Thursday, December 15th (Day 60)

Today Mz. Helen pulls a classic 'white and black.' Strategically standing next to the deco white-and-black wallhanging in Associate Dean's Andrea's office, and contrasted nicely by the blue of the exam books, here we see Helen in true-blue NYC style in a 3-quarter sleeve white cardigan, short black ruffled skirt, black tights, and black super-efficient pumps. The business (of grading) is serious, and is underscored by the sheer pile of exambooks, the white question sheet, the pencil, and the glassess on the -- also black -- table. Helen's bright smile (sans doggie stress, phew!!), however, and the sheer chic of this outfit will make grading a lighter chore for anyone concerned, one hopes!

P.S. - and may I just take a moment to feel rather pleased that this blog was my idea? Ellen will testify.

Wednesday, December 14th (Day 59)

The red shoes are back! Glad to see that Helen is still trying to get her money's worth out of the red patent leather Cole Hahn flats she first sported on Day 52. Today the ruby slippers are a perfect compliment to Helen's black, gray and red argyle sweater. Black shoes just wouldn't have been festive enough during the holiday season!

Is it me or does Helen look a little stressed petting our co-worker's dog Brandi? I wasn't there when the pooch stopped by and I'm not sure if Helen is a dog lover, but if this photo is any indication, my guess is that there aren't any doggie treats under Helen's tree.

We are in the home stretch of the semester, just days from Christmas break, and some of our more loyal followers want Helen to continue on her fashion mission until she shows up in sweats and a t-shirt. If you have an opinion, let us know!

December 13 -- Day 58

Though bulletin board may be a little outdated, our heroine is fashionably au courant. Here Helen, who is always on her toes, sports a silk-rayon blend ballerina dress with great lines and even better flow. Black tights and black patent ballet flats complete the seemingly effortless no-wrinkle look that’s suited for an afternoon of end-of-semester nuttiness followed by an evening of fast-paced Christmas shopping.

Winding down - Monday (Day 57)

This is our last week of work before the holiday break, which I'd call the home stretch, but as an extended metaphor I don't think that works well for our hero.

Today I'm going right for the accessory: Helen, as you may have noticed, Dear Reader, is a fan of the scarf, and this is a great one. Offsetting a long-sleeved fuchsia top over black pants and shoes, the scarf starts our week in grand style.

Stay tuned for a festive five days!

Friday!

Another week successfully completed!

Helen surely has some Friday-night Fun planned with the grin she's wearing in today's photo. Here she's placing the lovely poinsettia the office received from our facilities department. And the red of the flowers nicely set off her black and gray ensemble, I think. There's definitely a bit of a chill now, so Helen's got black tights under the cute gray tulip skirt (ten-years old and still looking great!). Black boots are a little unusual for our hero, but work well with the sassy look she's got going as the weekend rolls in.

A reminder to please let us know how hard we should push Helen to continue the project. Our original target date has been reached, but the rest of us are still willing to watch her make it work.

Thursday, December 8th (Day 55)

Helen mixed it up on Thursday with a festive black and gray patterned dress, black chunky Silpada necklace, black stockings and black suede Stuart Weitzman pumps. (Stuart Weitzman is her favorite brand for shoes and Helen patiently waits and watches until they go on sale). She's also sporting a new gel manicure. Opi malaga wine is the color of choice (30 minutes to dry and lasts 2-3 weeks!).

Helen is a tad more dressy than usual, as the annual Holiday Party was on the agenda for later in the day. Stay tuned for a photo from the festivities. Apparently Helen's not the only one who loves Silpada jewelry and Opi malaga wine nails!

Alright, already! Take the darn picture! (Day 54)

Unfortunately Helen's getting a little miffed at her slacker co-workers whose picture taking and blogging has been less then timely as of late. As a result, her husband Neal had to step up to the plate and take this photo while Helen was in the kitchen whipping up a penne vodka with sausage dinner for her man. Thank you Neal!

On this rainy and dreary day, Helen went with earth tones. Light brown patterned slacks, a brown cardigan with an off white camisole sweater, and classic pearls.

Helen - if we promise to stay on top of the blog, will you promise to extend the challenge into next semester?? Readers, what do you think? Let us know!