Smocked Summer Dress
I just used two rectangles of cloth to make a bodice, and attached it to a gathered skirt, which I stretched out while attaching it so that the fabric gathered. Thus.

The material was so gauzy that I put an underskirt of dark blue cloth trimmed with cotton lace eyelet at the bottom to weight the skirt a bit. I love when a little effort produces such a charming result!
Comments
Your little model has a darling head of hair, too!