This is why I love Martin Margiela. His new fragrance is called "Untitled" which will debut at Colette in Paris next week. via Shumaq

I just read 5 Boro Bike Tour Checklist, Part 3 and realized some updates are necessary. In a surprise move, that can only be explained as "there is just no explanation for this," my bike lock key showed up on an orange coaster on my husband's desk shortly after I posted Part 3. I cannot explain this at all. I will not ask why, and just continue rejoicing that my bike is free from its shackles! Here's what I've done lately to prep for the Tour.

1. Ordered a whole bunch of goodies from Bike Nashbar, including
2. New Bike Tights
3. Degreaser
4. Chain Lube
5. Chain Cleaner
6. New gloves (my old ones are shot)
7. Gave up on spinning (the class was too late)
8. Started running instead
   
9. Keeping up with the cross training (kick boxing, weights, body sculpting)
10. Still wondering what sneakers to wear
11. Cleaned my entire bike
12. Found my bike pump and pumped up the tires!!!

Now I really want to ride the thing. Must figure out how the heck to ride in Brooklyn away from busses, aggressive crazy drivers and the like.

The Fashion Show on Bravo is hosted by Isaac Mizrahi (I'm a fan!)
and Kelly Rowland. [image via Harper's Bazaar]

Yesterday a funny thing happened to me on Facebook. I posted about it today:

Okay, this is weird. The casting director for *The Amazing Race* Dana Lynne Tomsic, friended me. Wha? Dear Ms. Tomsic, please state your business with me. Please verify that you are the real casting director and the like.

So I wrote to Ms. Tomsic, and she kindly wrote me back:

Hey Elaine

I'm actually Casting the 2nd Season of The Fashion Show for Bravo. I learned you are a designer through some research and just wanted to reach out and find out your interest in auditioning for the show and/or possibly leading me to the best places to post my Casting Calls. I'm coming to 5 major cities in the US.

I'd love to chat more on the phone or email me directly at [...]

thanks for accepting my friend request :)

Well now. This is a rather interesting offer. At the very least, it would be exciting to audition. We'll see what happens.

In my opinion, you have to have good basics.
These Express tanks fit so well. Body hugging. Long. Beautiful shades.
I am deaccessioning some older tanks to make room for these.
Buy one, get one half off at $19.50 per tank. I got these 4 yesterday.

Since it suddenly became SUMMER! with temps in the eighties in NYC, I have been studying colorful outfits walking down the street. And making notes on Twitter with the hashtag, #colorpalette. I will do this everyday, because there are so many great ideas to be noted and remembered.

I think all this noting has paid off. I have shed my black. Well not totally. Let's be real here. I mean I do rely heavily on black and silver. But I have actually purchased color! And plan to wear actual color-on-color with no black to set it off. Can I do it? Or is this all lip service? Who can tell. I will let you know when I do it.

Express, as I noted in the previous post has the kind of jewel tones that I love. I don't really like off-shades as it turns out. But then again, I did buy some olive-colored cargos from Esprit yesterday (not pictured on their site, too bad). Olive counts as an off-shade. I have plans to wear the olive with magenta and royal blue. Yum. I am even going to try to work in some tan with blue and magenta. Crazy. Well if you know me, it's crazy. My mom would be shocked, I'll tell you that much.

I have so many colored shoes (that I have been stockpiling, don't ask why, it's just what I do), and I can't wait to wear the perfect shoe with these outfits. At last, all my random purchases are coming together. In my defense, if I may, they are not random. I shop by item, just as I design. If an item is ideal in itself, I buy it. Or if it is totally versatile and will set off my other pieces in a new and exciting way, I buy it. Sometimes it takes a year for these items to be tied together, and yes, I feel like a nut owning all these great items that don't come together. I console myself with the thought that someday soon I am going to have a bunch of amazing outfits with all the details coordinated in a creative mix-match way. Yes I do get disgusted with myself at times for owning too much, and then I promote the values of minimalism to myself, hoping I will hear it. Please read this post from February if you want to learn more.

Now the weather is warm, and I'm feeling expansive. And colorful. And hopeful. Tomorrow I am planning a color-on-color ensemble with no black for miles. I think it's going to rain though. I might just wear it anyway. We shall see!


P.S.
Do you write your outfit combos on index cards? (like every piece -- top, tank, pants, tights, barette, bangle, shoe, etc.) I do! Saves time in the AM. I am thinking of switching to photos. Just photographing the good outfit combos (elements arranged on a white background). I might judge myself too harshly as a nut half way through the project and abandon it. But really, it's a good time-saving idea. It would force me to wear more of my wardrobe, rather than going to default black-with-black.

V-Neck Zebra Burnout Tee at Express, in hot orange! $24.50

Express is doing something so very right now. Unless it's just that I haven't shopped there in so long, that I am very open to the newness. Their colors are very bright, rich and saturated. Perfect tones for spring/summer. I keep buying more things everytime I go, which has been rather often lately. The zebra-like top above is one of those expensive "burn-out" treatments, but for a much better price than Shopbop. I guess I am just fascinated by the opaque and sheer combo in the cotton. Totally cool. And I love the zebra, as you may know. (It was part of my collection for a long time.)

And then there's this zebra sweater below. A must-have, if you ask me! It so happens, I have yellow shoes to wear with this cut lil' number. I can't wait. Should I get the white belt too? It looks like a very polished ensemble. I am loving yellow with grey lately. Yellow with navy is also lovely and Spring-like. Yellow with magenta could be bold and rich. Will have to try some tanks...

And below, my Payless shoe obsession, which I am still avoiding, due to the fact that I bought some Payless three-inchers last year and darn near destroyed the ball of my foot. Payless=Paynfull. Sorry for the punny spelling. It had to be done. But the style is oh-so-cute. What to do?

Elbow-Length Sleeve Zebra Cardigan at Express, in yellow, $19.99 on sale



Ashland Mary Jane Wedge by Lela Rose for Payless, in navy/grey, $24.99 on sale

This is what I would call an annoying gloss-over of meaning. The host got caught up in the fabulousness, and forgot about the content. Dear host, the word is kawaii (cute), not kowai (scary) as you said. Hahah. But whatevs.

Definitely some interesting imagery here. And I see Murakami made a Louis Vuitton logo into a 3-d mythical Japanese creature called a kappa. His work is so saturated with references. I love trying to decode it.