DALLAS, Apr 25, 1999/ FW/ --- If the Industrial Revolution was the seed for the development of the modern mannequin, World War I defined its infancy.

With the men fighting the war, the women were left to fill in the traditional men's jobs at home.

Coco Chanel reflected these changes in her "liberated" clothes, and the mannequins as children of fashion also reflected that change.

With women as part of the work force by necessity, they shed their bustiers and crinolines. Gone was the stiffness and formality. More fluid lines of clothes became the fashion of the times.

And as the then-contemporry women changed, so did the mannequins. Manufacturers, reflecting the socio-economic changes started shipping mannequins with a sprightlier attitude.

The Art Deco movement also affected the looks of mannequins. Abstract mannequins in Art Deco style began appearing. Made with papier-mâché, the new material shed off about 100 pounds. They were also more heat resistant; their only advantage over wax mannequins aside from the weight.

Their main disadvantage included shrinking and if they get wet, they could dissolve.

While the war was being fought in Europe, the U.S. retail industry continued to flourish. The department store established itself in the American way of life by 1910. Store windows were glamourized for the first time.