Dress Form Use and Care

Dress Form Care Guidelines 

As costume technicians, one of the most valuable tools available to us are dress forms.

They are an investment and it is vital that we take extra care to keep them in the best condition possible when in our possession.

The costume shop expects all users of dress forms, students and staff, to follow these guidelines when working with dress forms in the shop or outside of campus to help give lease to a long life of our dress forms. 

General Note 

• You can contact staff for any questions or inquiries regarding dress form usage at costumestaff@utlists.utexas.edu You will reach all costume staff members using this email. 
• You must get approval from the Costume Shop Manager, Nanette Acosta, before removing any UT property from the costume shop. 

General Use 

• Dress forms are corralled in the large dressing room of the costume shop. Please return all dress forms to this area when not in use. 
• Make sure your hands are clean when working with dress forms. 
• Be aware of accessories/ jewelry you are wearing that may scratch or snag on the dress form cover 
• There are more users than dress forms so when you have chosen a dress form to use in the shop, write your name and semester on a piece of scrap muslin or paper and pin it to the back of the neck of the dress form. This will help staff and students recognize that it is yours to use for the semester and will not be claimed by anyone else. Please remove your name tag once you are completely done with the dress form so that someone else may use it. 

Example of name tag: 

Poua Yang 

Fall 2020 

• When moving a dress form, move it by the metal base so that it is the wheels rolling and moving the dress form. If the wheels are stuck and does not roll, it is helpful to carefully push the base to move your dress form. 
• Do not drag the dress form. This may cause the body to separate from the base and possible misalignment of the body to the base. 
• When using pins to pin your projects, use only silk pins or lemon head quilting pins. Do not use pins or nails that are too thick. This will cause big holes in the dress form cover that may tear overtime. 
• Please try to stay away from storing pins in the necks of dress forms. While this may be convenient when working, holes created by the pins will not contribute to the longevity of the dress form cover. 
• Please be considerate to the next user by removing all pins and any padding when you are done with the dress form before returning it to the corral. 
• Do not lay the dress form chest side down. Doing so will cause the bust and chest to cave in and will not allow for a smooth and even drape. It is also a very time-consuming process to fix. This goes for women’s as well as men's dress forms. 
• Do not remove the waist stay tape on the dress form at any time. 
• When using dress forms for craft projects, please make sure to cover and protect the dress form BEFORE any work is to be done. i.e. cover the dress form completely with plastic before painting or dyeing projects on the form. Use masking tape over the dress form to keep the plastic in place and from shifting while working. 
• Some dress forms have bases that are broken and may not rise up and down but still in good working condition. The staff is aware of this. Switch to a different dress form if you need this feature for your project. If there isn't one available, talk to a staff member and we can help you with other alternatives. 

Maintenance 

• Some dress forms are not in the best shape. Check to make sure any loose parts on your dress form are screwed in and not wobbly so that they do not go missing. 
• If you encounter a problem with your dress form, please notify a staff so that we can help you proceed and be aware of and fix the issue. 
• Other than Drapers Tape or masking tape, do not use any other form of heavy duty sticky materials on the form. This may leave a sticky residue that can not be removed. 
• Try to keep the floor around your dress form free of trash and debris to keep the base wheels working. Should you see that your dress forms wheels are not working well due to a buildup of thread, take a moment to remove it. Notify a staff member if you cannot do this right away so that we are aware of the issue. 
• Do not use permanent markers or pens to mark your projects. The ink may bleed through your fabric to the dress form cover and leave a spot or your hand slips and you end up marking the dress form. 
• Do not hang anything on your dress form that is too heavy or rough, or store items that do not belong on a dress form, i.e. a book bag, sharp tools. This will cause unnecessary wear and tear to the dress form. 
• When removing a dress form from the shop, after getting approval, please take care to protect the form by covering it so that it stays clean during travel. Make sure it is loaded properly into your vehicle/source of commute to prevent damage. 
• Do not drop or roughly handle the dress form when moving or loading