Re “Secrets to Party Dresses That Stay Put,” the cover article for Threads #145, Oct/Nov 2009: Maybe it’s just me, but I find the bodice of the cover gown startlingly unbecoming. The poor model doesn’t have a bustline at all, since the boning of the built-in corselet runs right up over the peak of the breast, providing an excellent example of the flattened front referred to as a “uniboob” in athletic wear.

This is most surprising since the article was written by the estimable Susan Khalje, an author who ordinarily produces lovely bodices for formal gowns.

Several previous Threads articles on this subject have shown boning techniques that give a much prettier result. In Threads #40, pp 44-49, (http://www.taunton.com/back-issues/th_toc_040.asp), Suzanne Pierrette Stern writes “Memories of a Parisian Seamstress.” Ms. Stern, a seamstress for the couturier Jacques Fath, describes her work and demonstrates the draping and boning of a cutton tulle foundation to which a pleated outer gown is secured. She is emphatic about not boning right over the bust itself, saying this area should remain soft. As one can see from the photos, the finished garment stays up but the bustline still has a well-defined, feminine shape.

In Threads #46, pp 52-56 (http://www.taunton.com/back-issues/th_toc_046.asp), Kenneth King has an article titled “A Strapless That Stays Put.” King also shows liberal boning of a corselet with the bones placed beneath the breast and off to the side, but leaving the curve of the bosom itself unboned. The result, once again, is a secure strapless top that is nevertheless very shapely. I do think most women would prefer this look to being flattened out–especially if they knew that Threads had already run excellent articles showing how to achieve a prettier line.