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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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One Classy Case of the Spots

We’ll just drop a quick one on y’all today! This weekend is Mother’s Day, and we’re headed up north to celebrate our Momma in the way she loves best. Quality time at the lake! We’re hoping to see the dock put in by the time we get up there, and Caitlin might even get a little crazy and do some water skiing. Stay tuned on our Instastories to see if it works out!

Hopefully the rain won’t end up happening as forecasted. Regardless, it will be incredible to be back up there and not see the lake frozen over! Plus we’ll get to do brunch with our extended family on Sunday to celebrate both our Mom and our Grandma. We’re also hoping to have our Mom shoot a few new items of hers to add to the blog schedule. It’s always good to see another age and body type for people to compare! Would anyone be interested in the three of us styling one item on each of us?

Our Mom always brightens up the blog with her presence. She also brightens up our shoots as well. We’ve said it before, but if we could always have her with us when we’re creating content, we would! She’s always watchful and helpful with turning us or telling us to fix our posture or even giving us new ideas for poses. She’s been truly invaluable to us improving, and we couldn’t do it without her support. Hopefully everyone is spending time with their Mom’s this weekend (if they’re able) and telling them or showing them how much they appreciate all that they do for them! Thank you from us to all the Moms out there for everything. You are unsung heroes, raising up our next generations!

Onto this dress. I have been loving the ladylike spring/summery dresses I’ve seen browsing my favorite retailers. The vibes are a total throwback to like the 40’s/50’s. Feminine details always draw me in, like the slight puff sleeve. Plus the sleeve length is wonderful to have a bit more coverage. I’m forever bemoaning the lack of short sleeve dresses in my closet. A lot of dresses end up having cap sleeves or something a bit unflattering for my arms.

Plus the v-neck is always such a flattering cut to any women. I wouldn’t suggest this for bigger bust women because the v-neck is lower, unless you don’t mind some cleavage. The rest of the details are all covered, like the buttons. They are super cute, plus it makes it feel far more secure than the average wrap dress. It makes me feel like a lady! I recently wore it to a baby shower, with a jean jacket thrown over because we randomly got more snow. I finished it off with these cute strappy sandals from Long Tall Sally. They have such an amazing selection of shoes for the Spring and Summer. Plus, you know they go up to size 15! You’ll be seeing a lot more of these shoes, because they are the perfect neutral.

Lastly, I have to mention that the dress is on major sale! It is a beautiful lightweight fabric that will keep you cool in the warmer months! Tell us below, what are you doing to celebrate Mother’s Day? We’re making our Mom some breakfast, doing some chores, and enjoying the lake!

Outfit Details

Shoes are linked above to Long Tall Sally

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I’m the Height of Fashion; In These Jeans

Jenilee wrote an incredibly strong post on Tuesday. If you missed it, I recommend heading back here to read it. Being 5 inches shorter than Jenilee, I haven’t had to deal with nearly as much backlash and commentary in public settings as she has. It definitely still happens. To put a little more perspective to it, if I am out and about alone I rarely hear anything. If I am rolling with my family or other tall friends, we almost always draw some sort of negative comments.

Most recently on my trip to Austin I made it until the very last day. Literally as we were leaving the hotel I heard “Did you play volleyball?” Ugh. To be completely honest these are the best type of “tall” comments to get. It’s not an insult, it’s just presumptuous and ignorant. I think the next in line for me is “Are you a model?” Again, I will admit this one is flattering, but still also just not necessary because it’s strictly because of the height.

Looking at the big picture, I rarely if ever get upset when people say things to me because I have watched the things people say and do to Jenilee and there is no comparison. I get so excited for festival season in Wisconsin (Summerfest, Germanfest, Bastille days). When I think about it further I realize this will inevitably bring some nasty scenario. For example, last year we were at Bastille Days as some gentlemen thought it would be okay to come and stand next to her and try to grab a picture. Triggered. It doesn’t take long anymore for me to react when hearing the things people say to her.

It’s funny, on one hand she does have people telling her she overreacts at times, but they don’t get to. Because its her feelings and her reaction to have. The tables have now turned. She sometimes has to tell me to cool down in situations because instinctively I want to defend her. Honestly, how do people think these things are okay to do? Would you walk up behind a bigger person and take a photo, someone with a disorder or disease? These are all things people can’t control so you surely shouldn’t be treating them different. Trust me when I say I could keep going with this post. We aren’t here to drop this much heaviness on you for one week, so I will save the rest for another day. I’ll leave you with this: pay attention to how you are treating people, and be kind.

Now I have quite the funny story for y’all. I’ll give a brief backstory first. Jenilee and I typically have to schedule out some shoot days extremely far in advance, because our schedules are nuts. On these days we traipse through the city trying to find all kinds of different backdrops to get multiple outfits done in one swing. We have been getting bored with using the same spots so we just hopped in the car for these shots with no plan in sight. We saw the train tracks and thought “that could be fun!”

I grabbed the shots of Jenilee first and as she was using a train as a backdrop it slowly starts moving. It moved far enough so it was completely out of the background, so we moved further back and grabbed the exact shots we wanted. A Union Pacific driver drove past once and looked at us but kept going so we switched places for my turn. Jenilee told me I should sit on the train car. I was like nah, I’ll do better. I am going to stand on it. Cue a different driving coming down the tracks, and her panicking. I casually got down and said, “oh grab a picture of me sitting too,” as she’s trying to run away. We were promptly but kindly told we couldn’t take pictures on Union Pacific property. Luckily, we had already gotten the shots. We get that it is probably a safety issue but it was too cool not to risk it!

It isn’t quite as hard for me to find great denim as it is for Jenilee, but it is definitely still a struggle. Not necessarily because of the height, but the height + curves combination. We heard that Height of Fashion was dropping some new denim and immediately knew they would be amazing. Natalie designs each of her pieces with a thought, care, and passion for the right fit and it certainly shows. Nat choose the dark denim for me (link here) and they fit like a glove. The length is great, the stretch is ideal, and the rise is high where it belongs. If these pictures don’t portray how easy they are to move around in then nothing will. I can’t name another pair of jeans that I could scale a train in while also wearing heels.

On of Nat’s main goals is to keep tall fashion sexy, fun, and on trend and wow is she nailing it! We haven’t spotted a drop of frump in her line yet. Knowing her goal, i grabbed this saucy olive blouse, my rattan purse, and the heels that just keep showing up. If you are looking to try out some new denim, this is your place! Or if you happen to need a bomb blazer (for $52!!) or lace top (for $22) see here, and here. And stay tuned, there might be more!

Dear Nat, thanks for making Jenilee and I feel like our best selves in these jeans!

Outfit Details

Jeans, Top, and Heels are linked above!

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Staying Striped with Amalli Talli

Yesterday we took a stand for tall. I’ve seen the unpopular opinion memes floating around and was inspired to write my own. If you missed it, click here. Inevitably, it will offend someone. That’s ok, not my intent. People need to be educated on how to speak/interact with others, so I grabbed the opportunity. If you want to talk about it further, please feel free to leave a comment below on your own experiences! The lighter portion of yesterday’s post was also finding a new favorite pair of jeans from Height of Fashion.

But today we’re back to our recent favorite topic, which is Amalli Talli! You’re probably wondering if we have everything from their store by now. The answer is, not yet, but we’re trying our very best to catch up. Hopefully you feel the authenticity when we speak about Amalli Talli and continuously buy their clothing. You will feel like your best self in their clothing. What that means to me, is not worrying about your clothing because it’s a seamless fit.

We love clothing and shopping, but don’t really consider ourselves fashionistas. I’d call us more fashion appreciators. The best part about fashion is picking and choosing what suits you. Everyone has a life unique to themselves. Meaning depending on your events and work, it might not make sense to buy “fancy” items. Especially in Wisconsin, we’re considered the strange ones showing up “overdressed.” I use quotations purposely, because overdressed is more a mindset than anything else.

One of the best takeaways from starting the blog, is figuring out what works well for us in our style journey. I’ve heard so many women say “this won’t work on me,” or “I can never wear that.” Subsequently, they’ll restrict themselves from even trying it on or testing it out.  Fashion is for everyone, not just who you’re accustomed to finding in magazines or ads.

We hope to encourage our tall sisters but really anyone reading this to feel a bit more confident to go out and try on something that you admire. The second part to being the sizing. I cannot emphasize this enough; don’t worry about sizing up. I guarantee you will feel more comfortable, and it will fit better, which will lead to you feeling incredible and more confident. Size is just a number. Let me repeat it again. Size is JUST a number. It’s completely pointless to buy a certain size just to claim you fit into it, and never wear the item.

That leads us (in a roundabout way) into these items from Amalli Talli. I’ve long admired t-shirt dresses, but never felt like it was a look for tall women. Mainly because a shirt dress connotative of Tom Cruise in his tighty whitey underwear, aka it being too short to be appropriate. In reality, all I needed was the right company to come along and take on the challenge of making it fit appropriately. Amalli Talli to the rescue!

A couple of key notes on this fit. I would recommend sizing up, especially if you have curves like us. As with most dresses, if you have a bigger butt it will pull up the back. This t-shirt dress feels super luxe. The fabric is so soft and stretchy!  Plus it is double lined. We always appreciate that extra layer so it’s not super clingy. This dress is so versatile, the perfect travel companion. It’s actually Caitlin’s dress, so we’ll be showcasing her in it very shortly in another remixed option!

Caitlin wore her Striped Duster in a super casual but chic look by wearing all black underneath. She has gotten so much use out of this duster already. As you can tell, not only is the length wonderful, but the sleeves are amazing as well. I can attest to the sleeves working really nicely on my arms as well. Again, the fabric feels really nice. It holds a flattering shape but is stretchy enough to layer it quite easily.

A lot of times we have had to size up in dusters to get the length we wanted, and ended up sacrificing the shape. That is probably the best part about this duster, is how flattering the upper body fits. Y’all this duster will take you to work, and keep you warm all day in your arctic environment. Then it will take you to dinner or drinks dressed down just as easily. We love how they paired it with the Selby midi dress from their site as well. It’s inevitable that will end up in our closets as well!

Let us know below if you’ve tested out Amalli Talli yet! Are you into the striped pieces and/or dusters? If we didn’t catch your attention last week with the Malibu Maxi, Palisade Jumpsuit, or Vernon Jumpsuit; maybe we did today? If this is true you can still use THEREALTALL15 for 15% off your purchase!

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