diff --git a/demo/index.html b/demo/index.html
index e017cea..153e82f 100644
--- a/demo/index.html
+++ b/demo/index.html
@@ -21,6 +21,9 @@
         Read only <input type="text" ui-date ng-model="aDate" readonly>
       </div>
 
+      <div>
+        <input type="text" ui-date-format="DD, MM d, yy" ui-date ng-model="isoDate" />
+      </div>
 
       <div class="field">
         Required date: <input type="text" name="date2" required  ui-date="" ng-model="reqDate">
@@ -39,7 +42,8 @@
     <script>
       angular.module('MyApp', ['ui.date'])
       .controller('MyCtrl', function($scope) {
-          $scope.aDate = '2015-10-31';
+          $scope.aDate = '1992-09-14T21:00:00.000Z';
+          $scope.isoDate = '2015-10-13T21:00:00.000Z';
           $scope.dateOptions = {
              dateFormat: 'dd.mm.yy',
           }
diff --git a/src/date.js b/src/date.js
index d10e388..45d1bdb 100644
--- a/src/date.js
+++ b/src/date.js
@@ -16,9 +16,16 @@ export default angular.module('ui.date', [])
       if (value) {
         if (dateFormat) {
           try {
-            return jQuery.datepicker.formatDate(dateFormat, value);
+            var dateFormatted = jQuery.datepicker.formatDate(dateFormat, value)
+            return dateFormatted;
           } catch (formatException) {
-            return undefined;
+            try {
+              // try as converted from an iso date
+              var isoDate = new Date(value);
+              return jQuery.datepicker.formatDate(dateFormat, isoDate)
+            } catch (conversionError) {
+              return value;
+            }
           }
         }
 
@@ -38,8 +45,13 @@ export default angular.module('ui.date', [])
       }
 
       if (angular.isString(valueToParse)) {
-        if (dateFormat) {
-          return jQuery.datepicker.parseDate(dateFormat, valueToParse);
+          if (dateFormat) {
+            try {
+            var parsedDate = jQuery.datepicker.parseDate(dateFormat, valueToParse);
+            return parsedDate;
+          } catch (formatException) {
+            // Keep on trying to parse as an iso string
+          }
         }
 
         var isoDate = new Date(valueToParse);
@@ -65,8 +77,13 @@ export default angular.module('ui.date', [])
         var $element = jQuery(element);
 
         var getOptions = function() {
-          return angular.extend({}, uiDateConfig, scope.$eval(attrs.uiDate));
+          var dateFormat = {};
+          if (attrs.uiDateFormat) {
+            dateFormat = { dateFormat: attrs.uiDateFormat }
+          }
+          return angular.extend({}, uiDateConfig, dateFormat, scope.$eval(attrs.uiDate));
         };
+
         var initDateWidget = function() {
           var showing = false;
           var opts = getOptions();
diff --git a/src/date.spec.js b/src/date.spec.js
index 1f575c1..d318234 100644
--- a/src/date.spec.js
+++ b/src/date.spec.js
@@ -462,6 +462,7 @@ describe('uiDateFormat', function() {
       })
     });
 
+
     // it('should validate null and blank dates as valid', function() {
     //   inject(function($compile, $rootScope) {
     //     $rootScope.x = null;
@@ -498,7 +499,7 @@ describe('uiDateFormat', function() {
         expect(function incompleteValue() {
           ngModel.$setViewValue('2015-');
         }).not.toThrow();
-        expect(ngModel.$modelValue).toBeUndefined();
+        expect(ngModel.$modelValue).toBe('2015-01-01');
       });
     });