Fashion Tips Blog: Cheap Mannequin Review

I have been looking for a cheap dress mannequin for a while, but have been unsure on which type to buy. I only needed a low price one, nothing fancy, it doesn't need to be adjustable, just in my size so that I can easily carry out my fashion re-purposes, without trying on clothing full of pins, and trying to make alterations in the mirror!

My mother found a selection of styrofoam models on Amazon, which I was 'umming-and-ahhhing' about getting. I was unsure that styrofoam would be a good material to pin fabric to, and worried that the mannequin would start to degrade quickly.

I read all of the reviews for that model that I could find online, and discovered that some versions came with a jersey cover, this can be pinned through and kept on the mannequin to stop the styrofoam degrading when it's jabbed with pins. The reviews were very positive which really made up my mind.

My next worry was that the dress mannequin would not be exact to my size, we are all different shapes, no matter the size. So I looked at ways at changing the size of the mannequin, if needed. The traditional way to do it is with a layer of foam, or wadding. This would be easy to do on a styraofoam tailors dummy with a cover, the wadding simply placed under the cover and the cover replaced to keep everything nice and tight.

If I wanted to up my mannequin by a whole dress size, I could purchase a separate cover for a larger size dummy, pad mine out and replace my cover with the larger one. Very easy and cheap to up the size!

This was all I needed to know, my Mother bought me the tailors dummy for part of my birthday gift and it arrived super fast.

It was easy to set up, and easy to to adjust the height. I set it to exactly my height and stood directly in front of it to see how it fitted my figure. I am a US size 4, UK size 8. So chose the size 4 model, it lined up perfect against my body, so I won't have to make any adjustments at all!

The dummy is light-weight, but sturdy. There is a cap for the neck, but I have been using mine without it. (the pic above shows the dummy with the cap on)

I have been using my model for all sorts of things, a general coat holder, for styling outfits, for displaying things I have made, and of course for fitting sewing and upcycling projects.

The tailors dummy is really decorative to, I keep it in my bedroom and it looks so cute in front of my curtains, it's worth it for that alone! I think this model would be nice for displaying fashions in shops, craft fairs, etc too.

This dress mannequin is pinnable sideways, not directly into the body, but at an angle. This is fine for what I am using it for, but if you are going to be doing a lot of pinning of heavy fabrics to the body, it won't be the best choice of model.

The skirt the mannequin is wearing is one I'm working on, made from a pair of jeans. If you like you can read about it here.

Styrofoam Mannequins Like Mine

I forgot to mention, but be careful if you have a dog, my Staffie took great exception to the model at first, she tried to gnaw at the stand, then barked and sprang at the torso for half an hour or so, until she realized it was inanimate and not going to try to get her!