I know there are adjustable size dress forms, but in vintage listings, I see a lot of non-adjustable ones. So, are people only selling certain sizes, or do they have one in every size up to what was considered large back in the day? Thanks, couldn't find the answer to this.
It depends. I think most sellers only have one or 2 dress forms or mannequins. I have been selling online since 1998 and have 3, oh wait, oops, I have 5, but only use 1. (A 6 ft mannequin, a dress form, a suit dress form for men, a half woman form and a half mens form.) The one I primarily use is a ladies modern day size 6 full mannequin. I try to adjust the clothes to fit with clips, crinolines, padded slips. You always need to give the measurements of the garment and it's really a good idea to show the garment not on a form, especially for larger dresses so shoppers can see the true actual shape of the garment. This reminds me - I really should get rid of the other 4 I have.
We usually just have one, that's a very small size and display the clothes carefully in it, by clipping the dress from behind. When the clothes are too small, you might photograph with the zip undone.
The adjustable forms were also used for sewing, not just display, so one could fit an array of sizes. I personally have (gulp) 8 forms. But I had a brick and morter to pull from when we retired it after 35 years. xx
I have an adjustable size one that's intended for sewing, and it's basically set to my measurements. I bought a cover for it though to make it look a little nicer. I admit I use it more for taking photos for the shop than for sewing. A few things you need to consider about these: they have a pretty thick neck - not natural at all, and this makes displaying certain styles hard, or sometimes they don't zip up in the back etc. Also, due to their adustability, their bust line is not very pronounced as the bust isn't shaped like it would be on a one-size manni. Sometimes I need to put a bra on it to make a dress look better (and we're talking small sizes here...). On the plus side though, it wasn't very expensive, and it's not very heavy either to move it around.
I, too, have several mannequins because I sew and had a brick and mortar shop. Two dressmaker's dummies (1900, 1930) and four vintage mannequins plus another five that need some sort of restoration. Plus two vintage busts for hats/necklaces. It does make it easy to display things when you have options.
