Ta-Da!: Vogue 1153, Linen Dress Completed!

Yay! My navy linen dress is completed. This was Vogue pattern 1153 with difficulty level of Average (I can only assume because of the ruffles and/or the lining?) There are a few things I would like to tweak should I ever make it again, like the front bodice ruffles and the amount of fabric at the waist. This may be fixed by cutting the correct size. I cut out a size 6, but I wonder if I should have cut out the 4. But, all in all, it was a nice pattern to work with and fun to put together.  As some of you know, the details of the ribbons and buttons gave me such a bad case of indecisiveness. Even more than normal ;)

I think this dress has a very girly-ness about it. The ruffles are great, but not too much. What I really wish is that I could have taken the shot above with my new red shoes that should be arriving next week. Here is a close-up of the front of the dress:

I still think it is a bit bunchy in the front, and it certainly does not enhance my bust (or lack thereof), but I still am proud of it. I forgot to take pictures of the back while wearing it, but I will add shots of the inside when I take them tonight. The way the instructions had me attach the lining was kind of crazy, but it looks very finished on the inside. I had all the intentions of binding the edges in a tiny navy/white polka-dotted fabric, but I never got around to it. So, I just finished the edges with my pinking shears. 

I went with linen for fabric because I wanted it to be casual, but the pattern also suggested to use Crepe de Chine or Charmeuse as other options, which would definitely make it dressier. Except for owning two of the same dresses, I am really tempted. I think in a slate grey Charmeuse this would look fantastic. As I have many other things that I have in my To-Sew list right now, that will have to wait. 

Does this dress say "I am ready for summer!" to you? Or does it say, "I am wearing a navy linen sack with cute buttons!"???