Question about new bodice...

[Tammy]

My friends bought me a bodice for my birthday.
Here's the ebay listing:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=190280350982
Here's the actual bodice: http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k196/tammy_1980/PhotoBlog/DSCF3146.jpg

My question is...Do I lace it the way it shows, or the opposite way? Most bodices I see laced are tied at the bottom, not top. Is this something I should lace a different way, like spiral??

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

I usually lace my bodices from the top down and let the cording or ties hang down.

You can do it any way that pleases you.

[Dayna]

Lacing from top down tends to hold the boobage in, whereas lacing from bottom up tends to bring it to the top.  It depends on whether you have "large tracts of land" or "a wee patch out back" and whether you want to minimize or maximize the display of whatever acreage is available. 

I don't know how much difference it makes in side-lacing, but front and back can be very dramatic.

[Randal]

My wife has actually switched over to lacing from the middle out. This leave you with a bow at the top, and a bow at the bottom. She says that it allows her to make minor adjustments to "the girls" without having to re-lace the whole bodice, and it also reduces any tendency for the middle to gap. Furthermore, if a lace should break, or come untied, there is much less chance of an accidental spill. 

Is it HA? Probably not, but since we actually work in these clothes, we sometimes have to make adjustments for practicalities sake.

Randal

[Tammy]

Thanks so much!!

[gem]

I have a bodice like that, and I lace it from the bottom up, with Xs.  You can see it here.

Randal's advice about middle-out is very good--for corsets.  For a bodice like this, you're probably not working with enough length for that to be a practical solution.  I generally just prefer the look of laces that tie at the top--it seems to make more sense, aesthetically.  Also, you're less likely to get the laces caught in your belt and such, if they're up out of the way.

[Tammy]

Thanks Gem. That makes sense. I love your bodice!!

[Scarlett]

I always lace top to bottom and have never had a problem with the laces getting tangled with any of my belts.  IMHO, the ties at the top clutter up the look of the bodice, with the laces dangling and obstructing the overall appearance of the bodice.  And yes, top to bottom helps the girls appear their best!

[Luciana]

I lace bottom to top and then push the laces inside my bodice.
But thanks for the idea Scarlett, I'll try the other way also.

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

If you do decide to go top to bottom, when you get down to the bottom, if you tie it in a double bow, it shouldn't interfere with your belt or come undone.  Some days, I do it one way, some days the other way, but any way, I double tie it.