Sheath Dress Analysis

I ended up not bringing my intended Easter dress to San Francisco with me because the weather forecast had predicted rain when I was packing. Of course, once I arrived, the city taunted me with beautiful sunny days and surprisingly warm weather for April. Oh, my dear city, why must you do this to me? I'm sorry I left you, but this is hardly the way to convince me to move back! Anyway, the dress I brought instead, a RTW gray plaid sheath dress from Target, suddenly seemed way too dreary. But I'm glad I brought it, because when I put it on, I realized...

Do you see it yet?

Now do you see it?

...it's pretty much the same as my springy sheath. It's got the same basic shape, with four tucks in the front with hip pockets, darts in the back, a regular topstitched center back zipper, and tiny cap sleeves and a relatively high neckline. The only real differences are the lining, the neckline pleats, and the lack of a back vent in the RTW version. Oh, and the RTW version is one of my favorite dresses, and the me-made version is not. Armed with that crucial lens with which to reexamine my me-made version, I knew I had to try to make this pattern work for me, so I went to work with my measuring tape. Here are my findings:

1. The biggest issue is the hip circumferences of the dresses (37" versus 40" makes a big difference in comfort when sitting down).
2. The bust dart in the me-made version is an inch higher and and takes in about 1.5" more material per dart. Hence the pointy-dart issue. It looks like I need to redraft the dart and side seam on the pattern to allow for a skinnier dart that can taper more easily. 
3. The back skirt darts are two inches shorter on the me-made version. If they were longer, maybe they could take in some of the excess fabric above my butt.
4. The sleeves on the RTW version are tiny caps, versus the larger caps on the me-made version; this makes a crucial difference in how high I can raise my arms. I like the look of the larger caps, but mobility is kind of important.  I don't want to have ineffectual T-rex arms if I can help it.
5. The bust and skirt lengths are the same, as well as the waist circumference, so at least I got that right without even trying.
6. The fabric on the RTW version is a flannel-esque plaid, which has simultaneously more thickness and better drape. This means it skims the hips in a more flattering way than the me-made version, despite being less form-fitting. Also, it's lined. 

It looks like I'm going to re-try this dress. Maybe not for a while, since I want to make another wintry one to replace the RTW version (I've had this dress for a couple years and it makes a regular appearance in my fall/winter teaching wardrobe, and now the flannel is starting to pill on the sides), but it's not being relegated to the donation pile yet. I'm also debating whether or not I want to attempt plaid-matching.

With only one side of half of the binding attached.
I realized, belatedly, that my front point wasn't symmetrical.
Ah well, I can't be bothered enough to go back and fix it.

In other sewing news, I am so close to finishing my pair of bodies! I just need to finish binding the tabs (which, if you have done this before, you know is hardly a "just" kind of task). After that comes the chemise, but the linen-rayon blend I bought from Jo-Ann's has washed up rather stiffly, and I'm not pleased with how it feels against my skin. It looks like I might have to go with inaccurate cotton muslin (but my bodies are so inaccurate this hardly seems an arguable point), or just suck it up and go back for the much more expensive 100% linen.