It’s Wedding Season

It’s wedding season! You know that around these parts we tend to preach reusing and recycling our wardrobes as often as possible but one item we struggle to re-wear is dresses as a wedding guest. I don’t know if it is because it’s typically more formal, its photographed, or what, but we always want a new one! This doesn’t always mean we can just go out and blow the big bucks on a new dress which brings me to this pink one. This dress came in 8 colors, pink being my last choice. Guess which one went on clearance? You bet, the pink one.

So I bought it. I don’t know if I am completely contradicting myself here after saying only buy things that spark joy, that make you feel like your best self, etc. But y’all sometimes the budget friendly option wins. And in this case it worked in my favor. I got so many compliments on this dress (well mainly my look as a whole due to my shoes), and at the end of the day I am finally okay with the fact that it was pink.

I wanted to elaborate a little bit on a story some of you may have read on our Instagram stories a few weeks ago. I went to a close family friends wedding a few weeks back with my parents which is where I wore this pink dress. We road tripped up in the morning, enjoyed the lovely ceremony, checked in to our hotel and got ready to turn it up at the reception.  Cue us arriving at the cocktail party and bumping into the lovely photographer.

This man approached my mom and I (while we were in the middle of a conversation) with some of the other guests and first starts chatting with my mom, which I didn’t catch and by the time I tuned in he looks at me and says “Why are you wearing heels?” I can’t tell you how off guard this caught me. Thankfully my gut reaction in this scene was to respond kindly with “Because they make my outfit, don’t you think?”

Now here I am going to share the shoes with you so you can see how stinking cute they are. I first purchased these heels in nude a few years back and they are the FIRST pair of high heels I felt confident in, in my life. So much so that I bought them in black and then after Jenilee sent me this multi floral pattern I knew they would be mine too. She got them for me for my birthday this year and I was over the moon. If I were to paraphrase it I would see these are the shoes that made me feel high.  

Now I won’t give full credit to the shoes because this was also mixed in with my sister, my mom, and all of you helping me get here. But the point is 27 years into my life-I got there. And in one second this stranger (Who was being PAID to be at the wedding) broke it down. Now he proceeded to say that we intimidate him. My mom kindly and in my opinion sadly responded with why do you say that? You’re making me feel self conscience now about my body and something that I can’t control. So you’re telling me that just by me standing here in my presence i am intimidating you? At this point this man was just blubbering on trying to find different words.

Eventually under my breath I muttered eat it shorty and walked away. Now that isn’t my finest moment but sometimes when someone is so rude and hurtful you just can’t help but say your peace and walk away. We shared this story with a few other guests who were equally as appalled and it turns out he had made some other comments to other guests that were equally as out of line.

After posting the bare bone details of this story on our Instagram I cannot tell you how many messages we received with kind words, messages, and some other similar stories in response. It was honestly incredible. And also sad that so many others have been shamed for wearing heels as well. But all in all we want to say to you -wear the heels. Wear the confidence. And be the best version of you that you can possibly be!

And to end it on a happier not check out the roundup of our favorite dresses for this wedding season!

Photo credit: Bonnie DeLap

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A Bodysuit to Make You Want to Rock

It’s a bit ironic that we shot this look over lunch in March, and we’re still enjoying the same type of weather a month later. Pretty light on the sunshine in these parts. We’re staying optimistic though, that we’ll enjoy a great weekend of weather. We’re celebrating our Dad’s 60th birthday this weekend with a family dinner tonight, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD (not that he’ll read this haha.) Then I’m hopeful that I can plant my vegetable garden this weekend. Better late than never! Does anyone plant a garden? If so, we’d love to know what you like to plant, let us know in the comments!

The same time I bought my beloved Queen bodysuit, I also found this graphic gem of a bodysuit. It should come as no surprise to you I love bodysuits. We are constantly on the lookout for bodysuits, both tall and mainline sizing. Because I had been stalking the queen bodysuit and knew that it would be a toss up on sizing, I snagged another option to get free shipping. Caitlin just ordered a mainline bodysuit from Express-stay tuned to find out if it’s a win!

This will probably be the extent of me hopping on the neon trend bandwagon. I love seeing it on others, but I know that it is pretty pointless in my own closet. Plus, those bright hues can be suspect on some people’s skin tones. But if you’re feeling it, grab all the neon your heart desires! It’s funny how being an adult and having to work in a semi-professional setting effects fashion choices. If I can’t get multiple uses out of something, it’s probably a bad buy.

We have casual Fridays at work, which means I can wear jeans. I actually wore this exact look minus the leather jacket and with the flannel buttoned up. Talk about a look that can take you from your desk to drinks to a concert. It’s funny because just wearing the flannel buttoned up is a totally different vibe and very demure. Once you unbutton with the bodysuit, it takes on that rocker chic look, or even tie it around your waist once you get warm (if attending said imagined concert).

I paired it with an old pair of Express denim. They do have tall sizing. I’d say it’s really on the cusp of working perfectly for me. The length leaves a little to be desired but they are very comfortable. If you’re considering a pair, they have the newer perfect curves and I’ve consistently worn a size 10 with ease. You can definitely tell the difference of the cut, having more space in the hip/butt area without an outrageous waist gap.

If we’re continuing on the vein of the concert, I like my odds finishing off the look with sneakers. Tall tip, which most of you probably know: take a look in the men’s sneaker section. More and more sneakers are unisex, including our beloved Converse. I found these at Nike in the men’s section as well. Just note that the standard sizing is 1.5 sizes smaller than women’s. So I normally wear a women’s size 13, but I would buy a men’s 11.5. But nothing worse than wearing a pair of really cute uncomfortable shoes and be in agony by the end of the concert from standing for 3+ hours. This tip also works extremely well with Vans slips ons.

Lastly I want I talk about my leather jacket. You’ve definitely seen it on the blog before, and you’ll see it many, many more times in the future. It’s an investment piece, and it’s not going anywhere. It has the classic timeless cut, and I’ve gotten so much wear out of it. I’m so thankful my husband (but boyfriend at the time) got it for me for my birthday. As you can tell, it fits this tall girl like a dream. The shoulders have long been a trouble spot for fit, and I never have to worry about it pulling when I reach for anything. Long Tall Sally is the place to find a timeless leather jacket. Click here for one great leather jacket, or click here for similar to mine.

All in all, this outfit can take you far beyond a concert. It’s a season crossing outfit because of the layers. The flannel is older from Old Navy. I will note that the sleeves don’t quite do it for me and I won’t endorse their flannels as the ideal fit. As mentioned above, the shoulders still don’t quite work either without sizing up. Maybe if your shoulders are smaller or arms shorter than mine, the fit will be ideal!

Anyway, have a fabulous first weekend of Summer! Sound off below about what you’re planting in your garden, or what your go-to concert outfit is.

Outfit Details

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Our Love For Gingham is Endless

Just yesterday was Memorial Day. We moved the post to today, as most people are off of work and probably getting in some friend or family time. Maybe you took advantage and took some alone time to recharge your batteries. Whatever the case may be, hopefully it was a good day for you. A lot of people think of it as a kick off to summer or a three day weekend. Our weekend isn’t technically over yet, because we get back in town tonight from our mystery trip. If you follow along on Instagram, you probably already know where we are!

Although we’re all guilty of getting caught up in making special plans, because we have a full extra day off work (typically); we’re working harder this year and every year to honor the reason behind the holiday. Memorial Day is set aside to honor those who have died in service to their country. It is no small feat to have enlisted in any of our armed forces, and we are forever grateful to live in a country that people lay down their lives to keep our freedoms. If any of our fellow readers are active or retired from service, we want to send you a huge thank you! We’re honored by your sacrifice. Thank you for your service to our country.

Memorial Day being the unofficial kick-off to summer means summer fashion is out in full force. The Midwest is forever playing catch up to the South as far as being able to wear our warmer weather clothing. We’re totally guilty of forcing clothing that the weather won’t cooperate with. But no regrets here! There’s only 4 months at most where we’ll be able to enjoy bare legs and tank tops. We’re taking full advantage.

What better way to embrace summer than bring out the gingham? Caitlin kicked it off last week with the cutest blue gingham top from Madewell. Check it out here if you missed it! Today we’re back trying to practice what we preach. Number 1, that we do love us some gingham as much as we indicated last year. Number 2, that we will always be outfit repeaters. There will always be some items that you can’t repeat as often – IE wedding guest dresses. But as for the rest, it’s got to do some work in your closet to earn it’s cost.

I always worry about buying patterned anything, because I wonder if I’ll be able to come up with enough to remix it. But black and white is totally effortless, and I’ve learned that these shorts will be worn again and again. They’re 4 inch inseam, plus high waisted. The high waist is so flattering, plus the zip up the size keeps it looking streamlined. Plus there has got to be some sorcery in the stretchy material, I could wear these to sleep in. Our go-to for Summer dressing has to be a bodysuit. The tucked in look with no weird bagginess or hems popping out always wins out.

Caitlin had the inspiration behind these looks, due to browsing Pinterest. We really enjoy fashion, but we’re not always the most creative on our own. So cue heading to Pinterest for some ideas. Some looks just show up on your feed and you realize you have all the pieces to effectively recreate. This is exactly what happened, and it came together perfectly. This gingham skirt is also from last year, and the perfect length for tall women. The one shoulder bodysuit is tall and works on both of us. I wore it last here. You have seen the bodysuit I am wearing in black on Caitlin and we can guarantee you will keep seeing it. If you’re in the market for a solid tank bodysuit this one comes in black, white, and our beloved olive green for under $20!

Needless to say, gingham is a versatile and timeless print that won’t be making an exit anytime soon. We’re on board with that, and will continue to add pieces to our summer wardrobes. Maybe we’ve inspired you to do the same! But if nothing else, hopefully you’re purchasing pieces that will be worn and re-worn again and again. It doesn’t make you cool to wear a piece once and trash it. If that’s ideal to you, try renting a wardrobe! Share your thoughts with us below!

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Work Pants That Work

One question we get asked frequently is for help with work pants. Combined we have been working in business casual, business professional and casual settings for over 10 years so we have had plenty of experience shopping around. However, at this point I think I am ready to fully endorse Express as my go to work pant. I have tried  Old Navy, Asos, Gap, Banana Republic, etc. I don’t want you to misconstrue this as me saying I dislike these ones, they just aren’t my favorite. Let me dive into this a little more to hopefully eliminate confusion.

Old Navy was the first place I went when I got my “Big Girl Job” and I was smitten with their pixie pants. I loved that they were more modern and let’s say young. As a 22 year old entering the workforce I wasn’t wild about wearing slacks every day. These were great for a while until they quickly become misshapen, stretched out and very worn looking. At this point I decided I was done purchasing pixies from them. I do have some traditional slacks from them that have held up much better. At 5’11 I will say they are even a little bit long on me with flats.

I have numerous pairs of culottes from Asos but to be honest that is all I have tried from them. I love them all and can’t stop buying them in multiple colors! I did size up with the first pair I ever ordered thinking “Those won’t fit how they are supposed to on my athletic legs.” Then I had to have them taken in. Stay true to size with Asos and they should fit like a dream. I will also mention that the quality here has been top notch to me. There is no pilling, no wear, no stretching. I have to add in how much we both love our Asos skirts, I can’t get enough of the midi styles they offer!

I tried a few pairs of pixie pants from Gap as well (they are a sister company to Old Navy for those that don’t know). And they appear to hold up much better. My gingham pants from this post are Gap and show little to no signs of wear.  I also have a pair of leopard ones which only show a little bit of color fading on the seam. Overall they are better than Old Navy and I would still consider pixies from Gap.

Now when it comes to Banana Republic i’m going to be in honest in saying that I have only accepted work pants from here in the form of hand-me-downs. I never have issues doing this to be clear, it’s just how I ended up with them. I have some khakis as well as some skinny cords and love them both! They have been great for me even after my mom wore them for years!

Now onto the main event, Express. I have always had a few pairs of Express slacks on rotation. I just love the fit and most of the time, the quality as well. I started with just typical black flare slacks. One pair I have had and worn regularly on rotation for 6 years and it the quality hasn’t lessened. The other the hems have both come out multiple times which is slightly frustrating.

Jenilee ordered some columnist pants in Marigold and Olive last year and unfortunately they both ended up being awkwardly short on her so I did what we do best. I immediately bought them from her. Her sad loss was my huge win. These became my new favorite pants. If only it were more acceptable to wear marigold every single week. I ended up adding a pair of black columnists to the collection soon after.

For each pair of them I own I will say I sized up 1, because I pretty much had to! I also have these two pairs of paper bag work pants that I wear as often as possible as well. Again-I sized up one. My roommate who is in the regular length has also had issues with workwear sizing at Express ranging between three sizes. So maybe it’s just who they are? So all in all I would say if you’re 5’10-6’1 you’re probably going to have great success with the pants from Express. If you are 6’2 and above maybe try the full length as ankle pants!

We have had some messages asking if we disclose our sizes. The answer is always yes. We may not write it outright in a post; however, if you are wondering we are also more than happy to disclose what size we got (compared to our typical sizes). We’ll also include recommendations from other retailers. Please never be afraid to ask for help with anything we love hearing from you and trying to help!

I really hope this helped some of y’all with navigating through the work pant problems we have all faced. I want to point out that since I am only 5’11 I understand that this may not help all of you who are truly what we would consider “tall.” We refer to me as being a small tall for a reason, which is that I don’t always struggle as much as others. For example, I myself, would never claim to be a true tall blogger if I wasn’t part of a duo with Jenilee. She brings so much value to this blog as well as all of you! I know I play my part and have taken such joy in hearing from some followers who say they are my exact build but we urge you to take into consideration whose advice you are taking as “tall bloggers.” We both feel blessed to be able to work as a team to double our knowledge, advice, and outlooks! With that being said, if you want to essentially see this exact type of post written by Jenilee – drop a line below! And then enjoy the heck out of your weekends!

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It’s The Lake Effect

Why did we start this blog? To help as many (tall) people as possible. Whether this may be with fashion, confidence, a sense of belonging or anything else you may be looking for. Why do we keep going? Because of all of you and because of companies like this one. We are so excited to announce a new ongoing collaboration with a company that means so much to us.

Meet Lake Effect Co! We hope you love them as much as we do. A little bit of backstory on this: we decided in November we wanted to share a Small Business Saturday Guide to feature local business that we care about. We made a point when we reached out to these companies not to ask for ANYTHING, except a little bit of early knowledge into what their sale was going to be so we could include it in a post ahead of time to share. We got some positive response, neutral responses, some companies ignored us, and some were more friendly than we could have ever hoped for. Enter Katherine the owner of Lake Effect Co.

Katherine, a fellow tall lady herself, emailed us back with such warmth and friendliness. She basically said she looked at our Instagram and have we met yet? I feel like we’re friends already? If not we need to be. P.S. I am 5’11 too. So she shared the details of their sale, met us for wine and became our first in real life internet friend. We had so much in common with our deep love for lake life, a love for wine-ing, dining, and socializing. We ended up having to force ourselves to stop chatting so we could get home at a reasonable hour. We have stayed in contact since meeting. Between Katherine appreciating our goofy side through Instagram videos, and with posting the products because we genuinely want to. We feel blessed just to know her and this company.

We’re going to steal some info directly from their website because we can’t possibly word their own mission statement better than them:

“Lake Effect Co. is a retail brand and blog that encourages you to connect with the beauty and adventure of nature, through time by the water. It’s a venue to share magnetic lake stories and perfect lake moments, to embrace a unique lifestyle, and to let the ever-changing water inspire us. It’s about being balanced in adventure, health, beauty, and self, all through the lens of life by the lake. It’s a suggestion to “Chase More Sunsets” which is code for finding what inspires you and building a life that includes more of that.

Lake effect literally means the precipitation or other miscellaneous weather patterns produced when cold air passes over warmer water or vice versa. In my world, the lake effect includes crisp breezes swirling off the lake on sweltering days and incubator-type temps on cold days. A lake’s effects extend far beyond the weather. When you’re on lake time, you know it. It’s a slower pace. It’s a breath of fresh air. It’s connecting with nature. It’s letting the waves heal you. It’s forgetting you’ve ever been anywhere else. When you’re on lake time, it’s never wanting to leave.

And while we may not all have the chance to reside lakeside, or even near a body of water, we can still find common ground in those prized, even if brief, moments when we catch a glimpse of the closest body of water or remember a moment when the water filled us with a sense of awe. Sometimes you just know what feels good to your soul, and for many like me, that is the Lake Effect. “

Source: Lakeeffectco.com

Now that you have a better idea of what this company stands for, we need you to know that we couldn’t resonate more closely with this company. We know this isn’t a “tall clothing retailer” but we can guarantee you that because someone tall is designing the goods, they will fit you. We have tried long sleeves, short sleeves, tank tops, and even crop tops thus far and everything fits like a dream. The quality is top notch, the length is perfect, and we are pretty much just obsessed.

We wanted this blog post to serve as an introduction to Lake Effect Co., Katherine, and why we are choosing to collaborate with this company. And also to reiterate we genuinely only post items we truly like, believe in, or care about. We hope you feel like you know this company as well as we do now. Our next post will be a glimpse into specifically what “lake life” means to us and will feature the lake we call home.

Both of us would love to hear if there is a lake that is special to you. Where is it, why do you love it, what’s your favorite memory? Any piece of lake love you want to share, we want to hear.

You can use our code THEREALTALL15 for 15% off of your purchase which is a huge deal for this company. If you’re looking for our current favorites, you can shop our favorite long sleeves here and here. If you’re in the midwest a perfect short sleeve t-shirt, a few of our favorites in general here and here, and a few of our favorite tanks, here and here. Keep in mind we will be updating our favorites so stay tuned for more to come.

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