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Sassy Striped Midi Dress

It’s Monday, after an eventful weekend. I have to start with a shout out to my husband, Tim for his 30th birthday! He is the man behind 90% of the pictures of the two of us together. We couldn’t appreciate his help any more! Tim is very good natured about helping out, and the only time we have to yell at him, is if he’s making us talk and continuing to take pictures at the same time. I feel truly blessed to have a husband who is a great partner in life. He keeps us laughing during shoots as well!

We had a full weekend of family events, including birthday celebrations for Tim last night. We made some tacos and had some birthday cake for him. On Saturday Caitlin and our parents went up to Green Bay for a family friends wedding. Stay tuned for her wedding attire tomorrow! Tim and I spent some time downtown wandering in and out of shops, and then went out to dinner. Friday we had our cousins 8th grade graduation. Like I said, it was an eventful weekend. Now this week, we’re prepping for our mystery European trip over Memorial Day. We are beside ourselves with excitement and can’t wait to find out where we’re going!

All we know so far, is that it’s Europe and our flight leaves Thursday night. We’ll arrive in the “morning,” wherever we are, and hit the ground running. We’re gone Thursday night to Tuesday night, so we’ll be packing in as much activity as possible. If you have any guess as to where it may be, sound off in the comments below. In the meantime, we’ve been plotting our packing and are really excited about our outfits. Get ready for some fun travel content, and tall jumpsuits just in time for Summer!

As for this dress, it totally screams Summer. It has bright punchy color blocking for the perfect warm weather look. If you have any weddings to attend, this dress is the perfect choice. The length is perfect for any tall woman, so no worrying about flashing unwanted bits while you’re dancing. Although you’re well covered, this dress is anything but boring. The bodycon shape hugs your curves really nicely. Plus you can adjust the straps for adding length.

I bought the size large, and it fits really well. Normally I wear a 10/12 in bottoms. If you’re larger busted than me, this dress will fit you really well up top. I normally wear a smaller size in tops than bottoms, especially if it’s sleeveless. My shoulders are wide, but my torso isn’t as wide. Obviously the dress still fits, but I know some women are deterred by wondering if it will work on larger chests. Maybe we’ll have Caitlin try it on at some point to showcase the difference in height, but let us know if you’d like to see that!

Height of Fashion has been showcased heavily on the blog recently, and that’s for good reason. She is all about helping tall women feel like they have on trend options, that fit well. As with this dress, Natalie wants tall women to help embrace their sexiness. She’s certainly making it easy for us. Whenever we throw on one of her garments, it’s like leveling up. It makes it all the harder to return to ill fitting clothing. Basically what we’re saying, is keep all the wonderful clothing coming! We’re plotting our next purchase, as there is a long list of items we “need.”

Sound off below, where do you think we’re headed this weekend? More importantly, we want to know where you’re headed this weekend! Any big Memorial Day weekend plans?

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White Before Memorial Day?

You bet! We both tend to disregard this “fashion rule.” Is it still a rule? Either way you can catch me in white whenever I please. I purchased some white jeans on super clearance at Old Navy last year for $2 and wore them a few times but they just weren’t quite right. I don’t know if it’s because I felt like they showed a bit of cellulite or what but they essentially became a big nope to me. So I did what I always do. I gave them to my mom! Her legs are a bit more slim than both Jenilee’s and mine so she is always happy to take most pants we don’t love.

After finding the perfect button fly jeans last year, and then buying a second pair, when they came out in white it wasn’t a question. They fit SO much better than the first pair and I feel 100% comfortable in them. Well, except for the fear of spilling on them or brushing up against something dirty obviously.

I found this Madewell top at the Nordstrom Rack, and by I, I mean Jenilee found it for me! This is pretty typical for us. We just know when something is for each other even if it’s not our own style.  We love that Madewell caters to the tall denim and cherish the pairs we have which you can see here, here, and here but they are definitely not up to speed with tops. I am usually a Medium Tall, regular Medium or Large but at Madewell I had to get an XL in this top.

We are not the type of people to get upset at the size on a tag. If you look through my closet I own tops ranging from XS-XL and I could care less. You will never find me squeezing into something just because I want the tag to say a certain number or letter. But it does show how different tall fits are compared to regular sizing. We need those extra inches across the shoulders or we will be sizing all the way up. Unfortunately this then means that we are usually sacrificing the fit everywhere else and end up wearing a box.

Luckily for me in this case I didn’t feel like it was too boxy, I just loved the precious baby blue/white/gingham combo. You know gingham makes your girls swoon over here. You can see much more on gingham in the archives here, here, and here. And there just may be more to come! I finished this look with my very favorite heels, and I was out the door.

This post will be short and sweet for certain. But we want to know what your stance is on the white rule. Are you with us? Or are you a fashion rule follower?

Outfit Details

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Maxi(mum) Feminine Floral

Yesterday we dropped a Spring jacket roundup for everyone’s viewing pleasure. We tried to divide it up to be as easily digestible as possible, but we would love your feedback. Did you find it helpful? Was there something you felt was missing? Do you prefer we take other outfit posts and just throw the pictures in to show different styling? We want to hear from you, to make it as effective as possible. If you missed the post, click here!

As for today, I’m back and feeling glamorous in this incredible maxi dress (click here for direct link). I know one of the requests we’ve gotten repeatedly was for maxi dresses for tall women. This dress is the real deal. While it isn’t the easiest dress to get on due to all of the buttons, it is incredibly flattering and well fitting once it is on. It’s always worth mentioning the proportions are spot on when you’re buying from tall small businesses.

I especially love that the buttons end right above the knee to leave a slit in the front. Caitlin mentioned it with her Amalli Talli Malibu maxi dress (click here) that it makes it so much easier to walk. Not to mention, it elevates the sexiness for a flash of lower leg/calf. We can never fail to mention, that there are POCKETS. Ladies, I know you feel me here. There is nothing worse than not wanting to carry a purse or anything around all night. Enter pockets to the rescue. Everyone knows women have more things to carry around anyway, so if anyone shouldn’t have pockets, it’s men! Ok, I might be getting carried away there – but let’s declare pockets for all!

The print on this dress is also divine. Although I’m not partial to all floral, this moody print drew me in right away. It may be that it’s a bit edgier than other options, but whatever the reason, it will be on repeat this summer. I have to mention that the straps are adjustable, which I took advantage of due to my smaller chest. I could easily wear a strapless bra underneath it as well.

Like Caitlin has mentioned in posts before, I was feeling like my best self in this dress. It was form fitting but easy to move in. Although it shows flashes of skin, for the most part it covers me well. Obviously the best highlight as tall women, is the length. I was able to wear a strappy heeled sandal and it’s almost to the ground. I also grabbed what we’ll dub the purse of the summer, which is linked on our Amazon page here. Don’t forget we have larger shoe sizes linked on there as well!

Now that the weather is cooperating with us, I’ll be pulling this out to wear often. It could be worn to weddings, any showers you have, to brunch, to church, the list is really endless. Plus it’s on a ridiculously good sale. Don’t let the fact that it comes from Australia, deter you! Nat is always happy to answer any questions on sizing.

I’ll mention again that Australian sizing and United Kingdom sizing is 2 sizes smaller than ours. If you wear a 10 in U.S., you’d wear a 14 in UK/Aus. We saved up and purchased several pieces to get us over that free shipping threshold. Everyone knows that it’s better to spend a bit more than pay for shipping, right?! If you’re looking for other options, check out their new jeans! The stretch is unreal but the fit is so right. We posted about them here for the ripped pair, and here for the dark denim. Also, can’t forget the boyfriend blazer and lace top. Caitlin has worn them both so many times, and it is the ideal tall girl option. The blazer is also on a great sale. We’ll be posting about the Striped body con dress early next week, stay tuned!

We’ll be back in June for a maxi dress roundup of sorts. If anyone has any places in particular that they want included with this roundup, please let us know in the comments. We have a good mixture of retailers, but if you’re wondering about a specific retailer let us know!

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Spring Jacket Roundup

Today’s post will be pretty straight to the point. Last summer we did a romper roundup for y’all, and everyone seemed to love it! If you want to look back on it, click here. It just deposits stuff in one post so it’s easier to digest and give inspiration for different types. This time around, we’re giving you all the spring jackets we’ve got on repeat. The weather is inching us towards summer, supposedly. Darn it, we’re going to dress the part. So let’s get to the jackets!

Jean Jacket

Why not start with the obvious. Everyone loves a good jean jacket, and we’ve got so many different options in style right. You can rock an over-sized look, a distressed look, or even wear a combo like Caitlin’s sweatshirt/jean jacket. There are also a bunch of different color options, we’re digging the grey, black, and white options aside from any of the classic blues.

Utility Jacket

Who doesn’t love a canvas jacket. They are sturdy but lightweight, and the cuts on them allow you to cinch in the waist for a more structured look. The green is obviously our favorite, you know that by now, and the utility trend is big for spring! Or another option is the classic khaki color, which also pairs with practically every color.

Rain Jacket

Yo, it’s been raining on us nonstop. This may not be the sexiest or most fun coat to buy, but you better believe you’re going to use it in the spring. Why not spice it up with some punchy colors like this tall option from asos? You could also just blend into the background like this camo option, but your call! They’re totally reasonably priced, and I don’t travel without one now. They pack up really nice and tiny.

Leather/Faux Leather Jacket

Leather is one of those fabrics that will see you through the entire year. The best part of course, is that it’s never out of style. We’ve built up our collection over the years of having several great options to layer. Once you get a black moto or classic silhouette, you can extend to the trendier items. The most recently grab was this grey moto option, which is an easy neutral and perfect for Spring/Summer. Caitlin has gotten a ton of use out of her cream colored option as well!

Moto Jackets

Sometimes a leather jacket can be a bit too heavy for the weather as they aren’t the most breathable fabric. It’s nice to have other lightweight jackets in the same cuts to reach for as an alternate. Caitlin has her neutral faux suede moto jacket, and I have a twill like fabric from Gap. They’ll keep the chill out but still look just as put together.

Bombers

We can’t leave out our bomber jackets. They are made for the tomboys in us. The styling is easy and will take you from the gym to out for drinks flawlessly. Bombers have seen us through a lot of travel, and we won’t stop wearing these for years to come. In particular, I’m eyeing up the pink option at Gap right now, because tall sizing! Caitlin gets so much use out of her Burgundy bomber, it might as well be a neutral.

Army/Camo Jackets

It wouldn’t feel right to leave off without mentioning our army jackets. As they are vintage/thrift store finds and unisex sizing, they typically fit our tall bodies well. The over-sized bulky sizing makes it super easy to layer and you can go casual and grungy or throw a simple tighter look underneath.

We rapid fire threw these jackets on over our favorite mainline bodysuits we found at Nordstrom Rack. If you see a bodysuit you like at your local Rack, and the brand is Elodie, we’ve had incredible luck with the torso length working well. Hope this inspires you to round out your Spring Jacket collection, I know we sometimes struggle to have our closet work cohesively! Sound off below which Spring Jacket you’re looking for!


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Kindness Heightened

The Real Tall is the name of our blog. The intent was always to share snapshots of what that means, in a candid manner. We have been building towards that more and more. Last week we shared probably the “realest” post to date, discussing people making comments about height. While that was an opinion post, we were curious about everyone else’s experiences. We reached out via our Instagram stories to get some feedback, and it was impressive to hear the wide array of stories and experiences. I don’t think we even scratched the surface.

We posted a question on Instagram: Have you ever heard any type of: “How tall are you?” “You make me feel short” “What sport do you play?” “Are you a model?” or any other rude derogatory questions?

And asked how do you stay kind while responding to these type of remarks?
Read on for some of the responses we got:

  • “Oh just wait till pregnancy..I try to laugh it off and never let others affect my mood”
  • “OMG You’re so tall, I just say “hah yeah” and put a little smile on.
  • “I find it flattering when someone asks. 5’9 not super tall but little more than average”
    “Depends on the day whether or not I kindly respond”
  • “Take a deep breath before replying & keep it short and sweet”
  • “Sidekick and I now respond to such askers with stating their distinctive body feature”
  • “Thanks! Lol short and sweet. Anything more tends to engage people in more questions”
  • “I play the opposite oh-thanks-what about you? Did you know you’re super short?”
  • “Thank you! That’s so kind-you see me wearing heels? Yes! It’s because I love being tall”
  • “Smile, say thank you, and remember that they’re asking because they’re jealous”
  • “For me staying “kind” means just answering the question and moving on”
  • “Wish I had a backbone to tell people it makes me uncomfortable, but I still smile n laugh”
  • “If I know the person, I “kindly” tell them not to ask those types of questions to any tall people”
  • “Ugh these questions, nowadays I just give a straight answer depending on my mood”
  • “I always take it as a compliment (whether they intended it or not!) I say thank you!”
  • “I don’t”
  • “5’11 What about you? And then change the subject like thank you next”
  • “I always say thanks with a smirk”
  • “Well, the bball one is common to which I usually respond with, “I’m actually a gymnast” or “I dabble in Mini-Golf or a horse jockey”
  • “Or I’m a professional at finding clothing that doesn’t fit”
  • “Ask them what it’s like to be vertically challenged”
  • “Or say are you vertically discriminating me?”
  • “I get a lot of little kids saying I’m huge. I just laugh and agree because at 6’4” I’m a giant.”
  • “I’ve only had someone be rude about my height once. I just choose to ignore him”
  • “Do you play basketball? No, do you play mini golf? To keep it light but really..”
  • “I give my answer with a smile and try not to roll my eyes at the same time.”
    “Do we always have to be kind though? Can I ask them how much they weigh?”
  • “I remind myself that I love my height and that I wouldn’t change it for the world”
  • “Not a very easy task…You got to react accordingly…”
  • “Just laugh it off. Usually not meant to be as an include so why take it as one? )I’m 5’11) So Yep.”
  • “One of my canned responses is “I’ve been 6’ since I was 12, you get used to it after a while”
  • “Knowing being tall is amazing. I can eat the extra cookie that they can’t and that they’re jealous”
  • “Yes, it makes you seem really short”
  • “Awkward smile & shoulder shrug-limiting mindsets don’t deserve more energy from me”
  • “I literally just laugh. They don’t even want a response they just feel better saying it outloud”
  • “Thanks, I was unaware. Not something that’s ever going to change…”

I think all of these responses are a testament to how we’re feeling at the moment. They also point to the place we’re at in our lifelong journey. Sometimes I’m in an “indulgent” mood. Meaning, I’ll let someone get away asking me how tall I am. At the same time, this does not become a free-for-all ask-as-many-questions-as-you-want type of scenario. Other times, many can attest that my death glare comes out. That face typically scares people off with ease.

It comes back to the odd feeling of being a type of celebrity, when you certainly did not sign up to become a public figure. People start to act entitled to information that they would not get away with elsewhere. In particular, the response above asking about their height seems to be at least a reciprocity of sorts.

In the past, my responses have run the gamut. I can relate to most of these feelings, including (especially) “does it always have to be a kind response?”. Because we did not sign up for this, it can feel tedious at best, and enraging at its worst. A lot of people have become much more thoughtful in their responses, based on their life experiences.

Someone sent us a DM explaining that, “these types of comments used to get under my skin and I would reply with a snarky comment like “thanks captain obvious.” But as I’ve matured I’ve realized these comments are only a reflection of the other person’s shallow intellect. And so I give them a forced closed-mouth smile and say nothing back at all in hopes of making the situation awkward for them and leave them to reflect.  But at the end of the day, I’m not quick to get offended by these shallow comments because if they are so quick to point out the height differences between them and I, I can’t help but wonder if they are quick to say or think a racist thought when they see a person of a different skin color. That is big time oppression and I’ll deal with an ill-minded tall girl comment any day until I start seeing equality on foundational levels like race, sex, and gender. Until then I’ll continue to walk tall and half-smile when necessary. Just my two cents!”

A major dose of perspective. As tall women/men/people, I think most of us are pretty familiar with putting ourselves in others shoes. Being put into situations where you may feel ostracized, you quickly learn to empathize with others. It does not mean you have to be a lovely, gracious person to someone who is bothering you, but it also should not make you fly off the handle. At the end of the day, the world has bigger problems for sure. As I mentioned in the original post, we should also focus on connecting with other people and working to understand differences instead of calling attention to them.

Thanks to everyone who responded to our question. We’re hoping that reading these will inspire you, make you laugh, or make you think, or all of the above! We especially love that this seemed to strengthen the community we are trying to build here! If you did not share with us initially, we’d love if you would share below. Everyone can improve by learning from the collective group!

A quick shoutout to these outfits-You have seen these culottes here and you will likely see them again. We are working on remixing items as often as possible for y’all because this is the real world and we all wear our clothes more than once! I have been waiting to showcase this blouse and its sleeve length since last year. Caitlin is wearing the beloved Height of Fashion blouse we both have and love. You can see that one styled on both of us here as well.

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