I went looking for a plus size dress form and I think the Bootstrap Fashion dress form might be my best option. Read on to see what I discovered.
Battle of the plus size dress forms
I need to be honest with you. I do not own a dress form … yet.
As I have said in a previous post, a truly plus size dress form is difficult to come by. Not to mention the cost. Even more frustrating, the ones I’ve seen online do not come in my size. I didn’t think I was “too big” but it seems I might be. I know ladies bigger than me so I’m not the only one having this struggle.
My body measurements
Okay, so in the interests of being totally transparent, here are my measurements:
Bust 53”
Waist 50″
Hips 56″
Yes, I’m an hourglass shape.
Most people when they think of dress forms think of the adjustable commercially available dress form. I’ve tried one of these so-called “plus size” adjustable dress forms before but expanding to its maximum capacity wasn’t a good idea. It broke. Fortunately, the store owner who let me try it didn’t charge me for it.
I’m not one to easily give up so I decided to do a deep dive into the internet to see what I could find.
Are these really plus size dress forms?
Supafit dress form
One of the first to pop up in my search for a plus size dress form was the Supafit full figure dress form. It has a maximum 53” bust. The maximum waist is 46” and hip is 55”.
The name Supafit made me think of Superman or maybe Superwoman … Wonder Woman perhaps? Actually, a plus size Wonder Woman with my measurements doesn’t look too bad. Using the word “super” (or even the misspelled “supa”) when referring to size is a bit of an insult though don’t you think?
Mannequin Madness
Mannequin Madness plus size dress forms seem to go up to size 18/20 and that is bust 46″, waist 36″ and hip 47″. Way too small for me.
Dress Forms USA
On the Dress Forms USA website, I typed “plus size” into the search tool and the result was: “Sorry, no results.” Fair enough. At least they apologised! Looking at their professional models, a female dress form in size 20 (the largest they offer) has bust size 47”, waist 40.5” (the 0.5 makes all the difference!) and hips 48”. Nowhere near my 60”. Their male dress forms weren’t much better with 48” chest, 42” waist and 49” hip. Would I buy a male dress form anyway? No!
Dritz
Slightly better is the Dritz Twin Fit dress form with 48 – 54″ bust, 41 – 47″ waist and 51 – 57″ hips but still too small for me.
The Bootstrap Fashion option
At this point, I gave up. Well, not quite. I haven’t lost all hope. One option which I’m finding attractive is the Bootstrap Fashion dress form. During my deep dive investigation, Bootstrap Fashion came up repeatedly. Most people who had made one seemed happy with it. I saw many photos of women hugging their Bootstrap Fashion dress form and smiling. What I noticed was the dress forms really were very similar sizes to the women standing next to them.
What’s in a name
The first time someone mentioned Bootstrap Fashion to me, the only thing I could think about was boot laces. I had to ask them to repeat themselves several times. Eventually they said “just look it up” so I did and now I’m even more curious.
I was (and still am) impressed. In case you’re not familiar with it, Bootstrap Fashion is an American company (based on California) that creates custom-fit dress forms. The process allows you to submit your measurements online, choose your tummy protuberance, buttocks shape, posture and shoulder slope. Best of all, their maximum measurements were well within range for me.
Bootstrap Fashion founder Yulia Raquel
The brand was born when co-founder Yuliya Raquel had trouble finding clothing for her full-figured mother. She started making high-end, designer, fashion-forward clothing selling under the brand Igigi. However, the tools to make these clothes, such as a dress form, were lacking. That’s how Bootstrap Fashion was born. If you cannot find what you need, make it yourself, right?
Even better, the cost is only US$28 (that’s about $50 New Zealand dollars as at 1 April 2025). Yeah, it does still seem a little costly but it’s better than the price of those supposedly plus size dress forms mentioned above that don’t extend to the size you need.
Bootstrap Fashion creates more than just dress forms
Slopers explained
Bootstrap also creates slopers from which you can develop your own creations as well as pre-designed clothing patterns you can buy customised to your measurements and shape.
SLOPER – a sloper (also called a block or foundation pattern) is a basic pattern that serves as the foundation for creating other garment patterns. It’s essentially a template of the body, without seam allowances or design elements, allowing you to easily draft and adjust patterns for various garments.
Bootstrap Fashion garment patterns
Bootstrap Fashion also has patterns for various stylish garments from US $5, all custom fit to your individual measurements.
Bootstrap Fashion Dress Form
Going back to Bootstrap Fashion dress forms, I’m excited. This is an option to sew a pattern to create a dress form that replicates your body as accurately as possible.
I’m not quite ready to buy, I need to talk to a few people who have made one. I’ve heard there are tricky parts and it can take time to put together. I’m definitely intrigued though.
Why choose Bootstrap Fashion dress form?
- Many sewists struggle with finding a dress form that accurately represents their body shape.
- Commercial dress forms come in limited size ranges and fail to accommodate bigger and unique proportions.
- The Bootstrap Fashion dress form allows you to create a true-to-size replica of your body shape
- Bootstrap Fashion dress forms avoid high costs associated with professional dress forms (which may not be the right size anyway)
- Enhance sewing accuracy by draping and fitting garments on a perfectly proportioned model of yourself.
What you need to make a Bootstrap Fashion dress form
- Main (woven, not stretchy) fabric
- Fusible woven interfacing
- Interlining/stabiliser
- Cardboard
- Sponge
- Zipper
- Craft glue
- Razor knife
- Wooden, plastic or metal coat stand (or dress form stand)
- Plastic pipe tube
- Polyester fibre fill
Some of the negative factors of Bootstrap Fashion dress form
- Time-consuming – requires patience and careful sewing
- Stuffing can be tricky – needs even distribution to maintain shape
- Durability depends on materials used – a poorly reinforced form may not last as long as a commercial version.