In episode 4, we travel with Jessica to San Francisco to visit one of her (many, many) nieces Vicky who is worried her fiance may be hiding a secret life. As always a girl’s girl, Jessica assures her niece that “spying” on the financee and finding out the truth is necessary, for her own peace of mind.
Nevertheless, before Jessica has even had a chance to meet Howard, a murder occurs and Jessica jumps into action to clear his good name.
Season 1, Episode 4
Original Airdate: October 14, 1984
Location: San Francisco, California
A Notable Cameo in San Francisco
Do you recognize this young actor? I didn’t until I checked the trivia on IMDB. Felix the waiter is portrayed in this episode by the soon-to-be household name, George Clooney! We’ll see Mr. Clooney again in season 3.
Jessica’s Signature Pussy-Bow Blouses
I’d be willing to bet that Jessica dons a blouse of this style in the majority of Murder She Wrote episodes:
The oversized tied bow is seen as a nod to menswear ties.These blouses were famously worn by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s and were a frequent choice of women in the workforce, particularly perhaps in male-dominated fields.
If you’re interested, as I was, in the origin of the (now a bit problematic) name, the New York Times published an interesting article on the topic last fall:
Jessica’s Leather Shoulder Bag
For this San Francisco trip, Jessica is carrying her leather shoulder bag – a little image searching suggests this is a Coach Stewardess bag.
We’ll be seeing a lot of this bag in future episodes and it’s going on my wish list!
Here’s a similar style available on Etsy:
But if you prefer to buy new, this Quince bag is a similar look. Bonus: Quince is committed to sustainable manufacturing and transparency in their pricing! (Click the photo to go to the Quince website)
Dressing Like Jessica in San Francisco: The Pleated Skirt
Appearing almost as frequently as her pussy-bow blouses, our girl Jessica loves a pleated skirt moment. Admittedly, I haven’t gravitated to pleats in the past but I’m willing to try!
To recreate this look, I decided to make a knife-pleated linen skirt and paired it with a thrifted Everlane sweater. Tying it together, I hemmed a small piece of floral gauze as a scarf.
Jessica Quote
With a smile on her face, Jessica quips to one of her suspects:
Thank you for joining me for episode 4! If you’re new to Murder She Knits, check out earlier episodes here:
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