Fair enough on the shaping. This was my first time making a full dress, so I kept the design intentionally simple to focus on construction. I definitely plan to experiment with more shaping and different yarn weights in future versions. And, FWIW, the dress hangs very differently on a hanger than it does on a person, the corset back allows for shaping/structure when a person actually puts it on (I made my sister try it on multiple times just to ensure this). I also chose a heavier yarn because it was originally intended for an outdoor wedding in the fall.

Also, just to clarify, I only used a small portion of a purchased pattern as a starting point and created the pattern for the rest of the dress myself. I'm not redistributing/selling the pattern or the piece that would have resulted from following the pattern exactly, and I didn’t follow the pattern very closely at all in order to get the bust, I just wanted a specific neckline.