Archive for the ‘Helpful Hints’ Category

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Movie Memorabilia

If you’re an avid movie lover, it’s common to own a part of movie history. Whether it be a movie prop or original outfit, it’s always difficult displaying it the right way. Some spend days or even weeks, trying to mold a strong enough form to hold the item and it usually turns out not being easily moved without breaking. The cost for the products to make the mold add up quickly and cost hundreds. That’s a lot of time and money spent doing things the wrong way! Let Las Vegas Mannequins help.

Las Vegas Mannequins can get you a mannequin for any display need. All of our mannequins can be easily broken down for dressing and/or shipping. We sell fiberglass as well as plastic molded mannequins, which gives you options on how you want your mannequin displayed. Our mannequins are made with safe materials that will not damage your costumes or outfits over long periods of time. Painted coating on fiberglass mannequins prevents chemical seeping into fabric so your memorabilia will not be damaged.

Don’t let your memorabilia sit in the closet when it should be displayed for everyone to enjoy!

To learn more about what we can offer you please visit our site: lvmannequins.com or email us: sales@lvmannequins.com

Polar Bear

Global warming is a fact; it is happening and is an issue that will affect every living thing on our precious planet. Contradictory to the word “warming”, if we don’t change our use of energy, waste, and thinking, we will spiral into another Ice Age. Our environment is the most important resource we live in and will effect future generations if destroyed. We have to work together in order to fix the damage and change future events.

As you already know, Las Vegas Mannequins is an environmentally friendly company. We believe in going green and encouraging others to do the same. Our business is run mainly from our website making a paperless society, thus saving trees. We do not offer catalogs, our website is our catalog. Besides using email as much as possible instead of mail, we are currently working on editable PDF order forms in order to get rid of the paper used by our clients when facilitating a mannequin. We believe in the recycling and repairing of mannequins instead of destroying them, preventing landfill waste that cant be broken down for over a 1000 years. Even mannequin production is being moved from oil-based paints to water-based paints. Every little step counts in the long run. We all have to work together, doing our part.

Please become “green” like Las Vegas Mannequins, and the reward will be never-ending!

Measure

1. Neck  - Measure around neck line

2. Shoulder to Neck – Measure from shoulder seam to neck line

3. Shoulder to Shoulder:
3A. Front – Measure from shoulder seam to other shoulder
3B. Back – Measure from shoulder seam to other shoulder

4. Arms:
4A. Arm Length – Measure from edge of shoulder to bottom of wrist bone.
4B. Upper Arm – Measure on a straight arm around bicep
4C. Under Arm – Measure around the wrist bone

5. Chest – Measure with arms held out to shoulder height, over bust/chest and across back

6. Shoulder to Waist:
6A. Front – Measure from center of shoulder bone down
6B. Back – Measure from center of shoulder bone down back to waist

7. Waist – Measure around natural waistline

8. Skirt Length – Measure from side waist along outside leg to the finished hem length

9. Crotch Length – Measure from center front waist, passing under crotch to center back waist

10. Hip – Measure around the widest part of the hip, parallel to the floor

11. Inseam – Measure the inside length of leg from the crotch to finished hem length

12. Pant Length – Measure from side waist along outside of leg to the finished hem length

13. Ankle – Measure just above the anklebone

14. Torso/Girth – Start at front, measure from middle of shoulder down chest then waist, under crotch and up the back to middle of same shoulder

Note: Tape measure should be against the body at all times.

I had this question asked to me a few times in the past and just the other day. “Why would you buy expensive mannequins over other mannequins?” I decided to write a blog on the topic to better explain the reasoning of expensive mannequins.

When you buy something more expensive then something else of a similar product, the reason for this usually falls into one of the following; you are buying the “band name” for personal status, more expensive may mean more options, the more expensive item may have better quality, ect. Expensive mannequins fall under this same criteria.

Image you own a high-end men’s suit store. Would you use cheap mannequins for suits that you are selling for $1000 each, of course not? You would want to find the best mannequin that makes your suits stand out. You would look at quality of a mannequin, seams, how it was made, ect. These are all factors with expensive mannequins. They may all be made of fiberglass but the more you pay, the more options and cleaner look you will get.

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with affordable mannequins. It just depends on the application you are using for the mannequins. If you needed a mannequin for bikinis, chances are you would need something nicer looking as opposed to clothing that would cover more of the mannequin.

Plan mannequin strategy on what your selling and what would work best for your application. There are many high-end stores that buy affordable mannequins because their clothing covers mostly everything. Why buy something expensive if you will never see it. It just makes sense.

It really all comes down to style and opinions. Mannequins are “art” in their own way and as we all know, art is very subjective.

I wanted to post a few “terms” that are used in the mannequin industry in hopes to better help the general public understand them.

Flange & Post – When someone is talking about a flange or a post they are talking about the base of the mannequin.  A Flange usually slides into one of the ankles of a mannequin and is supported by the base.  The reason for a Flange is to allow your mannequin to wear shoes. A Post, like a Flange attaches to the base but is a single rod that slides into the sole of the mannequin’s foot. It makes the mannequin stand more appealing and gives a cleaner look.  There are a lot of mannequins that come with both options in the base making the mannequins a little more universal.

Striking – Striking is simply displaying a mannequin with wires instead of using a base to make them appear to be freestanding.  Wires are tied to the mannequin parts to make them appear to float. This is a very clean look and has been used for years in high-end department stores.  The only downside to this is it takes some time to do and a lot of talent to make it look correct. Striking is usually a two or three person job and trimming the mannequins may also be a hassle if you are not re-striking when presenting a new clothing line.

Trimming – The basic definition of trimming is the art of dressing a mannequin. I use the word “art” because there are some very talented trimmers. Trimming isn’t only dressing the mannequin but also dressing its surroundings. When you see a store window near the holidays and there are snow, trees, and mannequins showing the new winter line, the entire design of that window box falls under trimming.

Unbreakable Mannequins – These are usually mannequins that are not made of fiberglass but instead made of plastic.  The plastic makes the mannequins more durable to damage if dropped.

Neck Block – Neck blocks are the top “cap” of a dress form or coat form. They are commonly made of wood but you can also find them as metal depending on the style of the form. They slide into the top of a form, known as “the neck”, to make the form more flattering when displayed.

Pediophobia – Pediophobia is the fear of mannequins, or fear of dolls, and is relatively common. It is believed to be a type of automatonophobia, or fear of humanoid figures. Some people are afraid of all mannequins, while others fear only a specific type of mannequin. Yes mannequins can be creepy especially the kid mannequins. 

I added Pediophobia to this list because i get asked all the time.

I hope this helps a little. I will post more terms as they are asked to me. 

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At Las Vegas Mannequins we have a lot of clients that are on a tight budget.  Most of them are hesitant to call us because their budgets are so small and they don’t think there is any hope for them.

Here are a couple of ideas that may help you when facilitating your next mannequins:

Used Mannequins. Buying a used mannequin maybe the perfect solution for your needs. A used mannequin can cost hundreds of dollars less then buying a new mannequin. There maybe some minor damage or imperfections, such as scratches, chipped paint, or even a ding, but these imperfections maybe covered up when the mannequin is clothed. The damage that is not covered may also be touched up with a little bit of paint.  You would be amazed on how much you can improve a used mannequin with a little bit of TLC.

Mannequin Rentals. If you are in need of a mannequin for short period of time such as a trade show or special event, then a mannequin rental maybe your best option. Trade show mannequins can be expensive if purchased. It’s not just the onetime fee of buying them, trade show mannequins have to be stored, shipped, staged and trimmed which could cost thousands of dollars in the long run. Don’t get me wrong; there is nothing wrong with buying trade show mannequins. But it can be a large cost for a small company under a tight mannequin budget when they have to factor in all the complete tradeshow costs. When renting a trade show mannequin from Las Vegas Mannequins, you don’t have to pay for storage and we usually include setup on the trade show floor. All of our mannequin rentals are for the length of your trade show or special event you need them for.

To view our used mannequin specials:  Weekly Specials Used Mannequins
To view our trade show rental mannequins Rental Items.

I added this post because there are a lot of factors when buying a mannequin that the general public doesn’t know.  I will do my best to explain how to find the right mannequin for your needs in a few easy steps.

1. First thing…. you need to do some mannequin planning.  Start with what are you buying the mannequin for? If you are planning to use the mannequin for clothing, is the clothing going to be reveling, wear shoes, have to look realistic, ect. Or maybe you are going to purchase something for an art project and planned on repainting the mannequin.  Whatever the reason, it’s a good first step to think about the reason why you are buying a mannequin.

2. Now that you have the reason, you should think about age and sex of your mannequin. Are you looking for a male mannequin, female mannequin, kids mannequin, unisex mannequin, baby mannequin, adult mannequin, teen mannequin, ect.

3. The next step is mannequin design and style.  Are you looking for a full standing mannequin, headless mannequin, torso mannequin, dress form mannequin, coat form mannequin, or a mannequin part such as a head mannequin or leg mannequin? If a mannequin is going to wear shoes you will need to get a flange for the base that holds the mannequin from the ankle rather then a post in the bottom of the foot. I know it sounds confusing, but the more you plan ahead of time, the easier your job will be finding the right mannequin.

4. Now its time to think about how many mannequins you are looking for. Sometimes when you buy mannequins in bulk you maybe able to get a bulk discount. This is also helpful when looking at shipping costs if you need to ship long distances.

5. The final step and the most important….BUDGET.  How much do you want to spend for your mannequins?  Budget is very important when buying a mannequin. If you’re under a tight mannequin budget, you may want to looking into purchasing used mannequins instead of new ones. There are tons of great deals we can offer on new and used mannequins and we will help you meet your mannequin needs and keep you within your mannequin budget.

I know it’s a lot to prepare for but we are always willing to help you in any way we can. Please feel free to contact us with any mannequin question. We will do our very best to give you new mannequin ideas you maybe didn’t think of. 

Thank you and have fun shopping for your mannequins!