Maine Girl

This fall we have seen the 80's come back in a BIG way. The moto jackets, the skinny jeans, neon colors, strong shoulders, over the knee high heel boots. You get the idea. It has been a struggle for some women including myself. Trying to find the balance between trends and your own style can be challenging. It's important to understand that all you need is a couple of pieces that incorporate the trend of the season into your wardrobe. There is no need to buy a whole new one. Sometimes this only means purchasing a couple of great accessories. Whatever the trend may be, just continue to be yourself. Know what you like and don't like, but at the same time be willing to try. Trying is the fun part:-) Why am I talking about trends today, you might be asking? I am talking about trends because we are about to see a change. How does a fresh new take on the 70's sound to you? Think softer silhouettes vs. the very strong silhouettes of the 80's. Think more of a subtle palette...

All you need is a satin ribbon to change up your look a little bit!! It's so easy and so inexpensive. I just went to our local fabric store and chose the cream color satin ribbon. They had tons to choose from, but I decided to just keep it simple. Here I wore it under my cardigan as a belt around my skirt. I just kept the cardigan unbuttoned at the bottom to show the ribbon. It made a cute outfit even cuter!!! (BTW, I think I have had this skirt for about 6 years now and I seem to be able to make it new every time I wear it!!) I also love the way a ribbon looks on the outside of a cardigan. Super adorable;-)

This is the time of year when sugar plums dance in our heads and these three sweet new polishes from Essie make me start humming the music from The Nutcracker march in the first act! You know how it goes: Daaa, da da da da, da, da, da, daaaa! The mint candy apple is the most yummiest shade of green. It is a light color so it will look really nice on someone who has pale skin, which is most of us at this time of year. Rock candy is the softest shade of pink and looks beautiful with everything you wear this holiday season. And who doesn't love this lollipop red! The holidays wouldn't be complete if you didn't sport a shade of red! Go to essie.com to order or Trade Secret in the Bangor Mall also sells Essie polish. They also sell a gift package of all three colors in a mini size along with a 3 way glaze polish which is a base coat/top coat for $17! What a deal and what a great gift idea for your nail freak friends!

Necklace: Anna Sheffield $795 Dress: French Connection $129.99 Chain bib neckaces by LauraLy featuring FOSSIL jewelry Items in this set: French Connection dress , 95 GBP Yves Saint Laurent necklace , $1,300 Yves Saint Laurent necklace , $1,300 Barneys.com necklace , $650 Lucky Brand necklace , $85 This dress from French Connection USA is the perfect backdrop to highlight one of these gorgeous chain bib necklaces. Why did I choose this dress to highlight the necklace you ask? Why it has the perfect bateau style neckline! You do not want a dress with a scoop neck because the necklace would just get lost and also it would not look as fresh and modern. Plus some of these necklaces would require a very low neckline. If your neckline were that low I would suggest skipping the necklace all together and going for a pair of long chandelier earrings!

If you plan on going out today (BLACK FRIDAY) to be the first in line at a door buster sale, the last thing you need is a purse that keeps falling off your shoulder! I am a huge fan of Big Buddha Bags to begin with and this one is great because it is worn across your body. This means your hands are free to push through the crowds and grab those bargains! Big Buddha Cross Body Bag $85 endless.com

Stuck in the kitchen all Thanksgiving day? That doesn't mean you can't be gorgeous. Try one of these aprons from Anthropologie and you will dazzle 'em with your style and your food!

Happy Thanksgiving to all you fashionistas out there! I am sure you are thinking what I am thinking. It's the same thing that we think about when any big event comes up. What will I wear?? Well, we are in luck because there are so many choices! I don't know about you but my decision depends on comfort. But it has to be fashionable. Now usually fashion and comfort don't mix but this year we can be thankful for leggings and cozy sweaters and knits! We can eat all day and be comfy in the kitchen in a look like this one in the top photo from C & C California. Or if you are going to a relitives house for Thanksgiving or meeting your boyfriends partents for the first time this look from Talbots is just a little more sophisticated without looking too "dressed up." (notice she is wearing jeans with that gorgeous silk plaid wrap top:-)Or if you are throwing a Thanksgiving bash and you are the hostess (not the cook. You hired him:-) This look from Talbots in the bottom ...

Unconventional Cocktail Affair by LauraLy featuring Rupert Sanderson shoes Items in this set: Haute Hippie top , $345 Rupert Sanderson boots , 622 GBP Helmut Lang tights , $320 Nordstrom.com ring , $225 Leatherock belt , $120 The shirtdress is back in a big way!! I love this look worn with distressed denim, or if you have great legs and you are lucky enough to live in LA, I love the shirtdress on its own with a pair of simple flat thong sandals. It also can take you to an elegant evening affair if you just dress it up a little with a fabulous belt (I have a few choice selections here), a pair of black tights or leggings, black high heel booties, some great jewelry, and a fab handbag in a brightly colored satin. I LOVE this aqua satin clutch by Prada pictured here with this outfit stylized by yours truly;-)

There is just something about Anna Torv's style that I love! Her character, Olivia Dunham on the Fox network tv series Fringe, is just so totally cool and the best part about it is that she doesn't even know it! Or at least it appears that way. She is a woman who is totally devoted to her career as an FBI agent assigned to the Fringe division. She has no idea of how stylish she really is!!! (her stylist does though:-) I adore her look of perfectly tailored suits and fitted collared blouses in pale blue or white. Sometimes you will catch her in a simple pair of charcoal grey trousers, a black tee and a leather jacket on her more casual days. What reaaaallly makes her look complete is her very simple and chic long blonde hair parted in the middle sometimes pulled back in a pony tail right in the middle of the back of her head. Her stylist wants you to think that this was not well thought out. I know better than that!!! She is simply gorgeous. Her minimalist make up really makes h...

When I saw this ribbed knit wrap from Cold Water Creek I actually started to get a warm feeling all over!!!!! The ruffles are so feminine and the color is GORGEOUS!! The price is right too. Two for $29.95 each or one for $39.95. I will go with the two for $29.95. One for me and one for you!!! What a fabulous way to say Happy Holidays!!! P.S. It also comes in four more fantastic colors. Go to coldwatercreek.com to check them out:-)

I can't even tell you how necessary a pair of pretty flats are this holiday season!! These are my all time favorites by Kate Spade. How unique with the bow! They look like the best present I could receive;-) At $95 it doesn't completely break the bank either! Make sure you become a fan of Laura's Style on Facebook to see more styles in my Fancy Flats album.

TWEED Avon Quick Dry Nail Oil is a great product. It really works in speeding up the drying time and it also softens my cuticles at the same time. I love it and at $6 how could you go wrong. It would make a great stocking stuffer for all you're 'girls.' Since the nail oil was so inexpensive I decided to try the Avon Nailwear Pro Nail enamel too. (It's the least I could do at $2.99 a bottle:-) Tried this color called Tweed. It almost looks like a brown but really it's a deep dark burgundy on your nail. So far I am loving the color. Now I will be testing wearablity. Keeping in mind the price of course:-)

I was so happy that Irina Shabayeva was the winner of this seasons Project Runway!! I was amazed with her first design shown on the 1st episode and wondered why no one was really talking about her. The weeks following her designs were just as great but still, no one was talking about her and she was barely being filmed! I couldn't get over it. Perhaps they knew all along that she would be the winner and they just wanted to get our attention off of her to watch the others struggle along;-) Being the winner of Project Runway, Irina's dress that she designed exclusively for INC will be available at Macy's come early December. It is a contemporary take on the little black dress made of rayon matte jersey and is butterfly embellished. (butterflies are her trade mark:-) I must own this dress!!!

Asymmetrical necklines are always attractive, so I was so happy to see that they are one of the coolest new trends for spring 2010! It is just a little different and unexpected. It will put that little bit of spice into your wardrobe that we are always after. I am LOVING this vintage 80's dress. This asymmetrical neckline and longer sleeve makes it so wearable and it looks like something that a designer would be doing right now! Now that's my kind of classic:-)

I LOOOOVE Plaid!!! It just gives that warm cozy feeling! Don't you agree? This skirt from Talbots is one of my favorite things!

Of course we all feel much sexier in heels. They make us feel taller and thinner. They also make us feel more in control. More powerful. I am here to say that yeah, heels are great. But sometimes a girl needs a break!!! When it's time for a rest these fabulous flats by Tory Burch are my 1st choice. I love her signature T!

I am loving these bags! Tracy Fredkin has designed the Tucker Paisley Signature collection just for us stylish women! You really should check out her website www.tuckerpaisley.com. She has created many different collections so there is something for everyone!

I just discovered this really cool website the other day called ThredUP.com. They are based in Cambridge, MA. It is so cool if you are the type of person who gets tired of wearing the same old things all the time! It is so easy to do. You just log on to ThredUP.com and register. Then you get an e mail back telling you that you are in! You pay only $25 for three large envelopes. (You can get more if you want:-) You send in one top per envelope to ThredUP and you get one for every one that you send! The coolest part is that you don't know exactly what you will get in return. It's like Christmas! You let them know the brands you are interested in, your size, and where you intend to wear your top. (Is it for work or play?) There are also four different levels. Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. So you don't have to worry about sending in your Chanel blouse and getting a JCrew blouse in exchange. You would get an item on the same level that you sent in. It is tops only though,...

Gold and Black by LauraLy featuring Tory Burch Items in this set: Tory Burch jacket , 720 GBP Tory Burch blouse , $325 Tory Burch shoes , $495 Tory Burch sandals , $140 Tory Burch tote bag , $595

I just bought myself the newest trend in nail polish! OPI's Matte polish in Russian Navy. I LOVE it! And it really is matte. I know we are all used to the shiny nail look and that is pretty too. But I love trying new things and right now matte nails are being seen all over the runways. When I purchased the polish the sales lady said that it is best not to use a top coat or a base coat when using the matte polish because well, it won't be matte anymore. Unless you also try Essie's Matte About You Top Coat. This will make any of your shiny nail polishes that you already own into that fresh new matte look!

LA designer Tiffany Saidnia knows her fabrics!!! She also knows that women want to feel beautiful yet comfy at the same time. Her skinny stretch collection does just that. The pieces are made from a sweet blend of modal and stretch so they look great on every body type and are sooooo slimming! My personal favorite is this Mia stretch jumpsuit. It would look great for holiday but also for every day depending on how you accessorized it! And if you know me, I am a sucker for a cute jumpsuit. But my second favorite is this fabulous Audrey dress. Don't you just love the bow??!! She also makes fantastic tee shirts that you can't live without because they feel so luxurious on your body. I am in dire need of a basic white v neck tee, but the neck has to be just right. (I'm a little picky.) You would think that would be easy to find. Not until now!! You can find her complete collection at ttcollection.com.

You cannot go wrong with a gorgeous faux fur stole or bolero. This is such an elegant look and it screams HOLIDAY PARTY! Ohhhhhhh how I love this Dolce & Gabbana satin trench. The satin fabric makes it dressy. And what a fabulous emerald green color to wear over your all black cocktail dress! Talbots also has a pretty satin trench online that they are offering right now in a sapphire blue. Fabulous!!! Normally I would say forget the traditional pashmina. Everyone will be wearing one. However if you have a pashmina with a bit of sparkle like the one pictured here, you can't go wrong! Anything with sparkle is so now and is anything but boring. (Don't forget, you can add a little sparkle into your day looks as well:-) Evening outerwear can always be a challenge. You want to wear those gorgeous one shoulder dresses and sleeveless tops but then you think BRRRRRR! You don't want to wear that big bulky winter coat,(trust me, you don't) but you want to at least be semi wa...