One Hundred and WHAT?

Ok, so I broke the rules. I was sticking to the plan SO WELL, too! But I was totally justified. Allow me to explain.....

So, I pulled out all the pieces for Vogue 1107, the Chado Ralph Rucci shirtdress:


I then got the instructions out of the envelope and...holy mamma! There are 109 steps in the instructions!!!! I gulped, and then set out on step......one. Which I proceeded to do wrong and then had to pick out the seam. The very first seam! I screwed up STEP ONE!! That leaves 108 steps for me to totally mangle!

I had to put it back in the box. I just couldn't do it!!

I needed something easy, so I decided to start the alterations on my super-fantastic vintage shirt:


After doing flat pattern measurements, I decided to do the following alterations:

1. A "standard" full bust adjustment, a la Fit For Real People. I opened up the bust dart and widened vertically as well.
2. I moved the front pleat over since the FBA resulted in it shifting.
3. I also widened the back by 1 inch (for two inches across the back, since the pattern was cut on the fold).
4. I then slashed and widened the sleeve across the bicep.

I then went ahead and made a muslin and holy cow! The fit was SO close!! I was amazed at how well it fit. The bust point was in the right place. The dart was perfect. The front and back pleats were perfect. There was just one minor problem....it was boxy. I then made the following further adjustments:

1. I had to lengthen the back by 1/2 inch, since the FBA lengthened the front slightly.
2. I took the width that I had added back out of the back, it wasn't needed.
3. I then curved the side seams, taking in a total of 1/2 inch at the waist (for a total of 2 inches, 1/2 inch on the side seam of both the front and the back, 1/2 x 4, is 2 inches).

So I know it was cheating, but I feel like I need something to help me recover from the shock of 109 steps in the Chado dress!

Now I need to decide what fabric to use. I have:

1. A white stretch sateen, for a classic white shirt
2. A black sateen, not stretch, with antiqued silver buttons
3. One of the two asian-style prints that my grandmother gave me (pictured below)
4. Silver-blue silk from Fabric.com (pictured below)
5. The black batiste with large polka dots from Fashion Fabrics Club (pictured below)

I'm leaning toward the white or black, but I could be persuaded otherwise!