(Ed. note: This is the third installment of comments from one of our favorite newcomers to corseting. Enjoy! And send us your own personal experiences)

Morning Ann, I've had my new corset on for about 6 hours now and it is even more comfortable. It was awkward this morning as we were helping someone move. Kept falling sideways into the walls. Even was accused of drinking a bit (in good humor, of course). But it did look stupid to bend over and lose my balance. You sure have to bend the right way, by the way, not from the waist but up and down, like Coach always told me to do! Take care." Otto

"I think your page on voluptuous women and corsets was wonderful. I'm very pleased to see your photos." --S "P. has worn the corset a few times already and everybody who sees it loves it. We would like to thank you and your representative, Martina (Koln, Germany) again for the effort you took for us." --GP, Holland "I LOVE the new Rainbow Corset and poster, and also the article on men and corseting you wrote for SPECTRUM, the new San Francisco small newspaper: clean, simple, good flow. It caught my attention and built interest." --JC, Maryland "Thanks for delivering a beautiful corset. That material has such a wonderful feel." --C "I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciated your service and how much fun I had yesterday at the boutique. I can't help but feel that I've made two new friends there" --JH, Sacramento "Saw the ABC news coverage of your corsets and absolutely fell in love with them. I wish you much success and look forward to being a happy, pretty and sexy part of your future." --LP, Canada "The True Grace corset is a beautiful piece of art. I have been to " " many times but after my experience in your shop this weekend along with the communication I have had with you, you can be assured of having a loyal customer for life!" --S AND FROM THE WEB . . .  (Ed Note: We are extremely gratified by responses from full-figured women to our lovely corset selection and information. It remains our position that ALL body sizes and shapes benefit from a well-made custom corset!) "I find your website extremely wonderful. My company is currently working on a resource guide for full figured women and I would love to include you. Keep up the good work." --JB@volup March 30 "I LOVE this site and recommend it to all of my friends. I especially love how you involve plus size women in on the fun:-)!" --bl@utah.net July 22  "I bought a corset from you about a year and half ago and I thought I would write to say how impressed I am with your organization. From beginning to end the whole process was well done. If I ever need another corset I doubt I will even bother to look elsewhere; your attitude, service and product were that good. I am a member of the transgender community and I wish all vendors had such a good attitude about us." --RW@usa May 31

Empire Corset QUESTION FOR THE MONTH What are some effective ways to disguise a corset under clothes? ANSWER TO LAST MONTH'S QUESTION We asked last issue if ROMANTASY and other shops do custom corseting a disservice by providing plastic-boned off-the-peg corsets to customers who have an interest in corseting but no desire or budget to support a custom order.                Empire Corset One customer felt vehemently that we did: "Okay, good question...Well, I say NO. The reason is that they're available at lots of other places and to even offer them is to admit that they are real corsets. Plus, if people start out in one of those, and then become curious and "graduate" to a real corset, they may be annoyed that they wasted money...You and I both know that once you know the real thing, you can't wear those awful, bendy things with stupid little hooks and eyes in front! And finally, they don't last! After a few wearings, the fabric starts to shred because people mistakenly think they can tighten them all they want. I know this from experience. I have a lingerie-style "Victorian corset" and if you hold it up to the light, you can see little bare spots where the fabric has strained too much...The only reason I bought it was because there is no such thing as a strapless bra that will stay up, let alone PUSH-up a DD cup! And you may quote me!" --Sharon Maxwell-Yamamoto Editor Note: Thank you, Sharon, for your energetic response. It is a tough question with which ROMANTASY continually struggles. We try to seek out only the better garments when we do offer off the peg corsets, and we always try to educate our customers to the versatility and durability of custom garments, justifying what is for some, even many people today, the substantial investment of money for custom As an aside, we priced the blue satin designer corset now being offered at Nordstrom (advertised on page 9 of the March VOGUE) and found that that off-the-peg overbust corset sells for $950 while ROMANTASY offers the same or similar corset INCLUDING A PERSONAL FITTING, for $365! But let another customer speak: "If I had purchased an off the peg corset from ROMANTASY, it would have been fine...for a while at least. then, over time and with wear, seams would stretch, pop, stays would deform, etc. leading me to conclude that corsets aren't the way to go. However, I did not choose to go this route, having been informed of the difference a few more dollars would make, and it is only a few more dollars. When you consider the life span of a quality product as compared to one that is factory production line produced, you'll spend less for the good stuff!" --William And Another: "I believe the answer is clear, that custom is by far the best. Problem is finding local shops that supply this service on the national level. So then, off the peg corset shops do add the value of interesting a person or couple in a corset. We have tried many of these latter kind all with limited success. In Florida, Tampa area there are no custom shops, nor anywhere in this state. Thus, we started with a medical corset for support and foundation, after her 4 C-sections and some disc problems. it would be nice to have a local or regional shop. In sum, I guess that off the peg corsets probably only discourage the wearer from investing later in a custom garment based on how poorly they fit and work; this we learned first hand!" --Bryan July 9 And Another: "Maybe. Over time "off the peg" items stretch, pop and stays deform, perhaps leading me to conclude that corsets aren't the way to go. However, your staff informed me of the difference in quality of a custom corset and I chose that route for only a few more dollars (ed note: actually, compared to our Empire $60 "corset" a standard underbust at $270 is quite a bit more, but in our opinion, worth every dime!) "You should offer less expensive items because someone will always want the quick fix first, but I'm sure that most people, first timers like myself included, will choose a finer item when informed that it is better in fit and lifespan. My advice is to cut back on the $5 coffee lattes for a month or two, don't buy that impulse item at the grocery, save a little and get yourself a really fine corset!" -- wj@....net EUROPEAN CORSET EVENT IN OCTOBER
	Our corset colleagues in Germany, Britta and Dirk, announce the Bal des Gracieuses, October 16-18th at the Hotel Schloss Wolfsbrunnen, near Kassel, Germany.  Contact them at info@lgm-club.de.  This is a fun weekend of social gatherings and a formal dinner dance for corset lovers.
NEW CORSET PRODUCTS
		We are happy to announce the arrival of an adorable, fragranced soap hand carved by Melanie, in the shape of a corset, with laces on one side and busk front on the other.  Packaged one or two, in lovely Italian paper box. ($8.95 one; $14.95 two)
		You'll also love her 1 1/2" corset pins or magnets or miniature corset earrings (pierced only), $10. Please specify gold or silver color
		Also, checkout our new corset patterns if you're brave enough to experiment with making your own!