December means a new Small Town Style Star!

THE SMALL TOWN STYLE STAR FEATURES A STYLISH, SUCCESSFUL WOMAN FROM CENTRAL NEW YORK. SHE SHARES HER FAVORITE STYLE & BEAUTY TIPS & TRICKS WITH YOU. YOU CAN LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING A NEW STYLE STAR EACH MONTH FOR INSPIRATION, ADVICE AND INSIGHT INTO HER PERSONAL STYLE. December’s Small Town Style Star is Shauna Diliberto. The girl clearly has style all her own. She has an enviable talent for mixing vintage and new pieces in a modern and chic way. As the owner of Maeflowers Vintage, she is the other half of Vintage Love, a boutique on the corner of Jefferson and Warren Streets in downtown Syracuse. The shop is beautifully curated and a reflection of Shauna’s unique taste. After studying fashion merchandising in New York, Shauna landed her “dream job” as an associate merchandiser for the Martha Stewart Collection for Macy’s. Shauna moved back to the Syracuse area with her husband and started her business, bringing many of the pieces she found during her time in NYC. And she’s been growing her business ever since. Stop in to Vintage Love today and Shauna will put together a cool vintage look personalized for you. Tell her The Small Town Stylist sent you.

Describe your style in three words. Bohemian, modern, effortless

What is your “Go To” outfit? This all depends on the season, Spring: chambray button dow and classic hat. Summer: white lace dresses and vintage floral mumus, Fall: Bangs, boots, and a great new layering piece. This year I was all about the bomber jacket. Winter: Vintage furs and anything that I can wear with black tights or leather leggings.

Who are your style icons? Because I'm a vintage girl at heart, i've always been in love with 70's era Cher and Jane Birkin, both exude effortless style but done very glamorously. There is something timeless about them, yet perfect time capsules of the times. Modern day icons include: The Olsen Twins, Rachel Zoe, and Margherita Missoni. Bohemian, edgy, trendy, and yet effortlessly chic.

Where are your favorite stores to shop? Old Navy + H&M are my favorite mall stores to shop at. Zara, Anthropologie, and ASOS are my favorite online shops, and I spend a lot of time thrifting and traveling to vintage stores.

What do you admire most in other women? I admire woman that take pride in their appearance, and treat getting dressed as a celebration and love for their bodies and selves. Loving our bodies as they are sometime seems like a radical idea but it is possible. Doing this means stop hiding yourself in the old oversized sweats and start wearing clothes that fit and compliment your body.

What are your top 3 wardrobe staples? Hardest question ever! Right now my 3 staples are: My Madewell leather bucket bag, my vintage fur sweater coat, and high waisted skinny Levis.

What’s your #1 style tip? Please get a seamstress / tailor. This will change your life, I promise. Not all clothing bought off the rack is going to fit you perfectly, most people are not perfectly proportionate to mass market sizing. This comes handy if you are between sizes, don't settle for a wrong fitting item. Size up and have the piece tailored to fit you. Also, get a second life out of an old item that you may be over. I have taken many of my maxi dresses and had them turned into midi's or chopped in half to create and skirt and matching shirt outfit!

Thank you to the December Small Town Style Star, Shauna Diliberto. You can visit Shauna at her shop Vintage Love, located at 201 E Jefferson Street in Syracuse. You can also follow her on social media on Instagram at @maeflowersvintage  and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/maeflowersvintage/.

Know a stylish and inspiring woman in CNY you think should be the next Small Town Style Star? Send me an email at thesmalltownstylist@gmail.com and tell me all about her.