Dress form

A mannequin or dress form is a life-size, human-like model that allows tailoring make clothes to measure. When the doll is usually a limb- free torso, where garments can be put on and taken off easily. Traditionally, mannequins were made of wood, now they are but usually cast in resin or plastic. Most mannequins are mechanically adjustable. The torso is covered with a layer of foam or padding that allows the hook to pin individual parts with needles.

A rigid mannequin is made either by the removed body measurements of the customer or by the standard clothing size dimensions of the garment industry. Adjustable Mannequin be adapted to the customers by the removed measurements are transmitted to the dress form. This is done either mechanically, by the components of the doll are expanded or moved apart by a threaded rod or foam pieces that are attached to the doll.

Depending on the garment to be made ​​, but there are also mannequins with limbs. Dummies are offered for men, women and children in different sizes and with different adjustment options. For historical costumes the mannequins now commercially available are unsuitable, since the proportions of the female body especially in former times by the constriction differ greatly from those of today. Also adjustable dolls are not suitable to represent these proportions.

The equivalent of the mannequins in the shoemaking are the bars.