Working in conjunction with the V&A, proportion>london and its sister company gems-studio; has developed a benchmark period dress stand that has been especially designed for the display of conservation grade historical costume.

The bustform, aptly named the PETITE, has wide appeal in both shape and versatility, featuring a diminutive torso that is easy to pad up in preparation for mounting historic female dress.

Surprisingly, there is no standard form on the market that is ideally suited to displaying period costume. In the past, curators and conservators have been forced to cut down modern dress stands, make use of child torsos, sculpt and mould forms from scratch or have very expensive customised mannequins made to measure.

Lara Flecker, Textile Display Specialist at the V&A, explained: “One of the problems for those working in the field is in sourcing affordable, good quality, adaptable figures that are small enough to be used as mounts for female dress.

“Because of the highly structured corsetry worn beneath garments throughout the last few centuries, women were not only smaller than their modern counterparts, but a very different shape. For this reason, finding ready-made figures of a suitable size and shape for period dress can be very problematic.”

The PETITE proportion>london body form is not only considerably smaller than any modern figure available on the market, but is uniquely shaped to include a more cylindrical waist, smaller rib cage, narrower and more sloping shoulders and less defined bust. The figure also has an extended waistline so that it can be used to accommodate costumes with very short nape to waist measurements as well as those with longer bodices.

“This figure should fill a gap in the market that museums and dress collections have been crying out for, for many years,” Lara continued.

Independent textile and costume conservator, Deborah Phipps consulted on the project.

She said: “I work with a diverse range of clients from national institutions such as the Royal Collection Trust, National Trust, and V&A through to small local museums. I have used proportion>london torsos and bustforms extensively in this work and always found them effective for a range of costume.

“However, they are a modern shape and have modern proportions and often need major reshaping as mounts for historic costume. The opportunity to get involved in the development of this new PETITE torso allowed me to voice the wish list of items the ideal conservation figure should include.”

In addition to the physical attributes of the figure, the PETITE dress form is manufactured in eco-friendly materials, with a papier-mache foundation and is produced in the UK. At a starting price of £215 for a calico covered body the PETITE represents exceptional value, offering a good investment for museums that can use these resilient forms time and again. The V&A have already identified several costumes in their up and coming Wedding Dress Exhibition for which this diminutive dress stand will be invaluable.

Measurements for this figure are:

Bust ........................... 68cm
Waist ...................….... 44cm
Hip ............................ 75cm
Shoulder to shoulder ….. 31cm
Back nape to waist...…… 31.5 - 35.5cm
Shoulder length ........... 11cm

The PETITE dress stand and a number of other historic bustform shapes can be found on the gems-studio website at www.gems-studio.com.

The figure is also on show at proportion>london’s Clerkenwell showroom. Appointments can be made by calling Bianca Wint on 020 7251 6943. www.proportionlondon.com

Further information on this release and product can be obtained from Tanya Reynolds, Creative Director, proportion>London. 020-7251-6943.