The Shop Company Female Rolling Display Dress Form Review

I've been window shopping for a dress form for ages, so I decided to finally buy one. The past dress forms I used had a problem with leaning and could only display dresses and blouses because there was only one hole. I needed a dress form that can display on pants since I wear and sell a lot of ouji style.

The Shop Company caught my eye because of their sleek website out of the various results I found through Google. Upon further research, I found some positive sponsored reviews about their professional dress forms, but I am not a professional seamstress, so that didn't help me, but they did influence my decision to try out their display form which I couldn't find any reviews on. The wheels convinced me to try it out since I won't have to carry it across the house, so here I am writing this review about The Shop Company's female display form. I have been using this dress form for about 2 months and this is not a sponsored review.

stock photo

I ordered the White Female Dressform on Black Metal Rolling Base with the options:

• torso: crotch
• base: black
• color: white
• size: small

front, right, back, and left views

I went with size small since they are closest to my actual measurements since I was worried that the x-small would be too small that my pants would slide off. The measurements for the small crotch base are listed as:

• bust: 34 inches
• waist: 24 inches
• hip: 33 inches
• height: 4.5-6 feet

I took measurements of the one I received and added a few additional measurements. The bust, waist, and hip are very close to the official measurements.

• bust: 33.5 inches
• waist: 25 inches
• hip: 33.5 inches
• height: 4.5-6.5 feet
• neck circumference: 14 inches
• shoulder width: 15 inches
• length (top of shoulder to bottom of leg): 24 inches
• length (top of cap to bottom of leg): 27 inches

The price is $109.00 plus shipping. Shipping is free for orders over $49, so my order was eligible for free shipping.

Ordering Timeline

October 3: As you can see in the stock photo, the stand isn't exactly straight. I used the chat function on the site to ask them if it's actually straight or not. They ensured me the slanting came from the way the photography was set up and their product will stand up straight. I think I asked another question prior, but I don't remember what it was, nonetheless I remember their customer service is extremely helpful and professional.

October 5: Order placed after a few days of deliberation.

October 6: Package was shipped via FedEx.

October 13: Package delivered to my place in a standard brown cardboard box. The package weighed about 8.5 pounds which was lighter than I was expecting. Opening the box, I discovered the rolling base was damaged. There were some scratches on the black surface revealing the metal underneath.

damaged base

I sent TSC an e-mail via a reply to my shipping confirmation e-mail with the pictures and request if I could receive a replacement base. 

October 18: I didn't receive anything back in a few days, so I decided to send a second e-mail since sometimes servers block e-mails if you reply directly. I sent the second message as a new e-mail and immediately received holiday notice:

"Please be advised that in observance of the Succos Holiday we will be closed on Monday, October 17 - Tuesday, October 18 and Monday, October 24 - Tuesday, October 25. We will be open in between these dates. All correspondence sent during these holiday times will be attended to when we reopen (on Wednesday, Oct. 19 and on Wednesday, Oct 26, respectively). We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and we sincerely appreciate your patience.

Wishing you the best,
the entire TSC Team"

That was fine and all since I wasn't in a rush and receiving an automatic reply ensured me that my e-mail went through this time. Also, I learned about a new holiday.

October 19: Ali replied in a very nice manner to my e-mail offering me a $20 refund or a replacement.

"Thank you for your purchase. We sincerely apologize for the damage and we will do all we can to help you out here. We can either offer you a $20 discount and refund the card on file or we can send you a new base. Please let us know what would work best for you so we can further assist you. Once again our deepest apologies this kind of damage sometimes happen in the warehouse or through the shipping process.

Please feel free to contact us with any further questions or concerns.

Thank you and have a great day,
Ali"

I asked for the new base. In hindsight, I really should have taken the refund because I never even photograph the base in photos anyway though. That's my mistake, but I'll go into detail about this a little further down.

October 27: Ali let me know that the order for the new base was sent the the warehouse. They shipped it to me free of charge. Great news on my birthday.

October 29: Yoel, a different customer service representative, notified me that the new base was shipped on Friday, October 28, and should be arriving on Wednesday, November 2.

November 2: I received the new base. Now I have two bases.

Assembly

Parts straight out of the box. The cap I went ahead and put on the form.

I waited for the second base to arrive before putting anything together. Included in the box was the (new) rolling base, the dress form with cover on, two poles, a wrench, a knob screw, and a sheet of instructions. The instructions included were for the tripod base, but the rolling base instructions can be found on their website. They are pretty much identical instructions. Now for the installation.

The cap went on easily and is removable if you ever want to change covers. The cover is made of a ribbed stretchy material. Pins go through it easily as long as they are inserted at an angle. The gold ribbon is wrapped around the waist and secured by a staple, so you can easily take it off. I accidentally pulled on the staple and the ribbon fell off, but that's okay since I planned on removing it anyway. 

Step 1: "Use the Allen wrench included in your package to remove the screw at the bottom of the pole. There should also be a small metal twisted ring that will come out after the screw is removed" 

Step 1 had me confused.  My poles did not have the screw at the bottom nor the metal twisted ring that's supposed to come out, so I didn't even touch the Allen wrench. I don't know how much these two parts affect the performance of this dress form.

Step 2. Insert the small twisted metal ring through the hole on the top of the base and the screw through the hole on the bottom. Try to make sure that screw also goes through the twisted metal ring. Afterwards, insert the dress form's pole through the top of the base and use the Allen wrench to secure it in place.

My form's base already had the peddle attached upon arrival and I realized that these instructions don't match what I was sent. Since mine didn't come with the screw nor ring, I completely skipped steps 1 and 2.

The pedal prevents the pole from slipping through the bottom. Like the website says, it doesn't function as an adjuster and is purely for aesthetic. The wheels glide smoothly along my wood and tile floors. The bottom screw holds the whole thing in place. I recommend using pliers or something else with a firm grip because using your hands to tighten it will not be sufficient enough.

replacement base

The poles have holes drilled in them, but are functionless because the screws don't fit through them.

The middle screw is used to adjust and lock the height. If you don't have this one tight, it will scrape the black off if the dress form moves around. This is the reason why I wish I took the refund instead because inevitably there will be scrapes from usage over time since these screws just dig into the pole.

scraped pole

The top screw, built-in to the leg hole, is used to secure the form to the pole. Again, the hole drilled in the pole is useless. My biggest complaint is that there is no room for your hand when you try to secure it to the side leg hole. I have tiny hands and there is not enough room for my knuckles to rotate the screw. The form is hollow, so if you don't secure it, the pole will be swallowed inside.

leg holes

When secured properly, the poles do indeed stand up straight. The form's body is not perfectly symmetrical adding a touch of realism.

Shortest and tallest height using middle hole

Because of this detail, when using the side hole, the torso will slightly lean due to gravity. It's not too bothersome from a frontal view, but it does get more obvious from the backside view.

Shortest and tallest height using side hole

Summary

Quality: 4/5 ♦♦♦♦♢
The materials are very sturdy, yet light, and I can see myself using it frequently over the next few years. My only gripe is that I would not recommend getting the black option since it will scratch. Go for the chrome instead. The wheels glide smoothly along my wood and tile floors.

Design: 4/5 ♦♦♦♦♢
There a few design flaws that could be solved for convenience mainly dealing with the poles and screws. The discrepancy between the instructions and actual product was misleading. The measurements are perfect for what I intended to use the dress form for.

Price: 4/5 ♦♦♦♦♢
The price is higher than other display forms that I was looking at although none of them had wheels. My alternative choices were in the $50-80 range. However, the fact that they you can buy extra accessories guaranteed to fit such as different covers, caps, or bases can make it worth the investment.

Shipping: 5/5 ♦♦♦♦♦
My package was shipped for free via FedEx and arrived in 8 days.

Customer Service: 5/5 ♦♦♦♦♦
The Shop Company is very quick to respond to any questions and concerns. Their staff have been very polite, accommodating, and professional.

Overall, this product scores a 4.4 out of 5. I would recommend this dress form for its mobility, durability, and customization options. This is a good dress form if you are constantly moving it around since it's very light. The wheels and quick breakdown make it easy to transport. If you are not moving around so much, the tripod base may be a cheaper and more stable option for $30 less. It is sturdy and will hold many layers of clothes making it perfect for lolita fashion. The size small is a good fit for the "standard" size of brand. The only things I have that can't fit are old pre-2010 skirts such as one from Moitie and Innocent World because the waistband is almost exactly the same size as the form's waist. TSC offers different accessories you can buy, so you can customize your dress form however you'd like with different covers, caps, and bases. They also carry men's and children's torsos.

If you have a Macy's, Nordstrom, Disney, or any other store featured on their home page store near you, you can preview the dress forms in action. I actually didn't think of this beforehand, silly me. I walked into my a Macy's after I had bought mine and noticed they use the rolling chrome ones. You can see more pictures of my dress form in use in my 2017 Wardrobe Post. I hope this review helps influence your purchasing decision!