As for the dress form, I HATE the dial ones. Hate, hate, hate. And I have 2 of them. What I want, desperately, is one of the foam ones that basically has a jacket that goes over the body-shaped foam to squish it exactly to your measurements. It "gives" more like a real body, so it can compensate for things like different cup sizes and a high hip, and it can also be used for tighter-fitting garments like spandex or corsets (or Zam vests!). The downside is, if you sew for other people like I do from time to time, or you gain or lose more than 5 lbs, it's not adjustable. You have to get a new "jacket" for it, and they're about $50. Baer fabrics has them, at least in limited sizes.
Julie