Help with a dress?

If I were you, I wouldn't make the gathered bit part of the skirt. I would probably sew a wide tube (for lack of a better word) in darker fabric (like in the pic) and then sew it on the skirt. Am I making sense? I hope so lol Just tack on some of the tube, drape some, tack some, drape some...I hope this helps, I'm not very good at explaining what I'm thinking lol Good Luck

Oh! I ment the other detailing, not the thick rope like one, I was planning on doing exactly like you mentioned It has little bits on the panels of the skirt, the little half circles?

The panels are very long a-lines, so you want them longer on the bottom. It appears that they are draped as well, meaning you need to gather them along the seams of each panel. I would cut some a-line panels out of scrap fabric and much smaller...in the toddler size area. Try gathering them as you sew along the seams and then hang three of them sewn together to see if what I'm thinking works. It's probably better to try it out small before going big, just to check on the draping of it.

I don't think it's cut on the bias.

Yeah I really want to try it out in a cheap fabric. I don't want to buy the material and then mess up. With gathering them at the seams, would that make the shape enough? Or would I have to add some stitching in middle of the panels as well? (I'm a worry wart, and I've never made a ballroom dress before)

Thanks