Sewing a 1950's Dress

I've never sewn a proper dress before. In my Junior year of high school in my Shakespeare class I made a shitty reproduction period gown on a half broken sewing machine, which surprisingly didn't turn out that poorly, minus the bright teal color and some minor gaposis, but overall, not a proper dress. So this Cheetah print 50's dress was really one of my first sewing projects of clothing that I intend to wear.

I decided to use Butterick's B6055 Retro 50's pattern for starters. Its a pretty straightforward pattern and I washed and pressed the fabric before I began cutting out my items.

Cutting out the various pieces

The top cut out. The right hand side has been left open for the zipper.

Working on the collar.

The collar should not have been as much of a challenge as it was, but I got through it. :P Not sure how professional it is, but hey, works for me!

Moving onto the skirt.

Separate panels cut and sewn together. Flipped right side out.

Now all that's left is to: sew half the bodice, attach the bodice to the skirt, insert a zipper (YIKES!!!) and hem the skirt. Also, fittings.  So, if you have any suggestions in working with zippers for a COMPLETE zipper noob, please leave a comment for tips and suggestions!! With zippers I can use all the help I can get - they are notoriously difficult to work with. Much appreciated!