What is the best way to Display a screen used outfit?

rollnstns

Hi, I'm new here, and fairly new to prop collecting, as well.

I just obtained an outfit worn by Liv Tyler in "The Incredible Hulk."
It's nothing nearly as cool as some of the things i've seen on here, but being a Marvel fan and a fan of Liv Tyler's, I'm happy with it.

I just need to know what is the best way to display:

a pair of pants
a blouse
and a BDU military style top

I'm looking to have it protected as best i can, so any and all thoughts are welcome.

Thanks!

Art Andrews

I would recommend scouring eBay for a mannequin in a pose you like and putting it on that. Clothing always looks good on a well-fitted mannequin.

rollnstns

Good call!

should I be looking at any cases to house the mannequin vs. open air?

Droidboy

I have a couple of screen used costumes (Penelope Cruz from Sahara and SST Armor) and both are on mannequins. I can't think of a better way to display them.

Just keep them out of direct sunlight and away from the animals and they should be fine.

rollnstns

May I ask what kind of mannequin? (headless? How do you determine the size? Can you post a photo of your outfits?)

Thanks!

Art Andrews

No need for a full mannequin case.

Personally, I like headless mannequins unless they are wearing a helmet. Heads can be so distracting.

Droidboy

I agree with Art. No need for a case and I prefer headless mannequins.

I have three mannequins actually...and I'll have to post pics later.

My Indiana Jones is the only one with a head, and that is solely because of the iconic hat. He is sitting down on an old bench in my entryway. He's solid white so the face isn't very striking.

My Sahara costume and Starship Troopers are both on headless mannequins. I thought if they had faces they'd never look like the actors, so why have them.

As far as poses go, I just try to make them relevant. I have the hero costume Cruz wears on the Sahara Movie poster, so I wanted something that echoed that stance. And for the SST, I just wanted something that looked strong and masculine.

Droidboy

Oh...and as far as sizes go, they seem to come in either full figured or standard. I have never had a problem with a standard size.

Bronson BB

Thirded all the way around.

Mannequins are sort of expensive and take up a fair bit of floor space, but if you have a full outfit to display, there's no better way.

And if your outfit doesn't call for a head, for arms or whatever, get a mannequin that matches the need.

jedichase

I also agree that a mannequin is the best way to display a costume.

I would recommend having a framed poster from the movie it was in and possibly a screen grab from the film showing where the costume is.

sprprops

Mannequin with a poster of the film behind it and screen grabs. Plus keep it dry, away from direct sunlight and away from any potential damage

Alnitak

As far as I understood, from other collectors...mannequins should also be, in principle of a particular material as well (not just standard mannequins).

Xenophon1

I believe the best way to display it would be... on Liv Tyler. Barring that, I say that the most attractive way is a headless mannequin accompanied by a display card (or cards) cleanly laid out with pictures of the actress wearing the outfit, some explanatory text, and a small picture of the movie poster.

If space is an issue, omit the pants from display and get a torso mannequin or torso dress form, or even a hollow half-in-the-round hanging torso display form--like you'll see hanging from some front racks in women's clothing stores.

From an archival materials standpoint, it's best to use a cotton-covered dress form type mannequin if the item will be on it long-term (years), but these are much more expensive and somewhat less realistically shaped than most typical fiberglass or plastic forms, so most collectors tend to use regular mannequins or hanging forms. I've never heard a horror story from a collector about costumes on mannequins, but theoretically some of the plastics and pigments used with some could "outgas" and discolor and weaken clothing displayed on them, which is why museums and such only use cotton-covered dress forms or mannequins made from safe materials. That said, I do display items on plain mannequin forms, but my most expensive ones are on either cotton-covered dress forms or plastic torsos I've personally covered in a layer of safe non-outgassing plastic and then a layer of plain cotton cloth. Added peace of mind.

Larry Young

All my astronauts have a pair of old jeans and t-shirts on under their suits for this very reason.

ThePhoenix

Yes try Ebay there are a few sellers that sell the posable mannequins they are very nice .
The headless static ones will run you around 80 plus freight say 150 total .