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One of our customers is a huge collector of clothing worn my Cher. We asked him for provide tips for other customers on what he has learned about the tricky art of displaying celebrity gowns.
 
 
At Mannequin Madness we have rented or sold mannequins to display garments worn by major celebrities. We’ve written on our blog our experiences with Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Liz Taylor and Princess Diana garments.
 
 
Some of our private customers have purchased mannequins or dress forms to display garments worn by everyone from Rita Hayworth to Elton John. And when the movie “Dreamgirls” had a premiere in San Francisco, we provided the mannequins to display some of the gowns the cast wore.
 
 
But it was our experience with a gown that Cher wore to the Academy Award, that generated the most emails. Cher fans are off the hook.
 

Gary gave us the following suggestions that might help you in your decision in purchasing and displaying Cher gowns.

 

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One thing I learned about these Cher gowns is that they are a LOT of work.  If I had known all that was involved with handling, displaying and storing them, I probably would not have bought them……..LOL
 
 
1 When looking for a nice, displayable celebrity gown, or any other gown for that matter, one should consider the fabric, the cut, the construction and the weight of the piece.
 
2 A couple of the gowns I have are cut on the bias.  They are also made of a fabric that has a bit of stretch to it.  Therefore, they can only hang on a mannequin for VERY short periods of time.  Otherwise, they stretch out and pool onto the floor.  I learned that the hard way.
 
The first gown I bought was a beaded, silk crepe gown.  I was so excited when I got it that I bought my first mannequin and put it on her.  It stood in my living room for a couple of years.  Not realizing it was getting longer and pooling on the floor.
 
3 I have learned a LOT over the years about the fragility of gowns.  I also learned that the gowns should be displayed on mannequins with straight arm and leg poses.  Any bend in the arms or legs causes unnecessary stress on the gown.
 
4 That is why when you see gowns or other costumes on display in museums they are usually on 3/4 mannequins or very straight poses.
 
5 Another thing to consider is the paint finish on the mannequins.  Many celebrity clothing is very form fitting.  If the mannequin has a flat, matte finish, the clothing doesn’t slide easily on the mannequin.
 

6 One should buy a mannequin that is smaller in size than the actual piece they intend to display on it.  That is one thing that is very tricky with the Cher gowns.  She was a size 0-2 in her earlier career.  So it is very difficult to find mannequins that small.

 

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Feel free to contact Gary if you want to buy or sell Cher stuff. BTW, Gary has had a sculptor redo mannequins to make them look like Cher, but he is not revealing his source.  If you buy a mannequin from us, we have some mannequin sculptors in various cities across the country that we can refer you to. Warning: their services are not cheap.
 
If you have purchased a garment worn by a celebrity and are looking for the right mannequin so you can display it, Mannequin Madness can assist you with finding the right one.
 

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