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 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.
