Top 10 Best Dress Form Reviews and Buyers Guide

Professional sewers and every person seriously involved in sewing projects at home know the importance of dress forms. These human torso-like structures are useful in many ways, such as for hanging finished or unfinished projects, making alterations to them, and much more. Today, you are going to learn about some useful dress forms.

Top 10 Dress Forms

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Best Dress Form Review

The usefulness of dress forms has motivated many manufacturers to come up with a wide variety of dress forms. You might be knowing that when a product is available in abundance, it gives rise to confusion. The same is the case for dress forms. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the number of varieties dress forms come in.

I get many emails from community members and readers asking which dress form to buy. If you take feedback from reviewers or consider expert tips, you’ll find that a specific dress form from any particular manufacturer might not be suitable to all because every person doesn’t have the same requirement, preferences, and budget.

So, I decided to search for the best dress forms in the market and review them for you. In this process, I evaluated 26 dress forms from top brands. Out of these 26, I have finalized the best 10. Let’s have a look at them:

Best Overall – Dritz 20420 Sew You Dressform

Dritz 20420 Sew You Dressform is my first pick. I picked this high-quality dress form because its dimensions help users create projects with accurate measurements.
It is a versatile and adjustable dress form. You only need to measure your body and rotate the dials and adjustment wheels so that it suits your needs. There are nine adjustment wheels on hips, waist, and bust. Also, two automatic dials are there on the waist and bust.

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Dritz 20420 Sew You Dressform is perfect for home users as well as professionals. This affordable dress form doesn’t miss any necessary features.

Best Budget Pick – Giatex Female Dress Form & Mannequin

The next one in my list is quite affordable and value for money product, Giatex Female Dress Form Mannequin. It costs so less that you can use that saved money for your sewing machine maintenance or for having any other accessories.

When most dress forms in the market come with a plastic base, it features a tripod-style base of MDF. Not only this, but its overall build material is also awesome. Its manufacturer has paid attention to detail and made sure that it looks graceful and elegant.

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If you are looking for a dress mannequin ideal for T-shirts, sweaters, tops, blouses, dresses, jackets, and accessories, this one from Giatex may be for you.

Best for Beginners – Dritz 20406 My Double Deluxe Dress Form

Those that are new into sewing, This beginners dress form will suit you the most. I found Dritz 20406 My Double Deluxe Dressform is a perfect fit for beginners because of two reasons. First, it is small in size, and second, it has all the essential features beginners might need.

Its foam-backed nylon cover is pinnable, but more attractive is the sapphire blue color of this model. It also features 12 adjustment wheels to easily adjust the length of the back waist, hip, waist, bust, and neck.

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If you are a beginner, there is no need to invest in a highly-priced professional dress form. Most beginners find value in Dritz 20406 My Double Deluxe Dressform.

Best Advanced Pick – Singer Dress Form DF251

Singer DF251 is an advanced dress form suitable for all the professionals who want nothing but the best. Even if you use it at your home, you will get the same benefits as any professional garment maker gets.

With this model from Singer, you can easily adjust patterns before cutting, make better alterations and fittings, and watch how your creativity will look on a body. With its 13 individual adjustments, you can easily change the measurements of a dress and get a perfect fit.

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Singer is a trusted brand in the world of sewing machines and accessories. Its nice design makes it look really beautiful when placed next to the sewing table.

Best for Novice Fashion Designers – New Female Jersey Dress Form with Base & Necktop

My next pick, New Female Jersey Dress Form with Base & Necktop, is also best suitable for people who have just entered the world of professional fashion designing. Budding fashion designers must watch Dress Forms: DOs & DON’Ts for Fashion Design!

It helps people quickly work upon ideas, not waste time on making adjustments. It has an adjustable tripod stand made of natural wood. I found not only assembling it is simple but also dressing and undressing on this model is also super-easy.

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If you are in search of an elegant female dress form primarily for draping, New Female Jersey Dress Form with Base & Necktop is the one you should consider.

Best for Sewing Projects – 13 Dials Female Dress Form [Fabric, Adjustable Mannequin]

13 Dials Female Dress Form [Fabric, Adjustable Mannequin] is a good quality dress form suitable for sewing projects. You can also use this fully modifiable dress form like a display model.

There are 13 adjustment options with which you can easily adjust back, neck, hips, waist, and bust. Personalizing a form according to your body was never so easy. It also features foam-backed nylon cover that allows easy marking and pinning.

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13 Dials Female Dress Form [Fabric, Adjustable Mannequin] has all the essential features to make a sewing project successful. If you are actively involved in sewing, go for it.

Best for DIY Projects – Dritz 1750A Dressform [Twin-Fit]

The 7th one in this list is the grey colored foam-backed Dritz 1750A Dressform [Twin-Fit]. It is available in 5 different sizes and fully adjustable.

I have evaluated many but found only this is a perfect choice for DIY projects, alterations, and garment creation. When you are high on creativity, it will help you. I found that its polyester cover gives it a long life and prevents it from damage. So, your investment in it is going to be fruitful.

Coming to its features, it has 12 automatic set dials squeeze and turns, adjustable length of back waist, hip, waist, bust, and neck. Also, there is a pin cushion on the neck and metallic pole with measuring lines.

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Dritz 1750A Dressform [Twin-Fit] is a high-quality dress form suitable for different types of users. If you are into a lot of DIY projects, you can trust it.

Premium Quality at Affordable Price – 13 Dials Female Torso Adjustable Dress Form [Pinnable, Mannequin]

The next I have is the premium-quality adjustable dress form (mannequin) from 13 Dials. It is made by a dedicated technical team to enhance the sewing experience of users.

Along with body adjustments, it allows you to make neck adjustments also. For this, you just need to depress and rotate the neck dial. There are a total of 13 adjustable controls that allow you to make adjustments according to your body.

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If you are looking for a premium-quality dress form best for using at home, go for 13 Dials Female Torso. It is affordable and helps a lot when you are serious about designing and sewing clothes.

Best for Professional Use – Roxy Display Inc Professional Female Half Body Dress Form

The next one is the Roxy Display Inc Professional Female Half Body Dress Form. Most people can easily guess from the name that it is best suitable for professionals.

High-quality fine linen is the construction material of this half-body dress form. It also has collapsible shoulders so that you can easily make minor adjustments while doing alterations and fittings.

Other positives of this model are its affordable price and heavy-duty base of cast iron. Click here to watch the YouTube video that explains assembling it.

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If you are a professional and require a Dressform that doesn’t increase your expenses, Roxy Display Inc Professional Female Half Body Dressform is the one you need.

Best Plus-Size Dress Form – Uniquely You Dress Form Cover

My last pick is Uniquely You Dress Form Cover, a perfect piece for the plus-sized woman. Many women complain they can’t find the dress form of the right size, and the traditional ones don’t fit their curves. It is for all of them.

It is durable and made from foam rubber (another name of soft polyurethane). If you need to adjust its height for hemming, you can. Its smooth and unbreakable body is an ideal sewing surface.

What I liked most about this masterpiece is that you can do a lot on it. For example, steam press, drape, hem, pin, and drape.

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Uniquely You Dress Form Cover is unique in various ways. This soft dress form features high-density foam simplifying pinning. Sewers also find it valuable because it makes pattern drafting so easy.

Best Dress Form Brands

Many things help buyers decide whether a product is worth buying or not. The most crucial one is the brand. Some of the best dress form brands of 2020 are:

Singer

Most people know Singer as the manufacturer of best sewing and embroidery machines. Well, it also manufactures software solutions, dress forms, and other sewing and embroidery essentials. Many models of Singer dress forms are available in the market, but the best one is SINGER Dress Form DF251.

Dritz

Dritz is a sewing and crafting accessories company from New York. Its products help beginners and professionals equally. The company says that doers and makers from the whole world look forward to Dritz when they have to turn their creative ideas into reality. Its most popular model is Dritz Sew You Dressform (20420).

BHD BEAUTY

BHD BEAUTY came into existence in 2005 in China as a developer and producer of PVC Mannequin Head. After operating successfully for ten years, the company extended its product range. Today, this brand is famous in different parts of the world because of its range of 13 Dials adjustable Dressforms. The most popular product from BHD BEAUTY nowadays is 13 Dials Female Dress Form [Fabric, Adjustable Mannequin].

Roxy

Roxy is a brand headquartered in New Jersey. The primary offerings from Roxy involve Display Forms, Display Mannequins, and Display Cases. The highest demand for Roxy Dress Forms comes from fashion designers, fashion students, garment manufacturers, professional sewers, and others. The top Dress Form from Roxy is Adult Female Size 8 Half Body Professional Dress Form.

Giantex

Giantex is in the business of e-retailing, and its global reach includes ten countries of America and Europe. This brand is known for providing efficient products at a reasonable price. It is also famous for selling high-quality Dress Forms on Amazon. The biggest hit of 2020 is Giatex Female Dress Form Mannequin with Adjustable Height.

Uniquely You

‘Uniquely You’ is an American brand engaged in making soft body forms. Most of them are adjustable according to the body’s shape. The best product from this brand is Uniquely You Dress Form Cover – Medium #7. It is a zippered cover with compressible foam filling. For buyers of different sizes, the covers are available in sizes 1-14.

Only Mannequins

Only Mannequins is a registered American e-retailer of different types of mannequins, including Dress Form. Its products are sold primarily in the US market. Most Dress Forms starting with ‘White Female’ and ‘White Child’ also belong to this brand. The latest product under this brand is White Female Mannequin Dress & Slacks Form + Tripod Base.

PGM

PGM is a leading manufacturer of Dress Forms in America. The brand is manufacturing Dress Forms since its inception in 1983. Today, after more than 35 years, PGM is the primary manufacturer of dressmaker tailor forms along with pattern-making equipment and supplies. The best PGM Dress Form nowadays is PGM Professional Dressmaker Dress Form.

Aspire

The Dress Forms under the brand Aspire look different from other Dress Forms in the market. They are handcrafted, made of iron, and feature elegant scroll designs along with iron leaves all through its body. The best one from this brand is Aspire Tall Iron Dress Form Mannequin.

Best Choice

Best Choice Dress Forms are sold on Amazon by Best Choice Products. The company has a vast portfolio of best products for indoors and outdoors – one amongst them is Dress Form. The most loved Dress Form from this brand is Best Choice Products Female Mannequin Torso Display w/Adjustable Tripod Stand and Foam Padding.

Dress Form Buying Guide

Things to Consider

If you want to get the best-dress-forms for your hard-earned money, you should consider certain things before placing the final order. Some major ones are:

1. Type

What type of dress form you want? To get this answer, find out why you want it. If your work involves pinning, draping, and fitting, there are professional dress forms for it. For example, there are display dress forms to only display your creations, and there are modifiable dress forms that help you craft outfits for different types of bodies.

There are also torso forms that are, indeed, the torso’s 3D model. You can also make a mannequin dress form from duct tape. Watcha How to Make a Duct Tape Dress Form.

2. Availability of Adjustment Dials

This feature is crucial when you have to make dresses for different people. These dials help you to make a single dress form useful for many people. However, you can go for a simple dress form also if your requirement is limited to an individual. Do you know how to fix sewing machine timing? Adjusting the dials requires the same mindset.

3. Build Material

Dress forms are available in different base materials, such as plastic, fiberglass, metals, and others. The build material of dress forms inform you about their durability and whether they can hold out against pinning. For this, make sure the dress form features pinnable foam material. You can avoid this feature if your requirement is just displaying your creations. However, make sure it is reliable.

4. Stability

Your dress form should remain stable while you hang your creations or alter dresses. If your workplace has a higher footfall, you should buy the one with quite a stable base.

Dress Form Types

You might be knowing that sewing products come in different types. Dress forms, being an important sewing product, also have different styles. Let’s explore them:

Adjustable Dress Form

These are also the most common types. They feature dials allowing you to adjust different areas, like the waist, height, and other parts of your dress form. The main advantage of these dress forms is that you can evaluate clothes of different types and sizes on them. If you can repair sewing machine, handling an adjustable dress form will be super-easy for you.

Non-Adjustable Dressform

You cannot adjust different areas of these dress forms, but they prove to be helpful when it comes to pinning. Their high-quality fabric doesn’t damage even after rigorous pinning. Moreover, pinning provides you with perfect measurements for sewing projects.

Dress Forms with Collapsible Arm

These types are favorite of people involved in tailoring tasks as they simplify tasks like taking measurements and draping. These are also time savers as you can put or take off a garment from them without unzipping.

Besides these types, there are also dress forms made of metal, plastic, or fiberglass. You need to be extra careful while putting softer fabric dresses on metal ones; your garment may be at the risk of damage.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the dress form?

It is the 3D model of a human torso used for hanging/ previewing/ altering sewing and quilting projects. It also gives you an idea of how the garment would look on a physique.

2. How to select the right dress form?

The right dress form depends upon the measurements of the body you are targeting. You should have accurate measurements of the target body. When dealing with more than one person, it is best to buy an adjustable dress form.

3. I am not a professional sewer. Do I still require dress form?

The requirement of a Dressform depends upon the need and personal decision, even for professional sewers. If you are involved in sewing projects and feel the need to have one, go for it. However, you might not require dress forms if the major part of your job is to work on a serger machine.

4. Can I pin on the dress form?

If you are asking to pin directly, it is not a good idea. However, the right way is to always pin on the fabric covering the dress form. For more details, you should view How to use dress forms?

5. My friend suggested me to go for a display mannequin. Should I?

Prefer a display mannequin only for minor adjustments. If you need to adjust garments regularly, go for an adjustable dress form.

Investment in dress forms is crucial for sewing enthusiasts, designers, and professional sewers. The key is to choose the best one according to your needs and within your budget. Considering all the features and the price point, according to me, the overall best dress form in 2020 is the Dritz 20420 Sew You Dressform.