Irene (1940)

Sent by her employers on an errand to the home of the wealthy Mrs. Vincent, Irene O'Dare meets Don, a friend of Mrs. Vincent's son Bob. Attracted to Irene, Don decides to invest some money in Bob's latest venture, the "Madame Lucy" dress shop, in order to give Irene a job there as a model. She is very successful and Bob also becomes attracted to her. Smith, the manager, assigns Irene and other models to display gowns at Mrs. Vincent's charity ball, but Irene ruins the gown she was to wear, and appears instead in a quaint blue dress that had belonged to her mother--and it is a big hit. A guest, Princess Minetti, places her as the niece of Ireland's Lady O'Dare, and Irene does not deny the relationship. Smith decides to set her up in a Park Avenue suite as Lady O'Dare's niece so she can attend socially-important gatherings, wearing and displaying "Madame Lucy" gowns. A jealous model tells the truth to a newspaper columnist who writes an expose' that strains the relationship between Irene and Don, who had been away and was unaware of the scheme--and is the real owner behind the "Madame Lucy" front.