Hi all!
Sorry for this long *ss post...
I must respond to this thread and as Sue said above I do have a roomful of vintage mannequins, in fact they are starting to take over my whole house! But you gotta love em! And I need more!
I started out with a hanger then upgraded to a dress form, then I bought a headless armless manni but I hated that because I didn't like the fact that it had no arms or legs so the search began for a full bodied mannequin.
Paulina arrived about 2 years ago and she is modern and was the most expensive out of them all ($265.00) but a lot of the vintage clothing I sold would not fit her because she was to big! So I started searching for a vintage manni because after all I WAS selling vintage clothing and I figured a vintage manni would be perfect to get the job done right.
I now own 6 mannequins, all are full bodied with the exception of Sandy whose legs stopped growing when they reached her knees....I also have the headless armless manni who is now just displayed as art. The dress form was sold in a garage sale.
Here they are.....
Group shot of Adam ($75.00), Lilly ($100.00), Sandy ($40.00) and Paulina ($265.00).
<img src="http://images.channeladvisor.com/Sell/SSProfiles/30030714/Images/A%20Group.JPG">
Next we have my favorite Grace ($140.00) and Eve ($80.00).
<img src="http://images.channeladvisor.com/Sell/SSProfiles/30030714/Images/A%20Grace.jpg"><img src="http://images.channeladvisor.com/Sell/SSProfiles/30030714/Images/A%20Eve.jpg">
Lilly is my newest addition and I absolutely love her, she is a sitting down manni, here she is posed with Adam...She's dressed in a 1930's Gown and Adam is in a 1920's Tuxedo, LOL he's shirtless though.
<img src="http://images.channeladvisor.com/Sell/SSProfiles/30030714/Images/A%20Adam%20n%20Lilly.JPG">
They even participate in VFG group functions like Operation Petticoat!
<img src="http://images.channeladvisor.com/Sell/SSProfiles/30030714/Images/Troops%201.jpg">
I am going to go against the grain here and say that I like the gals with the butt poles better then the foot rod and I have some good reasons why, one is that with a foot pole you can't put shoes on them unless you ruin a pair by drilling a hole in the shoe, then your stuck with only using the same boring shoes all the time, and two they usually have a nicer stance and pose but that is my opinion, also all of mine that have butt poles also have a calf or ankle rod but mine are missing the smaller rods. Susan sent me one but I have to make a base for it to fit in.
I have never had a problem dressing Grace in pants and getting her to stand without a pole, I just stand her up against the tall rod and take pictures...
Example of her standing against the pole wearing a pair of pants, it's all about creativity...
<img src="http://images.channeladvisor.com/Sell/SSProfiles/30030714/Images/Valentino%20Silk%20Suit%20B.jpg">
I prefer wigs over molded hair and like Sue said they can be found very cheaply at thrift or yard sales however I prefer to buy them new off eBay from this one seller who has awesome wigs for around $25-$30 bucks which to me is worth it because the better your model looks the more money your going to make.
My sales have sky rocketed since I started using full bodied mannis with hair and making them look like a million bucks even though some have broken or missing fingers.
Chris, it was Angelwalker <b> who had sold the manni, and had all the photos of the new manni arriving and then the new girl gettting into a fight with her and then having to sell the old manni</b>
All of my vintage mannequins cost me no more than $140.00 and the reason I have so many is because I really love them all and like some of you who have things they collect, well I collect vintage mannequins and my husband really enjoys them as much as I do. It's a blast when friends come over and check them all out as they do make great conversational pieces as well. Hell we all sit in the bar and drink with them!
I swear were not crazy....and we do have another reason for collecting them all, we have wanted to open a bar for a long time now and all of these mannequins will have a huge part in this bar...

I wish you good luck on your quest to find the right mannequin and remember you have to buy what will work best for you.
Tori