Fashion-Incubator

Here are a couple of sources you may find interesting for used mannequins:
www.mannequinmadness.com
interesting plus-size bodies as well as others
and:Mannequin Recovery Co.
3008 E. Pine Dr.
Flagstaff, AZ 86004,
928-526-9194
Fax 770-987-0326
mannrecov@aol.com
I have bought used mannequins from Nancy and she is incredible. She is the mannequin repair pro for pretty much the entire mannequin industry. Her studio is open by appointment and she is very friendly and informative. Her prices are terrific. Stock is hit or miss depending on what she has run across.

Has anybody tried the fabulous fit dress forms?
(http://www.fabulousfit.com/) they have movable pads so you can create more realistic (and moldable, hmmm....) body shapes, although tthe armscye would still be a problem. but they're pinnable. And you can change them around as your idea target demographic changes...

I don't have one, but I've been considering it for several years, I just hate spending money on an product I have no experience with..

besides not being pinnable(and too skinny), the other thing I don't like about mannequins is that they tip over too easily. Seems annoying.

And I'm starting to think it might be worth it to make a dress form the old-fashioned way, the plaster-tape version of Kathleen's saran wrap post.

or, hmmm.... maybe some combination of the three...like make a plaster form of a skinny mannequin, and then use the fabulous fit pads to fill it out....

People often write me to ask about the dressform I use on my site. I believe she's a My Twin although I call her Ethel (I'm a hopeless I Love Lucy fan). The truth is, she is utterly useless in the fitting department. :-) She's great for modeling purposes and holding works in progress but I doubt that anyone is really shaped like her. I, personally, think dress forms are overrated.

I made myself a paper tape dress form last year. It was decidedly unpleasant, but now I have a form that duplicates my body and attitudinal stance pretty well. I hated making it so much that I insisted on being cut out of it long before the tape had dried completely so the next day I got back into it and taped over it with cellophane packing tape and this seems to be working very well to hold it together. The main advantage of this method is that it is cheap and quick. I plan to make another one soon now that I have a little more experience.

Jan, I've been wanting to make a double using paper or duct tape for awhile. It must be extremely helpful to have a body double!

for the Australian designer, I recommend http://www.dummieswa.com.au/ Their Miss A dummy is based on an American shop mannequin they found secondhand and she has a rather good shoulder shape (Slight hollow between bust and shoulder) and a little tummy like a real person.

I've been using mannequins for years, male/female. I drafted a no ease sloper to my specs, using a lycra fabric to cover, then padded where needed. First cover I made was not adequate, make sure the fabric is "slippery" (for lack of a better word:) so fabrics won't hang up. I have a dress form, rarely use it, useless.

There is a company in LA area that makes dress forms from scanned Fit models bodies. The forms are made of material that feels and acts much like human flesh and skin.
The Company name is TukaInc the dress forms are TukaForms. http://www.tukatech.com/tukaforms.htmcheck this
Do you know have any info on these dress forms?

I bought a dress form from Manex because of the European sizing. The model with the stand is the cheapest but I bought the one with the cast iron base with wheels for around $300. The cover is a jersey knit that can be pinned, not great but OK. In Denver Mervyns is closing several stores so I intend to inquire about their fixtures to pick up some more "ladies".

Manex-usa.com

If anyone in the Bay Area, is interested in seeing one of those Tukaforms mentioned a couple of comments ago, e-mail me. On Wednesday, Dec. 28th I'm hosting a demo in my studio in Oakland. Not a sales pitch, just a see what it's like demo.

I want to purchase a good, good quality new or used dress form. Do you have any recommendations or tips on where to purchase a dress form? If you cant help please pass my email address and phone number - (425) 330-2007 - along to someone who may be of assistance. Thank you very much for you time and help! I look forward to talking with you soon.

Having fit the Fabulous Fit form for a client, I still believe the best buy is from Uniquely You (no affiliation), and the best deal to buy through Atlanta Thread and Supply.

Someone else fits a shell skin-tight on you, and it's then zipped over a rather obscene-looking foam form, which conforms to your body and can be pinned into (rather than along the shell).

I researched pretty much all the clone-yourself techniques, have made close to a dozen custom dress forms for clients, and taught their construction, and have gone back to recommending this company.

All of the methods sink or swim based on how well your helper helps.

For new, traditional apparel industry forms, Ronis is the best value. Otherwise you could get lucky by watching ads in the paper. Maybe ebay..but I'd worry about the shipping on those things.

Kathleen is right. I was speaking about getting a dress form that duplicates your own body.

I am a recent fashion grad student and I am looking for dress forms to buy in either L.A.
or Las Vegas.

I don't have alot of money to spend, does anyone know of places to buy cheap or used forms.

sherri,

u don't say how cheap--if you want something for under say $200, you'd be looking at something older. Or you'd just have to luck out at some yard sale or estate sale or something like that.

For cheap traditional style forms ebay is good but you need to search for
dress form
royal form
superior form
model form
dress dummy--although these are usually British
On ebay you'll find the cheaper stuff will be listed by either someone who does not know the value of what they have (or they aren't trying to exploit the value) or they have listed it in a way that people interested in that particular item won't be able to find it. I've found one of my forms listed as Wolform--who'd know to do a search on that?

So I've gotten a couple of forms off ebay--as Kathleen said you need to watch for shipping/handling charges. And you need to study the photos carefully to look for rust, missing parts, bent poles etc.

There are also a few place on ebay that sell new forms for under $300, depending on the size/auction. If you search 'dress form' their sales will turn-up. But here's are the ids of some of them
appareldesignstudio
you can get a new dress form including the shipping to you for under $300

dress_form_outlet
They mainly deal in mannequins
Atlas Supply sells on ebay as well and is in the LA area. They list dress forms sometimes. There prices are pretty good--not dirt cheap but not bad.

You might also try Craigslist. I've seen people selling used forms for reasonable prices.

I also found this interesting page about a re-designed dress form in Japan. It's neat to look at the old form and new form together since.
New Dressmaking Dummy Based on the Average Form of Young Adult Females
http://www.dh.aist.go.jp/research/dressdummy/index.htm.en

For my body a traditional form works as well as a manniquin--which Kathleen prefers--since i'm about as different from the "average" person they'd use to make the mannequin as i am from the "average" or "ideal" figure used to make a dress form.

Okay--whomever is able to find a good cheap dress form from this advice/info should remember to help someone else--give some small donation to this site etc. Share the love.

Has anyone ever tried plaster cloth to make a dress form for themselves? I've used the cloth (I found it in the models isle of the craft store) to make a back cast for an art project and I think it would be stiff enough to make a whole body form. I've become obsessed with the idea today and am going to try it. If it's stuffed with something and covered with fabric I think it will be fairly sturdy.

I would strongly advise against the plaster cast. It's impossible to get it strong enough and THIN enough to be your shape. Cutting it off is dangerous unless you have access to a doctor's plaster saw. Plaster strips are inherently lumpy. You'll have added two sizes or more. If you're working up clothes with so much ease that it doesn't matter, this is still a lot more messy work to little advantage. Also, plaster is heavy and quite a lot of heat is generated as it sets. It also takes longer than other wrap methods, and is not more economical. If you faint through lack of movement/heat prostration, you'll smack it up falling and have to begin again.

The duct tape versions I've experimented with and seen are usually at least a size too big - you simply cannot stand motionless for thirty or forty minutes. The shells are filled with two-part insulation foam, and then must be laboriously sanded down after the tape/plastic are removed, constantly checking measurements and wearing a respirator against the outgassing. Both duct and plaster strips can more easily be pulled too much, distorting the figure - look at the breasts on the sequences of duct tape how-to websites. They say, "every woman has a larger side," - yeah, right. But 2" difference in height, and one way off to the side? Puh-lease.

Kathleen's saran method is the best of the wrap techniques, being thinnest.

I have a rather different take on personalised forms than Carol. See comments in Discussion Forum / Discuss Blog Topics / Dress Forms.

I'm currently a student in Parsons and I placed an order with Alvaproducts for one of their academic series forms. The prices for the forms are very reasonable but the only catch is you have to be a student with a valid student ID and you have to be part of their affiliated school network in order to receive the extra 50% off discount. I think the original price of the Academic forms are 700 but if you are part of an affiliated school, you only need to pay 350.
Hope this helps. Here's the link: http://www.alvaproducts.com/buy.php.

I am a beginner and was thinking of buying a Dritz-Prym "Twin-Fit" ajustable dress form. DOes anyone have any thoughts on this?

Picture/more info:

I'm looking for a supplier of decorative wire/iron dress forms like the ones they sell in Ballard Design Catalog? I'm sure they are made overseas, but I'm looking for a wholesaler contact in the states. If you can lead me in any direction, i'd be grateful

My 12 year old daughter is interested in learning how to sew and has talked about fashion design for several years. I wanted to get a dress form for her and was hoping to find an inexpensive JR size since eventually she will outgrow this and may not even continue using it. Do you have any suggestions?

I am currently a fashion dsign student at the Art Institute of Chicago, and looking to buy a dress form as soon as possible, (perhaps today?) I was wondering if you have any suggestions where I can get a great deal (becuase I am only a student) and a grat dress form quite quickly. Please e-mail me back.

I am in a big fraud battle with PGM-Pro. I bought a dress form off of them through ebay and they sent me a dress form with a broken pole, a cracked bottom and when I called to discuss exchanging it they reported they wouldn't have another opne available for two months. They agreed to send a different model. After a few weeks I found out that they were not going to send me another one and had mistakenly sent a new pole to the wrong address and we worked out a return- HOWEVER, it has been two months and they still have not returned my money.

My experience with them has been completely terrible, and I wouldn't advise anyone to trust them.

Someone mentioned Atlas Levy (I searched, didn't read this entire thread). I got my dress form from there and with a student ID card it was $225. My only complaint is that the sizing wasn't perfect, but I don't know what the norm is as far as dress forms matching the advertised dimensions perfectly. It's a good item for a student, anyway.

Brittany,

I've had wonderful results with PGM. But, you should realize that your item being damaged during shipment is not fraud - it's a legitimate risk of doing business with anyone. UPS is the correct company to contact re: an insurance claim for the damaged item, not PGM.

RE: Sending a replacement pole to the wrong address... That was clearly a mistake. Did they offer to remedy that problem? In their defense, both ladies I've worked with aren't native English speakers and are easily confused when I speak too quickly (not that I ever do that :-)).

RE: exchanging item... Sometimes their merchandise gets hung up at the port, which means they have to call you with their tail between their legs and offer another solution, after-the-fact.

Those of us who have experience with waiting on the port to clear know this can be frustrating. Container shipping is a gamble - the mfg is at the mercy of how quickly mdse clears storage, customs, then shipping.

Robyn S.,

This is a fraud issue. Sending the dress form to the wrong address, was annoying, but i can get over that. Having the form be broken upon arrival, is annoying as well. However, I need a working dress form in order for it to be as useful as it can. Therefore, my only expectation from them was to receive the item i paid for in the condition it was described as, but since that wasn't the case, I just expected to return the item and get my refund. Not too much to ask.

Not only have they refused to send my refund for the past two months (exactly) but they are holding paypal and eBay accountable for with holding my refund. I have spoken with both eBay and Paypal and they have both advised me to contact the Internet Crime Complaint people, the local police force for LA (where PGM is located) and a lawyer.

Also, I am not the only person who this has happened to. Two people from eBay hae contacted me in regards to the same thing happening to them with PGM-Pro.

All I am asking for is my money back. But they seem to not understand that. I am confused as to why this is so difficult for them.

Maybe you have some insight, Robyn S.?

Thanks.

Kathleen asked about Dress Rite dress forms:

I've been using Dress Rite forms for years (not Gold Body type), at the college I teach at.
They are quite shapely!! Large B/small C cups, a pooch belly shape, and shoulder blade shape on the back. Also has a lot of shape on the high hip.
We have an "army" of 25 size 8 forms, each of them are a bit different as far as measurement goes. I prefer using the Dress Rite forms over my own Global Model form because of her shapliness.

Cons: Does not have a sturdy base, so they can be quite tipsy and not perpendicular to the floor (difficult for marking hems).
Height adjustment is limited, max 6'-2" (imagined with a head), so you cannot drape a skirt standing up (like you can with a Global Model or Wolf).
But overall nice to work with :)

I have found 4 Wolf form dress in s closing dress store. If anyone is interested in these let me know. Model 1950 size 10
model 1940 size 14
Model 1950 size 12
model 1954 size 10
They are in excellent condition with nothing missing- all parts are working great. Just let me know by

John: if you still have those used forms in either 12 or 14 and you are anywhere in the NY

John: I'd like to know about the forms you have if you still do.

There are a number of reasonable priced new dress forms listed on Ebay available in all sizes, childrens, womens, plus size and mens. I have not used one myself... They are new, have the specs listed on the web site, have nice functions such as collapsable shoulders, pinnable surfaces, models available with legs. All things considered, they do look pretty good!

I've been looking on ebay for dressforms now, and when i search i see alot of jersey covered ones that are lightly padded and sell for under 100. are these just for decoration or can i use them for draping? im really broke, so i can't afford a dress form over $200, so if anyone has any suggestions about where i can find one that would be great!