A Rainy Day Post from Helen -Day 33

OMG! I purposely shrunk this picture because my smile is just way to cheesy and what was I thinking! My co-worker stated her immediate thought when she saw this outfit was "water". I was thinking whimsical but now in retrospect a Glamour Don't! Perhaps I was influenced by one of my favorite Disney princesses, Ariel, The Little Mermaid. In any case, enjoy this outfit you will never see it worn again--I promise!

Can I take your order?

On Wednesday (day 32), Helen did not stray far from her black infused wardrobe, but she did mix it up by wearing a vest....is it possible that she has run out of cardigans??? Helen may want to reconsider pairing the black vest with a white blouse next season, since my initial thought was, "is she moonlighting at Rocco's?" Maybe that's why she's wearing such a big smile!

Tuesday, October 25th (Day 31)

Helen swooped into the office today wearing a gorgeous black ruffled cape from Talbots (sorry it's not in the picture!). A rust-colored cardigan with tuxedo pleats and brown textured slacks completed the outfit. Since fall is the season of hardy mums, Helen's photo today was taken as she cared for a straggly little mum that one of her co-workers brought back to life over the last few months.

Day 30-- Monday in Chicago

Hi!
I visited Chicago over the weekend to see my daughter so I took a vacation day on Monday. Since I was not at my desk on a regular workday I was asked to post what I wear on a day off. This picture was taken in my beautiful room at the W in downtown Chicago. (Thought you might like the poster hanging in my room.) Wonderful hotel in a wonderful town. One thing I noticed about Chicago is scarves--everybody wears them in so many ways. Back to work on Tuesday and back to my closet!

Date Night!

It's Friday the 21st of October and Helen is looking svelte and ready for a night out on the town with Neal! A black skirt, tights, shoes and cardigan over a royal blue top, accessorized by a beautiful black necklace. Helen is digging into the closet bringing out old standbys but still has the ability to remain hip. The royal blue and black color combo was seen prominently displayed over the weekend in the women's section of Macys in the Short Hills Mall.

Last Thursday, October 20

OK, so I'm a little behind, and somebody else posted Friday already. I trust in our intelligent readership to work that out. Meanwhile...

The autumn wardrobe is in full play these days, as daily highs are lingering in the 60s with crisp, cool mornings. Thursday saw Helen in khakis with a maroon long-sleeve top, elegantly—as always!—accessorized.

For the traditional, Helen's posing in front of old-school e-readers made out of dead plants! Crazy pre-modern world.

Pizza Day!

Mangia!

One thing about the job is that there are a variety of tasks to keep one on one's toes. Wednesday we had a big pizza order, and I mean big! Here's Helen supervising the arrival of 48 pizza boxes before they are distributed. It was a rainy, though not too cold, day, and Helen is back to a more autumnal look with black pants and a short-sleeved sweater over a long-sleeved white blouse, accessorized with a wide black belt. Quite a switch from Tuesday!

(An editorial note: yours truly just got a new iOS device with a built-in voice-activated agent and improved camera, so expect better photos.)

Tuesday, October 19th (Day 27)

Springtime in October! Helen surprises us once again on this beautiful sunny day. She dug deep into the warm weather wardrobe and came up with a touch of spring! A new fan of the blog who happened to be walking by noted that it's the first time in quite a while that we've seen our Goddess of the Bottomless Closet in yellow. Say goodbye for now to the beautiful floral top.....off to the Rubbermaid storage tote!

Monday, October 17th (Day 25)

Tough day on the fashion front! Helen took one for the team today, bringing out one of her least favorite dresses in order to extend the streak into week 5. When asked to describe the outfit, she referred to it as the jersey cotton "brown bubble dress", followed by "and Neal hates it too!"

This begs the question...will the brown bubble dress be tucked away in the attic for another season....or will some lucky person be the recipient of a hand-me-down? Any takers?

A Note from Helen

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Now that I am almost halfway through the experiment of not wearing the same outfit for an entire semester, I thought it was time to show you-----TA DA!

THE CLOSET!

Not as big as you might have expected and certainly not as tidy as I would like it to be. These pictures were taken before the turnover from summer to winter clothing. My bedroom now has four Rubbermaid bins (as shown below) strewn throughout the room. (Does nothing for the decor!) I usually spend a couple of hours each season switching clothes including purging clothes that no longer fit or might be dated.

This experiment started as a test to myself that I was not wanting of any more outfits but it is killing me not being able to buy any clothing. Even Barbie gets a new outfit every season. I will note that my husband is loving the fact the credit card is no longer smoking...

Friday, October 14th (Day 24)

It must have been tempting to go casual to celebrate the end of the work week, but Helen went with a simple, classy, executive look on Friday. Loved the necklace.

Nicely done!

To boldly go!

Fall weather continued on Thursday with overcast skies, as Helen continued with her fall wardrobe. Today a black-and-white print skirt, white top, and black ¾-sleeve sweater. The temperatures are holding out, especially with the humidity today, so the transition has so far been a gradual one. The forecast promises more of the same, so we'll watch how she handles the upcoming weeks.

(Careful readers may have noticed the improved quality of our photos, as we've started to use Helen's own, ever ready digital in place of JM's iPod.)

Wednesday, October 12th (Day 22)

Fall has arrived! Helen has moved on to the earth tones, wearing brown slacks and a print top with a jungle inspired print, accessorized with a brown belt and coordinating necklace. If she sat down in the comfy chair behind her she would blend right in! Truth be told, I'll bet she's just dying to curl up in that chair, put her feet up on the ottoman, and think about all the outfit options she has now that the fall wardrobe has made its debut!

Tuesday, October 11 (Day 21)

Look! No Stockings!

Taking advantage of what we hear might be the last of our warm, summer-like days, Helen has paired her light-weight patterned jersey wrap dress with a black mid-heel pump that's not too too pointy. The trick here (if you've not already noticed) is balancing all that black against a still tan leg. The result is a perfect reflection of our weather: the darker hue signals fall while the bare leg evokes summer. Well done, Helen. Well done.

A New Week

Still warm on Monday as we enter week four of the project! Helen is hanging onto the summery look with a floral-pattern skirt, solid matching top and light sweater.

The forecast calls for some cooling off and autumnal rain later in the week, so we may be seeing the last of this section of the wardrobe. Stay tuned!

Friday, October 7th (Day 19)

TGIF! I thought Helen made a bold move on Friday, wearing a figure hugging light pink top on the day the office staff was devouring a Nonna's pizza. She assured me that the top was "forgiving" and she was right....no muffin top in sight in this post pizza photo op!

Prints!

Yes, prints! With the exclamation point because that's the first thing several people said upon seeing Helen last Thursday. We're experiencing a little Indian summer this year and Helen's taking full advantage, sticking with the warm-weather clothes and bright colors. This time she accessorized with a lovely fuchsia shawl to match the print and make the cooler morning and evening hours more comfortable.

Regular readers will also notice that we've been moving outside for out photos, trying to keep up with the wardrobe variety. Once the leaves start turning, we'll see how creative we can be.

Wednesday, October 5th (Day 17)

Helen's looking lovely on her lunch break on this gorgeous day! Black shoes, stockings and skirt paired with a rose colored top. Although the photo doesn't show the detail in her scarf, there are rose-colored dots in the pattern that match perfectly with her top. I ask myself once again, "how does she do it??"

Tuesday, October 4 (Day 16)

A woman after my own heart, Helen is timeless and cosmopolitan in solid shades of grey, black and tan. A perfectly matched silver lariat necklace with cascading grey and black glass beads echoed the sheen of her slacks while adding a delicate balance to the overall ensemble. I am reminded of a saying of Elizabeth Edwards (made famous by her daughter, Cate) "You almost always regret prints, but you'll never regret wearing solids."

Monday, October 3rd (Day 15)

Helen walked into the office yesterday morning looking like a ray of sunshine on the semi-dreary and partly cloudy start of the work week. She still had a smile on her face thinking about the fun she had at her grammar school reunion the day before. (Guardian Angel in Manhattan). I loved the floral patterned cardigan and matching coral scarf, worn over your basic black slacks and camisole. I'm seeing a cardigan theme emerging....Mr. Rogers is smiling down from heaven! Rumor has it that Neal gave this outfit a thumbs up as well.

Friday again?

Time flies when you're having fun (Which is out poor excuse for falling behind)!

Helen continues to pull out the black-and-white outfits this week, as fall comes to town for real. She also tells us that she's preparing a closet exposé, so get ready to go behind the scenes at our heroine's home!

Roll Out the Barrel! (Day 13)

Polka dots on Thursday! Not sure that's going to be a regular thing, but there they were this week.

Complimenting the basic black-and-white top were Helen's glasses, which she fortuitously stumbled upon while dressing Thursday morning. They're a little out of focus in the picture, but you can make out the white dots.

It's all in the details.