How to Fix an Outfit Fail

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I hate when I have the perfect outfit planned out in my head down to the very last detail and then I put it on and…..blah. It just falls flat. It should be perfect, but it just isn’t. The outfit just looks off.

The problem then comes when you don’t know how to fix the outfit. You don’t know what piece of the outfit to change and how to fix the whole outfit. So today, we’re going to take this outfit fail and turn it around. I’m going to show you how to fix an outfit fail and turn it into a winning look!

Everlane The Japanese GoWeave Swing Skirt c/o
Chelsea28 Cami (Similar, similar, similar)
J.Crew Sandals (Similar, Similar)
Vera Bradley Crossbody (Sold out, super similar, similar and less expensive)

Everlane The Japanese GoWeave Swing Skirt c/o
Everlane Bodysuit (Similar, Similar)
Talbots Ballet Flats (Similar, Similar and less expensive)

How to Fix an Outfit Fail

At first glance, it may not seem like it, but the fail for me, was the outfit on the left with the camisole. It looks okay for one or two pictures (the power of posing my friends), but in person, the camisole was too poof-y. It didn’t want to stay tucked in and just looked bad.

So how did I fix this fail?

Pick the Piece You Want to Keep

In this case, it was the skirt. I loved the skirt and I knew I wanted to make it work for a work look. So I was going to build the rest of my look around this top.

Narrow Down the Problem Pieces

It might not be everything you’re wearing. It could be just the shoes or the top. Your sweater might be off or the combination of your sweater and top could look terrible. Look over your outfit and see which pieces make you feel uncomfortable.

In my case, I realized the shoes and camisole weren’t working.

Fix the Issue

Now that you know what the problem children were, you need to figure out why they were the problem and go the other way. Was your top too tight? Find a looser one. Did you actually need a little height to your shoes? Grab a wedge or heels.

Check out how I did it with my outfit below.

How I Fixed My Outfit Fail

Swap the Top

I thought that the loose camisole was the way to go, but the joke was on me. Instead, I needed a top that created a smoother line and emphasized my waist line. If I was taller and had a longer torso, the looser cami might have worked, but hey, I’m not. I need to play to my strengths. So in this case, I pulled the top that I knew would create a smooth line: my bodysuit!

Change the Shoes

Sometimes, I need to listen to my own advice. In this case, it was my advice that ankle straps can cut off your leg and stop you from creating the illusion of a longer leg. Sometimes it doesn’t matter, but since this is a longer skit, it does. The ankle strap made my legs look a little stumpy. I decided to trade out my sandals for a pointed toe ballet flat to help avoid that. Truthfully, this look would have been even better with a pair of pumps, but my feet were begging for flats.

Switch the Bag

Since my look went from date night to work day, obviously my bag needed to change. A little purse wouldn’t do it! I needed a bigger bag. A black bag would have been fine, but the pop of green worked well with the purple in the skirt.

I’ve been loving these outfit two ways and outfit fails/fixes. What do you think? Should I do more of them?

Photos by Kimberly Graydon & Deborah Yi