Here is an example from HGTV & California Closets on transforming an attic space in your home to look like a chic boutique.

Personally, while we like the space, we don’t think that style of floral wallpaper looks very chic. In fact the only thing that we think look looks truly “chic” is the vintage looking dress form.

Dress forms make great decor because you can get them in a variety of styles and colors to match your personal tastes. And you can use them to display jewelry, clothes, belts, purses or scarves.

We sell a variety of new (and sometimes vintage) dress forms for men and women at www.MannequinMadness.com

College bookstores often have the best examples of budget friendly window display ideas. We always say the good visual merchandising is based more on creativity than a big budget and you can see that in college bookstores.

We love the fact that college bookstores were some of the first retailers to be “green” and adopt the practice of using recycled mannequins and props in their window. True they may have initially been green by necessity (limited budget) rather than environmentally concerned, but that is fine by us. We didn’t originally start out to be the largest mannequin recycler in the country, we just liked mannequins and hated the fact that retail chains would through their unwanted mannequins in the landfill – until we offered them an alternative.

Every year the National Association of College Bookstores sponsors a Dynamic Displays Contest and the photos in this blog are some of the 2012 entries.

Of course our favorite window displays are ones that have mannequins, like this window announcing a Red, White and Blue sale.

But this igloo made out of recycled water bottles is pretty cool, but an Eskimo mannequin would have really made it a winner in our books.

Send us your photos from your college bookstore and be entered into our monthly drawing to win a $100 credit to buy or rent a mannequin from Mannequin Madness.

Written by Judi Townsend, owner of Mannequin Madness.com. Feel free to repost this article as long as you give credit to our website or blog.
Mannequin Madness.com is THE place to go on the web when you want to buy, rent or recycle a mannequin.
The Mannequin Madness blog showcases the best ways to use a mannequin for fun or profit.

What gets someone who’s just walking down the street with no intention of stopping into your store, to change their mind and walk in? If you do them right, it’s your window displays. Your windows give you an incredible opportunity to invite people in to browse and hopefully buy something.

Here are some simple tricks of the trade to make those displays stand out. This video features design consultant Linda Cahan, we who highly recommend. Linda and Mannequin Madness will be doing some webinars later this year on visual merchandising tips for retailers.

This clear mannequin was turned into an aquarium. However we aren’t sure whether this is a photo-shopped aquarium inside a clear mannequin or if it is the real thing.

Either way, it sure is cool. Or else it is some type of cruel joke about women smelling like fish. Or maybe it is a tribute to the movie “A fish named Wanda.”

We saw it on pinterest and posted it to the mannequin art board, one of many boards we have on pinterest. This photo has been re-pinned so many times that the “mannequin aquarium” is starting to become an internet myth.

If you think this is the real thing and want to create one of your own, we sell a variety of male and female clear torsos at Mannequin Madness

Window Displays are like billboard announcing to passerby not only what you have for sale, but what you want customers to experience when they come inside. Here are different examples of how different retailers interpret a springtime theme.

This was from a clothing store, but could also be used for a garden center. When I see this, I think fun, irreverent and whimsical. What do you think?

These next two were also for a clothing store, but the first one highlights cologne in addition to the clothing and the second one highlights jewelry. When I see these displays I think expensive, elegant and aloof.

These last two displays were from a florist and the mannequins provide focal point that complements, but doesn’t complete with the foliage. When I see this I think dramatic, ethereal and unconventional.

Written by Judi Townsend, owner of Mannequin Madness.com. Feel free to repost this article as long as you give credit to our website or blog.
Mannequin Madness.com is THE place to go on the web when you want to buy, rent or recycle a mannequin.
The Mannequin Madness blog showcases the best ways to use a mannequin for fun or profit.

These window displays from a Christian Dior store in Paris are great examples of “street theatre”. They are not theatrical as in “over the top” but instead in a subtle, understated way that is stereotypical French. Although the clothes and props are expensive, the ideas behind these window displays easily be duplicated on a budget.

This display manages to showcase NINE items for sale by artfully using just two chairs, a table and a mannequin. The spaciousness is almost as if the window is “whispering” for you to come in and look closer. All too often American retailers cram too much merchandise in the window which is the retail equivalent of screaming. No one wants to be screamed at.

These two women sitting down appear as if they are having a conversation. They could possibly be gossiping about the woman behind them, who is dressed differently from them. Sorta of like the mean girls from high school have grown up to be rich, chicly dressed mean girls. Why is this important? Because this display evokes your emotion and your imagination. And emotions and feelings are what draws people in and motivates them to buy.

Passerby might not understand exactly why they are drawn to look at a window, but when a display looks like a scene from their real or their fantasy life, they stop and notice. They feel something. This scene looks looks like two hot women clubbing at an upscale bar . Compare that against the typical US window display with two mannequins standing upright with the purses over their shoulders. Just a few props and the right selection of mannequins makes all the difference.

The props complement, but don’t compete with the clothing. It is like a scene from a play where the background elements allow the star of the show to shine.

Written by Judi Townsend, owner of Mannequin Madness.com. Feel free to repost this article as long as you give credit to our website or blog.
Mannequin Madness.com is THE place to go on the web when you want to buy, rent or recycle a mannequin.
The Mannequin Madness blog showcases the best ways to use a mannequin for fun or profit.

At Mannequin Madness have a variety of mannequin parts perfect for your art project, Burning Man exhibit, emergency response projects or theatre production. And we have a bunch of distressed mannequins (missing limbs, stands or damaged) that we need to clear out of our warehouse.

These photos are just a few samples of what we have available. We have a TON of female mannequin legs. Everything is 1/2 off from now until the end of May 2012.

Here are the normal prices of boneyard items – so the price will be 1/2 off what is listed. Buy in quantity for even better prices.
$10- mannequin head
$20- arms with hands
$10- arms with no hands
$40 – a pair of mannequin legs
$20 – single mannequin leg
$20 – cloth male torso on a stand
$50 – torso with a head
$70- distressed mannequin

Rootstein mannequins are some of the most coveted mannequins in the industry. If you like the nice clean lines of their egghead mannequins you can stretch your visual merchandising dollars by buying the gently used ones we acquired from a retail chain.

We have a large selection of the “infamous” Manorexic male mannequins that were released a few years ago. These mannequins have a 35″ chest 27 ” waist and 35″ hip

When this collection was released this is what a Rootstein press release said: “It is a collection dictated by current fashion trends for skinny jeans and very tight tailoring, as seen everywhere from Topman to Gucci and in the edgier fashion magazines like Numéro. None of the boys we used [as models for the mannequins] were remotely anorexic. They were just teenagers – the oldest one was 20, I think – so they were pubescent really. It’s a trend which you can see in celebrities and rock stars – Russell Brand has a little bit to do with it. But I am sure that muscle boys will have their time again.”

Although all the parts are genuine Rootstein, the code numbers on the arms and torsos do not match exactly – but they all have a snug fit. Such is the life of mannequin liquidations (kinda like a box of chocolates never know what you are going to get) But this is also why the price is deeply discounted from the normal retail cost.

They all come with a metal base with a rod that goes in their foot. You can find the standing ones for sale here.

We have one seated male and a few seated females in this style. Send us an email if you are interested as we haven’t had a chance to post them on our website yet.

Here are three different style retailers all selling the same product in their window: lingerie.

By looking at the type of mannequin and props they use in the window can you tell which retailer is the consignment store, which one is the sex store and which is the upscale boutique?

As you look at each window, think of three adjectives to describe what the store might be like inside.

In PART 1 of the series of creating retail window displays that sell more products, I wrote about the importance of being able to answer concisely these questions before you start putting items in your window.

What is your store’s image or personality? Who is your ideal customer?

When you are clear about what your store’s brand is and who your target customer is, then it makes it much easier to narrow down the type of mannequins, signage and props the are appropriate for your window displays.

If you sold athletic clothing for example, it would be preferable to have mannequins in your window in an active pose than mannequins that looked like they just stepped off the runway. However if you sold expensive golf or ski items, then a fashion looking mannequin would be preferable to the type of mannequin used to sell soccer clothing.

Window displays are like giant billboards, promoting your store 24 hours a day. You want to make sure your window is promoting the right message. Otherwise you will cause your ideal customer to bypass your store or attract shoppers to your store who are not going to be buyers.

These oversized “blades of grass” made out of paper are a minimalist way of celebrating Earth Day.

The mannequins have just the right pose to make them look as if they are having a leisurely time celebrating being outdoors, getting some vitamin D.