2019 - Page 25 of 33 - The Real Tall

Overall, We are Loving This Whole Blogging Thing

Y’all thought I could post about overalls/bibs and not include an overall pun. C’mon, you should know better by now. I can never pass up the opportunity to exercise my pun game. But in all honesty, I want to take a few minutes to speak for both of us on how much we have enjoyed this crazy ride that blogging can be.

For those of you who are new around here, our story goes a few years back at this point; to Jenilee having the idea to start a tall fashion blog. She came up with the name pretty easily and obviously knew the premise was tall Fashion. I vividly remember the countless hours during car rides up north talking about what she could post, brand lists that support tall clothing, and so many fun ideas. We went back and forth a lot with these types of conversations but due to the pace of life it just kept taking the back seat.

By now she had purchased the domain and yes was paying for it for a year. Undeveloped, untouched, but it was hers. She locked in the instagram handle and had some posts but they weren’t quite blog related. She was however able to connect with some other tall bloggers just based on her Instagram handle (Hi Lucinda) alone. After all of the conversations, I knew I had a part in this blog. It was just unclear to both of us what the roles were, and what was actually going on.

Finally for whatever reason she felt compelled to lay it out clearly. She said, “I want you to do this with me.” In true Caitlin form, I went pedal to the metal and we things got started. We had Jenilee’s husband take some pictures in tall matching swimsuits on a trip to start. My roommate took many pictures for us, and we started moving along with the website. By moving along, I mean we (slowly!) made our way down that road with excessive speed bumps. Thankfully for our genius coding friend Emily, and my friend Ryan, and (some) of the two of us: WE GOT LAUNCHED!

This was a huge accomplishment for us. By nature we aren’t savvy in coding and it was hard. Really really hard. And there were many times we questioned what we were doing. I very clearly remember the frustration we experienced JUST trying to get our logo centered on the top of the website. How could it be that hard? We clearly have made it through all of the obstacles to be here today. It’s such a great feeling of accomplishment with something we built together from the ground up.

We made a shared calendar, started a few Google Docs to share, planned out some content, and we kind of naturally fell into roles. And to be honest not much has changed to this point. We are a well oiled machine. There have obviously been some disagreements, both of us showing up late at different times, re-shooting pictures we did a bad job with, and so much more. We have learned so many things in just over the year we have been blogging.

Not sure if our story will interest any of you. For some reason I felt compelled to share it from my perspective. I am so incredibly thankful my sister invited me on this journey with her. I love how many new friends we have made locally and virtually, near and far. We have been inspired by other bloggers and hope that in return we are inspiring a few people as well. We have gotten to work with some pretty amazing brands already. Overall we have really pushed ourselves outside of our comfort zone with new brands, new styles, new poses and in general just putting ourselves out there. Dang it, I am just so proud of the two of us! With that I must also include how thankful I am for family, friends, and anyone else we have connected with along the way. The support is unreal.

Well anyways lets digress and get into this outfit. I promise I will keep it short and sweet due to everything else I had to say today! These overalls are a mainline win, which shocked me. I sized up one due to it being mainline. Glad I did, because they have a bit more of a girlfriend fit. They are extremely accommodating (even for a curvy gal booty and thighs). If you have been looking for some bibs for yourself, look no further. It’s worth mentioning, I have tried another pair from Asos in the past and I don’t think overalls should be skinny (totally my opinion and could just be my body type) fit. I loved these ones immediately, and felt very comfortable in them. I added in one of my go to tall long sleeves, chucks and my aviators and really just felt like my best self.

Jenilee also ended up in a favorite of hers this day. These ultra distressed black jeans have really passed the test of time. They have shown up in outfits over and over again. She added in a new mock neck tank, an oversized denim jacket, one of her go to necklaces and a pair of Nikes. Another perfect outfit for a day out and about running errands. We are both all about layering up in the weird Wisconsin Spring weather.

Anyways I hope you enjoyed getting a bit of the how and why on our story. We hope you have enjoyed what we are doing, and found it useful or inspiring in some way. As always we want to hear from you whenever you have requests. Whether it be new brands, styles, fits, or anything else – please ask!

Outfit Details

April 5, 2019/0 Comments/by Jenilee & Caitlin

Post, Style

Spring; Stop Camouflaging Yourself

Back from New York and I immediately got sick with a stomach bug. It was probably my body rejecting my return to Wisconsin and to work. I swear, the time goes so quick in New York. The only time it didn’t go quick were the moments when my feet were swearing at me for so much more use than normal. We ended up between 7-10 miles a day walking around, which is pretty standard for us. Stay tuned, I will have a post put together on a weekend in New York and packing list for next week!

It’s probably for the best that I got sick because we ate really well while we were there. All I’m saying is a natural detox never hurt anybody. I’ll be sure to include the places we ate as well, I know I’m always looking for food recommendations when I’m traveling. Speaking of, last chance to share yours before I’m down in New Orleans this coming weekend. It’s going to be a quick week at home in between, but I’m really looking forward to traveling with my brother! He’s been on the blog before, here. Also sound off below if you’re interested in us sharing more men’s tall fashion again!

We’re in that pseudo Spring season, where it’s honestly still too cold to dress like all the new arrivals in stores want us to. I’m compromising and trying to incorporate Spring-like touches to my outfits, which basically means I’m adding some fun jewelry or headbands. At H&M in New York, I found two cute headbands that have the wire inside them. I find that those work much better for me than the structured headbands that dig into your head right behind your ears. I’m not sure if that’s just another unspoken problem of being tall as well, or maybe it’s just a differently shaped head as well! There is ALWAYS a gap where the band doesn’t lay on my head on both sides.

Luckily, we’ve got plenty of options because headbands are everywhere right now. I basically had to hold myself back (or Tim helped hold me back – whatever) from scooping them up in every store. H&M has some great two-packs, or some great thicker patterned headbands. If a headband is too much for you, they also have some great scrunchies or ribbons you can use with a ponytail. The two headbands I grabbed are the first two in the widget below, pink floral and black polka dot!

Back to talking faux-Spring dressing. I was pretty pumped about neutrals being a big option for the season. The tonal dressing completely speaks to me. Add in the utility vibe with neutrals and we have a winner. We’ve said it before, but camo print is a neutral in our closets. It is just an easy grab to give your look visual interest.

I’ll be wearing these camo pants all year long. They are from American Eagle, and I know we haven’t really touched on their pants before, but we’ve been longtime fans. They not only have long options, but they have extra long options, which is what this pair are. I got these as a present from Caitlin for my birthday, and I have been wearing them since! Stay tuned for some upcoming posts featuring more of American Eagle that Caitlin has been working on (aka she has been trying to figure out her size). Thankfully, because of all of you the amount of exchanging and sampling we do is worth it! The sweater is an old mainline find from Old Navy. As you can tell, the sleeves aren’t quite long enough.

Pairing these are super easy once you think of them as a neutral. I knew I wanted to warm up the look with these gorgeous booties from Long Tall Sally. If you’ve been searching for great larger sized boots, the time to buy is very soon! You can typically find them for the best price as retailers are trying to clear out their stock for Spring. It’s like Caitlin was talking about on Monday’s post here, which items you like you save or splurge on. Boots are definitely one of them for us. If you pay for leather quality options, they should last you a very long time! It’s always worth considering the cost per wear of an item.

Do you like to consider the cost per wear you’ll get out of an item? Or do you find yourself making more impulse purchases? We definitely find ourselves doing some of both!

Outfit Details

Camo Pants are long sold out, linked similar and added headbands as well!

April 3, 2019/0 Comments/by Jenilee & Caitlin

Uncategorized

Well, Well, Wellies

Save or splurge? This isn’t a question we find ourselves asking very often in these parts. We are both extremely sale oriented over here and I would say it dictates a lot of our purchases or at least when we purchase. Often times we will even combine our goods to either get free shipping, or to spend the larger amount on Express/ASOS etc to get more money off.

I feel blessed to have been raised in such a way that we don’t need to spend to feel impressive or flash our things. I honestly don’t care where an item came from or what brand it is what I value is the fit and that I don’t feel bad about myself for spending on it. Growing up so many of my friends had the UGG boots and North Face Jackets. While in our family you needed to wait until you are fully grown to get your hands on those goods. It was tough to hear at times, but wow does that make sense!

I recently caught my mom telling our young teen cousin that when she is done growing she will get her some UGGs, but until they she needs to stick it out. Maybe I’m more budget conscience, but I often catch myself gasping at families of 5+ walking around in their matching Patagonia’s and expensive boots. It astounds me how much that must have cost them. I have tried to change my thinking to redirect it more to: that’s great for them! They must be so established that they can afford to do that. Honestly though, I am not sure I ever want to do that. Do kids need the name brands when they are growing like weeds? In most instances I say save.

I am not going to lie to you or pretend I don’t own UGG boots, Sorels, a nice winter coat, and various other things. To me, those are things I can afford to splurge on, since our climate can be so so cold in the winter. However, most of my winter products still came from websites like Steep and Cheap, Back Country, and Moosejaw. This can limit your color options to “last years colors.” If you ask me, black and olive green are never going out of style.

Not so coincidentally, I found both this Retro zip and vest on discount sites “out of season” for more than half off. I picked up the vest awhile back in a shop up north. Before I bit the bullet and purchased, I decided to hop online and do a price comparison. It led me to promptly hang the in store option back up. You can also see a few more ways to style this vest in our fall post here.

The quarter snap is a newer purchase that I saw in a Facebook Ad and started swooning for. Talk about targeted ads. You win this round Facebook Ads. But again no guilt on my end, knowing i purchased it for 50% off. Plus I was able to still snag it in my favorite colors! We haven’t touched a ton on Patagonia here yet, but stay tuned for that. All I will say for now, is that I would consider them tall friendly. I have slowly morphed from North Face to strictly Patagonia, not because I like the label, but because that arm length couldn’t be more right!

And now to the item that inspired my save or splurge post. I am sure by now you have seen the Hunter label plastered somewhere before. If you ask me, I bet most bloggers own a pair. To me the price point has always been a bit too steep for a rain boot. I was ready to pull the trigger when Target announced they were going to be selling them for much cheaper. My friend Kasi and I both promised each other we would let each other know the moment they dropped. We knew they would sell out. Then Target rescinded their announcement and I buried the need for my own pair.

However, when you find a pair (IN YOUR COLOR), deeply discounted, plus you have a Nordstrom Note, there is no more to say. I have tried on Hunter boots before, and have always been turned off by the tight calves. Basically I just accepted that they weren’t for me. When I tried these on, I noticed this pair has an adjustable calf, and they couldn’t be more perfect! I love the color, fit, everything. Even when I was checking out at the Nordstrom Rack the (tall) cashier was like, “these fit you?!” I could sense the sadness within her (they were also her size) but I snagged them up first.

I think these are going to be a great staple for me through the wet spring season in Wisconsin; as well as our pre/post winter messy streets. I also love that you can add inserts to make them warmer, I’ll be purchasing a pair next season! The boots match most of my closet, so you will see these again and again.

Also, I just have to add in how much I have been scoring at the Nordstrom Rack with shoes lately. There was a major personal drought and I pouted my way through it. They have redeemed themselves thoroughly. Jenilee sent me a picture of these last week, and somehow convinced them to hold them for me. (The link is a different color) Then the next day when we went back to purchase them, she also found me these sneakers. I am so excited about both of these finds for some upcoming trips. Foot comfort is high on my priority list. At this point all I can conclude here is sometimes the splurge is worth it (even when the sale price is still a splurge). Also, that my sister is a bad influence on my wallet and shoe collection.

What is one thing you have no problem splurging on?

Outfit Details

April 1, 2019/0 Comments/by Jenilee & Caitlin

Post, Style

A Midi Moment

By the time you’ll be reading this I’ll be in New York! Yes, I’m going back again. This will be my first time in the spring. It will also be my first time going without my mom (insert sad face). However, I’m super excited that this is the first time I’ll be experiencing it with Tim. We’re just doing a quick weekend with a couple friend of ours. As usual, we’ll be doing a ton of walking, there’s no better way to see lots of the city.

Back at home Caitlin has a fun weekend for herself planned! She’s headed to the Brewer’s game, which lets face it, is really an excuse to tailgate. If you’re not from around here, you might not understand. Tailgating is serious business in Milwaukee, they have to set limits on how early they open the parking lot, and shoo people into the game eventually. Wisconsin people just like to stand outside and play games and have a beer! If any of you are into yard games our brother will be bringing this one to play which is all of our favorites! We have to take advantage when we have the right weather.

She’s also going to Mumford & Sons with our brother. She bought him these tickets for our birthday back in November and they’ve been listening to the new album nonstop impatiently waiting for this day. It ended up being a funny coincidence, but I’m actually headed to New Orleans next weekend with him to also celebrate our birthday. Who knew we’d end up picking within a week to celebrate months later?! Also, if you have any lesser known recommendations for New Orleans (especially food) send them our way.

I got a couple of new dresses from Gap and I’m excited to head to a warmer climate and wear them. Nick doesn’t know it yet, but he’ll have to step up his game as a photographer so I can get some pictures for the blog haha. No longer just a #instahusband, but now an #instatwin or #instabro. We’ve already booked the Whitney Plantation tour, and also a Swamp boat tour, so we’ll definitely be heading out of the city for a day or two.

Anyway, let’s talk about this dress. I found it on Asos, and it caught my eye right away. It was mainly because it was more modest than you typically find. One of the constant frustrations, is trying to find great business dresses. With the caveat that it doesn’t break the bank. Another great work dress I found recently was this wrap dress I wore here. That one is on major sale and it a steal for how well it fits us as tall women!

This dress had a mock neck, which I am all about – as referenced by the many times I’ve worn turtlenecks on the blog and in life. I also greatly appreciated the sleeve length. It hits right above the elbow, which keeps your arms a little warmer and doesn’t cut off at an unflattering spot on your arm. The slits up the sides make it a little more risque than I’d typically choose, but it still keeps everything covered adequately.

I had ordered this during the black Friday sale. Luckily it came within the time of the sale because I had initially ordered a 12. I waffle between 10/12 for the Asos tall dresses. In this case, I had a bit too much room aka I looked like a bag lady. I returned and got a 10 and was much happier and relieved to find it still fit my shoulders. I added a vintage belt to tie in the waist a little bit. The look was finished with my favorite pumps from Long Tall Sally x Karl Lagerfeld. It left me feeling like one classy lady.

I’ve worn this a couple of times now, and it’s one of those looks that you can probably wear at least three seasons, especially if you throw on a pair of tights for the deep winter. Perhaps layering a cardigan or blazer over it as well. All in all, having a classy black dress on hand is never a bad idea. Plus one that is made for tall women, and the right price point. It’s a no brainer.

Tell us below, where do you snag your dresses for work? Also, anyone doing anything fun this weekend? Thanks for reading!

Outfit Details

March 29, 2019/0 Comments/by Jenilee & Caitlin

Post, Style

A Body(suit) for Every Body

Ahh we meet again. Here we are, halfway through the week. Definitely feeling that type of way too. Do you ever get to a week and realize how much you overbooked yourself? That was me with this week. It’s mainly because I’m headed to New York for the weekend and I’m caught looking for some spare time to pack. Super excited to be visiting in the Spring though, and if anyone has any food recommendations, send them my way stat!

I attended a really interesting event last night on women’s wear at a local college. It was a presentation on if women’s wear really works, and the history behind some of it. Definitely a interesting question to pose. The evolution of fashion, even just in my lifetime has taken some turns for the better and some that make you go, huh?! It seems like we’re exploring more comfortable ways to make fashion and life intertwine. You know Caitlin and I are all about that!

Even as women who lift heavier than a good portion of the population, I was just talking about how I need to be careful or my shoulders won’t fit well in clothing. That, of course refers to more structured clothing. But the thought is also, that I can’t size myself further out of clothing options! It’s enough that we’re limited by our shoulders being broader than smaller females, and that we can’t fit in regular sized clothing. Softer, stretchier fabrics don’t treat us this way! But nothing feels more chic than a great blazer or jacket.

We’re definitely lucky to have found some great blazers recently, like this tall boyfriend fit option Caitlin wore here. It all goes back to wanting the same opportunity as a regular sized person to be able to walk into a store and find your size on the shelf to try on. We feel your pain on making an educated guess on sizing and it being a crap shoot on what shows up in your mailbox!

That’s why we still like to pop in and out of stores to try stuff on. It then comes without the cost of “buying” to try on. Anyone else get heated a little bit about that? Speaking of blazers, I tried one from Express, thinking it was a three quarter sleeve boyfriend option that I could make work. I sized up of course, and when it came the only place I think it fit right was the shoulders. The rest of it made me look like a bag lady, because the body was huge. To top it off, my wrists were definitely out there cold, looking for coverage. No big deal, I can just return it. Point being, I spent my monthly budget money when I could have just tried it on and realized it wouldn’t work!

We still get lucky sometimes, and that was the case when we stopped in Nordstrom Rack and spotted these bodysuits. We all develop an eye for noticing things that are out of the norm, aka longer than typical. When I saw these t-shirt bodysuits, I did a double take. I thought they just might work. Once we tried them on, game over. In fact, we were so excited we posted them immediately on our Facebook page to share with y’all.

We also had to snag one for our Momma, because if one tall girl wins, we need all tall girls to win! Plus it came in mustard, which is her unofficial color. So we were practically obligated. Caitlin and I each snatched them up in white and black to have options. We knew we had to shoot them together, because we’re all about some twinning. (Speaking of -stay tuned for some epic twinning on an upcoming trip in May!)

We would say that the bodysuits are true to size. All of us are wearing size large. We had our Mom style hers three ways, just to show you more of her and to give you ideas on how versatile it is, even in a yellow color! She paired it with a kimono she found at TJ Maxx for a colorful night out, and then with a tall chambray from Old Navy for an easy daytime look.As well as a tall Land’s End Cardigan and Kendra Scott Necklace. We haven’t touched a ton on Land’s End yet. However, they do offer some great tall options as well.