A lesson in Napoleonic make-up

This watery summer is whizzing past at such a speed and as i a peer out of the mannequin showroom windows my dismal conclusion is that my bookings for swimwear window display promotions have been far too few of late!

Turning my thoughts to more interesting matters - the longer spells in the showroom have allowed me an insight into some interesting mannequin projects proportion>london and gems studio are currently working on. You will all know my love for Georgie Boy - my marvellously talented make-up artist who is not only skilled at fashion display maquillage, but also work of a more historic nature.

A recent meeting with Napoleonic costume collector, Christina Barretto afforded him the opportunity to show off his artistic skills first hand making up two female heads for an exhibition of period costume at the Hillwood Museum in Washington, USA. The exquisitely sculpted faces created for the project by renowned UK mannequin sculptor Rob Patterson were the perfect palette to carry the delicate make ups George painted in oils.

Working alongside one of the proposed costumes; a courtiers ivory silk dress laden with five kilos of gold embroidery and hand cut sequins, the room was infused with a warm light as the spotlights caught the sparkling metal. Iridescant powders echoed the warm glow as softly diluted oils were swiftly assembled on a palette before the maestro started his performance.

After an hour or so of painting and conferring he produced the end result, a beautiful product, which delighted the client and made in prospect for an exciting exhibit.

Judge for yourself.....Miss Mannequin was once again in awe of Georgie Boy and his brushes and set off wondering how to get a display gig in Washington in order to go see the exhibition?

To see more Gems Studio / proportion london projects, visit

http://gems-studio.com/

http://www.proportionlondon.com/

For a look at the exhibition venue - and Miss Mannequin can throughrouly recomend this, visit

http://www.hillwoodmuseum.org/whats

or for more casual project information
http://www.facebook.com/HillwoodMuseum

Waxing lyrical: the genesis of a wax mannequin

Hands up who's been to a waxworks? Almost everyone can recall as a child at least one trip; marvelling at the likeness of your favourite TV character or gazing wistfully up at Her Majesty in full regal finery. The Secret Life of Mannequins promised you some fascinating peeks "behind the back of the window!" and this one is literally a GEM.

The Secret Life of Mannequins have friends at the wax mannequin makers GEMS STUDIO a specialist manufacturer of museum wax character figures. In the company's long history (told in correct fullness and detail at history of GEMS STUDIO wax mannequins) wax was always the manufacturing material of choice for realistic looking figures before fibreglass became available. Wax is acknowledged as having the closest appearance to human flesh, with a delicate level of translucency and depth.

In days gone by wax mannequins were often made using glass eyes, real hair and teeth: glass eyes are still evident, but dentures and synthetic hair have taken the place of previously authentic items! GEMS STUDIO have collected a small archive of these rare antique pieces, which were also made using a more volatile form of wax, that melted at a far lower temperature than its contemporary equivalent, thus causing problems in summer months in the days before air conditioning!

Today's wax mannequin is a very different and modern affair: not only used for the display of traditionally historic garments, but also for showcasing contemporary clothing in a characterful way.

GEMS STUDIO work with a number of prestigious clients ranging from museum curators through heritage presentations and modern wax museums to high end fashion designers: all have a very different end purpose, but a very considered intent.

Before the team at GEMS can start to manufacture a wax figure, they must have a mould of the sculpt or cast body part to be made. Depending on the size of the piece, the mould may be made in alginate, plaster or fibreglass. The one shown to left has been heavily reinforced with a casing to hold the parts rigidly in place during the process.




Wax is heated slowly to an optimum working temperature then swiftly but with extreme dexterity transferred into the mould.

An expertly smooth pour is required in order that air bubbles do not get trapped at the extremities of the piece ruining the cast.

Sometimes the wax is coloured with pigment to obtain a base tone, over which each layer of paint is applied to reach the target flesh colour.

After casting, heads have the eyeball section removed and the glass eyeballs are inserted. Eyeballs are custom made by a specialist company to a detailed spec. relating to the initial reference images. Layers of the skin tone are built up and hair is added. Hair will usually be a combination of a wig piece with hand inserted hairline. Shown below right is a hairline painstakingly being inserted, hair by hair! Shown below is a head for the fashion designer Rick Owens.

 Shown below are finished some examples of wax heads and hands produced by GEMS STUDIO: the detail and realism is stunning. See more of this companies work at: www.gems-studio.com

Pope John Paul II

Padre Pio

a pair of wax hands

Baked to a colour of your choice!

Bored with my quest for true love - I have decided that a holiday is a much better pursuit to passing the tropical summer months whilst the whole of retail is engulfed in sale mode. Miss Mannequin is welcome at the world's top resorts (most especially those with upmarket boutiques!) and I feel a roam round the med would not be unpleasant. Clothes to pack for the trip is no problem for me - as the windows I appear in are invariably linked to stores with the finest apparel. Shoes and accessories...ditto.

Likewise travel arrangements are both swift and discreet (Miss Mannequin could never be seen loitering in a departure lounge, cappuccino in hand). My driver Mark instead drops me directly at the terminal, encased in a softly bubble lined casket designed to keep me warm and snug throughout my journey. I even wear a spongey mask to ensure my make up is journey fresh upon arrival. This way i can slip discreetly from country to country without hassle or damage to my delicate image!                                                                                    No dear reader...the conundrum for Miss Mannequin is really the colour of suntan i should return to. Never one to be ostentatious or out of step with current trends - far from it, Miss Mannequin is expected to set the tones for fashion conscious window models across the globe. In my pursuit of the perfect sultry tone i am perusing the latest colour charts from Dulux. Once chosen, these will be forwarded to my fantastic body-work expert in anticipation of a quick sand down and full body respray upon my return and ready for the new season. My body man is Italian and very stylish, he knows a good body colour when he sees one! See left my shortlist - I'll take the full Dulux swatch book of course, to pass the time on the journey, it might be a long one.

Adieu for now and I'll catch up with you upon my return later in the month.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you all

Miss Mannequin

ps - by the way, just a little thought - if like me you want an all over summer glow for your next window debut - contact my lovely people at the bodyspray shop. They'll be glad to help! http://www.proportionlondon.com/bg6-12-27-Renovations