I love old movies. I watch two channels on tv: Turner Classic Movies and lately – Discovery Science. (I used to be an HGTV addict – but those days are Gone With the Wind!) Whenever I watched an old movie and was inspired by the costumes, they were almost always designs by Edith Head or Irene.

Since Slobo has a handy recorder setup to capture images from the TV, I decided this was the year to figure out what exactly it is that draws me to Irene’s designs. With just capturing the first images, it dawned on me that I like (and sorely miss) the dressmaker details. For giggles, I decided to practice my patternmaking skills and replicate items for either myself or my doll figure. #1 is the smock that Claudette Colbert wears, in her photo-developing lab, in the movie ‘No Time For Love’ (1943) :

Here is a raglan draft from http://www.vintagesewing.info:

Here is a strap shoulder and it’s draft:

The trim appears to be sewn in between the seam, continued on the back yoke portion, and abt. 1/4″ inside from the seam allowance on the collar.

The entire pattern body of the garment seams to be cut & spread by about 4″s beginning up into the front yoke. This spread is readily seen here:

The armhole is also cut deeper as you can see under the arm here:

and here:

I’m not sure about that bunching at the back of the armpit.

I love the large buttons (7 of them) and the pockets flaps that gradually angle down.

These appear to be lined patch pockets with a fold-down facing.

It seems there is a facing on the inside. Granted, Claudette Colbert is wearing this over a fitted suit with pretty hefty shoulder pads. But here I can barely see the outline of what might be a facing in the back yoke portion (see arrow):

Here’s my take on what the pattern must be like. It’s details like this that make we want to own a smock like this!

(one of these days I’ll learn to do these posts inside of five edits!)