Perfect Marriage of Art & Fashion: Uniqlo Calendar.

Wow. Uniqlo is a Japanese department store with a goal of turning all the world casual. In my opinion, a noble cause. If you have a minute, or 30, explore this link on the Uniqlo site. It's a moving image calendar, with live-action scenes that are so artfully constructed they look like miniature stop-action photography. Click on anything in that image and you are carried away to a color-swatch where you can choose pieces of clothing that match the hues in the video scene. Amazing. If you love this brand, the have one (yes, only one) store in the US. It's in Soho, find it here.

Pretty new jewelry...

These beautiful bracelets are from our friend at Asta International. Made from the Tagua nut, which grows in South & Central America, these pieces are light and easy to wear. Asta designs these pieces and has them created in Columbia, where the Tagua nut is an abundant natural resource. We also have lovely necklaces and earrings from this line too!

Classic Tulle Coats at Helena's.

Our coats are in! These two styles: the Vintage from Tulle in slate, and the double-breasted coat in black are classic pieces with sharp modern updates. Tulle coats always fit well and come with loads of fashion at a very accessible price. We have other pieces in navy, burnt orange, and a brilliant charcoal plaid. Come in and accessorize your favorite coat with scarves and hats from woodenships!

Favorite Sweater from Woodenships.

This sweater from woodenships called the Ruana is a soft easy sweater with a lot of fashion punch. It's dolman sleeve and cowlneck drapes beautifully in the sweaters stretchy knit. Wear it with a narrow or straight-leg jean for a perfectly proportioned look. We have it in the two colors shown, as well as black. Come take a gander at our front window to see it rocked out with a Nally & Millie striped top and a dark-wash skinny leg jean. Super chic.

Trends in Nail Color follow Fashion Colors...

Newer nail color is staying true to the best colors out for fall apparel. At the NY shows, all the fabulous ladies were sporting taupe nails...and I mean ALL of them. (For the report on last spring's trend, click here.) A close second was a pretty mauve, shown below on the chipper Ms. Barrymore. Both these hues are present in fall clothing and accessories in a big way. And then there is my fav....navy. I am a huge fan of navy apparel: a dark navy trenchcoat, a bright navy top with crochet embellishments, a classic navy turtleneck (see the new version from Prairie Underground). All great, wearable pretty pieces. So what's better than a special (bam!) of shimmering navy on your fingertips?

Sadie's Opens in Arlington!

Our dear friend and former Helena's staffer, Betsy Royster has opened a fabulous shoe & accessories shop in East Arlington. Betsy's collection is stylish, colorful and well-priced. Find beautiful fall boots, flats and pumps from Miz Mooz, Naked, Jambu and more. (For the Jambu fans, Helena's is no longer carrying our small collection of shoes...we are sending all you ladies over to Sadie's!) Read what the Arlington Advocate has to say about Sadie's here. Keep updated on Betsy's shop by visiting her website & blog. And go shop at 189 Massachusetts Ave!

New Prairie Underground in Today!

It's Here!

The absolutely gorgeous Short Cloak Hoodie in Billiard. We've been talking up this color since we ordered it, and it lives up to the hype. A deep rich green that just screams Autumn. We also have new colors in the Long Cloak Hoodie, Brown-Out, Grey-Ray, and more Black (of course). Stock is very limited, so as always shop early.

Our Annual Sidewalk SALE is this Saturday on Arlington Town Day!

Every year, on Arlington Town Day, Helena's has a spectacular clearance sale right out on the sidewalk on Massachusetts Avenue. This year we will have clothing priced at $5, $10, $15, $20 & $25. Dresses, pants, tops, jackets, all will be represented including racks of maternity clothes. Talk with your partners, family & loved ones and schedule some "you" time to come over and shop the racks. Like all great sales....things go fast. See you on Saturday!!

Preview for Spring. (I know it's too soon...but read on).

The NY spring buying shows happen right on the heels of NY Fashion Week where designers debut their upcoming collections. There are about a half dozen shows going on this week, and I must say spring fashions look fantastico. Strong trends in fabrics are cotton voile, thin cotton knits with silk embellishments, eyelet lace, floral embroidery, cotton sateen in jackets and dresses, and lots of herringbone twill in jackets. I previewed Prairie Underground (above) at the Designers & Agents show in Chelsea. The have beautiful colors for their new hoodies and (wait for it) have revived the Mothette dress! They also handed me a cold beer while we looked through the collection...which left me teary-eyed with gratitude. Velvet, Yumi, Nic & Mo, Mystree, Tulle and Effie's Heart all had beautiful spring collections in just-right seasonal colors. My favorites are a pale romantic pink, soft yellow, bright navy, coral, sage, and orange. This fall season has been so rich with wearable fashions. I am happy to see it continue this spring!

"Go to" dress for all your fall-season events!

Fall and winter weddings, engagement parties, fund-raisers and work events provide a little wardrobe conundrum...particularly in New England. Do you wear a sleeveless dress with a little jacket or sweater? Or do you wear a dress with sleeve coverage? We have the pieces to cover all bases. However, this dress by Maggie London makes us want to go the full sleeve route. The modern cut and fabulous print make this a "go to" dress for all occasions. Wear it with a cobalt blue sling-back pump, or with black knee-high boots!

New knit dresses!

These two dresses, in light sweater knits for fall, exhibit radiant prints in soft, wearable hues. The peacock feather dress in from Nally & Millie. The shadow-leaf print dress is from the new line Feather.

New dresses in warm fall colors.

These two dresses from the line White Rice have classic tailoring in great graphic prints. The neutral palette of brown & cream on black is perfect for pairing with fall boots, or a strappy pair of pumps.

Lole Glowing Jacket. Stay Warm, Look Stunning.

I love a creamy white coat...and this piece from Lole is particularly dreamy. It's water resistant, with a micro-fleece liner to make it extra cozy to battle the chill of New England. It's hooded, it's belted, with ample pockets and a great fitted silhouette. Perfect fall-to-winter coat!

Perfect Stripes from LA Made

The Paulina top from LA Made is perfect representation of the stripe-trend for fall. The navy & heathered grey stripes are bold, and the details at the sleeve and neckline give it a fashionable twist. Wear it with the Red Engine Cinder super-stretch skinny jeans and a pair of silver flats and you have a stunning (and may I say easy) fall outfit.

Fabulous Charles Le Dray Show at the ICA

The newest exhibit at the Boston ICA is absolutely charming and visually intoxicating. The project, "workworkworkworkwork," is a collection of handmade sculptures in stitched fabric, carved bone, and wheel-thrown clay, some of which is elaborately glazed. In the installation, "MENS SUITS" (left), LeDray painstakingly fashions three small-scale vignettes of second-hand clothing shops. The details on each piece is amazing...full of personal context and memory. A "must-see" for anyone interesting in design, textiles, sculpture. It's at the ICA thru mid-October.

Orla delivery for fall...

Two modern, pretty bags from the designer Orla Kiely have arrived. The Flower Abacus large tote is here in midnight (shown). And, if you haven't noticed, mustard is the must-have accessory color this season. Get Textured Tonal Stem should bag in ochre (shown here too).

Helena's 5th Anniversary Celebration SALE this weekend!!

This weekend marks the 5th anniversary of our little shop. To celebrate, we are offering 20% off three of our all-time best selling brands: Prairie Underground, Velvet, and Christopher Blue. These clothing lines helped to define us as a boutique, and have continued to be favorites with customers! As many of you know, these lines rarely make it to the sale rack (particularly the Prairie Underground cloak hoody at left). Come in Friday thru Sunday (Sept 10-12) for the anniversary celebration sale!!

We are open on Labor Day!

Get your holiday off to a great start with a peek at what's new at Helena's! Our holiday hours are 10-2. We've got new pieces from Necessitees and loads of new maternity fashions!

New Envirosax for Fall

Go green with style!

We just got a bevy of new Envirosax shoppers in gorgeous colors for the Fall season. The bag above is from their Bloom collection, which features deep rich colors and on trend fabulous floral motifs. At only $9.00 each, these make great gifts.

Color Trends for Fall 2010

It's fall ladies. I know it's 95 degrees in the Boston area, but today is also the first day of September. Welcome, my sisters, to a colorful new fashion season! The feel here is color that is deep but muted. I LOVE the colors for this season. I see shades that are sophisticated, and romantic, but also sharp and grown-up. I am thrilled to see a warm grey-brown that looks great on nearly everyone. Also charcoal, plum, wine, heathered purple, navy and brown are prominent colors in the store right now, and I will say that the above palette is pretty spot-on for things to come. If there are colors here that you love, come in and we'll help you find the perfect pieces for your fall wardrobe!

Vintage Stripes at Helena's

Stripes are a big trend for fall, and Velvet has some of the best casual pieces this season. This open cardy is called the Russa. We have it in the cream stripe (shown) as well as a black and charcoal stripe. And one of my all time favorite tops is called the Camleen. It's a long asymmetrical top from Velvet. We have it in a plum and charcoal stripe. It's in our front window right now!