Fifties Fail

I just finished a sort of toile of this wiggle dress from the 1950s (the slim fit version of this 'Style' pattern):

I hoped that it would be a miracle toile that would fit me perfectly straight away and look amazing so I used a printed fabric from my stash. This was a mistake.

I'm not impressed. 

I wanted to throw it straight in the bin... 

but decided it would be more productive to critique the pros and cons of this project.

The pictures are on the stand because I am too embarassed to show my face!

So...

Cons:

1. Curtain fabric is not good for toiles. It has no give and no life.
2. I really need to master the art of sewing in zippers pronto.
3. This print looked cute on the roll and yet looks sickeningly 1980s when made into a dress. I am so distracted by it that I can barely see the shape of the dress. Next time I'm reverting back to using calico.

Pros: 

1. I am starting to see now what the difference in pattern cutting is that gives the 1950s dresses the stylised and more pronounced hourglass shape - the dress is very wide at the shoulder and bust - thus making the angle of the bodice very sharp and quite different to a modern dress that has a much smoother curve here.
2. I love the skirt of this pattern - again the curve is over-exaggerated and the straight line of the pleats on the front also makes this more pronounced. I like that there is a pleat rather than a slit at the back - the modesty is somehow more sexy than having loads of flesh on show.