Let's Get Funky Tonight

I was trying to remember where I got the phrase "let's get funky tonight" and then I realized, with a mixture of bemusement and horror, that it's a Dream Street song. (Listen to it all the way through, do it you won't.)

The back story of this picture is a Top Shop trip, where I intended to buy nothing but try on what I expected to be hilariously funny outfits. In the background, MJ is clearly amused. It's a bit hard to see, but I'm wearing leather pants and a fur vest.

Realizations I came to while wearing funky clothes:

1. If you own it, you can probably pull it off. This is a ridiculous outfit. And so is this. But if you can stand up straight, smile at passersby, and decide that you look great, then ya do. 
2. Find some way to pull all of your funkiness together. The easiest way is to use a common color without being matchy-matchy. Don't be like Paris, for numerous reasons, but also because she's looking like she's trying too hard to make everything work. And trying too hard is a BAD THING. Be like Garance Doré, who very subtly uses blue to pull those outrageous pants and the army jacket together. I'm a wimp, so I used black, which goes with everything.
3. Have at least one or two things that aren't TOO funky. The butterfly tunic, for example, is reasonably not-funky. The pattern isn't wildly offensive and the colors aren't cray-cray. The necklace, while trendy, is pretty low-key. Ms. Doré (her again) is wearing a simple blue chambray shirt and plain-Jane flats. Not only does this save the eyesight and sanity of anyone looking at you, but it lets your other clothes stand out.
4. When in doubt, aspire to be Iris Apfel.