button fastens
*high waist with a strait skirt
*classic 40’s pockets

I took it home with me and secretly planned on wearing the very next day (which is the best part of buying a new old, or a new old-looking, dress.)
Here’s a video I took while wearing the dress the day of my sister’s baby shower/party:

Thanks for reading and watching!
Sincerely,
Nora Jane

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