A day in the Life of a Fifth Avenue window dummy 1937 –

Life Magazine has a look at a day in the life of a Fifth Avenue store mannequin.
Above, Grace ( as they have named her) peers out of the Saks Fifth Avenue window at the passers by.
Behind her we see the towering Radio City hall.

Up to two years ago, high styled dress shops in New York only deigned to use headless dress forms in their windows. The theory being that a pretty head was a distraction to the clothes they were selling.
About two years back, Cora Scoville, a keen young designer, invented a light plaster composition.

1930s-fashion---Grace-the-mannequin-1937 — Grace is modelled with pale foundations and scarlet lips. her hairdo is changed to suit her clothes

From this she made slim, well moulded female forms and topped them with heads resembling fashion editors.
Mrs Hortense M Odlum, Bonwit Teller‘s publicity wise president, ordered six, thus becoming the first new York store to depart from the so called 37th street tradition ( only using headless forms).

1930s-fashion---Grace-the-mannequin-1937f — Rhinestone bracelets, and feather for hair. Grace’s every accessory is correct for evening attire in 1937

Only now has the smart Saks-Fifth Avenue store finally decided to abandon the headless forms for Grace the Dummy, who has the honour of being the first model to look out from a Saks-Fifth Avenue window.