What's in the window...

Oooo, lovely!  From the top: Prairie Underground long cloak hoody in Inkpot over Nally & Millie layering tee and Zad necklace; Kensie sweater with Red Engine jeans; new wallets from espe, Fossil, and Shiraleah; "Vintage" coat from Tulle; and Wooden Ships sweater paired with one of our gorgeous new scarves!

Coobies are restocked!

We have new colors in the beloved Coobie bra. "Redbook" recently published their list of "7 best undergarments" and both Coobie and Hanky Panky top the list.  To see the magazine's fashion editor talk about the Coobie on the Today show, click here.

We have socks!

While shopping for fall fashions don't forget to pick out great socks!  We have a new selection in from K.Bell.

Notes from the NY Shows. Day 3: Coterie, Moda & Accessories.

Oh, Wooden Ships!  How we love your fall line that is in-store now!  This sweater line has charmed us for years, and their Spring '13 collection is so, so pretty.  Bright colors and new patterns grace both the cotton and "grassy" knit collections.  My favorite is a sleeveless tank sweater we will get in late Februrary.

Wooden Ships is run by some of the the smartest folks in the industry.  They are dedicated to supporting independent retailers, and always know what suites our style at the shop.  Kitty is my new NE rep and she loves the line as much as we do!  

The Accessories show had lots to show in new jewelry and I stopped by the Ada booth to see what will be the new spring trends.  This new mini-perforated leather is gorgeous!  You will be seeing it at Helena's in the coming year.  And in the world of dresses: Susana Monaco, Maggy London and Yumi London all have flattering styles and gorgeous colors for spring as well.

Notes from the NY Shows. Day 2: Coterie!

September Coterie in New York is the big-mama of spring shows.  Designers have fine-tuned their collections and have beautiful, fresh pieces to show to the boutique buyers.  I started my day with denim on-my-mind, and visited James Jeans to see what was new in colors & crops!  Prints, stripes, textures & hues from soft pastels to brights are on the menu.  We love the fall collection from James!

Sometimes, buyers and designers are wearing the same pants!  I am sporting the twiggy in Sienna!

Velvet's perspective for spring is all about soft, new fabrics.  My favorites are print dresses and a little lace top with a peplum. 

Bella Dahl has produced fabulous colors and prints for spring, as well as a new sleeveless top in denim!  We love this line, which has quickly become to be a customer favorite!  Other Day 2 highlights: shopping vintage inspired designs at Knitted Dove, seeing the on-trend pieces at BB Dakota, and previewing Joe's Jeans spring line!

Notes from the NY Shows. Day 1: Designers & Agents

The NY Spring Shows are in full swing this week!  Major apparel and accessory designers are showing their new visions for the early spring deliveries at Coterie, Moda, and Fame at the Javits Center, and also at the Designers and Agents show in Chelsea.  On Tuesday I landed at the D&A show to see our friends at Prairie Underground and to check out other new and innovative lines.  D&A is known as the venue for independent and visionary design houses.  

The show floor was alive with bright spring colors!  I love all the new handbag lines that are using recycled leather and textiles in their designs.

 

The D&A highlight is always seeing the folks at the Portland-based True Collaborative Fashion who represent Prairie Underground.   Tracey Forrest showed me the lovely spring collection with lots of fantastic new dresses and jackets that will be gracing our stores in February!  My favorites include the redesigned Frock coat, and the Sparrow shawl top.  We so love Prairie!

BB Dakota brings great fall color!

 

Our friends at BB Dakota are experts at on-trend color and print.  This fall, they also brought in lots of texture with soft fabrics and open-work knits.  The Christopher coat is a staff favorite (Jessica's loves this piece) with its dramatic color and shoulder closure.  The emerald color on this piece is stunning.  The Honey sweater is a chevron knit with cobalt blue and gold mixed in for an impressively colored pullover.  The Octovia cardy is a long deep burgundy sweater with pretty open-crochet styling.  This piece looks lovely over a tunic.

New extended hours in Belmont on Thursdays!

We are now open until 8 PM Thursday night in Belmont!  Both store are open this evening.  Come by and say hello!

New prints in KeyPer wallets.

New arrivals of the Fossil KeyPer wallets & handbags!

Bella Dahl looks at Helena's!

The button-up shirt is an essential piece of clothing for your fall wardrobe.  Who does this better than everyone else?  Bella Dahl!  The combination of their brilliant colors with soft fabrics has won over customers (and celebrities as well).  We have denim tops, prints, and solid colors at both Helena's locations.

Your Must-Have Denim for Fall is at Helena's!

And it's all about COLOR!  Great deep, rich hued denim is where it's all at!  We have great colors in from James Jeans, Red Engine and Sanctuary.

Get your hounds-tooth fix...

Hounds-tooth is a significant (and so chic) trend for fall.  We have a great hounds-tooth skirt in charcoal and black from Effie's Heart, that will pair with any colorful top to make a great outfit.  Our friends at Hazel have created this gorgeous navy over-sized hounds-tooth print dress that is dreamy in all ways.  Looks fantastic belted as shown.  At both locations.

Love. This. Jacket.

Adorable jacket from Knitted Dove!

Fall Prairie Underground Arrives!

Prairie brought this Long Cloak raincoat back for fall!  This has a slightly warmer lining than the spring version, with gorgeous style!  We have this in black and navy.

The Long Cloak Hoody is back in the best collection of colors we have seen to date!  Inkpot (shown), Oxblood, Black, Brown-Out, and Silverleaf.

The shirtdress styling is a big beautiful trend for fall, but Prairie does it with a masterfully feminine perspective.  This is one of my favorite pieces for fall, it is fitted around the bust and falls away at the high waist.  Looks lovely with leggings.  We have this in violet (shown) and black.  

In the window on Franklin Street...

From the top: Wooden Ships sweater with Ada belt, Layered sweaters from Mystree & Kerisma, Short Cloak Hoody from Prairie over Lole cowlneck top, and new Fossil wallets!

The Merina top from Velvet

One of our favorite, and best-selling tops from Velvet is the Merina!  This top is a great wardrobe staple with its figure-flattering wrap style and pretty draped neckline.  Wear it to work with a pencil skirt and a jacket, and bring it into the weekend with boyfriend jeans and sneakers. We currently have this top in three colors for fall: Atlas (blue), Date (wine), and Fuel (blue/grey).