I've been wearing the same ole zombie or witch costume that I already owned for the occasional party for the past 15 yrs. and decided to get something new. My search showed that this dress had great reviews from women of all sizes and shapes in many webstores (Amazon.com had the best price at the time). Wow, I could not believe how flattering this costume is on my middle-aged, out-of-shape, curvy figure. Without even wearing a shaper, my tummy looked flatter and the curves were smoothed and more streamlined. I normally wear a size 10P and the medium-large fit perfectly- not tight and not loose. I will not need to do any hemming if I wear my normal 2 1/2" heels. The sleeves are too long at the top of the hand, but I can see it being an easy fix by pinning it back w/ pretty stone or gold brooches. It'll be easy and fun to hit a fabric or craft store and make up headdresses. I can also see this dress as versatile for changing into a classy witch, vampire, etc. This costume is a beautiful rich jewel tone purple and seems well made- makes it look like it should cost more, so it's well worth the price.