The Essential Print Top for Fall.

Print tops are a staple in the Helena's style-guide.  Be it stripe, geometric, floral, dot, tribal, or animal, the right color and print make an outfit work.  Some of our favorite print tops in-store are from lines known for chic and on-trend prints: Nally & Millie, Ella Moss, Tulle and Only Hearts.  And we love the beautiful shirt pictured here from Three Dots!

More Lovely Leota at Helena's!

 

The Leota buzz is seriously alive!  We have new deliveries of this amazing dress line.  (I am working in Belmont today and two women just popped out of the dressing rooms, both wearing the dot dress shown here!)  The Ilana dress in the dot print and the Nouveau dress in Tapestry have landed and are beloved by all!  Come in before they are gone!

Beautiful scarves & jewelry abound!

Our jewelry and scarf collection this season is full of color, print and texture.  I love the new pendant necklaces and bracelets that mix stone & metal.  And scarves?  Jessica does all the accessory buying and the scarves are themed from animal (see elephants and butterflies above) to geometric to florals.  Both stores are chock-full of goodness!

We are Hiring! Top 10 Reasons to Work at Helena's!

If you think it would be fun to work at Helena's, you are right!  We are looking to build on to our smart, hard-working, and stylish staff.  Here are the best reasons to work at our shops (just 10 here, there are more):

1. We have the nicest customers in the retail world.  
2. Our staff is pretty lovely as well.
3. Beautiful clothing and accessories are delivered on a daily basis, and you get to open the boxes.  It's like the best-birthday-ever!
4. You get a generous employee discount on all the lines you love...Prairie Underground, Joe's Jeans, Velvet, Three Dots, the list is pretty spectacular.
5. Both Helena's stores are in sweet neighborhoods, surrounded by busy dynamic businesses.  
6. If you have a passion, be it merchandising, graphic design, photography, or finding new lines we will put your talents to good use.
7. We are good listeners.
8. We offer flexible schedules if you are a student or a parent.  
9. There are huge personal rewards to helping someone find the perfect dress for an event, or getting them into the best-fitting jeans of their life.
10. Helena's has a savvy supportive staff, and we train you well.  You can come into the store a good Sales Associate, and we will make you even better.

If you have retail experience and a killer sense of style, send your resume and cover letter to Katherine at info@ilovehelenas.com

Notes from the NY Shows: A Summary of Trends

This week, I spent a lot of time in this aisle.  I buy at the shows, but I also consult with designers and their representatives on projections of future (spring is many months away) trends.  Today I met with the team from Tulle (a trend-conscious line) and XCVI to assess.

Spring has a pretty color palette of a dusty light blue, pinks that range from pale to salmon, and yellow.  These are especially striking when paired with black, which they often are.  I heard the description "Bohemian Revival" to describe the style concepts, which though broad, is pretty accurate.

For now, settle into all that fall of THIS year has to offer: clean dark and black denims, the pretty "dressy" sweatshirt with lace detail, a woven shirt in forest green or charcoal, and the best blazer you can buy for the money.  You are in good hands.  Season after season, we will keep you looking fabulous!

Our Annual Arlington Town Day CLEARANCE Sale is this weekend!

Our annual tradition of rolling out racks of apparel at ridiculously low prices is now a two day event! Our sidewalk sale starts tomorrow, Friday September 20th at 10 AM and goes through Arlington Town Day, which is Saturday.  Find amazing discounts on dresses, jeans, tops, sweaters, jackets and skirts, including your favorite brands: Kensie, Nally & Millie, Red Engine, James Jeans, Prairie Underground, Susana Monaco, Velvet, Three Dots and more.

Notes from the NY Shows: Coterie & Moda Spring 2014

A lesson learned at this show?  Spring is all about prints!  Bella Dahl was my first stop on Day Three and the booth was bustling!  This woven shirt line has been a staple at Helena's.  There are amazing styles for spring in soft tencel, denim and their tradition wovens!  My favorites are the denim tops in soft prints.

The print dress & top line Charlie Jade had gorgeous prints that represent the trend for next season: digital versions of tribal, ikat, paisly and florals with a more geometric edge.  The dresses and tops were stunning.

More prints came from our friends at Maggy London!  The spring collection offers lot of black & white graphics and colored lace.  Other stops on Day Three: Velvet and Nally & Millie!  Both lines had beautiful print additions that you will be seeing in-store next year!

Notes from the NY Shows: Coterie Spring 2014

Ever corner of the enormous Javits Center is building is filled with designers showing their spring collections!  And it all looks fabulous!

On Day Two I saw all of our denim lines.  Best denim trends for spring: Great jackets and vests, including this moto jacket from James Jeans, ankle jeans in neutrals from moss to light cocoa, and a new take on the boyfriend jean.  

These new washes from Joes' Jeans are perfect for spring transition.

Other highlights: new patterns and knits from Wooden Ships, a fresh new dress collection for Yumi, and Orla Kiely's bright bag collection for next season.  For the Wooden Ships Ruana fans, the is a new stripe piece for spring!

Notes from the NY Shows: Designers & Agents Spring 2014

With the turning of the season, New York City is lovely this time of year.  And September always brings another form of beauty to Manhattan: the spring fashion shows.  On the tail of the couture runway shows, ready-to-wear designers show their spring collections now.  The first stop on our buying trip was Designers and Agents where we see our best-selling Prairie Underground.

The spring line is pretty and innovative, with lots of pieces for the everyday wardrobe that can be dressed up when needed.  My favorites: A chevron stitched tunic, a new version of the denim dress and the glove legging in new washes for spring.  So lovely!

Denim Arrivals from James Jeans.

We love the designs of James Jeans!  The new Cassanova Jacket arrived this week, and it is a smashing twist on a classic!

James Jeans was founded by husband and wife team James Sway and Seun Lim James in 2004 and has continued to deliver edgy new designs season after season.  Their High Class Skinny has become a customer favorite and we now have it in Slate, which is one of the denim hues that put James Jeans on the premium denim map.  Come in and try on a pair of these figure-flattering jeans this weekend!

Yumi dresses!

Yumi is a sweet dress line from the UK that creates charming pieces season after season.  We have a generous collection of Yumi and Uttam in the stores, including these two great fall dresses.  The brown and burgundy print has pretty button detail, and the navy blue dress has a beautiful pleated skirt and black pleather accents.  

More lovely Leota!

 

We have had such a demand for Leota dresses that Jessica had them ship the rest of our fall orders early!  These dresses have the perfection trifecta of: Color, Print, and Fit!

Kensie reversible dot sweaters at Helena's.

As our faithful patrons know, we love the value and versatility of reversible pieces.  We have two new sweaters in from Kensie that reverse print to print.  This cobalt and black sweater reverses to the same dot print in swapped colors (black on cobalt), and we have a divine cream and black dot sweater that also reverses.  These lovely pieces are at both stores!

New Dark Rinse in the Red Engine Giacca Jacket.

 

The customer favorite Giacca denim jacket from Red Engine has arrived in a new dark wash for fall. This fitted jean jacket looks great over fall tees and sweaters!

Cozy-chic lifestyle wear from Lole.

Lole has arrived with new jackets, dresses and tops!  We especially love the black twill jacket fitted jacket, which looks great over dresses!

Pony up with Three Dots.

On first sight, you love this tee for its charming graphic.  But after you put it on, you love it for the fit.  This tee fits the way you dream a tee should fit: long, with a perfectly scoop neckline, and a slightly longer short sleeve.  I am wearing mine now (as I pay homage) and it is divinely soft and comfy.  Looks great under a denim jacket or under one of the many great blazers in for fall!

Leota at Helena's.

This NY dress line is only a few years old, and has created a huge buzz!  Original prints, and a design that marries modern & vintage into utterly charming dresses with a fantastic fit!  See more at www.leota.com!

Pointelle Wooden Ships Sweater at Helena's.

 

This roomy, cozy sweater from Wooden Ships is a go-to piece for fall.  We love the pale pink, and the cream is one of the best neutrals you can have in your closet!

Helena's Schedule Change for Fall.

Hi friends!  This fall, we will be closing at 6 PM on Thursdays, instead of 8 PM. Thank you!  

The Wooden Ships Ruana at Helena's

 

New colors of the Wooden Ships Ruana have arrived.  This cozy sweater is a go-to piece for fall!  Get it in all your favorite hues!

Happy Labor Day Holiday!

Have a wonderful day!  We are closed today at both Helena's locations.  See you tomorrow!