If there’s one area of retail calling for reform, it’s those unsightly lifeless mannequins, right? Sarcasm aside, it is interesting to note that stores are trying out some new tricks with mannequins, including giving them the faces of celebrities and having them emulate model poses.

The New York Times says retailers want to change things up, display-wise to entice clothing shoppers. This means the run-of-the-mill identical, bald skinny mannequins are giving way to models with muscles, celeb faces and more true to the human form bodies:

“The customer shops from the mannequin,” said Jenny Ming, chief executive of the youth retailer Charlotte Russe, where poses for new mannequins are drawn from red-carpet celebrity pictures, and feature pierced ears, articulated fingers for rings and flexed feet for high heels. “The No. 1 reason our customers come in is because they see something they like.”

It’s not all about piercings and jewelry, as stores like Nike have mannequins in athletic poses, Disney has little flying and curtseying children, and Ralph Lauren is going for a figure with model Yasmin Le Bon’s face. Oh and just in case you’d be distracted by mannequin hair, some retailers are even opting for headless bodies. Neat!

This should make for an interesting sequel to the already two-part Mannequin series of movies, eh?

Stores Emphasize New Looks for Mannequins [New York Times]

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