A tailors dummy is, as the name suggests, a piece of equipment that is used by professional tailors. It is basically a mannequin or dummy that replicates the human form. Normal tailors dummies are a model of the upper body of either a man or a woman which is mounted upon a stand. The stand gives it the necessary height to replicate the human form and to allow the tailor to work easily on garments.
Professional tailors dummies should not be confused with shop mannequins. They are completely different, and have different uses. Mannequins have limbs and are designed to allow the display of clothing and replicate how it would look on a fully formed human being. Whereas a tailors dummy is designed to allow the tailor to make a garment that fits a specific customer. This means that tailors dummy can be adjusted to replicate the shape and form of an array of customers. To achieve this you can adjust the size of the dummies waist, hips, chest and in some cases shoulders. A retail mannequin cannot be adjusted in this way.
Uses for a Tailors Dummy
Tailors dummies are usually used as a sewing aid, but they can be used in other ways. Some people use them in the homes as a way of storing delicate and precious garments. For example, some women hang their wedding dress on one of these dummies. Doing so maintains the shape and integrity of their dress in a way that storing it on a hanger or in a chest cannot. Occasionally, you will see people using clothing as a form of decoration to accessorise and enhance a room they do so using tailors dummies.
It is also becoming more common for retailers to use tailors dummies. Some garments simply look better when hung upon a tailors dummy. The fact that you can adjust the size of the dummy to match that of the garment means that specialist fitted garments look better when displayed in this way. For this reason, many shop-fitting firms now supply these dummies in addition to bulk standard mannequins.
The Shop Fitting Shop is the place to go if you want a tailors dummy. They sell a range and do so for a great price.
