FROM BAD TO RAD: TAKE ONE

Welcome to the first installment of From Bad to Rad! While compiling my Worst of 2011 post, I realized that I would have liked many (if not all) of the outfits better if I had tweeked small elements of the ensemble. I don't necessarily think any of the outfits are hideous but small things really do make all the difference ... a pop of color here or a proportion change there could have turned something that I felt so-so about into something that I loved. And so this new feature was born.

In this feature, I am going to take an outfit that I wasn't crazy about from last year and try to make it into something that I love. To keep it a little more challenging, I will translate as many elements as possible from the original outfit into the new outfit.

From Bad:

 

(You can see the outfit details in the original post ... right here.)

Why Bad?
This is a case of wrong proportions for me. I don't like how the maxi isn't quite long enough to fall over the chunky platforms and the dress seems doesn't seem substantial enough to stand up against the weight of the shoes. The turtleneck with the maxi dress reads matronly to me. However, I DO like the navy/orange color combination and the strips ... perhaps just not the thin variety.

To Rad:

 

(Dress: F21 // Shirt: French Connection for JCPenny // Cardigan: NY&Co via Gabriel Brothers // Necklace: Jupe // Shoes: Steve Madden // Bag: H&M)

Why Rad?
Sporting a maxi dress and a turtleneck made me feel like I was trying to hide my body so rather than the striped turtleneck, I opted for a less matronly breton striped shirt that revealed a bit of collar bone (scandalous!). Since I really loved the original color combination, I carried that through with the bright orange cardigan. The chunky heels in the original outfit were a deal breaker for me so I knew I'd be going with flats and settled on a leopard print pair to add a little spunk.

What do you guys think? Which outfit do you like better? What would you have changed?