Original 1951 McCall's Pattern No. 1647 - Women's and Misses' Make-Up Smock and Wave Wrap

Original 1951 McCall's Pattern No. 1647 for a make-up smock and a "Wave Wrap," designed for women's and misses' grooming at home: a short or long smock in fabric or plastic to protect a dress while doing make-up, and a puff-sleeved wrap for shampoos and home permanents that can even be made from bath towels. One Size. Factory Folded and Unused; the envelope is worn and has been professionally repaired.

Quick Facts

• Pattern Number: McCall's No. 1647
• Year: 1951
• Garment: Women's and Misses' Make-Up Smock and Wave Wrap (3 Views)
• Size: One Size
• Condition: Factory Folded and Unused, 17 Pieces; Envelope Worn and Professionally Repaired with Lineco Acid-Free Archival Tissue and Acid-Free Adhesive

Design

McCall's 1647 gives three cover-ups for the dressing table. View A is a short smock, 31½" long from the shoulder, with extended shoulders, a curved front trimming band at the neck, a casing and drawstring at the waist, and a scalloped trimming band across the lower front; it ties at the back of the neck and can be made in fabric with bias binding or in 4-gauge plastic with contrast plastic casings and grosgrain ribbon. View B is the long version, 44½" from the shoulder and about 2¼ yards around the hem, with deep front and back pockets, tied at the neck and waist and bound in double-fold bias tape. View C is the Wave Wrap: a short, flared wrap with a neckband and neck drawstring, puffed sleeves gathered on elastic, tie strings, and two large patch pockets in contrast percale, and McCall's notes it can be made from four bath towels, each 22" x 44". Seventeen pattern pieces in all, with a Cut and Sew Guide. Fabric needs run from 2¼ yards of 36" fabric for View A to 3½ yards for View B, with 2⅜ yards plus ½ yard of contrast for the Wave Wrap.

A Moment in Fashion History

By 1951, the home permanent had brought the beauty parlor into the bathroom, and women were shampooing, setting, and waving their own hair at the dressing table. McCall's 1647 was made for exactly that routine: a smock to keep powder and make-up off a good dress, and a Wave Wrap to catch the drips of a shampoo or a home perm. The Wave Wrap was new enough to be patented; the envelope credits Design Patent No. 160,888, granted November 14, 1950, to Elda E. Purdon. The plastic version of the smock is a sign of the times, too, as postwar plastics found their way into everyday home sewing.

Illustration

The envelope front and back are shown as scanned, framed on our blue mat without retouching, so the artwork appears in its true color and condition. View A is shown in a sheer print of navy blossoms with navy binding over a dark dress; View B in green, bound in navy, with its deep pockets, and again from the back on a seated figure; and View C, the Wave Wrap, in coral pink with puffed sleeves, beside a back view of a woman at her dressing table with her hair pinned up. The Wave Wrap's design patent is printed at the lower right of the front.

Connections

This pattern is part of our exhibit, Kitschy Kitchen -- McCall Edition, a growing collection celebrating the whimsical, decorative side of kitchen textiles. While I love everything about McCall, it must be said, "McCall Makes the Cutest Aprons!"