ACCESSORIES : Old Forms With New Functions

The figure lurking in the shadows at the top of the stairs or in the corner of the bedroom may be no more ominous than an antique dressmaker’s form.

It’s another case of yesterday’s necessity turning into today’s conversation piece.

“The old dress form has a different function today, as a decorative stand for jewelry, such as necklaces or brooches,” says Nancy Lindenmeyer, editor of Victoria magazine. “Or, in bedrooms, entryways and family rooms it can display an old velvet coat or a beautiful antique dress.”

Katey Kane, an antique clothing and linen dealer from New Hope, Pa., says it’s hard to fake the collectible. For one thing, the most decorative early forms are made of wood. For another, the modern dressmaker’s form is a misfit for the hourglass shapes of years past.

“I have an old dress form of carved wood that I take to antique shows,” Kane says. “Folk art dealers are always trying to buy it from me as a piece of sculpture.”

Other highly desired old dressmaker forms are those with decoupage decorations. Decoupage, the art of lacquering decorative paper cutouts on household objects such as serving trays and room screens, was a fad in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

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In addition to the dressmaker forms used by home seamstresses, old department store mannequins and hat stands are gaining recognition among collectors. Unlike the dressmaker form, which is simply a torso on an adjustable pole, some mannequins have arms and legs and painted wooden faces. Among the most fetching, Kane says, are children with linen-covered bodies and feet with high-button shoes painted on.

The hat stand is another old-time necessity with cachet as a decorative accessory. Early ones with painted faces and a 1960s Lucite hat stand shaped like a head are especially esteemed, Kane says.

With antiques and collectibles, demand dictates price. An interesting dress form or mannequin can easily cost $350 to $750 or more, Kane says--if you can find one. If not, consider a reproduction.

The spring catalogue of Gump’s of San Francisco has three styles of reproductions. A 19-inch form covered in a patchwork of antique-looking damask is $228, including a damask pocket for jewelry storage. A 16-inch hand-carved wood form, $78, is covered in gold leaf. An 11-inch form covered in moire with a silk rose at the neck is $20 and ideal for stickpins and brooches.

The February issue of Victoria features a 19-inch copy of a full-size dress form uncovered in an English antiques emporium. The copy in molded resin is $150 by mail from GuildMaster Inc., an accessories firm in Springfield, Mo. The original was decoupaged, but to keep the price down, company artisans paint a tape measure on each repro.

Ellie Parsons, co-owner of GuildMaster, has one of the copies in her kitchen in a group of old and new pieces atop the wall cabinets. The original is on a stairway landing in the foyer.

“We’re junkers and always on the lookout for unusual items for ourselves and our business,” Parsons says. “We thought it was cute when we put it in the line more than four years ago, but the longevity of the item is a bit of a surprise.”

Victoria: (800) 433-3210.

Gump’s By Mail: (800) 284-8677.

GuildMaster Inc.: (417) 889-8100.