Dress Form Review
I figured while im here I'd write a mini review on mannequins and dress forms for UK fashion designers/students as personally I found it hard to come across a good quality dress form.
The main problem is that theres loads of display mannequins out there, as well as adjustable dress forms.
-Display mannequins tend to be plastic or polystyrene, which are obviously completely unsuitable for dressmaking.
-Adjustable dress forms are all very well if you're flat pattern cutting and you're just using it to make sure it fits the specific measurement of a customer/client, however its not really suitable for draping/contouring/drafting a pattern from the stand as you really need a solid form, whereas these have gaps where they've been adjusted.
1.The obvious choice for a dress form is Kennett and Lindsell.
Their mannequins are widely used across the UK, and come in many shapes and sizes. The main problem is the price. A full size dress form will take you very close to £700, and a miniature one costs roughly £400 from morplan. As a student there is no way I could ever afford that, and its near impossible finding one on ebay, let alone winning it in a bid. I tried and failed 3 times!
2. Morplan Tailors Dummy are a cheaper alternative to Kennet and Lindsell, selling at £379 plus VAT
As this was still more than I could afford, I carried on searching and came across this gem of a site:
3. Vintagestylemannequins.co.uk
Inspired by Vintage mannequins, Julie's main focus is on creating ansolutely stunning display mannequins made to suit anyones taste, and they have such care and attention to detail. Again, these are intended for display, however there is also a section on her site dedicated to vintage dress forms, in this section youll find rare mannequins in beautiful condition, some even dating as far back as edwardian times.
If you're lucky you may stumble across a K&L mannequin, or (even more likely) the american version Wolf Form (in my opinion wolf forms dress forms are beautiful and very unique looking). In my case I came across a Stockman from the 40s. Stockman is a brand used by french couturiers, and I am absolutely in love with her!
The amount of pride Julie takes in her business is rarely seen in other sellers. She makes sure all mannequins arrive in the same condition they left her in, and so makes sure they're thoroughly packaged.
I highly recommend her for both her products and customer service.
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