Petite Dress Form

January 3, 2011

Meet my “Mini Me”!

Petite Dress Form 8 600px
Petite Dress Form 4 600px
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Petite Dress Form 6 600px
She is wearing the ever popular Theory Gratian jacket in size 00, and the also very popular LOFT Ruffle Cardigan in size xxsp.

Hi, my name is Kelly, and I’m a clothing nerd.

So much so, that I’ve been on a search for a dress form for what seems like ages. Not for sewing…no, no…just a cute little thing to model my clothes and look adorable in my bedroom.

I don’t know why…maybe because I never really played with Barbies as a kid, so it’s coming out in my adult years as a need to dress a life-size doll. Or maybe I secretly wish I had a petite counterpart to share clothes with. Either way, I’ve been obsessed with the idea for years.

I’m also very particular. It had to be my size (so it can wear my clothes, duh!), and it had to be a vintage or classic style.

Of course, dress forms are available all over the place, like on Craigslist and eBay, but not in any size even remotely close to my measurements. In fact, the only petite dress form I’ve ever seen with my measurements was this one that Petite XXS bought last year.

But I didn’t want a modern sewing form…I wanted as close to a vintage style as I could get. So my search continued…

Then, while surfing the web one day, I happened to stumble upon this:

Female Petite Dress Form from The Classic Collection Clothing Forms. Size 0/1. The petite dress form measurements are: Bust size 30, waist 22, hips 31, and height of 24 1/2″.

Whoa! Does that say the measurements are 30-22-31? And for only $79? SOLD!

Boyfriend was nice enough to pick it up as my Christmas present, and she finally arrived last week. She fits my petite clothing perfectly, and I’m sure will be making quite a few appearances on the blog.

I wish the neck block I really wanted was available, but, like most things in life, they didn’t come in petite sizes, so she had to settle for the boring flat disk one. I can relate!

She’s not a perfect vintage style, but isn’t she cute? I think I’ll name her Stacy (hehe…get it?).

Interested in making your own dress form from a plaster cast mold of yourself? Jezebel has a DIY for that!

On a side note…I’ve been very curious as to the measurements of those mannequins inside J.Crew stores. They look so tiny, and the clothes always have inches of fabric pinned behind them. Are there any savvy J.Crew employees reading this who might know? I’ve been temped to whip out my measuring tape inside J.Crew, but I’m not thick skinned enough to brave the embarrassment of getting thrown out by a teenager in a sweater vest…

Does anyone have a vintage or classic style petite dress form with similar measurements? I’d love to hear where you got it!

Disclosure - Clicking or purchasing through the links in this post may yield commissions for AlterationsNeeded.com. See the Alterations Needed Disclosure for more details.

  • Frankincensy

    That's wonderful! It's one of the more realistic-looking dressforms I've seen, too… before I scrolled down I wondered if you'd had it custom-made.

  • Petite Mom

    You are my kind of clothing nerd! I went through a phase where I was looking for one too and almost ended up buying one of those adjustable dressforms. But I didn't because they just looked so…ugly. The dressform you found is gorgeous, classic, and amazing! How awesome that it had your exact measurements too?! You're a petite model size! Very happy for you and craving a body twin now too. :)

  • Elle

    lol, now I want a dress form too (but I played with barbies as a kid so I really have no excuse). "she" really is like your twin, congrats on finding her! :) It does have a vintage-y feel (which I love)

  • Jackie

    Sweet!! I think I might want one! It's beautiful =)

  • Alterations Needed

    @Frankincensy – It is pretty realistic. I even has a little tummy pooch! LOL.

    @Petite Mom – Just a tiny petite model size I guess. I've seen petite dress forms in size 8 before, but never size 0/1. I was shocked! I hope you find your "body twin". =)

    @Elle – Yeah, I love the vintage look. I just wish I could have gotten the cooler neck block. Oh well.

  • Really Petite

    That is awesome!! And it is exactly what you wanted! How cool is that! It's like your old logo too! LOL

    So happy for you! I want one too!!

  • LaLaaLove

    Congratulations! She's so well dressed ;)

    She looks cute right now, though personally, I'd be a little terrified with anything remotely human-shaped in my bedroom at night. When I was little, my sister and I put up a 4ft Curious George doll by the bedroom door, and it was terrifying.

  • SewPetiteGal

    I am lucky (??) to be a larger petite where I could just purchase a dress form off of eBay (33-24-36) and have it be pretty close to my measurements although it could stand to shave a couple inches in the bust area. You got a good price on your dress form! Is it a rigid form or does it have a foam layer for pinning?

  • The Little Dust Princess

    Wow, thanks Kelly! I've been looking for a dress form for the past year, believe it or not. That looks perfect..I'll look into it soon, but shipping must be crazy to Toronto. It needs bigger hips to be my size! haha

    xx The Little Dust Princess

  • Alterations Needed

    @Jackie – It's super cute, and will be great for displaying pretty outfits, or even vintage items that are too delicate to wear.

    @LaLaaLove – I fully expect to get startled by it. It already freaked Boyfriend out when he walked up the stairs last night. LOL.

    @SewPetiteGal – You are lucky! You have your pick of any dress form type you want! My dress form is rigid, and made of hardened foam. There's no foam for pinning, which is fine because I just want it for display anyways.

    @The Little Dust Princess – It needs bigger hips to be my perfect size too! And a slightly bigger waist. LOL. Shipping to California was about $56, so I'm sure shipping to Canada will be quite a bit. But the dress form is actually really inexpensive, so it kinda evens out.

  • thegoodgirlgoneblog.com

    I believe mine is petite, although the bust is a little bigger than mine haha

  • PetiteAsianGirl

    I LOOOVE it! I love all the customizable options – bummer about the neck block – for the fabric and stand. I'm very envious that you've found a new friend to share your wardrobe.

    I love my vintage dress form from the Philippines (and the neck block that sticks up is perfect for holding bracelets) but she is large! My belts barely fit around her so I've never let her try any small clothing. She does the job though for holding my jewelry, scarves, and belts.

  • AubreyOhDang!

    I like the dark wooden legs of this dress form. Stacy we shall call her!

  • modern.girl

    i loooooooooooooove vintage dress forms! they are so fun to decorate and dress. i've even seen people decorate it with lots of lights and ornaments and used it as a "christmas tree."

  • littlenashua

    OK, true story: I bought one of these (well, not vintage-y but Petite sized) in Burgundy, and as it so happens I have an antique chair in my closet that is upholstered in plush Burgundy covering. I kept my dressform in there for about 2 months after I started sewing with it, and it would wear whatever my latest creation was. (Never mind that everything I sewed the first year I was doing it was totally unwearable). SO you are not alone…in fact, I may start photographing my OOTD on my form since there is no way I will ever get around to learning to take decent pics with my remote controlled Sanyo digital video camera on a tripod.

  • Russian Chic

    Kelly, your Stacey looks divine! I need to find my Audrey.

  • kileen

    wow, a petite dress form!! you're so lucky for finding it! this would be perfect to try out different looks and styles without having to throw clothes on and off of yourself everytime. i can't wait to see more pictures with it!

    cuteandlittle.com

  • Temi

    I love the look you put together on your dress form! Love your blog!

    diaryofashortgirl.blogspot.com

  • Stylepint

    The dress form looks so good and even better in person! I'm glad you found such a lovely and affordable one. I might have to get one of my own1 =)

  • Christina

    Ah, so the Theory Gratian makes another appearance, eh? For some reason, I can see it appearing in a new post at least once a month because it's extremely cute! Please make it happen, Kelly!

    So this is the dress form you mentioned earlier? If it – whoops I mean Stacy! "She has a name, you know?!" – had slightly bigger hips, she would be perfect. Can you imagine taking Stacy out shopping with you? You wouldn't need to wait in line for a dressing room – throw small tops on her and call it a day.

  • Pretty Shiny Sparkly

    Fabulous! Love seeing a fellow petite blogger. And that dress form is amazing! I have always wanted one too. Thanks for stopping by!

  • Michelle

    Lol! about not being "thick skinned enough to brave the embarrassment of getting thrown out by a teenager in a sweater vest."

    I am so glad you found the dress form you wanted!! Love the name! :p

  • Alterations Needed

    @thegoodgirlgoneblog.com – As long as she fits your clothes! My dress form is smaller than me in the waist and hip. Yours is super cute btw!

    @PetiteAsianGirl – Ahh…but vintage ones are so great because they have a history! At least she's getting some use wearing your necklaces. You should take more pics with it! I remember a necklace shot you did a while back that looked beautiful!

    @AubreyOhDang! – Now I have Clinton and Stacy…the set is complete! =)

  • Alterations Needed

    @modern.girl – That Christmas tree idea is so great! Thanks for the tip!

    @littlenashua – Oh yes! Take pics with your dress form! I'd love to see it make an appearance on your blog!

    @Russian Chic – Oh! Audrey is a wonderful name! As in Hepburn?

  • Alterations Needed

    @kileen – Thanks! I can't wait to dress it up in cute outfits! Wow, I'm a nerd!

    @Stylepint – That's right! You were the first one to see it in real life!

    @Christina – LOL. If I start wandering around stores, dressing up a dress form named Stacy, it's time for a clothing nerd intervention. =P

    @Pretty Shiny Sparkly – Oh wow! I forgot you're a petite too! You look so tall in all your pics. =)

    @Michelle – Sweater vests can be very intimidating. =)

  • Bianca

    Wow! I love this! How pretty to have in your "dressing room"!!! You have such good taste! :-)

  • Anonymous

    Cool! You make me want to have one. Btw, to my hubby's chagrin, I did whip out my tape measure once on a mannequin at JC Penney's (I didn't have to guts to do it at a J. Crew), and the waist was 22".

  • PetiteXXS

    I've been waiting for this post! I'd definitely get it if I didn't already have my blue one. I thought I got a good deal for that but this is even cheaper! Ah well… You make me want to take off all the belts/necklaces I've been hanging on mine and play dress up! :)

  • Tiny montrealer

    I've been looking for my own "Stacy" for a while too! Like you, I'm looking for a vintage one in wood.
    I went through the steps of ordering one where you found yours, but each component really adds to the cost! Am I mistaken or did yours add up to 122$ (plus shipping costs)? And did you chose the taller base at 24' or 16'? Thanks for your advice.

  • Alterations Needed

    @Tiny montrealer – Yup, mine cost $122 after base and neckblock. Shipping will be pretty costly too since it's so oversized. I believe shipping to California was about $56. I got the 16" base and it's perfect!

  • Anonymous

    I am also a petite person and I love following your blog. This petite form is a great find…but could you tell us all the options you selected in your order to create your form? I'm thinking of getting one myself- Thanks!

  • Alterations Needed

    @Anonymous – Thank you! The options I chose are also listed in the caption underneath the photos. I ordered: creme fabric, Marseilles 16" base in mahogany, Flat Disk wood neck block in mahogany. Get the standard flange unless you want a dressmaker base (the metal ones with wheels and a foot petal that look very vintage). I hope you get one! I love my little "mini me"! ;)

  • Anonymous

    This is amazing! You so lucky you found it! Thinking now of getting one for myself as well. But is the cover glued to the form? Can you take it off???

  • Alterations Needed

    @Anonymous – Yes, the cover is glued on, so you have to make sure it stays clean, because you can never wash it! Also, make sure to get the color you want because you can't change it.

  • Indianhair14

     I think blue is looking more prominent On black!! i really like the style..its too Cool!
    indian hair weave

  • aBLO

    Thanks for this post!  i’ve been on the hunt for a petite dress form myself!  Thank you!

  • Adrianna

    omg this so awesome! I’m size 00 or 0 and I started to hunt for a petite dress form, I hope I can find it, but now that I see your post , definitely I still have hope.

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