Sometimes, a woman’s got to flaunt her assets to get the job done. And as the old adage goes, the bigger, the better.
How superficial, you may say. Well, consider that the woman in question is molded from resin, and her job is to sell pulse-quickening innerwear—made all the more difficult by the fact that she lacks a pulse entirely. Meet the lingerie-display mannequin—a breed apart.
“When I make mannequins with lingerie in mind, the body is fuller-breasted, a little hippier, with a little bit more in the rear,” says Ralph Pucci, president of Ralph Pucci International, a visual-merchandising firm known for its high-end mannequins.
“A lot of clothing can hang very nicely on a less shapely mannequin,” notes Serena Rees, co-owner of Agent Provocateur, whose plastic ladies range in bust size from 34B to 34D, “but lingerie doesn’t really work on a thin, flat-chested form.” Or as one retailer puts it, “There are small-breasted women in the world, but that doesn’t sell lingerie.”
Indeed, it’s the other end of the real-life spectrum these lovelies seek to emulate. “It has to be similar to a real woman’s body,” suggests Rebecca Aspan, owner of La Petite Coquette in New York. Adds Sarah J. Saatchi, director of La Perla’s retail division, “We’re selling to real-life women, so we try to portray that with the mannequins, too. They need to be natural-looking.”
That doesn’t quite explain the figures down on all fours or reclined just so on the floor at Agent Provocateur, even with features realistic enough to rival those at Madame Tussaud’s. Pucci offers a more subtle take on stance: “I like the poses to evoke a sexy attitude—a sophisticated, almost snooty elegance,” he says. “It’s a little more expressive and free than the traditional dress mannequin.”
Ultimately, a retailer’s choice of mannequin may come down to this: Unlike a power suit or frou-frou frock, it’s not only the bra-and-panty set that truly counts—it’s the lass beneath the lace.