A Cardi Party with Amalli Talli

AHHHH, is all we have to say after returning from up north totally refreshed. It’s that feeling of realizing you’ve been breathing polluted air once you get even two hours north of Milwaukee. Not saying Milwaukee is nasty, but as with any city, you have a different air quality. Fall feels that much more magnified when you’re surrounded by nature and not buildings.

Plus it was great to get some Grandma time in! She’s our OG tall matriarch of the family. We wouldn’t exist without her and our Grandpa meeting at a tall people club in Milwaukee many years ago. Isn’t that such a fun thing to think about? Our height pride goes two generations back! Nowadays she just gives our brother (who is 6’8) a hard time about dating a tall woman. You already know we can’t get enough of that!

The temperatures have already dropped up north and the boats are out of the water! We’re fully embracing the layers that Fall requires. Luckily we have this cardigan from Amalli Talli to throw on over anything and everything. This is the third piece we’re sharing from their Fall drops, check out the leopard sweater here, and the duster here. As always, if you follow along on Instagram we’re sharing our thoughts on the fit on Instagram stories. Don’t worry if you miss it the day it’s posted, we’ve made an Amalli Talli highlight and saved all of them there!

So as with the previous pieces we’ve discussed, this is one versatile sweater. Whenever they design these pieces, they are making darn sure that they’ll be hard workers in your closet. So you might look at the cost and be hesitant about spending a little extra money initially; however, we always like to consider cost-per-wear for our items. So if we buy something really trendy, even though it might only be $24, it might also be really cheaply made consequently. So you wash it once and then maybe are able to wear it once more. That’s $12 per wear, not so good when you calculate it out. But we live in the chilly Midwest, where you’re in need of a sweater/light jacket 8 months out of the year. So buying a neutral cardigan that literally goes with everything, seems like a way better investment.

Plus this cardigan is like wearing a hug. Who doesn’t need more hugs?! We’ve long admired that cozy, slouchy cardi vibe that smaller women seem to pull off effortlessly. But when a lot of retailers only stock up to size XL, and we’re already sizing up for the sleeve length, it doesn’t have the same effect. Alli, one of the founders of Amalli Talli was showing the difference between their striped basic long sleeve and the Nordstrom long sleeves she use to wear. We were astounded to see the sleeve length difference. Then I was flabbergasted to see how short the sleeve length was on her at 5’10. To make matters worse, she already had sized up one.

Really, we can’t overstate that our bodies require a vastly different cut than the average woman. She then went on to show how items end up being that boxy fit which takes away from the feminine fit that a lot of us are going for. So many times I’ve felt drab and manly because of ill-fitting clothing. Now we have these great options, like this cardigan that gives us our confidence back!

To touch on the sizing, this one again is a medium. Like I said above, it is a slouchier look than the duster is. So if you prefer a less fitted, then this is the one for you! This cardigan does have some tendency to shed, but Alli shared the perfect trick with us to minimize that. You put the sweater in a plastic bag and freeze it for 24 hours! Try it out and let us know if you agree.

Caitlin styled it with a basic white ribbed v-neck layering tank from Express. She just went through her denim and was getting rid of some midrise styles she doesn’t wear anymore, and realized that this pair got lost in the mix. They are the cheeky style from Gap. We’ve both really started to embrace more of the looser leg options, beyond the typical skinny jeans that we know and love.

So this outfit can basically be your new weekend uniform. It’s effortless and comfortable, just how we like our weekends. Don’t forget, you can snag it for 15% off, using THEREALTALL15 code. It makes it a no brainer. Hope your week is off to a great start!