by Linda Cahan, www.retailmob.com
"Realistic mannequins in the window combined with great forms on the selling floor are an excellent visual presentation combination. Know your image and your customer and, from there, deciding how to work with mannequins and forms will be much easier. Ultimately, the choice between realistic mannequins and forms is up to you, your image and budget."

This article compares the benefits and limitations of forms versus mannequins, offers some tips for posing both and lists some mannequin/form vendors and refurbishers.
To read the entire article, click on web link below.

from Teeze Magazine, September 2005
"No matter which style you choose, the mannequin you display will convey a subtle message about your store to customers, so it is essential to select a mannequin that … well …speaks your company’s language."
To read the entire article, click on web link below.

Reprinted from Visual Merchandising Magazine, 1979
"There is little doubt that correct and effective light and lighting can be one of the best merchandising tools to which a visual merchandiser has access. Effective lighting is a key in the sale of merchandise in helping to create that favorable first impression oft he merchandise and its surroundings."
To read the entire article, click on web link below.

"As one of the most expensive yet abused display tools, mannequins demand more than their share of tender loving care."

This article offers tips for the care, storage and transporting of mannequins to minimize damage.
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From "armature" to "wigs," this article covers the A-Z of mannequin vocabulary.
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"You can spend a lot of time in a store without noticing its mannequins. From a retail perspective, that's sort of the point. Mannequins aren't meant to be noticed, exactly. They're often faceless, even headless - cookie-cutter forms for displaying a scarlet silk frock or a sleek suit.

But from a store-image standpoint, mannequins matter. Their plastic grins speak volumes about the brand's customer and why she shops."
To read the entire article, click on web link below.

"Everyone in visual merchandising knows that a well-dressed mannequin can help sell merchandise and that using the right mannequin can help establish and communicate a brand’s image. There is no better way to educate customers on fashion trends and how to put looks together in the store.

For those who might benefit from a reminder of the superb job mannequins can do, Vera Wang’s current promotion might be a wake-up call."
To read the entire article, click on web link below: 

"With the serenity born of good breeding and ample money, the lovely ladies in the expensive furs stand in the department store window, gazing pensively into the middle distance. Across the road in the specialty shop, there is a group of party girls. Wearing red hair, green eye shadow and jaunty expressions, they appear to be having a marvelous time in their little black $19.95 dresses. The stores that use these mannequins know what they're doing. They use different mannequins to attract a different clientele."

This article describes how the type, style and and dress of a mannequin can evoke the desired impact on shoppers.
To read the entire article, click on web link below.