Bust form or mannequin
If this is not appropriate then it will be necessary to select an even smaller size torso. In this case it would be advisable to request a midriff measurement of the torso from the manufacturer before purchasing. An alternative, with a larger budget, would be a custommade figure.
Another measurement that can be problematic when selecting a mannequin is the width of the shoulders. For a garment that is narrow across the shoulders, again, a much smaller torso may be needed. With a bust form, it may be possible to cut away the shoulders of the form to avoid having to purchase a figure so small that adding padding becomes very time-consuming and difficult. However, this is a complex process as it involves cutting the stitching on the mannequin cover to access the papier mâché form, cutting away the shoulders, sealing the cut edges with a suitable barrier such as aluminium tape, and then re-stitching the outer cover.
Figure 6.2 The blue lines show the position of the waist on a contemporary bust form. © Author. Photography Robbie Pettigrew.
Figure 6.3 The red lines show the position of the waist of a garment with a short bodice fitting around the midriff of a contemporary bust form. © Author. Photography Robbie Pettigrew.
Figure 6.4 ‘The Petite’ museum form from Proportion London with a long narrow midriff allowing the waist of a short bodice to close at different positions around the torso. © Proportion London, photograph, Zenzie Tinker Conservation.
The ‘Petite’ figure often works well in this situation as its shoulders are very narrow. For a full-figure mannequin with arms it is impossible to reduce the shoulder width as the fittings for attaching the arms will be inside the shoulders of the mannequin. In this case a custom-made figure would also need to be ordered from a mannequin manufacturer. The width across the shoulders is also a very important measurement when purchasing a male torso for eighteenth-century men’s coats as many are cut very narrow across the back. If the torso is too wide, the shoulder will distort the top of the sleeves and the coat will not fit.
When purchasing a form for a dress with a separate bodice and skirt it is important to establish which part of the outfit has the smaller waist measurement. This could be the waistband of the skirt if it is worn under the bodice. Alternatively, it could be the waist tape inside the bodice, if one exists, or the waist of the bodice itself if it fits tightly and is worn tucked into the skirt. Always find the smallest measurement and use this to select the size of your bust form or mannequin.
When displaying a dress from the 1920s or a figure-hugging, bias-cut dress from the 1930s, a much closer fit to the mannequin is needed. For an authentic display, only a slight amount of ease around the mannequin will give the best result, but always check that the shoulder circumference of the mannequin is small enough to allow the dress to fit smoothly over the shoulders. Dresses from the 1920s often have no opening and are pulled on over the head. Many dresses from the 1930s only have a short side opening under the arm. The person who wore the dresses would have ‘wriggled’ and eased them over their body. This is not possible with a bust form or mannequin and purchasing a much smaller form may be the only safe display option to avoid straining the fabric. In this instance, the challenge will be adding padding smoothly to give an elegant silhouette under the softly draped fabric.
If you are using a bust form, in order to create a smooth hipline for a dress that moulds to the body, you may need to extend the torso down to knee level, giving the illusion of legs. This is much quicker and more effective if you select a long torso, rather than one with a short hip section. A full mannequin with legs may be the most elegant option if the budget allows. Also, a mannequin with removable arms would reduce the width of the shoulders, making putting on the dress much easier.
For displaying trousers, a ‘trouser’ bust form will be needed. This form has an off-set pole and an upside-down ‘V’ cut out in the centre front and centre back of the bottom edge of the form. The off-set pole fits inside one leg of the trousers, and the crutch seam fits neatly in the gap made by the cut-out. Alternatively, a mannequin with legs could be chosen. This also applies to menswear.
Finally, remember to choose a torso small enough to allow your garment to be easily fastened. Often the hooks used on historic bodices or waist tapes are quite long and you will need to overlap the bodice or the ends of the tape to locate the hook into its corresponding eye (see figure 6.5a and b). This reduces the waist size of the garment and correspondingly will necessitate a bust form or mannequin with a smaller waist. Large hooks can reduce the waist size by 0.5–1 centimetre (¼–½ inch). Failing to take this into account could consequently make closing the hooks impossible or, in a worst-case scenario, tear the fabric.
Figure 6.5a and b Large hooks and eyes on the waistband of garments can reduce the size of the waist as they need to be overlapped to fasten. © Dress, The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham, England. Photography Robbie Pettigrew.