The dress is made up of a front and back, both cut on the fold from  the same pattern piece, but the front has two openings cut out of  it, behind which you put a pre-pleated panel, using the rectangle  pattern piece as one-half of the template for the finished pleated  piece (no directions are given for doing the pleating).   In the original pattern, one side of the pleated panel is sewn on,  and the other is fastened with snaps, so there is a side-front  opening. You could also slit the back along the fold to make a CB  opening. The gathered ribbon trim covers over the raw edges of the  front panel openings, the neckline, and the armholes, or you can use  buttonhole embroidery to secure the raw edges and zig-zig embroidery  to be the trim. The panel itself must be hemmed or faced.   The dress is meant to be made of cotton velvet, while the panel is  pleated crepe de chine or crepe georgette. There is meant to be a  color contrast between the dress and the panel; lots of color  options are offered. Other fabrics considered suitable for the dress  are satin or taffeta, or, if you prefer a simpler dress, cotton or  dress-weight wool.  Hope this helps make sense of the dress. Martha