Padding the Mannequin

I decided to pad a mannequin to create my toiles on because it gives the mannequin a much softer and flexible shape so the undergarments will sit more like they would on a human figure. It allows my to pull the corset in and achieve the right curves that a hard mannequin would not provide. The mannequin I padded to fit a friend so it will have close enough fit for photos of my final full toile.

This is Jen whose measurements I am using to base my padding of a mannequin on.

I was pleased with the final result of padding out the mannequin, it wasn't very time consuming and achieved a very similar body shape to the friend I had measured. I chose a mannequin with much smaller dimensions so I could pad it up with a lot of wadding to get a softer body shape that could be pulled in a lot by the corset. I measured my friend with and without the corset on to replicate her body shape first with the padding and then with the corset on top to get it as close as attainable.

I am planning on using the same mannequin for all my toiles. This is because of the limited stock in the costume store and the time consuming process of fixing the right underwear, also the corset shape did not change massively throughout the century and I will be able to achieve the appropriate shape by changing the skirt undergarments to achieve the right silhouette.