I love that this 1930s pattern, Butterick 8670, comes with a guarantee. See the little certificate of fashion freshness on the right?
Here's a close-up:
This is one of those little details from the past that makes me inexplicably happy. The faux wax seal with "Butterick" on it, the ribbon on the certificate... I imagine a Butterick employee strolling by the patterns like a teacher at a science fair, sticking a ribbon on one and declaring, "Yes! It's FASHION FRESH!"
Now take a look at the back. Modern Vogues may give us triangles and rectangles to puzzle over when we try to decide if a pattern will complement our body shape, but in the 1930s Butterick just laid it on the line:
"Coat for Shorter Women of Larger Hip." It's certainly more to the point than "Pear," "Triangle," "Teepee," or whatever other label is in style at the moment.
What's interesting, though, is that the pattern does have a larger bust to hip ratio than I've seen before. Most modern B34s run 36" at the hips, and you can find B34s from the 1940s that measure 37" at the hip. This B34? It has a 29 inch waist and a 38 inch hip. Could Ezra Butterick have made patterns in different proportions in the 30s? Some for Short Women of Larger Hip, some for Tall Women of Smaller Bust, others for Average Women of Thick Waist? It seems unlikely, but what an interesting thought. Anyone out there have Butterick patterns from this era that we can compare?
In the meantime, may all your sewing projects be Certified Fashion Fresh!