I really love this dress and hope to get another. For me it seems that getting the sleeve that reaches my forearm is the best to get. It looks very elegant. I personally think the short sleeve makes it look a bit casual. You get more elegance with the longer sleeve. So the material is nice, very light weight. Ordered a size middle.I weigh 140-145 pounds and I am 5'5. The way that I wash this dress is I put it in a garment bag, wash cold and then air dry. I just iron the dress in a decent heat setting if needed. I have not experienced any shrinking. I really love this dress.