Yesterday we discussed full size female mannequins for your ecommerce listings, but if you decided a full size isn’t the right fit for your needs, today we will be discussing Torso Mannequins.

TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains nude... MANNEQUINS.  If you can't deal with nude mannequins you absolutely should not buy one because they do not arrive clothed.  Also, don't read this article because it contains nudity... in the form of mannequins.  Also... grow up.  And if you're 9 years old, why are you reading torso mannequin articles? Go play MineCraft because you will have the rest of your life to grow up! 

Now that that's out of the way, lets get started....

“Torso Mannequin” simply refers to a mannequin with no legs and usually no arms or head… just a torso... like creepy serial-killer-sh*t.  But that is about the only thing that torso mannequins have in common, so today we are going to look at the different types of torso mannequins so you can decide which is right for you.

First, there are several different designs of Torso Mannequins:

TORSO FORM (Hanging) - Around $24 on Amazon

These come in black, white and sometimes other colors.

PROS:

• It’s cheap.  
• Real cheap. Under $25 for the thing that's gonna showcase all your inventory.
• It hangs. Cool. 
• Quite a bit of sizes fit on it.  Most claim "sizes 5-10". (Yeah, I also don't get the math there)
• Very easy and fast to dress and undress.

CONS:

• While it looks great hanging in a retail store, it doesn’t look nice in most eCommerce listings.
• In fact, it looks pretty bad, especially if you see it hanging on a door handle with a pile of dirty laundry in the background.
• Black can be difficult to photograph on without proper lighting.
• White shows damage. If you scrape, dent, scuff or get the white torso dirty, it will look terrible.
• These torsos are often shiny. The shine adds a glare to the images. Although you can find black matte torsos, like the one in the image above, but I have not seen a white matte hanging torso.
• A Hollow Torso Form is not a good choice for eCommerce because the back is hallow, so when you photograph the back of the item, you end up with a picture that looks like this: (Photo is property of @itsme29a on Twitter):

TABLE TOP TORSOS:

These are better than the hollow-back design. What you need to pay attention to is the total height of the torso. If you sell shirts or lingerie, you want to make sure the torso is tall enough to accommodate the length of the shirt. If you only sell bras or necklaces then you can opt for the shorter torso ($45):

The mannequin below is also Table Top but has arms as well as plenty of length due to it’s pole design:

I had purchased the one shown above.  It was "just ok". I thought the skin tone was too pale to really work.  IDK, it just "looked cheap", but that's just my opinion.  Either way, it's a huge upgrade from the hanging torso mannequin.

In my opinion, the absolute BEST Torso mannequin you can buy is this one... Oh, sorry, "Trigger Warning #2":

She will cost $60 - $80 but is worth every penny.  Her skin tone looks phenomenal in photos. Shes kind of "ethnic tan"... just exotic looking.  Great curves, excellent post.  My only regret is that I can't make money off you buying her through MannequinMadness.com

BUT, if you don't like the sexy torso (Ted Bundy just smiled from his grave) then here's more options:

LEGLESS MANNEQUINS - $90-$100

The cool thing about these is that you’re getting damn-near all of the benefits of a full size mannequin without having to deal with legs or hair. With that being said, before you pay $100 for the “mannequin without legs”, make sure you first read our blog about Full Size Mannequins because you may decide an actual mannequin is a better fit for your needs.  I mean, if you decide to buy a legless mannequin it's basically the same as buying a Mercedes SUV for $80,000 then turning down the Deluxe Package for an additional $2,000.  

BLOW-UP TORSOS - under $26

I strongly advise NOT getting these. Yes, it’s cheap. Yes, its easy. But it is not a quality product for your needs.  Plus it's hideous!  Might as well use a blow up doll!

“PINNABLE TORSOS” / DRESS FORMS - $34 - $75

The bottom line here is that these are for sewing. These are not made for your eCommerce photography needs. 

TIPS:

Mannequin Size in General: Most mannequins are usually VERY slim and small so you need to purchase some clothing clips. These will help you make any garment appear to fit normal. Simply use your clips on the backside of the mannequin and it will look great. You can get 40 high quality clips off Amazon for $14:

The reason you want to buy these specific types of clips is because they have a special rubber on the inside that won't damage your garments.

Additionally, a tan mannequin will always showcase apparel nicer than a pasty-white mannequin.

IN CLOSING:

Remember the purpose of a mannequin:

1. Showcase the clothing
2. Make the buyer "see" how they would look in the clothing
3. As an online seller, it helps answer a LOT of questions.  When an item is on a mannequin you can understand the "fit", which will help reduce unhappy buyers
4. Instantly increasing the worth of your merchandise.  A mannequin makes the perception of value greater than laying the merchandise on the floor. 

So with that in mind, you want to pick a mannequin that is a rock star.  You want your mannequin to be "great".  Choose a mannequin that will be the perfect model for your merch.

And, if you haven't read it yet, check out How to Buy a Full Size Mannequin