I can see why this pattern has been so popular, there are some beautiful versions out there. I think it drapes beautifully, in a really simple way, and lends itself well to pattern hacking and individualising
The sleeved options seem to be suitable for beginners. I had problems with inserting the facing on the sleeveless option, but I have an older version of the pattern and it looks as though the issue has been resolved in the updated instructions. I think I would still be inclined to insert the facing using the alternative method I found. I would say the sleeveless version is more suited to a confident beginner rather than a complete beginner.
I have written a blog post on this project with some more information