,

There is no Camouflage for Tall

You know we like a good play on words but the title above is so serious too. You’ve got your height and no amount of slouching will ever make you shorter, it will just leave you with bad posture. A big reason we were able to bring this blog to fruition is how we were raised. We are forever grateful to have two tall parents who stressed the importance of standing up straight.

At the risk of sounding like a parent (which I don’t mind) throw your shoulders back and stand up straight no matter how tall you are. It is so disappointing to see people slouching around trying to hide. It makes you feel and look more confident to people and that will only attract more positive confident people back to you.

Even if people are automatically intimidated by you, remember that it’s their personal issue and you shouldn’t have to make yourself smaller to fit them. Obviously you don’t need to walk around trying to intimidate people and get in their faces but being you is nothing to apologize for. I used to take it personally when people would say things like that to me, until I realized it wasn’t my problem. Knowing yourself and your intentions – you should be able to ask yourself, did I act in a intimidating way? If the answer is no, let it go.

Some people might only be making inconsiderate comments to get your attention. In my personal experiences, I will probably not end up friends with you if that was the attempt at a  relationship starter. One of Caitlin’s favorite reminders is that if someone can’t change it within fifteen seconds, don’t mention it.

What we can control on our end is how we act towards others. For Caitlin and I, we’re kind to others until they are rude to us. A lot of people are sorting through personal issues and sometimes they end up projected on tall people because we’re an easy target.

All of that just to talk about wearing camouflage! Apparently that’s a trigger word now haha so beware. We both have loved camo for a long time, probably because of our dad and his love for camo, one of my favorite mini skirts in high school was a camo print one from American Eagle. Flash forward to today and we both finally found camo jackets we love to wear all the time.

I found my version in New York when Caitlin’s friend Kelsey took us to a thrift store and it was super inexpensive and plenty of versions available. I paired it with an easy to wear jersey dress I have from asos mainline. Don’t sleep on their mainline dresses, especially if they’re jersey. Be a little more careful if they’re structured, as the darts etc might not fall correctly on your bust or hips. I also got these gorgeous booties, which have the perfect slight Western vibe that’s in right now from Nordstrom. They have the perfect block heel to comfortably walk in.

Caitlin got her authentic version from our Uncle who actually served in the military. When our Aunt and Uncle were cleaning out their garage and they asked her if she wanted to try them on she couldn’t have said yes quicker! We love coming into items like that because it’s such a fun unique story.  She kept it simple with a black tank worn underneath, as well as some distressed denim. Paired with her go-to converse, you’ve got an easy outfit combo you can reach for over and over again.

We both keep our Mei Li purses in heavy rotation and as I use it daily, I notice and appreciate the great quality more and more. The structured bag is so chic and amazing for not losing items inside a bigger bag like I normally do!

What about y’all, would you rock a thrift store camo jacket? What are your thoughts on trying to camouflage your height? Are there any other items you’ve thrifted and loved?

Jenilees Outfit Details

Caitlin’s Outfit Details

That Real Reel

Sometimes Bae has to step in and help out
And then we just aren’t entirely sure here
/0 Comments/by
,

A Florence Family Experience

Another incredible weekend in the books, and one we’ve been looking forward to for a lonnggg time. Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m a devout Florence and the Machine fan and have been since her first album. She used to make the trek to Milwaukee to perform and even started by performing in the humble Rave/Eagles Ballroom, but these days she’s far too popular for any of that. I truly hope her Milwaukee days aren’t behind her, and every year I hold out hope that she’ll be announced as a Summerfest headliner.

Once she announced her US tour dates, it was just a matter of which show we’d end up going to and buying the tickets. My best friend Katie and I have now seen four shows together and I’ve seen five total. The fifth was a crazy trip down to Bonnaroo with Tim, Caitlin, and Sarah (who’s made an appearance or two on the blog). That was their first time seeing her perform and they’ve been hooked. We added a few other first timers to our group for round, including our brother Nick, Katie’s younger sister Sam and Caitlin’s friend Drew.

Here’s where I’ll stop and interject that our average group height was probably around 6’4. Let that sink in for a moment. We had nine of us total and Sarah was the only one under 5’11. I’ll also mention that we had standing floor section “seats.” Guess who weren’t the most popular people attending.

This might be an unpopular post/opinion but I think some people get a little confused on how concerts work, especially the standing section. Everyone logs in and pays the exact same price on Ticketmaster – or if they paid more because they got screwed by a resale price, you get the gist. Then you read the information on the site about pertinent information regarding the concert including what time it starts and what time the doors open, etc.

From there, you can make a series of choices about how your concert experience will go. The first of those being, what time you’ll arrive at said concert. You might factor in who the opening act is, and that’s a fair decision especially if you checked their music out and it didn’t appeal to you.

So let me rewind for a moment and tell you how our experience played out. Being that we all have an immense love for Florence and the Machine, we knew that we had to arrive there before the “show” began, even knowing full well we didn’t want to see the opener. We walked into the floor section and joined the back of the crowd to settle in.

As we waited patiently for her through the opener, other people continue to arrive and obviously it began to fill up. Most people had the appropriate response when arriving and filled in behind others who had arrived there first, while others took the more aggressive approach of trying to fight their way closer. Several people even went so far as to tap our group on the shoulder and ask if they could stand in front of us because their 5’2 girlfriend couldn’t see.

After several times of this happening it became clear that people feel that tall people should stand in the back of the concert. To this I reply: we paid the same amount for the ticket, and in our capitalistic society we controlled what we could control. Do not expect to have a great view of a concert when other people devoted more time to ensuring their view was better. It’s entitled thinking that you should get to walk in and move everyone else out of the way. When you woke up this morning you were aware you were 5’2 and probably at a disadvantage dealing with floor seats regardless.

We love you short and average height people – but get to the concert sooner, or at least don’t take it out on us! We got to the concert and stood in what was the current back of the crowd, and stood three people deep, we didn’t make a wide wall. This is your gentle or probably not so gentle PSA, that there will probably be at least one tall person at the concert you’re attending, and they can’t do anything about their height. They are also there to enjoy the concert.

So, onto the good stuff, the concert attire. There’s always several factors involved with dressing for a concert especially in the Midwest’s with season changes. Knowing the night would be chilly, we knew we had to grab for our leather jackets. Caitlin snagged her Y.A.S. tall leather jacket and layered it over a Rolling Stone’s t-shirt she actually found at American Eagle. She paired it with her distressed denim from Gap and some Converse to keep it comfortable as we knew we’d be standing for hours.

As you can see we pretty much stick to a “concert uniform” especially in colder weather. My version was my Long Tall Sally leather jacket I’ve referenced before, which is cut slightly different than the moto jacket versions we also have, and completely classic. I wore my highwaisted Asos ripped black denim with a leopard print crop top I found from Zara while in New York. I also stuck to the Converse because we’re all for comfort.

That’s all for story time today, let’s hear it in the comments section!

Outfit Details

/0 Comments/by
,

360 Ways to Enjoy Fall

Y’all the fall fun keeps rolling and we’re just along for the ride! As we mentioned in this post, we had a chance to try out some new to us brands in this last post and ended up making some really fun, yummy drinks. We wanted to share with you how we put together a fun little Moscow mule with 360 Vodka.

Our family has loved Moscow mules in different variations for many years now. They’re always such a refreshing drink and the super cute copper mugs are always a plus to drink out of. We mixed these as the original to really get the feel of the 360 Vodka, as we’d never tried it before. What we were most excited about was the cap of the bottle, because they have a program where you can request a prepaid envelope and return the cap of the bottle to be reused. They’re attempting to reduce waste and conserve energy and we love companies that are creative in ways to improve their footprint!

The vodka itself made a smooth addition to the mule, which is unsurprising considering it’s distilled six times and filtered six as well. We actually hadn’t heard of 360 Vodka before this, so we were happy to discover a great new brand to look for on the shelves. We had a beautiful day to sit out in the backyard and enjoy the fall weather before it turns nasty, so we took complete advantage. Our Aunt was sweet enough to help us set up a cute little tablescape to enjoy our drinks (Hi Aunt Susan and thank you).

As for the outfits, I was excited to read that burnt orange is one of the new “in colors” – mainly because I bought this shirt earlier in the summer on clearance and was going to wear it anyway. I was browsing Nordstrom Rack and it seemed like the sleeves were plenty long, so I tried it on and was gratified to find out that was not an illusion. I love me a good lace top and this Free People find fit the bill. Obviously Free People doesn’t make tall clothing but they definitely have been a tall friendly retailer. Their clothing is notorious for being oversized and that includes length, for our benefit.

I threw on some mid-rise distressed Express denim with it and my favorite beige booties. Both of these pieces have been big players in my closet that I can count on. Also, the Free People long sleeve is layered over a nude cami, which is definitely an unspoken hero in my closet. Does anyone else still wear camis? I’m all about having them tucked in, to never worry about my buttcrack showing when I sit down.

Caitlin last styled this black bodysuit here, in one of our very first posts! It is a tall girls dream, with the plenty long sleeves and long enough body length. I don’t think either of us believe in too many bodysuits, especially when the price is good too. They are just so sleek and make you look put together, with minimal effort.

She paired it with her highest waist jeans because the cut of the bodysuit is pretty high up. I know some people are rocking that look with your hips peeking out in between your bodysuit and pant line, but it sure ain’t for us. That’s an area we’d like to keep covered thankyouverymuch. She threw on these loafers because obviously we don’t need to go all out when we’re having a drink at home and voila a super cute look.

Tell us, are you interested in bodysuits at all?

Outfit Details

/0 Comments/by

Madewell-If The Name Fits, Keep It.

Alright, I know I am eons behind joining the Madewell gang but fear not, I am here to stay. I have to start with that awkward moment when your very own blog convinces you that you simply must own a pair of their jeans. For quite some time now Jenilee and I have had very similar style and tend to own similar pieces or even some of exact same ones. Even this past Friday we met for a quick lunch and showed up in the exact same button up shirt. Please tell me this happens to some of you out there with sisters/friends/moms. Lucky for us we always get a kick out of it.

Anyways, I’m back from my tangent now-Jenilee posted about her very first pair of Madewell jeans in this post recently and it was then that I knew I also had to learn what the hype was about. I hopped on the site and decided that I would start with a pair on sale because as you know we both love a good deal and they happened to have some I liked. I was messaging Jenilee about the sizing and which I should order since the brand is new to me and she suggested get true to size and the tall inseam since the taller fit her. However, they didn’t have my waist size in tall so I took it upon myself to try the taller too. I agree 100% that they are true to size maybe even run a tad bigger than Gap/Express. As you can see the tall would have been perfect and the taller is just a little long. I don’t mind rolling up some jeans or having a little extra length so these are here to stay.

After chatting with her and trying the size for myself I am so thankful that they offer not only one but two versions of tall. As we like to say I am a small tall and Jenilee is a tall, and they are to my knowledge the first company that offers this perfect option. You won’t hear from us on the #MakeMyTallSize campaign Madewell. So to wrap up the sizing if you’re looking at the chart, trust them. It is spot on and it is incredible.

And if you’re wondering, yes I did go down a rabbit hole when I was on my search for jeans which is where this sweater comes into play. The sweater for me was a gamble-will the sleeves be too short? Will I size up to add sleeve length and gain too much room within the waist? I read some of the reviews and it said that it runs a tad big but I decided I would still go with a Large knowing I wanted it to be a bit flowy but not too big. And again, i am so pleased with my size. On their site they have two views for each item so you can see it on someone shorter/taller/smaller/bigger-I loved that! I love that Express has also started doing this too.

I also want to mention that I ran into a small roadbump during the ordering process with Madewell. I went to place my order and Apple Pay popped up after I entered my address and everything and asked if I wanted to use that. So the lazy in me said yes please and saved me from manually adding my credit card. From there I never got a confirmation email and started to panic two days later. I contacted them with as much information as possible and after short time they got back to me.

Friends, let me tell you-this is the best customer service I have had in some time. Not only did she take the time to look up my order and confirm it she went into detail about what happened (My Apple Pay is linked to an old email that got spammed and everything went there once I chose Apple Pay and then switched the address to my parents rather than mine). Who knew? Not me. I was so thankful she took the time not only to answer my Madewell related question but to explain Apple Pay to me as well which is completely not her responsibility. Totally unrelated to this post I just really wanted to give my praise where it is deserved.

Jenilee got this yummy blue sweater last year and still finds herself grabbing for it fairly often. We both work in a corporate setting during the day and tend to be frozen all winter so for her any sweater that she can layer for warmth is a sweater she wants to own. I myself love this sweater but unfortunately turtleneck life is not for me. I really wish I could tolerate them but I find myself feeling trapped and tugging at it all day-anyone else out there with this issue?

This was both of our first weekend here in what feels like ages so we decided to have some fun. We got in some great weekend workouts, played some basketball, watched movies, spent time with family, listened to a great sermon at church and just got some general odds and ends wrapped up. One of the best highlights of our weekend was trying a new martini Saturday night. When the weather starts to shift our plans shift along with it. We start to transition into nights in rather than nights out enjoying the weather. With that being said, sometimes we have to get creative with what we do here in the cold Wisconsin winters. Whether it’s watching a new moving, trying a new recipe, playing games with friends or mixing up a new drink.

This particular weekend we went with the drink option and tried the most delicious chocolate Martinis. We always think more about presentation if friends are coming over so we dipped the rim of the glasses in chocolate and then mixed together 360 Chocolate Vodka and some Five Farms Irish Cream and they were delicious! We aren’t huge martini ladies here but these might just change that! All of our friends agreed and they were the highlight of the night!

I hope you all had as wonderful of a weekend as we did and have been able to get in some of your favorite fall activities. I would love suggestions on other sites that you use that make your size or use a variety of model sizes! Drop a line and let us know what you’re loving right now!

Enjoy your Real Reel Below!

/0 Comments/by
,

Falling for Five Farms Irish Cream

We have mentioned in the past that one of our happy places is our Lake up north. Our family has been spent a lot of time up there throughout our entire lives and I am personally always filled with nostalgia immediately as the up north air fills my nose. This drive up was better than my friends and I could have imagined. I don’t think we went more than 20 minutes without someone mentioning the beauty of the fall leaves lining the back roads. We even pulled over at point to take it all in and snap a few pictures to share with family back home.

I was extremely excited to have some friends in tow this weekend as we haven’t had the opportunity to head up with friends very often. There has been a series of remodeling/family time, that has thwarted our efforts. We were all bummed that our camping trip got rained out but this was by no means considered less worthy especially since it was cranberry fest. A few of us got up there on Friday afternoon and snagged my grandma to head to one of our favorite local spots – Club 45. They have a pizza called house of Payne and it is out of this world. Once we finished we headed back to meet the rest of the crew, enjoy some craft beers and hit the hay.

I don’t know if its the weather changing or something else but we were all pretty exhausted throughout the weekend but we had a busy day planned and knew we needed to obtain some energy one way or another. So two pots of coffee in we started to move a little quicker. As we got dressed and checked the weather I thought we might want something a little extra to warm us up so I whipped out my Five Farms Irish Cream Liqueur and suddenly there was a line formed behind me. This stuff is GOOD. I am not typically a cream in my coffee type of gal but some things are worth pushing your comfort zone for.  

What made it even better is that we I got to enjoy it with my best friend, in my favorite place, overlooking the lake that I love. I love when drinks/scents/songs can take you back to a memory and I think going forward, drinking Five Farms will take me back to one of my many happy places. I digress.

The rest of the weekend was fantastic. We hit the road for Cranberry fest and none of us realized how big of a deal this was in Eagle River, WI. We rolled into town and we were all overwhelmed with the amount of traffic for this tiny Up North town. Once we got into the festival we procured some cranberry beer and began perusing all of the fun craft/vendor booths. We saw so many wonderful homemade goods and food items. The amount of dips we sampled was unreal! Some of us bought dip, cookies, crafts, etc. But I think my roommate won the day with a brand new pair of homemade wool mittens. If you have spent a winter in the Midwest you would understand why this is such a victory. With full stomachs and lots of fun behind us we headed home and hopped in the UTV to head back to my grandmas house to watch the Wisconsin Badgers and enjoy some brats (how Wisconsin of us).

The UTV ride back was a blast, as I took them off roading and it was muddy and quite the adventure! We got back and began speed puzzling and playing other various card games. This weekend really was the ideal laid back weekend filled with so much laughter and memories.

Outfit Details

I just need you to know I am not kidding when I say it made our morning more fun…

/0 Comments/by