Maine Girl

My great friend and personal hair stylist Charlene Boggins opened her own salon in my hometown Veazie, Maine about two years ago. She is not only a certified Vidal Sassoon hair stylist, but she also specializes in treating women going through medical hair loss due to chemotherapy or other medical conditions. She helps women through the whole process of hair loss which can be very traumatic for most. Charlene also supplies beautiful scarves and gorgeous wigs which she trims and styles to each clients specification.  Charlene wants to also be able to help women who may not be able to afford a wig or her services.  That is why she has introduced  The Nourish Salon & Spa Angel Fund.  Charlene and I came up with the idea to hold a Clothing Swap twice a year to benefit her Angel Fund . We are very excited about this event and we plan on making it a huge success!  Below, you will find your official invite. Y ou are invited to a Clothing Swap!...

This is a question that has been coming up more often these days. With all the crazy variations out there it's no wonder you ladies have a ton of questions!  As we skim through Pinterest we see photos of some crazy accessorizing techniques that actually look fantastic. But can you pull them off?  At Laura's Style, we say that if you like something then there is a way that you can pull it of for sure. There are no RULES to fashion, but there are some things that just look really good together. It's the same as when you decorate a room. Some colors look really good together and some colors really don't. A lot of it has to do with personal preference. A lot of it has to do with us just being the human beings that we are. Believe it or not, colors, styles and the way things flow, really affects our moods. So, I don't mean to get all scientific on you but it kind of comes down to that. I have to admit. This is a tough subject to explain.   As humans we ...

I was privileged to be chosen to speak at a local MOPs meeting yesterday morning. In case you have never heard of MOPs , it actually stands for Mothers Of Preschoolers . It is a group of inspiring mothers of children from birth to kindergarten, who get together to meet, laugh, cry and embrace the journey of motherhood.  I am a mother of a 17 year old son so it was great for me to gather with them and reminisce about the good old days when my son and I used to cuddle together and I was his idol. I think I need to start my own mothers group called MOTs. Mothers of Teenagers. I need all the support I can get in that area!  While MOPs is known for sharing the adventures of motherhood, that's not all these ladies have in common. They all have thoughts and ideas to share and this is a place that they can gather and feel comfortable speaking them out loud.  I was contacted by Farrah about a month ago to come and speak about my style services as well as my new u...

Good question depending on what you expect leggings to do for you. I seriously have mixed emotions about leggings.  I believe every single woman looks best in a pair of straight (but not too straight) boot cut (but not cut too wide at the hem) pants tailored to fit her body type. Leggings can look great too. But leggings are certainly meant to be styled. Not just worn with your favorite sweatshirt.  The lady in the photo above looks perfect in her leggings. Study that picture for a minute. Notice her leggings look fairly substantial. Not too thin of a fabric. Her top comes down well below her fanny. She looks like she could have short legs so her ankle boots come just at the right height to keep her leg looking long. The only debate I have is that her ankle boots could have been kept black so as to make her legs look even longer, but because the color of the boots work so well with the sweater and they don't come up too high on her ankle, I say it looks great! Her...

Here it is ladies. My official trend report for Fall 2014. Remember, trends come and go faster than you can purchase them, so before you go out and invest in them, make sure it's something you love whether it's on trend or not! Leather or leather details such leather piping on a dress. Pastels. Try soft pink or sea foam green. Red. Black and White Plaid Longer Full Skirts Bigger Boxy Bags Wedges/Ankle Boots

This weeks Manly Monday question comes from Linda in Levant. She sees the men in her life struggling with this and we thought the men in your life might be struggling too.  The question is: " How do I know if my necktie matches my look? Is there a rhyme to the reason, or does any tie work?" Good question Linda. Let's see what Terry the most fashionable IT guy we know has to say about this subject: Terry says, " Ties are the perfect way for fellas to experiment with colors, patterns, even textures for those who aren't ready to do it full-on with other articles of clothing." "The one person I immediately think of when I think about ties, is none other than Project Runway's Tim Gunn. He loves to mix and match ties, and play with different colors and patterns, even bow ties! Ties make great statement pieces, much like a statement necklace for women. Don't be afraid to experiment a little with them!" Thank you Terry for...

Last week I modeled the zebra print. This week I am showing off the tiger print. I wouldn't say that I am obsessed with animals (I do think they are pretty neat though). I just simply enjoy wearing their patterns from time to time.  As I sit here and type this, I am now trying to figure out what it is about animal prints that some people either love or hate. Some people think that animal prints can look trashy. I think that is because some people who have a rebellious attitude in life wear animal prints in order to prove that they are as tough as a tiger, or as fierce as a leopard. Therefore, the way they choose to wear it appears a little bit rough and sometimes just waaaaayyy too much. And if that's you, then all righty. You own it girl! Then there are those of us who simply like animal prints because we think they look rich, classy and pretty on other people. We wish we could wear them but we are afraid to look like that rebellious lady I just spoke about in ...

Ever feel like when you go shopping that you either love everything you see OR you see absolutely nothing that grabs your attention? At Laura's Style, we believe that it all comes down to color . Colors can really set a mood, or a tone for who you are and what you love. Sometimes we just love a color for a specific reason. Maybe it reminds us of something we enjoy, but we just cannot wear it because it looks terrible against our skin and hair tone. (For me, it's pale ballet pink, because I LOVE ballet!) I really hate it when this happens! Something I have been wondering these days is, who really chooses which colors will be on trend each season? So I did a little bit of research. I learned that Pantone is THE the authority on color trends, but how do they come to the decision when there are so many colors and shades out there to choose from? I have always thought that Pantone picked the colors first, and then fashion designers use them in their latest collections each ...

There is just something about black and white. It always looks great. It's simple. You don't even really have to think about it. You can just put it on and you know you look great.  As much as I love wearing color, black and white are my two favorite non colors to go to when I have no clue of what I am going to wear. Yes, I just let you in on my little secret. I too have days that I just don't know what to put on. Not something you would expect a fashion stylist to say. But we are all only human. Perfection is only an illusion. And pictures only tell the story that you want them to tell. SHOP THIS LOOK JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

For a while now we have seen the big flowy long rectangular shape scarves being flaunted all over the fashion forefront. And as we are just beginning to learn how to tie those over-sized gorgeous pieces of fabric, the smaller square silky scarves are making a comeback.  We are so thrilled to get on board with this old yet new trend here at Laura's Style. We have always admired the colors and the designs of these shiny squares. They are a work of art! {VOGUE September issue 2014} Below is a really fantastic video on how to tie these little guys. These classic ties will NEVER go out of style! SHOP SQUARE SILK SCARVES! JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

This weeks Manly Monday question comes from Evan in Colorado. He asks "Are pleated pants still "in" for men? Or should I choose no pleats for a dressed up look?" Good question Evan. Scroll down a little and lets see what advice Terry, the most stylish IT guy we know , gives us about pleated vs. non pleated pants for men: {photo via Fitted Suits For Men } Terry: "Hmmm. Are pleated pants still "in" for men?"........ "Well, currently, pleated pants certainly are considered "out" and plain-front pants are definitely the rage.  Why?  Plain-front pants have a more "modern" look to them, while pleats are seen as dated. However, I think pleated pants can look every bit as stylish (or in some cases even more so) as plain-front pants when worn right. By design, pleated pants are made to be worn higher on the waist, which can help elongate the body. Conversely, plain-front pants are worn lower, and can help ...

Just because fall is known for it's autumnal colors, doesn't mean that you must wear them. The neutrals and pastels are quite on trend as well!  Some people prefer the neutrals and say they are scared of color. At Laura's Style we say that that is okay! Don't try to be someone you're not. You won't look as pretty when you do that ;) SHOP NEUTRALS JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

Animal prints are always in style. You will never see them go away. Some people will question me on that. Question me all you want. I will always see it that way. And over time, you will see that I am right on.  Some seasons you see them being shown off a little more in your fashion magazines. This fall of 2014 is one of those seasons. Animal prints are quite prominent. Just pick up any edition of any fashion magazine these days and you will see what I am talking about. Apparently my beautiful friend and colleague Pattty agrees wholeheartedly with me. We both had to laugh and get our picture taken together when we both showed up at work wearing our favorite zebra print. What's your favorite animal to wear? The Zebra Girlz are back in town. SHOP ZEBRA PRINT  JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

SHOP THE LOOK JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content. I happened to think this about this topic last weekend when I pulled out my white jeans for some would say, the last time until the day after Memorial Day. I don't know why it irritates me so much when people go by this rule. I think a part of me is very upset to say that summer is over, so wearing white after Labor Day is the rebel in me coming out I suppose.  At Laura's Style we believe that it is just fine to wear white after Labor Day. That is, if you want to. If you are uncomfortable doing it because you think people will judge you, then please get over it! You should know that as long as you wear white in heavier fabrics such as denim, wool and corduroy, it is totally acceptable. We don't want you to wear light weight whites such as cotton and linen because you will freeze your butt off in the cooler months ahead. But if you live in a lovely HOT tro...

Nail art. It can be confusing. Personally here at Laura's Style, we still love it. But we have been told that wild nail art is beginning to fade fast. At least that is what the fashion world is deciding for us.  Celebrity Manicurist Deborah Lippmann says that nail art isn't necessarily out, but it's starting to become a little more subtle. We were so happy to hear that since here at Laura's Style we were just kind of getting started on loving this trend! Here are some of the new more subtle nail art we are seeing for fall 2014. And now that it is officially September we can talk about fall, right? {photo via Elle.com } {photo via Harper's Bazaar } {photo via Harper's Bazaar } {photo via Harper's Bazaar } What do you think of nail art? Do you wear it?