Some things are naturally subject to critique: New albums, art shows, movies, restaurants. District of Criticism is here to review everything else.

Last spring, Mayor Vince Gray launched his Twitter account, and since then, his (or his staff’s) laid back, responsive style has garnered him more than 6,000 followers and a Klout score of 57. His account is a mix of news (pro-mayor, of course), photographs of him at events, and the occasional response to citizens’ inquiries. According to Klout, he’s influential about Washington, politics, and, uh, Citibank.

But that’s not why we’re here! We’re here to discuss the biggest transition someone on Twitter can go through: Changing their avatar. When Gray’s account launched, he looked like this:

Not so bad, and certainly classic. But apparently not good enough for 2012! Yesterday we noticed a new avatar from Hizzoner. It looks like this (larger image here):

Off the bat, we notice that it’s darker than the warm tones of the old avatar. But in a good way. Against a handsome black pinstripe suit, the mayor’s blue tie and the red D.C. pin complement each other quite nicely. Gray is also lit better, and the photograph takes advantage of his excellent posture and height. In the sitting-at-the-desk picture used previously, he looked neckless and hunched over. Now Gray looks tall and, dare we say, dapper?

Verdict: We approve! It’s nice to see some good decision making coming out of the Wilson Building.