Today I saw a train wreck. It was awful. Horrible. I couldn't stop looking. No, two trains did not collide, nor did any derail. The train wreck I saw was a girl (around my age) who was wearing a pleather ostrich leather pencil skirt with sparkly zebra print stilettos. I really like fashion risks. And I have a knack for the exotic and rare. But this look was so wrong I nearly fell off my five-inch platforms. If I could have taken a picture inconspicuously, I would have.

This awful outfit reminded me of a quote, which happens to be today's Pretty Proclamation.

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

~Leonardo DaVinci, who knew that an ostrich pleather skirt with sparkly zebra heels was not at all sophisticated...even hundreds of years ago. This quote reminds us that sometimes the prettiest look is the simplest. Take it or leave it, but always check your ostrich pleather skirt at the door.

The other day someone made a comment to me. They said something like, "You would never shop at Target. You're way more of a Neimans girl." False. The truth is, I've got clothes and baubles from all over the place. I might be wearing Chanel paired with something from Target, but most people don't know the difference. When an awesome reader of mine sent me this quote, I knew she understood my style.

"Even on a budget, you can afford to get that look of drama. The idea is to convey glamour. It is not what you wear but how you wear it. When you mix treasures with things that aren't, then no one can tell the difference. They think it's all real!"

~Rachel Zoe, who clearly understands that the best style is well-mixed and nicely balanced style. I have a lot of really expensive clothing...and a lot of clothing I found on clearance racks for around 10 bucks. But when I mix those things together, everyone just seems to think it all looks really, really expensive. Cha-ching.

It seems I can always justify a purchase. Last night I showed my roommate a pair of shoes I recently acquired. She looked at me and chuckled, then made a comment about how many furry pairs of animal print shoes I own. I, naturally, had the perfect response.

"I have many pairs of leopard print shoes. But I don't have any snow-leopard print shoes."

~Me, who can always seem to come up with the right excuse for the perfect pair of kicks! And just because I know you're dying to see the shoes in question, I've included a picture below (taken straight from my feet, today).

I love when a male tells me he doesn't like my outfit. It's funny. Because at the root of it all, I don't care whether he likes my outfit or not. I rarely ever dress for guys. And this quote is the perfect summary of my feelings.

“Girls do not dress for boys. They dress for themselves, and of course, each other. If girls dressed for boys, they’d just walk around naked at all times.”

~Betsey Johnson, whose sassy designs are made for the feminine, sassy chick in all of us! So when you get dressed, dress to impress no one but yourself. The confidence you radiate from wearing something you love will be more likely to attract a man than the flowered dress or skinny jeans that are "so in" this season!

I absolutely fell in love with today's Pretty Proclamation. Partly because it's authored by one of my favorite people and partly because it's absolutely true.

"Some women choose to follow men, and some women choose to follow their dreams. If you're wondering which way to go, remember that your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn't love you anymore."

~Lady Gaga, who has fantastic views on fashion as well as men, relationships and living the life you want to live. I can't really follow-up a great quote like that with much of an explanation, expect, "Touche, Gaga. Touche."

Today, as I was browsing my Twitter feed, I saw this quote that caught my eye. I completely agree. In fact, I could not agree more with this. It's really brilliant.

"Fashion is ART. If you don't occasionally shock a fellow human on your walk to work, you're missing one of the joys of life."

~E. Jean, the witty, tell-it-like-is advice columnist for Elle Magazine, who clearly understands a thing or two about what it really feels like to get dressed! Tomorrow, when you get dressed, put something on that makes someone pause (in a good way, of course). And if they pause in a bad way, well, that's a fashion fall taken-- pick yourself up, dust off those Manolos and try again!

I'm all about standing out in a crowd-- individuality is definitely something I value. Maybe that's why I wear such flashy clothing. Maybe that's why I love diamonds. Anyway, this quote from a classically sassy lady hits on just how I feel.

"It is better to be looked over than overlooked."

~Mae West, who probably got a look over or two in her life. So with that, I encourage you to live your life doing (and wearing) things that encourage looks (but let's aim for good ones)!

One of my favorite rainy Saturday activities is watching TLC's What Not To Wear. Stacy and Clinton are fantastic at dishing out style advice to people with no style-- even if they do sometimes have to deal with the most unpleasant, curmudgeony people. On an episode today, one woman refused to acknowledge that she was pretty. It made them mad. And it made me even angrier. Then, they finally laid down the law and Clinton said some words that I completely agree with.

"Get used to looking in the mirror and admiring your own beauty.”

~Clinton, from What Not To Wear, who knows that it's okay to throw modesty to the wind for the sake of good self-esteem. All too often we're bombarded with pictures of supermodels and the latest thing to make us better. But just for minute, today, stop, look yourself in the mirror, and tell yourself how hot you are. There's absolutely nothing wrong with admitting that you're pretty!