Adorable costume. This is one I can keep forever since I could wear it as a pirate, steampunk girl, even German beer woman.DRESS: Soft cotton, not scratchy like so many other mass-produced costumes. It's more cream than white, but I didn't mind the color. Other reviewers said they would wear as a dress on it own, I would not. It is a bit sheer, and definitely short; as in "one strong gust of wind and you're exposed" kind of short. I wore little black shorts underneath and it was fine. I bought a petticoat, but one I got home and tried it on with the dress, I though it was too puffy, so I didn't wear the petticoat. Also, its not going to show off any cleavage unless you're very gifted in that department. The bust of the dress is loose, puffy, and goes up pretty high. I gathered the inside of the very center of the bust area with a safety pin, and voila, more cleavage (if that's what you're going for). Also, the sleeves were longer on my dress than in the picture, and they were too loose to stay up by my elbows. They wound up coming to my wrist.VEST: Kind of annoying to tie; it would be much more helpful if there was a zipper or something in the back. It came super wrinkled, but I used a low-heat iron and fixed that. It hit right at my true waist, and the fluff from the shirt hid the little belly I have. It is a black vest with brown trim, which is nice because it goes with brown or black accessories (hat, boots, etc).SIZE: I am 5'6" weigh 125 and have more of a pear-shaped body, and overall I was happy with the medium. When I tried it on when it first arrived, I immediately wished I bought a small, since the vest seemed a bit large for me. However, the medium worked, and I wonder if the dress of a small would have been too short.