Costume Display & Lighting

Costume displays can work well in both home and work areas.

After spending days or weeks lovingly crafting a gorgeous costume or wearing someone else's elaborate creation for a special occasion or production, it is natural to feel resistant to moth-balling the costume, relegating it to the back of the closet or a dark corner in your attic. The obvious alternative: displaying your costume in your home or work area.

Mannequin Benefits

Mannequins are an obvious choice for costume display.

A mannequin is a clear choice for costume display, as it will show the costume in the way it was meant to be viewed--on a body--and it will help the costume keep its intended form. This will preserve the costume and keep it in great condition for future use. Well-styled mannequins also make an attractive addition to any room, and can enhance any existing design scheme with careful styling.

Choosing a Mannequin

Mannequins vary greatly in type, style, and price.

Which mannequin you ultimately decide to purchase will depend on a multitude of factors such as your budget and the size and scope of the costume, as well as whether posing the mannequin is important to your display. Full-size mannequins can range in price from $150 to $1,000, depending on the material from which the mannequin is made, as well as its flexibility. Wire frame mannequins are attractive and tend to be a less expensive choice. Consider only a head or torso if you only wish to display a headpiece or small upper-body garment.

Display Styling

Style a mannequin well for the best visual impact.

You have many options for styling a mannequin to display a costume. Most favor a full recreation of the costume, and a pose for the mannequin that complements the mood of the costume. This works especially well with a full-size mannequin. Single pieces on wire dress forms or mannequins also make a good visual impact and can work as the focal point of a room.

Natural Light and Costume Display

Natural light is your costume's nemesis.

If you want your costume to endure for many years, appropriate lighting is not just important, it's crucial. Natural light might look good, but it is hard to control and the sun will fade any vibrant colors or deep blacks, sometimes in as little as a few months. Because of this, try to keep your display away from direct sunlight. If you can't avoid the sun in your placement, the best alternative (and most expensive) is to case your display in art glass, which is UV-resistant.

Different Lighting Types

Low-wattage halogen lights are one of the best choices for costume display lighting.

Lighting your costume display well will highlight its attractive qualities, but doing so properly can be tricky. Most museums will not use fluorescent lights to display artwork or textiles because they can give off the harmful UV light and do not light completely across the color spectrum. If your costume has many warm colors in its design, incandescent lights will enhance them; incandescent lights are also a simple, cost-effective choice. If your cool colors dominate your costume, consider low-wattage halogen lighting, which will bring out the costume's color subtleties without deteriorating them over time.

References

• AllBusiness: How to Shop for Mannequins
• Dr. Lori: Fine Art Framing Advice