The other night, I was at JoAnn Fabrics buying a pattern and fabric for my Halloween costume (my costume has to be show stopping…it’s how I roll). For those of you who don’t know what I’m going as, I’d like to formally announce that I’m going as Lady Gaga for Halloween. Expect something fabulous. I wouldn’t let you down. And I’ve read in several publications that Lady Gaga is not a good costume. But I beg to differ. Anyone who is an avant-garde style icon would make a great person to channel for Halloween.

Anyway, I’m getting off track. I was standing in line to buy my fabric when a lady turned around and said, “I love your belt. Just love it. I would totally wear that.”

When people tell me they would wear what I’m wearing, I get critical. I look at them. I judge them. Naturally, that’s what I started doing in this situation. I took a look at everything she was wearing. And guess what? She passed my test. She actually had style very similar to my own.

Her boots? Burberry rain boots. Her jacket? A black leather bomber. She had cute hair, a nice bag and adorable dark denim jeans. She passed my style test.

“I love your jeans, too,” she continued. “True Religions. I have a few pairs of those but I can’t squeeze into them until I drop a few pounds. And your shoes…girl, I would wear everything you’re wearing.”

It was like I met my style soul mate standing in line for fabric. Who would have thought?

So what can we take from all of this? Number one, Compliments are awesome. Secondly, don’t compare yourself to someone else unless you’re sure you measure up to their standards. And lastly, always have an appreciation for good style.

I may have just found someone to temporarily occupy the sugar daddy void in my life. His name is Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken...and he's one of the latest creations from Mattel. If I were Barbie, Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken would definitely be my main man!

I’m a girl who knows what she wants…and usually, I get what I want. I guess you could call that stubborn. However, last weekend I was taught a lesson in stubbornness that I won’t soon forget.

My birthday was October 13 (mark your calendar for next year). Last year on my birthday I did nothing that could be categorized as fabulous or fun. In fact, I think I spent the evening polishing my nails and watching movies. This year, however, my birthday was full of, um….surprises.

For the past six months, my friends mentioned how silly it was that none of us celebrated my birthday last year. Being a first-born and a total control freak, I decided to take matters in to my own hands. It’s not like I was going to sit around and plan on someone to plan a celebration. I began cooking up ideas back in August. While my original idea was to celebrate my birthday the weekend after the actual day (weekends are way more fun) my friends were all busy: out of town, traveling for work or working. The excuses just kept piling up.

So I decided to take what I could get and celebrate on the actual day of birthday: Tuesday. I organized a little dinner with some of my closest friends. We’d go out for sushi, sit on the floor in our socks and have some fun. Tuesday night rolled around and all my friends gathered at the sushi place. It was wildly successful! I got to hang out with my favorite people, drink dirty martinis until my eyes crossed and open a few super-thoughtful gifts. It was one of the most amazing birthdays ever.

Fast forward to Friday night of the same week. All my friends were out of town. To my knowledge, it was going to be another lonely weekend vegging out by myself. On Friday my friend called and asked if I could pick him up from work because his car was in the shop. He got off work at eight. Being the nice person I am, I gladly agreed . After I left my office around six I began thinking of something I could do to pass the time until I had to go get him. Bingo, I thought. I’d have my roots done. So I drove to the salon, plopped down in the salon chair and had my hair touched up. (Did I mention I usually always get what I want?) After my stylist washed the bleach out of my hair, she began blow-drying it.

“So,” she asked, “got any big plans tonight?”

“No,” I whined. “All my friends are out of town this weekend so I’ll probably just go home, get some Chinese food and watch a movie or two. Plus, I’m super tired from the workweek. Don’t even worry about styling my hair.”

And with that, she left my hair to dry naturally. I have naturally curly hair. It’s very wavy and has a mind of it’s own. But I wasn’t doing anything, so it wasn’t a big deal to me.

From the salon I drove to pick my friend up. He got in my car, sat down and said, “So, what are we doing tonight?”

“We’re not doing anything,” I replied. “I’m super tired. Thinking about just getting food and sitting around.”

“Oh come on,” he gushed. “It’s the weekend after your birthday. Let’s go celebrate! Let’s have some fun! Let’s get some drinks! Since my car is broken down just stop by my house, I’ll run upstairs, change and come back down! Then we can start drinking.”

“My hair isn’t even done,” I said. “Really…maybe I should just make plans for tomorrow night. Not tonight. Plus, people are either traveling or sick. It just won’t be that much fun without the gang.”

But he insisted. So I drove him to his house and waited while he ran upstairs and changed into something appropriate for an evening out. I was frustrated. I hadn’t planned on venturing out on the town…and now my whole evening was thrown into a tizzy.

When he returned to the car he said, “We need to go pick up our other friends, too. They’re waiting.”

So me, the taxi driver, drove downtown and picked up three more people.

“I hope you guys know that I’m not ready to go out yet,” I stated with an attitude as everyone piled into my backseat. “I’ll need to straighten my hair and put nice clothes on when we get to my house. So you’ll just need to sit around and drink in my living room while I get ready.”

I was quiet the entire way back to my house. Because inside, I was really mad—mad that my friends were forcing me to go out against my will, mad that I had a car full of people and mad that my hair wasn’t fixed.

When we arrived back to my place, I drove into my garage and people started unloading. I grabbed my workbag and opened the door to my house. I started trudging up the stairs as my car full of friends followed. My house was completely dark—nothing out of the ordinary. But when I arrived at the top of the stairs and looked into my kitchen, I could see that our large collection of alcohol was lined up on the bar. This was unusual since my roomie, an actuary, was in the midst of studying for her latest exam. There was no way she’d be on a drinking binge with a test three weeks away.

As I turned on the light, I saw a flash of movement in the kitchen. Then, as the light flipped on, it revealed 30 people standing in my living room and kitchen screaming, “SURPRISE!”

My friends planned a surprise party behind my back. And my hair wasn’t even fixed. In fact, that was the first thing out of my mouth.

“Ahhhhhhh!” I screamed. “Ohmygosh! My hair isn’t even done!!!”

And guess what? No one was out of town. No one was sick. No one was still at work. All the friends that had been lying to me for weeks were standing right there—surrounded by bottles of champagne, Ketel One and Hpnotiq.

“We have a party bus arriving in 30 minutes,” my roomie yelled from across the room. “Be ready to go!”

I got ready really fast. I threw on a trusty black sweater dress, cool tights and (naturally) pink shoes. Then I ran my straightener through my hair. And that’s how my birthday went down this year. I had no clue my friends were planning an elaborate birthday party behind my back…but I’m glad they did because we all had a blast.

And as for being stubborn? You might think this situation woke me up to my single-minded ways, but really, if I had been even the least bit more flexible, it just wouldn’t have been as funny.

PS: This blog post is dedicated to ALL the fabulous friends I have in Minneapolis who went out of their way to deceive me. You all planned the world’s most fabulous party and I couldn’t ask for more thoughtful, supportive, hilarious people to call my friends. I can’t wait to completely overdo it on your special days!

I love when my fans send me great ideas for blog postings! One of my fans just happens to be my boss. And my boss just happens to be a very stylish, fashion-forward lady. Mix that with the fact that we’re both through-the-roof hyper, and that’s probably why we get along so well (and why there’s generally high-pitched shrieking and 80’s music coming from our workspace).

Anyway, last week my boss went on vacation with her family to the warm coast of Florida. About half way through her week in the sun, I received an email from her with a subject line that read, “What’s a girl to do?” The email contained a picture of her sporting an adorable sundress and a brown hobo bag. But there was a twist. You see, that brown hobo bag wasn’t a brown hobo bag at all. It was another sundress in disguise. It turns out that she’d forgotten to pack an appropriate purse in the midst of getting her two toddlers vacation-ready.

Us busy gals often find ourselves in situations where we need to be resourceful—especially if being fashionable is at stake. To inspire you to get creative, I want to share my boss’s craftiness with you. It may help you the next time you find yourself without the perfect purse.

Here’s the picture I received from my boss. She just looks like your typical, chic girl on the beach. Adorable, right?

And that purse looks totally normal, right? Wrong. It actually took a great deal of construction. She started out with your average, brown sundress.

Then she tied one end in a knot.

After that, she flipped the dress inside out so that the knot was on the inside. She fluffed it up and shaped it with her hands to form the perfect hobo shape.

Then she threw her goods into her new makeshift bag and joined her family for a fun night out in Florida.

It’s no Prada or Fendi, but it's a fashionable fix that gets the job done! In short, it's fabulous. The Pretty and Poor girl is fashionable—always. She’s crafty, smart and can figure her way out of almost any situation. So the next time you’re stuck in the midst of a fashion fiasco, stay calm, stay cool and maybe, just maybe, think about turning a purse into a dress.

Last week I received a Facebook message. I was somewhat surprised because the message was from someone I hadn’t talked to in a long time. I just assumed they were running a marathon or raising money for charity, so I opened it expecting a really general, standard message about helping out and making a difference.

Boy, was I wrong. It’s hard for me to sum this up in a cohesive paragraph. So I’m just going to let you read it for yourself.

I experienced a range of emotions after reading this: flattery, pride, violation, intrigue, confidence, happiness, self-admiration. But emotions aside, this only goes to prove a point I’ve been trying to make for years. That point is, you never really know who’s looking at your boobs (although sometimes, you know exactly who’s looking at them). Last year I wrote a blog post in which a young waiter asked my friend if I worked out because I had what he called "hard cleavage.” That was an unexpected after-dinner conversation. I can’t make this stuff up. Nor would I try to. (Click here to read the blog post from last year).

So, ladies, I think we can take away a couple life lessons from this situation:

1) Invest in good bras. Someone is always going to be keeping tabs.
2) Don’t slouch. I’m pretty sure posture is 90% of the illusion.
3) Rock what you’ve got. Real or fake, it’s yours. Be proud!

And in case you’re wondering, one of my favorite, rock-star bras is the Very Sexy Push-Up from Victoria’s Secret. I suggest this bra to just about every friend who needs a little pick-me-up!

This weekend one of my biggest dreams came true. No, someone didn’t give me a yacht. I was actually asked to become a real-life wedding crasher. You’re probably thinking, “How does one get asked to become a real wedding crasher?” Luckily, I’ve got the scoop.

On Saturday afternoon one of my good friends tied the knot. The wedding was great—my mom was in attendance, several old friends from high school were there and some of my favorite dancing buddies were present. That itself set the stage for a night of fun. Add a little champagne, sprinkle in some great tunes and you’ve got yourself one heck of a party.

My friends and I spent the evening making up our own killer dance moves, teaching the rest of the attendees choreographed dances to songs like “Low” by Flo Rida, and channeling the interpretive dance moves of Romy and Michelle on the slower numbers. We made several requests to the DJ, too—Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Michael Jackson were just a few. Long story short, we never left the dance floor. But we never really had any reason to!

As the last song came to a close, the DJ approached my friend and I.

“Hey, I just wanted to tell you two something. I have never been to a wedding and seen two people have as much fun as you guys—you were really dancing out there,” he said.

“Hahaha,” we laughed. “That’s pretty much what we do—just have fun.”

It really wasn’t a lie. Dancing and champagne are involved in many of our typical weekend adventures.

“Well,” the DJ said, “I think I should hire you two to come on gigs with me. You’d do a great job keeping the dance floor packed and the crowd pumped up.”

You could see our wheels start to turn. We had clearly impressed him with our own rousing version of the dance at the end of Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion.

“Like professional wedding crashers?” I asked.

“Yeah, like professional wedding crashers,” he said. “It would be great—all you’d have to do it show up, dance and mingle with everyone. I’m serious, you guys are great.”

And the rest, as they say, is history. Actually, I can just see myself standing at a podium, telling this story at a motivational speaking conference in about 20 years. The topic? People who love their jobs. Oh, and I can’t forget the book deal we would land. And the television show! We’d call it The Real Wedding Crashers of Minneapolis, (kinda like The Real Housewives of Atlanta) and it’d be a detailed account of the weddings we'd attend and the trouble we'd end up getting ourselves into (very dramatic).

I’ll let you know if any opportunities transpire. But as far as I’m concerned, I’ve found myself a new career. Think about it—I could wear dresses all the time! And I’d get to mingle, dance and meet cute guys for a living (although when I put it like that it seems as though I should just become a stripper).

Last night I watched When Harry Met Sally for the first time. I'd never actually seen the movie, but last week I was compared to Sally so I figured I'd better take the plunge and watch the flick.

"You're the worst kind. You're high maintenance but you think you're low maintenance."

~Harry, from When Harry Met Sally, telling Sally all about herself. Hmmm...good thing that doesn't sound like anyone I know.

Today is my birthday. And yes, I still want a bucket of diamonds. And maybe an Hermes Birkin Bag (preferably in ostrich leather of a bright color). But the truth is, I’m not really that high maintenance (I’m sure several people are laughing hysterically right about now). I’ve actually had some really memorable birthdays throughout the years that didn’t involve any gifts over $20,000.

The Early Years: With my family being in a restaurant business out east, I always threw big parties with lots of “old people” throughout my youth. The truth is, I spent 95% of my childhood surround by older people…which may very well explain a lot about my personality. When I was still in the single digits, my parents would hold my birthday parties at the family restaurant and invite everyone they knew! People in their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and 60’s would put on party hats and enjoy a slice of unicorn (or Barbie) cake year after year.

My Super Sweet 16: I have an obsession with the 1980’s. This was extremely apparent when planning my 16th Birthday. I decided to have a 1980’s themed party for all my friends and I. I ransacked my mom’s old clothing and found the most amazing red, leather elephant-skin jacket (think Michael Jackson in the Thriller video) to wear with black, skin-tight leggings. I had a very Madonna vibe. My friends took the party seriously, too (people know that when I throw themed parties I don’t mess around)—several pals showed up in complete Ghostbusters garb!

21 Shots: You may think that I’m a real princess. I have a tendency to come across that way. However, when it came to my 21st birthday party I didn’t want to wear a tiara or a sash. Everyone else was doing that. And I hate doing what everyone else is doing. About a week before my birthday, my mom sent a care package to me—complete with chocolates, something Burberry and a pair of dorky birthday glasses. Despite the fashionable frivolities in the package, I only cared about one thing—those birthday glasses. Those would complete my look for the evening. They were fabulous. They were loud, obnoxious, and completely eccentric. And they were the perfect accessory for my zebra print birthday dress. I wore them out to all the bars, all night. And I’m pretty sure no boys talked to me….

And just in case you needed a visual, I broke into the archives and found one.

Cheers to Birthdays everywhere! Especially mine!

So you’ve heard about my garbage bag coat. It’s the same coat I often refer to as my Michael Jackson coat (although now saying that makes me sort of sad). If you don’t know the hilarious background on this coat, click here to catch up. Anywho, the coat still looks really good on me…duh. In fact, I broke it out several times throughout the week because it coordinates wonderfully with the brisk, windy, fall weather we’ve been having.

Last weekend, I was watching What Not to Wear with Clinton Kelly and Stacy London. They were talking about the importance of adding a really nice, tailored leather jacket to your wardrobe. I couldn’t agree with them more. In fact, that’s what makes my garbage bag coat so great. It’s a statement piece of leather that I can wear with endless outfits.

To help you find the perfect leather staple for your closet, and to justify the often spendy price of leather, I’ve collected some of my favorite leather jackets for you to take a look at.

Gap usually releases one or two pieces of fairly-priced, nicely tailored leather jackets for fall and winter. A couple seasons ago, they had a heather gray leather motorcycle jacket to die for. This jacket, in a warm cognac color, is professional and clean—yet could be worn unbuttoned with fun layers for a casual look. The collar is small yet defined enough to make a statement, while the asymmetrical cut adds an element of intrigue and high fashion appeal.

The next jacket, from Express, has the harsh lines, zippers and styling that I love. The classic motorcycle cut is a winner for nearly any body type, as long as you have the attitude to pull it off. You can even luxe this number up with a detachable faux fur collar. While this jacket isn’t real leather (don’t even get me started) it looks like a great alternative for those of you who want to save a cow. And for only $118.00 it’s a highly affordable option.

An aviator jacket is a timeless piece to add to your wardrobe. You’ll have it for years and see it come in and out of fashion countless times. Banana Republic did a great job capturing the essence of the aviator jacket in this piece. All the charm of the old world, plus clean lines and tailoring give this coat a mysterious femininity that’s flirty, fun and fashion-forward.

And then there’s this practical black jacket from Club Monaco. It’s got a bit of an alternative feel to it—which is awesome paired with the ladylike polka-dots pictured here. On the flip side, this would be an equally rockin’ look paired with jeans, a plain t-shirt and some fun necklaces.

So if you make any investment in your wardrobe this fall, think about the long-term benefits of a leather jacket. It's a smart piece that you'll have in your wardrobe for years to come.

I believe that a person’s finances can reveal a lot about them. For example, if a person were to take a look at my financial statements, they would learn a few things about me.

1) I like expensive clothes
2) I enjoy cocktails (and Ketel One isn't exactly a rail liquor)
3) I have a weakness for shoes

Let’s stop there: my shoe weakness. It’s real and it’s something that you’ve witnessed as a Pretty and Poor reader. I’m constantly posting shoes I want, shoes I’ve bought and shoes that WOW me! Shoes are a big part of my life.

Shoes have the potential to make or break an outfit. They can be an unexpected surprise. They can help you walk a little taller or even add a little bounce to your step. And guess what? Even if your skinny jeans are fitting a little tight, your shoes will still fit exactly like they should.

If you’re a fellow shoe-lover like me, you should check out www.shoehunting.com. It’s a fabulous site for shoe-lovers just like you and me. I registered a few days ago and so far, I’m having a blast. Becoming a member of ShoeHunting also has its perks. With ShoeHunting, you can bookmark the shoes you wish you could afford (because let’s be honest…we can’t have everything we want…I’m still holding out for a bucket of diamonds), and ShoeHunting will alert you when the price drops! Just create a free account and start saving..and stocking your closet with even more shoes. ShoeHunting also has a “Runway” section where users can upload pictures of great shoes and awesome outfits they created with amazing kicks.

Today I perused some of the latest price-drops on shoes. I found Bally driving loafers, adorable Michael Kors ankle-wrap heels and funky couture designs by Christian Lacroix. Worth your while? You bet! Check it out for yourself. It’s just another great way I fill my time with fashion and frivolities!

A couple months ago my friend had a visitor from out-of-town. One night, we all went out for drinks to get to know this strange, new visitor. This guy immediately picked me out of the group as someone he should tease. I was wearing gold earrings—gold hoop earrings with a Club Monaco dress and nude colored heels, to be exact. For some reason, those thin, gold hoop earrings set him off and for the rest of the evening this guy referred to me as a “chonga.” Now, I’m not really up on my street slang but I had the sneaking suspicion that a “chonga” was not something I was aspiring to be. A few weeks later, I googled the term and my suspicions were confirmed. I was shocked and appalled. I laughed. I cried. It moved me.

To find out what a chonga is, click here (seriously, click and watch the video, it will change your life). Google also brought me to this definition:

A girl of Hispanic origin, usually between the ages of 12 and 19, but sometimes as young as 8. Primarily found in Miami, a chonga is known for her cheap form of dress, a combination of the so-called gangsta look and that of a prostitute, but can vary between the two. She wears ridiculously large hoop earrings large enough to be bracelets, which are usually gold and have their name written in them, and diamond studs high up on her ears. They may also wear thick, gold bangle bracelets in stacks on their arms. Depending on how ghetto she thinks she is, she may wear oversized men's t-shirts with tight, usually white Brazilian pants, with a colored thong worn underneath that shows through (on purpose).

The last time I checked, I wasn’t really into the gangsta’ look nor did I rock oversized men’s t-shirts with thong-revealing pants. I have blonde hair and I wear J.Crew. But if I ever got hard-up for some fashionable options I suppose I could change up my look with some Air Force Ones courtesy of a shopping trip with my baby daddy.

About a month after this visitor left, I downloaded some new music from iTunes. While blasting my new tunes in my car one afternoon, I realized that one of the songs featured a rap involving the word, “chonga.” Loud and proud. "Chonga" was an important part of the song.

“Oh well,” I thought. “I guess it takes one to know one…”

Since then, the term “chonga” has stuck around. And it might be here for a while. So I'm just gonna' rock those gold, hoop earrings with pride.

It's edgy, bold and brightly colored--it's Versace. I love it. The Versace spring 2010 collection is the coolest thing I've seen in weeks. It combines excess and glamour with over-the-top, attention-grabbing details. Here are some of my favorite looks from the collection (although I could seriously find something fab about every look).

This pink dress was the first thing that caught my eye. I love the pattern, the seemingly fluorescent pastels and the overall "bad girl meets nice girl" attitude. PS: Pastels can be flourescent, right?

Also making me crazy is this other pink ensemble (I really like pink, it's obvious...I know). The contrasting patterns, sheer long-sleeved shirts and mini skirts are so Miami chic.

And then in the line of evening wear, this purple dress with metallic detailing and cut-out sides is elegant and goddess-like...for the diva in anyone.

Click here to view the entire collection! What do you think about the Versace spring 2010 collection? I'm obsessed.

Today's Pretty Proclamation reminds us that there's a definite place for stilettos in this world.

"Sometimes you have to put on your heels and click them against the tile floor just to prove a point."

~Diane Vadnal, a friend and sorority sister of mine who knows how to get what she wants! I originally saw her post this to Twitter several days ago and fell in love with it. Thanks for the inspiration, Diane.

Barbie is a kind of a big, um, HUGE deal to me. When I was little I was a total Barbie girl. I used to whiz around my backyard in my Powerwheels Barbie pink corvette. I had the two-story dream house with walk-in closets and the Barbie RV. I also had the very first life-size Barbie…and we shared clothes (my mom finally had to put her away for good when she caught my little brother making out with her under his bed). I had hundreds of Barbies and all the clothing, shoes and accessories a stylin' gal like Barbie could dream of.

And even now, Barbie and her ageless style hold a very special place in my heart. So when I found out that Barbie was going to be in Minneapolis tomorrow I got all giddy with excitement. Turns out she’ll be opening up a Barbie-branded store in the Mall of America. I generally avoid the Mall of America like the plague, but tomorrow I will be embracing it with open arms, curled eyelashes and the prettiest pink outfit you’ve ever seen. If you live in the Minneapolis area, make sure you stop by and say, “hey girl” to Barbie!