CAB Dress - #4

I'm not happy. But let's start with the good. The top fits, the neck ruffle is fun, and the fabric has a really nice reflective sheen to it, which the camera has picked up (but consequently made everything else seem really dark).

Now the bad: this would make a stunning maternity gown but I am not pregnant. Thus, this makes a stunningly unflattering gown. The front panels that make up the skirt aren't laying correctly and there is a ton of extra fabric at the side seams.

This picture isn't great, but you can probably get an idea as to what I'm talking about. Look closely and you'll see the silhouette of the black crepe that's underneath, which is much slimmer. The chiffon layer just looks bulky, both on the dress form and me. The design picture, on the other hand, has it looking lovely and smoothly falling on the body. Not cool. The dress isn't finished so there's the opportunity to tear it apart and get it right, but only after I have a few motivation-inducing cocktails. This thing is totally testing my patience.

So, for the experienced seamstresses out there, I'm gratefully accepting suggestions as to how to fix this.