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Yurtin’ In the Smokies

Since the day our blog came to fruition we knew that we wanted to obviously base the blog primarily on tall fashion finds but we also wanted to work in some other parts of our lives that we value so highly. So that brings me here, to our first travel post! Jenilee and I both love traveling and exploring this beautiful planet we live on, and try to see as many places as our budgets and time off allow.

I am all for road trip comfort-especially when it is an 11 hour drive so I grabbed my favorite Gap Joggers and was ready to roll!

So let’s dive in! This past weekend my mom, best friend/roommate/our wonderful blog photographer, and her mom and loaded up a truck and hit the road from Milwaukee to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The laughs started immediately as we all tried to cram everything we needed into every single nook and cranny in the car. We took on 6 hours the first night in order to crash in Louisville for a short time before finishing off the last 4 in the morning.

We arrived in the Smoky Mountains around lunch time and checked in at Imagination Mountain and unloaded our car and got settled in our Yurt. That’s right, our yurt. For those that are unfamiliar a yurt is a circular tent made of collapsible framework. Ours has two sets of bunk beds, a mini fridge, heat/air(thank goodness), and a small table. However, the best part was what was outside of our Yurt. Less than ten steps from the base of our steps was a little babbling creek, a fire pit and picnic table. We all loved hearing the sound of the creek as we slept and enjoyed our fires each night.

Once we were semi settled we loaded up and took off to get a short hike in before it got too dark out. We took off on our first drive up the mountain and began Grotto Falls. We were drawn to this hike because there is a waterfall you can walk behind and it was a shorter one to begin with. This hike was very moderate for the four of us and we easily made our way to the top and enjoyed the small waterfall and then headed back down to enjoy a bonfire.

We planned this trip with the goal to be as relaxing and work free as possible which for us means no cooking and no dishes. So we each prepared foil packs for the fire and just had to toss them on each night and then throw away the foil when we were done.  The first night of sleep was rough for us, Sarah and I prefer the air to be on while our moms would prefer it to be warmer. Unfortunately the air doesn’t reach the top bunks easily but freezes those on the bottom. So if you ever consider a trip like this-plan accordingly.

Day two was a rough start for us. We all slept quite terrible and that’s all there is to it. Therefore, we were slow to get going and everything just felt a little pushed back. We did a hike called Chimney Tops this day, which was very laboring on all of us. There are so many steps we weren’t anticipating and we all had a hard time catching our breath and I personally felt very out of shape. We choose this hike because of the wonderful views; however, due to the awful fires a few years back a large portion of the trail is still shut down to keep hikers safe. The view was still spectacular and well worth the climb but it makes me so sad knowing how much damage was done from the fires. It was also extremely disheartening how many water bottles, wrappers and other garbage was left behind. Anywho, I won’t make you all listen to me and my soapbox. We all felt our legs shaking on the way down and decided the base of the trail sitting on some rocks at the base of a waterfall would be the perfect spot for lunch. It was simply incredible sitting there listening to the water rush by and relaxing after a taxing hike.  

We wanted to do two smaller hikes this day but due to our late start (and some unexpected rain) this wasn’t in the cards for us. Instead we headed towards Gatlinburg and stopped into Sugarland Distillery and bellied up to the bar for a moonshine tasting. The minute we stepped up to the bar I committed to trying all 13-yes 13 flavors of the moonshine even though they didn’t all sound appealing to me. Most of the flavors were great but the real entertainment was the bartender. I can’t even describe the hilarity that came from his mouth. After tasting so many flavors we were all ready to buy a jar or two to take home to share with friends and family. After this we headed back for a different foil pack, fire, and a semi early bedtime since we were all feeling the lack of sleep from the night before.

The four of us were ready to take on day three bright and early. We got up, packed up our bags and headed to Ramsey Cascades for our longest hike. We started out and all of us quickly decided this was already our favorite hike. I cannot even put into words the beauty of this terrain or the incredible waterfall that was waiting for us at the top. This hike was close to 8 miles round trip but was much easier than the previous day. After we all picked up our jaws from the floor at the sight of the waterfall we unpacked our lunches on a huge rock and enjoyed another lunch with falls. It was so rewarding making it to the top and enjoying some rest before trekking down.

Unfortunately more unexpected rain was upon us but we set up our fire and got dinner cooking anyways. We got to enjoy the fire and dinner before a downpour quickly approached. All of us booked it inside and even though we were sad we knew it was for the best since we needed to get packed up and head out early. And early came quick. Our alarm went off at 6:15 and we all hopped up and tried to cram everything back in for our 11 hour journey home.

You’ve heard us mention this chair before-but I wanted to show you how amazing it is for a taller frame (See her toe reaching to touch?). The back is so incredible high and supportive for my tall frame, the base where you sit doesn’t sag at all and it is so comfortable! They sell them in XL and regular!

If you like spending time outdoors/hiking/camping I cannot recommend this type of trip enough. I personally had never heard of a yurt before but once my mom mentioned it and I searched it online I was sold. I feel so lucky that I was able to go on this trip with my mom and both of our close friends. We shared so many laughs, memories and wonderful experiences in the mountains that none of us will forget.

I just wanted to throw out some products that I personally cannot camp without! This hammock, these lanterns, this headlamp, my camp chair shown above, this speaker , this portable charging stick, this water bladder for hikes, this backpack, these cups are perfect for coffee and cocktails, and my cooler!

Below you will see some of my very favorite hiking (and every day) gear. These are things I always grab for when I am going to athleisure, camping, hiking or even to a chilly movie theatre. One thing I want to note is when I ordered this backpack I originally a mens assuming that the fit would be better on my long torso and I was wrong. The women’s large was perfect and it was the perfect hiking pack-kudos to Patagonia for making it TTS!

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Fall Guide – Trends 2018

We’ve got you all primed and thinking about fall jackets per our last post. If you haven’t had a chance, go look through it and see if you agree with our jacket run down! Onto some of the 2018 fall trends, just in time for Fashion Week! We would love to attend in the future, but for now we’ll just point out things we’ve been loving from afar.

First up is all things animal print! It’s going first because we completely adore this “trend.” It’s easy to love because it’s not really a trend that goes out of style. However, because it’s in right now means that there are tons of options we can find and make work. We actually made two different widgets to separate the shoe and clothing options.

Speaking of shoes, we are all about some booties for fall/winter. Here in Wisconsin we have to cover our feet and the best way to do it stylishly, is with your boot/booties collection. We love booties with our skinny jeans and straight jeans, plus we love that kitten heels are in right now or the block heel. The snow is no joke to walk in, so your heel can’t be too pitiful for you to brave the elements. Plus, let’s be honest for a second. Lower heels are basically synonymous with comfort, which reigns as king around here.

For all of us out here who love cozy, welcome to sweater season. One can never have too many sweaters. I always look at my stash and feel bad for a moment about how many I own, but then I remember I wear them basically six months out of the year and then I feel thankful instead.

Another trend you’ve probably been noticing at a lot of retailers is that the 80’s are back! I can get behind some of the quirky pieces but best not to fill your wardrobe with the stuff. Along with that is neon clothing. It can be fun to add something but unless you already loved all things neon, don’t go nuts!

With fall ushering in the holiday season quickly, also brings holiday parties and events. Sparkles are in, so you’ll easily be able to grab a fun top or dress to shimmy around parties in.

Another fun comeback are scarves. Not the typical wear of the infinity scarf, but more headwear and scarf printed dresses. Considering I used to be all about headbands and hair accessories, I can get behind this trend one hundred percent. Just have to find a print that I like, and can fit my big head!

We wanted to include a non-trend as well, but a necessity for tall women and that would be long sleeved tops and ones that we’ve found success with repeatedly. Not a flashy item to buy, but one that will be an unsung hero in your closet

The trends this year are all so different, it seems like there is something for everyone! Tell us below, are you interested in any of these trends or are you taking a pass on this fall’s fashion options?

Also since we gave you these options for shopping, just a heads up that there are several sales happening right now, should you choose to make a purchase! Jcrew currently has 40% full priced styles. Gap also has 40% off with Code FALL. Old Navy adds 25% off your order with no code needed. Missguided has 40% off new styles  with code NEWFORYOU and Boohoo is doing 50% off everything with no code needed as well! Topshop has free express shipping on orders over $50. And of course, Asos has a spend more save more event, per the code below! Let us know if you took advantage of any of these sales!

Spend and Save! Get $50 OFF $200 $70 OFF $250 $100 OFF $350. Use Promo Codes SEPT50 SEPT70 SEPT100. Valid 9/10-9/15 2am GMT.

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Tall Fall Jacket Guide

No more pretending like Fall is not upon us anymore. Once Labor Day passes we join the rest of the people pushing fall and just embrace it! I think it was sometime this last week, when we were doing some Labor Day sales shopping, when we both realized that we were only looking for cooler weather finds. We knew it would happen eventually, and I think all the rain we’ve experienced this weekend really makes it feel like the weather change is imminent.

With that in mind, we wanted to make a guide for the best purchases to have in your closet this fall and maybe any fall. Some of these pieces we already have in some variation and have gotten a lot of mileage out of already. To illustrate that, we threw in some random old pictures of us wearing said jackets, as we didn’t have time to take some new ones yet. But fear not, we’ll be posting some updated looks soon! We tried to keep a mixture of low and high price points to ensure people would have plenty of options.

Let’s start with the obvious, being light layers. Once the temperatures start cooling off, especially in the evenings – it’s always a great idea to keep a light jacket on hand. We have a couple of our wardrobe stalwarts that remain in rotation year after year.

The jean jacket, in its many variations will never go out of style. I like to rotate between a good classic fit one and my husbands old jean jacket that I can wear for the updated oversized look. Caitlin has the classic, a slightly oversized lighter wash, and then another favorite is the sweatshirt sleeve mixed material.

The army/utilitarian jacket is another piece that comes back year after year. It is offered in so many different variations and colors that probably anyone could find one that they’d wear. We both have options from Old Navy that we really like, in our favorite olive green. It’s basically a millennial neutral, so layered over whatever you already have in closet! If olive isn’t your color that typically also offer it is khaki and navy as well. We also finally both found army jackets at a thrift store when we were visiting NYC, and that has been an awesome addition to our closets as well.

The bomber jacket is everywhere still and doesn’t show any signs of disappearing, which is perfect for us! We both have a black jacket, I have two green bombers and Caitlin has a gorgeous burgundy bomber. They are so cute and comfortable, especially for our unfussy lives.

One of our true gratifying experiences, is always finding a new leather or faux leather jacket with the perfect length in body AND sleeves. My husband bought me a real leather jacket that I will have forever, because it’s completely timeless. From there I found a great faux moto leather jacket that has a bigger collar and I feel like my closet is complete. Caitlin got her first tall leather jacket from Topshop, she also got one from Asos with a bigger collar and she just received this new real leather jacket from Asos and is so pumped to style it repeatedly this fall/winter season.

Another unexpected jacket that Caitlin found while she wasn’t looking is a faux suede jacket in khaki from Nordstrom Rack last season. She tried it on after feeling how buttery soft it was and when the sleeves were plenty long we both knew it was coming home with her. Suede can be a great alternative if leather isn’t necessarily your style.

Another option I’m reluctant to include but I know a lot of women wear often, are blazers. I’ve historically struggled to find well fitting blazers and/or some that are actually comfortable. Not sure if the comfort search is a lost cause (maybe someone should tell me to suck it up). But at least this year the oversized blazer look is in and for us tall women, we finally have our work cut out for us. One that was a huge success is a leather blazer I bought Caitlin for her 22nd Birthday that she still wears frequently We have several tall options or we can borrow from the boys, better than more women!

An option we include as an honorary jacket, would be the chambray. It has been a hero in our closets as an easy layer although not considered a jacket per say. It’s another piece that is basically a neutral and has been able to tie in with whatever we need it to, which makes it perfect for trips as well. 

We were going to do a complete fall guide in one post, but after starting in on it, it makes more sense to break it down a little bit or it will get super long and tedious. These are all jackets we’ve collected/accumulated over the years and you will definitely see posts on in the short future. Let us know what you think of our jacket list, and if we’re missing any must haves!

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We’re Warming Up To Fall

Happy Tuesday! We hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend. We are slowly but surely accepting that fall is coming in hot. But we are SO excited to be doing our very first blog giveaway today with some of our favorite fellow tall ladies. In honor of it being an Asos Giftcard we wanted to spread some fall style inspiration to all in case you need help spending some of your money (Or hopefully ours!)

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Tweed is Made for Fall

It’s a bit ironic talking about fall’s impending arrival, considering we’re in the middle of a heat wave! I’m soaking up the heat while I still can because I know what’s coming for Wisconsin and it doesn’t look good. I just saw an headline saying we’re supposed to have a very harsh winter. It can hold off as long as possible, please and thank you!

But let’s ease into the discussion with fall separates that you can wear in the meantime with some warm weather favorites. It’s always great when you buy something that can transcend a couple of seasons. Besides that, most corporate environments are practically season-less as well, either the air is on too high or the heat is on too low. Layers are your BFF undoubtedly.

We’ve got some fall-like clothing to get your shopping juices flowing just in time for some Labor Day sales this weekend. Fall always brings out some fantastic textures to wear and tweed is definitely one we gravitate towards. There is something so timeless and classy about the fabric that makes you look completely pulled together (even if you don’t know what day is it, tweed won’t tell on you).

Caitlin spotted this mini skirt and didn’t even have to deliberate. Luckily, unlike some other recent fails the length was a win for her. Another upside/downside of online shopping; is sometimes you don’t always know what the actual color of the garment will be. In this scenario it was even better because the skirt turned out to have a kaleidoscope of colors we couldn’t see online but make it super easy to mix and match different tops!

In this case, just grabbing a simple cami keeps the look summery, which as long as the weather permits we are all about! She and I were perusing the Nsale and she ended up buying these perfect sandals which weren’t even part of the sale but were on clearance. They are super comfortable but the fabric makes them dressier!

As for my outfit, you’ve seen a black version of these perfect culottes in this post here. This pair I grabbed from Caitlin’s closet, because we are all about borrowing and maximizing usage! When you love something you obviously are obligated to buy it in several colors and wear it every day. Ok ok, maybe not every day but heavy rotation for sure. Lavender is having a serious moment right now and we love this pastel hue. It is perfect for spring and summer, and we’re all about making a case for fall as well. In Wisconsin we’ll have to avoid wearing them in winter, so our ankles don’t freeze off, but if you’re in a warmer climate – rock on with your bad self!

I paired it with an old blouse I’ve had FOREVER from Express. We’ll put some other work blouses in the widget below. But honestly we haven’t been let down by work blouses from Express, we’re just waiting patiently to be included in their sizing for long sleeve options! They already have a bunch of men’s tall shirts so why sleep on the women?? Digression aside, can’t help but be passionate about us tall ladies having great style options as well! My nude flats are always an easy grab for style and comfort rolled in one. You won’t regret buying a nude pair of shoes, whether it’s flats or heels.

Caitlin put together a little bonus post for tomorrow and all the sales you can shop this weekend. I know if you’re following along on Instagram, you’ve already seen us take advantage of some! Until then, hope your Thursday goes fast so we can all get to the holiday weekend and the fun plans ahead and we’ll leave you with this gem of a picture!

Our Outfit Details

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