Stylish workout wear

Workout gear is one of those necessary evils in my mind. You can't go to the gym in stilettos and a pencil skirt...you just get strange looks....I know I have tried...But no need to fear I am hear to give a little peak into some stylish and easy work out pieces even on a budget.

Now this blog and personal shopper in no way advocate wearing active wear as day to day wear...NOT OK! Gym cloths are for the gym!

Tops: The most important thing to consider here is if your lovely lady lumps are fit for a built in bra top or if a sports bra and top are the right way to go. I would say that any one below a D cup can wear a bra top and anyone D and above would want to consider a supportive active wear bra and an over shirt.

This Pearlizumi Top for $65 has a built in sports bra and adjustable supportive razor back straps.

This fashionable top is by Lucy for $52.

This Glamorise bra for larger chest sizes is $35

Bottoms: There are so many choices for bottoms...shorts, capris, pants, tight, loose....what to choose? Choose bottoms that are concussive to what you are doing, don't wear loose pants if you are going to ride a bike or a spin class wear appropriate biking shorts...Here are few options that can serve many purposes.

These are standard, comfortable and versatile workout pants by Fit Couture for $59.

This emerging trend is one that I really like, it is the workout skirt. It has shorts under but smooth over the tushy. This Pearlizumi skirt is $50.

These Lucy Shorts are a great length for $58

These Champion cropped pants are a quick dry material perfect for indoor or outdoor workouts, only $34!

These are just a few suggestions for how to make your active wear wardrobe work for you!

The Sun Dress!

I would like to take a moment to pay tribute to the worlds GREATEST clothing innovation...the Sun Dress! I am a huge sun dress fan and I wait with bated breath for summers hot months to wear only sun dresses. The great part about a sun dress is that it is 1-2 easy pieces, they are cool, they are inexpensive and you can wear sandals with them, and you always look put together and great in a sun dress. I generally buy 3-5 of them to rotate through out the week.

Here are a few good ones!!!

Loft Dress is under $50

Loft Dress for under $30, this cute dress is one I own and it is SOOOOO comfortable!!

Down East Basics Tuxedo Dress for under $30.

Down East Basics Sundress under $30.

This Forever 21 dress has a late 1920's look to it and would make a stylish statement for under $25

Black and white bold patterns are in this year! Look for this cute dress that is perfect for a BBQ or the office at Express $50

This adorable Yellow Eyelet baby doll dress is both sexy and sweet, Charlotte Russe $30

Anthropologie Sundress with pockets, it is under $90

This Anthropologie Dress is super chic and would be a dress up dress down kind of sundress it is $140

I personally prefer to wear my sun dresses with a little cami or an undershirt. Here is a picture of me and the hubby and you will notice I am wearing an undershirt made by Down East Basics.

The Wonder Tee and the Pretty Tee are made by Down East Basics and are a perfect little undershirt for the Modest Milly in the group!

Cardigans make a dress more modest which may be appropriate for work or church. This cardigan is from Ann Taylor Loft and is under $20.

Summer Boho Fashion

Summer is the perfect time to embrace a very easy going and bohemian fashion. Look for light fabrics and easy pieces. Bright colors, bold prints, ruffles, and easy large accessories are the perfect way to achieve a pulled together bohemian look.

Here are a few suggestions:

This look can be found at Anthropologie for $136

Everything you see this model wearing can be found at Ann Taylor Loft and the complete outfit costs $266. (that includes the shoes, necklace and bag!)

If you are on a budget try this lovely look from Kohls!

This look will only cost $41!

How about Boho Maternity??

This look for Pea in the Pod costs $116

This look is also at Ann Taylor Loft! $142

This look is the priciest one at $528 from Anthropologie.

I hope you have enjoyed our summer fashion tour. Good Luck and happy hunting!

For additional help with style and wardrobe makeover feel free to email me, Sarah Hosman, at perfectpintuck@gmail.com.

SUMMER!!!!

Summer weather is upon us and we know what means...the dreaded SWIMMING SUIT. Even I dread swimming suit shopping so I have decided to post some tips and trends for swimming suits that will hopefully help you find the Perfect Suit!

As for me this year I will be dawning a bikini for the first time in my life because I think few things are cuter then a pregnant woman in a bikini. I chose this one from Victoria Secret. My husband and I found out we are having a girl! Hurray for baby fashion! Here are a couple of pictures of the little one.

What you should first think of is what is your problem area or areas. Do you want your chest to be perky and appear younger and larger? Do you want your bum to appear smaller? Do want your waist to appear smaller? Do you want to be fully covered or show a little skin? So first evaluate what you want out of a Suit.

Apples: You will usually want to slim the waist and wrangle the girls while showing off your lovely limbs. This suit by Shape FX will help you to feel slimmer because it has a built in control top that will slim you down. The rouching also helps to mask any unsightly love handles.



Pears: You will usually want to slim down the bottom and minimize it. The Swim dress is a GREAT alternative to regular swim suits. Shape FX shows how the cut of this suit will flatter the bottom and enhance the bust.



Many pears boast a fabulous tummy and small waist so this alternative has a vintage feel with a modern twist that will accent the top while still covering the bottom.


Linear Figures: You will want to look for swimming suits that have geometric shapes that will make appear curvy. This sexy suit is by Victoria Secret


Lets face fact though! Linear Figures will look great in a bikini too!


Hour Glass: You have an ideal swim suit body even if you are not the perfect size. Here are two options. Both are from Shape FX and highlight the small waist while controlling the girls and bum.

What Do You Want to Know?

Hear Ye! Hear Ye ! Loyal Customers, Warm Hearted Friends, Esteemed Family, and Dedicated Blog Surfers! Welcome to the Perfect Pintuck Kingdom. I am the Queen of Shopping, Sarah Hosman! For those of you who frequent the Blog I would love to know what you think about it, and what you would like to know more about. Please post comments when you stop by and let me know what you want me to research for you. I am but a humble servant to my loyal followers!

Lovingly your humble and always fashionable Queen Sarah!

Cost-Per-Wear

I felt the need to cover this topic in a little more detail while I was out shopping with some friends this weekend. We went to Nordstroms, Athropologie, and Ann Taylor Loft to name a few and as we each tried on different outfits we all evaluated how we looked and liked the item and of course we evaluated the price tag. The two friends I was with have VERY different approaches to shopping, not that one is better then other but it go me thinking how many of us are like this.

My friend Susan likes nice things! She loves Anthro and Nordstroms and buys almost exclusively from those stores. However, she works from home and has three lovely kids, as such her "work uniform" is pretty casual and needs to be "wash and wear". She tried on SEVERAL adorable jersey tops for me at Anthropologie. Don't get me wrong I love the tee's at Anthro but they are not inexpensive. They range in price from $40-$80, now she could by a similar shirt from Target for $10-$30. One may try to argue that the top from anthro will last longer...it won't the wearing out of fabric has more to do with the number of times you wash it. Ok, so lets look at cost-per-wear. I believe that most items should ultimately cost you pennies in your cost-per-wear. I like to keep my casual close under 10 cents. That means a $10 tee should be worn 100 times. Thats not a small number! So if you choose a tee from Anthro for $48 it would need to last 480 wears! So that top better look AMAZING on you.

My friend Lidia is a wonderful person who really evaluates cost per wear almost to a fault. We found an ADORABLE top on sale at Ann Taylor for $20. It was a fancy jersey shirt. So she needs to wear it 200 times to get a good cost per wear. Lidia analyzed the purchase all the way to car.

Here is the deal ladies there is a formula to follow. Fit First, Cost Second, Need Third. Does it fit and do you feel great in it? Does it fit the budget? (BUILD A BUDGET BEFORE GOING SHOPPING) Do you really need it? Treat your close shopping like grocery shopping. What do you need? and how much can you spend? This is the number one question I will ask a client before we go shopping.

Lets break down the cost per wear to look for in casual shirts, dress shirts, jeans, church/evening out dress, casual dress, slacks and skirts.

Casual Shirts- $0.10

Dress Shirts- $0.20-$0.25

Jeans- $0.20

Nice Dress- $1.00-$5.00

Casual Dress-$0.50-$2.00

Slacks- $0.25-$1.00

Skirts- $0.20-$1.50

You can see the cost per wear helps you to determine how many of each item you need in your wardrobe. If you are a stay at home mommy then you probably only need one pair of slacks, while the professional may only need two pairs of jeans.

Sarah I'm On a Budget!

Ladies, I am here to answer your plea! Many of us are on budgets and we want to find a great outfit for an affordable price. So I have gone shopping at several different stores for some affordable outfits. Check'em out!!!

Kohls (Click here to see these items and more)

This lovely white top is below $22

Ruffle Cardigan for under $32

Straight Leg Trousers for $30

Total outfit price UNDER $85

Charlotte Russe (Click here to see these and other great finds)

Ladies always make sure that the pieces you pick out are both age appropriate and well fitting.

Romantic Chiffon Top $15

Cropped Twill Pants for $27

Preppy Pumps for $25

Earrings for $4

Total Outfit Price $71

JC Penny (Click here for JC Penny online)

Floral Blouse $20

Ruffle Pencil Skirt $20

Designer Bag $45

Total outfit price $85

Forever 21 (Click here for other great ideas)

Sweet Ruffle Dress is $30

Sassy Head Band $4

Silver Bead Necklace for $9

Total Outfit $43

There are good buys out there! Just be willing to spend some time trying on and finding great pieces to enhance your wardrobe. Please feel free to email me if you would like to have me as your own personal shopper and stylist!