What you don't get with a current pattern...

Consider this dress.

Yawn. A shirtwaist.

But wait - not just a shirtwaist. Look at the version on the left. First off, 3/4 length sleeves, which are both flattering and practical. They often crop up in 1950s patterns, but they're hard to come by now. And then, that curious little button-and-tab collar. Adds interest - it's enough but not too much. And then, we come to the pockets...

Pockets are essential. Would you go to the bother of sewing a dress, and then have nowhere to put you keys? No, neither would i. And these pockets, they are roomy, and they are stylish, with the shaped edges. And then, and then! - the button-and-tab motif is picked up with the band at the top of the pockets.

This is delightful stuff. This dress could be done in a perfectly plain fabric, and stand out just on the basis of the construction details. None of it is hard to sew, it's not fussy or complicated. It's just swell. And if you added the tiny touch of some really wonderful buttons to those details? Brilliant.