Ugly Duckling : March Madness Gift

We all love freebies - well, most of the time. Sometimes, they're almost too ugly to ever actually get put into use. I wanted to test this with some of the freebies I've gotten - and promptly stuck in the back of my wardrobe - over the years.

But first; the item:

Of course, there's no point improving on something before you know what you want to keep - or change. So here's my thoughts on this item:

Pros:

• Love the light blue colour
• An unusual but subtle print
• It's free
• It's a dress
• Has a high waist
• Cute button up detail

Cons:

• Shading makes her stomach look round - or pregnant
• It's not very textured, just "shiny"
• I don't like the length of it
• It's very round looking

The Styling:

One of the immediate issues with this item, was the fact that the bottom half was so wide and round. It immediately meant that I couldn't layer skinny or even just straight skirts of the top of it. The awkward length also stopped me from using shorter skirts.

Layering over the top had much the same effect - it was just too wide and bulky to anything fitted. The high waist also didn't work in it's favor for using longer tops.

The print is subtle enough that almost anything else looked fine with it, which meant finding the right items was more just an issue of fit. The colour and lack of texture were also helpful.