Are you a Renaissance Woman??

Hello folks I wanted to spend some time discussing the different body types more in depth to help you "figure" out your FIGURE... The first group we are going to look at is one of the most common figures: Middle Figured/Apples, these gals are our Renaissance Women. Renaissance art portrayed women with a delicious creamy center to show their femininity, health and approachability. Middle Figure simply means your fullest part is around your navel. Despite the signs of health and approachability Middle Figures can often suffer from a lack of confidence and frustration with shopping. Middle Figures need to remember that in spite of their warm center they have amazing limbs that can help give them a more slender look.

Before I proceed further I want to introduce myself: I am Sarah Hosman, Personal Shopper and Stylist in the Phoenix Area. I would love to help you find a wardrobe that will make you feel like a queen. I teach style classes for small to large groups. I can also take you for a personalized style session. Please contact me if you are in need of my services and I will send you a services sheet. perfectpintuck@gmail.com
First rule to dressing all Body Types is to never accessorize and embellish the fullest part of your body. For the Middle Figured girls that means avoiding belts and sashes around your waist.

Rule two is to look for tops with structure that float away from the tummy. Middle Figured Women can look for larger prints, but use with caution. Look for jackets that have great seaming and fit the broadest part of you.

This item is at Bananna Republic

Rule three is to direct attention up to your face you can often do that with a fancy neckline that is rounded or V-neck and exposes a bit of skin. This item came from Anthropologie

Pants! Look for pants that have structured supportive waist band and are mid rise. You want to avoid pants that give you "grandma pants" (this means your pant waist band hits under your bust line) or give you the muffin top (pants sitting too low that cause the tummy to expand out the top) Many apples complain of a flatter tushy so look for pants that have buttons on the back pockets and sit higher on the bottom. These pants are from Ann Taylor Loft

Underpinnings! If you still feel uncomfortable with your tummy then look for underpinnings that give you a cleaner line over your tummy. This item came from Spanx

Figures of First Lady's

Ever since Jackie Kennedy wore this stunning Oleg Cassini gown at her husbands inauguration, the country has watched the fashion of the First Lady. Jackie always chose classic lines and cuts that flattered her Linear figure well. There is a tremendous responsibility to be both elegant and classy while not looking matronly and boring. We have had many First Lady's work hard at creating an appropriate image to flatter their different body types. I want to take a breif look at First Lady Fashion through the decades.




Our darling Laura Bush is an Upper Figured woman (larger proportionally on top then below) Many of her formal gowns have feminine details and often use a V-neck line which works well to minimize a broader chest.

Power house Hillary Clinton is a Lower Figured woman, as is Michelle Obama. I want it to be noted though how Michelle is dressing her figure more flattering then Hillary. Hillary trys to hide her ample rear end while Michelle lets her "solo" act stand on its own. When lower figured women use long jackets and tops to cover their bottoms they end up calling more attention to them. You are putting a big tent over your bottom. Michelle's jackets are shorter and break at the hip. They draw attention to her waist. While the skirts and pants she chooses are often in a neutral color and have little details so as to not draw more attention.

Barbara Bush, Americas Grandma, is a classic Middle Figured woman, this means she has softer center of the body. Middle figured women should look for tops that either "lock and load" the middle using seaming and darts that will give the appearance of a smaller waist line. They can also look for items that float away from the middle. Barbara did not no do this perfectly but she tried. However, lets look more at the fashion from the current inauguration. I must at this time give props to Michelle for her STUNNING outfits for the Inauguration and Ball. She wore an elegant Isabel Toledo gold dress with matching over coat. This was a Jackie moment! I only wish she had a hat to match her shoes and gloves....I am obsessed with hats... Jason Wu designed this elegant and classy ball gown worn by Michelle later that night at the Inaugural Ball.

Is She the First Lady of Fashion?

I am not sure if anyone out there knows our soon to be First Lady, Michelle Obama, but if you do please direct her to my blog! First, it would be fun if she actually stopped by. Second, I want us to evaluate the things she is doing well in dress and style, as well as how it can improved. President Elect Obama ran on the slogan of "YES WE CAN!" and the tag line of Change. So, I am calling for some "Change" in not only Michelle Obamas dress but also our own.

The first thing is to realize Michelle is being professionally dressed to fit a "look", each of us has our own look and and signature style. I would classify Michelle Obamas signature style as a mixture of masculine/feminine with some "classic" touches in her exsessories. She wears basic colors, usually solids with classic simple shapes. I have heard it said on several occasions that she is the First Lady of Fashion. However, I don't think she is quite a Jackie yet. This may sound harsh but I thought she wearing a maternity dress at her husbands acceptance speech. The issue with the dress was the red. If it had been red all over with the black banding at the waist it would have been fine. However, the red on her stomach and hips drew attention to make them appear large.

Michelle Obama is a classic pear shape. This means that perportionally she is wider around her hips and bum then she is around her bust. This shape is beautiful and great but it has rules. Michelle Obama chooses to often pick a pencil skirt shape for dresses and skirts. The difficulty with pencil skirts is that they can often look boxy. This has happened to Michelle on a few occasions.

Pears look for tops that will help add volume to help balance the body to look more "hour glass" Look for skirts that have an A-Line shape like the one below.

Pears also look for necklines and details that draw the eye up to your face and away from you rear.
I am looking forward to seeing her fashion choice for the inauguration and looking forward to seeing if she will become a Jackie

Fashion Resolutions

We are not quite 10 days into the New Year and I just wanna know how many of us have already broken our New Years Resolutions? This year I opted out of resolving to do anything except being absolutely fabulous all the time. That's right! I resolved to put me on the priority list and make sure that I took time each morning to make sure I am a perfect 10. But what I want everyone to know is that perfect 10 does not need to take hours but rather it can take under thirty minutes. I want to give everyone a few products and tips to help you look and feel like a 10. these tips are for all ages and budgets!

I am Sarah Hosman, personal stylist and shopper in the Phoenix area. You can contact me at perfectpintuck@gmail.com and I can show you how to be a 10 in thirty minutes!





Hair: You wear your hair everyday and because of that it is extremely important to get a good hair cut. A good hair cut is worth paying some extra money on because of the "cost per wear". If you spend $45 to get your hair cut and you wear it 24/7 for 6-8 weeks then it is less then $1 per day. But most of the time you can get a good hair cut for $20-$35.






Next is your Shampoo and Conditioner...you will find many opinions on this, I personally use Redkin, the Smooth Down formula. Regardless of what brand you choose stick with the same brand for Shampoo and Conditioner. For fine hair check out LUSH's Big Shampoo, it has sea salts that you rub into the scalp it really ads body and volume. They are chemically formulated to work together. However, styling products you can mix and match. I personally use Big Sexy Hair Spray for styling. Choose a hair style that works with your natural hair and can be done by you in 15 minutes or less. A pony tail is not a style! Your stylist should be able to teach you how to style the hair cut that they have given to you and you should be able to do it quickly. You can spend more time on your hair for a special occasion but everyday it needs be done and ready to go in 15 minutes.






Face: This is your beauty routine! It needs to start with a clean and fresh face. A wonderful beauty routine can make you feel expensive and pampered but, it does not need to take a long time and it does not have to be expensive. Again, I am going to go back to cost per wear. Something may cost a bit more upfront but if it lasts longer and works better then its cost per wear is better then something that is cheaper.


I have been a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant for 7 years and I have used the product for over 10 years and it is the ONLY product I personally recommend. I have taught women for years that a beauty routine from face wash to makeup in 7 minutes. Start with a cleanser, move to a moisturizer and age fighting serum, eye creams, foundation, and finish with the rest of your make up. I can teach you how to do this in less then 10 minutes from start to finish.

Dress: It is important to have an exciting and easy wardrobe where you can grab and go with any outfit. See the blogs about dressing right for your body type and finding your personal style. Contact me for a personal styling session today! perfectpintuck@gmail.com