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There’s a New Bag in Town

There is something about the season changing that puts a little extra fire in you. For me, I feel compelled to start up on projects or things that I’ve been pushing off due to the lovely weather. When that crispness in the nighttime air shows up, you know that inevitably the warmth is slowly dissipating.

With that all in mind, Caitlin and I have been hard at work scheduling out our posts. We all know by now, WINTER IS COMING. What isn’t coming, is George R.R. Martins newest Game of Thrones book that has been in the making for at least four years. Fine, I’m probably alone in waiting for the book, because most have been satiated by the show that diverged from the books fully this last season.

If you’re still reading after that intense digression, stick with me we’re getting to the good stuff. We put our heads together and came up with a couple of new series we’ll be integrating in the near future, including my husband making some guest appearances, and also our brother! We are super excited to share the new content and we welcome the feedback on what you all would like to see more of.

Onto a brand we’re excited to share with you. Full disclosure, we were gifted these bags. We first came across Mei Li on Instagram and were intrigued by the small start up company, as we were just starting our own blog. As we scrolled through instagram we were stopped by the beautiful classic bags, but inspired by their mission statement behind the bags. Their company is a group of young entrepreneurs seeking to empower women in every possible direction. Their bags are in total alignment with their statement, as they are amazing for women on the go, trying to stay one step ahead as their reach their goals.

They are also about quality not quantity, so they have chosen classic handbag styles that will never need to be donated as the trends change. We feel strongly that you don’t need to have a purse for every outfit. This fits with Mei Li’s brand of timeless accessories that will see you through whatever your day brings you.

We each have the Lian Tote, which is a medium sized handbag but will still fit our essentials we carry with us each day. Handbag size is important to me, because I like to be able to add a book (ok sometimes two books) without worrying if I’ll still be able to zip it and this definitely fits the bill without being too large and becoming a suitcase of things I don’t need to carry around with me!

We’ll be continuing to use our beautiful handbags and give an updated report as we go, so you all have the scoop! We’re all about supporting small businesses growth and excited to see what the future brings for Mei Li.

We paired our beautiful handbags with dresses we found from Zara’s basics collection. We’ve mentioned before, that we’re constantly on the lookout for inexpensive midi dresses that can be worn to work. Aside from our love for Asos, not a lot of places have dresses that we get excited about. Zara, while not being a tall retailer, has a great amount of “midi” options. Plus I had a friend who’s 6’0, who bought a pair of their skinny jeans and were actually long enough (hi Lindsay!). Until they get their act together and add a tall line, we’ll still peruse their cheap on-trend offerings, while saving money based off of items not fitting.

When you find a cotton material dress that has three quarter sleeves and is under $30, you don’t really pause too long before snatching it up. Plus the wrap waist allows you to tie it as tightly as you feel like, which is always a win! For the price we obviously both had to have a dress and since we bought in two colors we love to trade back and forth.

Now for your normally scheduled Real Reel featuring: When your friends stole your look.

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Lulu-Long Enough

This first week after Labor Day seems ten times longer! That was true for Caitlin too, even though she was off on Monday coming back from her Smoky Mountains yurt trip. If you haven’t checked that post out yet, go give it a read! It’s a completely unique vacation experience that any nature lovers would enjoy.

This aligns well with us writing about one of our favorite retailers for activewear and athleisure, Lululemon. Some of you might be surprised to hear that, considering we’re all about budget friendly items, and Lululemon typically isn’t on that list. However, we also believe in spending a little bit more on items that you “wear hard,” meaning how much you sweat and move in the clothing and we are definitely a family who sweats, A LOT.

Lululemon is one of those companies that inspires some sort of strong opinion. Either you love it and wear it ALL the time as a die hard fan or you can’t understand why people like those expensive see through leggings. We fall firmly in the former category; however, I definitely think some leggings can still be see through. I also chalk that up to people wearing the wrong size!

I remember my mom first discovering Lululemon and her being SO excited that they had yoga pants that were long enough for us. I, being two inches taller, knew better and steered clear because they were definitely not long enough for me. I resigned myself to love them from afar, all while Caitlin was starting her own love affair with them and bringing home the cutest pieces.

That all changed for me, when I won a gift card from a blogger I’ve followed for a long time, Kat Tanita. Caitlin had long been telling me that she thought that some of the leggings would be long enough for me, and finally I had an excuse to check it out! With the incredibly generous gift card, we both got two full outfits all of which, Caitlin was right – fit like a dream.

From there I’ve added to my collection little by little. I have their Define Jacket, which has beautifully long sleeves and the body length is great as well. I’ve also grabbed some of their tall skorts, which have been great for golfing! What I love the most is the high waist on the leggings. It holds you in but doesn’t feel restrictive. Plus then no worrying about hiking your pants up all the time.

Caitlin, having started much sooner has integrated a larger variety into her life. She found that the ⅞ length leggings work well for her 5’11 frame. She also has a few tank tops, a define jacket, some other sweatshirts and tops, and has a few of their sports bras as well, which hold up really nicely, especially for larger chested women. On a non clothing related note she also bid on a yoga mat during a silent auction and loves it for yoga, as well as doing some body weight circuits on the deck up north, it is extremely durable!

Our Mom has taken her love for Lululemon and found pieces that suit her specifically for running. She has the On-Pace short which is 10’ in length and a great length to keep her comfortable while running long distances but not restricted. She’s also had great luck with their tank lengths, and we all really appreciate the variety they offer as well with lengths and cuts.

Our Dad couldn’t miss out on the fun this time, because our Mom has turned him into a full on Lululemon lover as well. He was very hesitant at first thinking it was a women’s only store, but the moment he put on the ABC pants he was sold. Some might not know that they have a great mens line as well. PLUS, the best part is, they have pants that fit our dad who is 6’4 and our brother and my husband who are both 6’8. It gets even better, because not only are their pants as comfortable as sweats, but they are cut in a professional enough way that they can be worn to work. HUGE win all around.

All in all, Lululemon is on the more expensive side, but also holds up really well. Plus they have impeccable customer service if you ever have an issue with your item of clothing. Some people definitely take advantage of this, but I’m sure there are people who do have actual issues. If you’re considering checking them out if you haven’t before and the price is a deterrent, you can always check out their “We Made Too Much” section, which is essentially their clearance area.

One other thing to note is how beneficial it might be to first visit in store. Their sizing is a bit off and we both ended up wearing a size or two smaller than we normally do. Their employees are always super helpful and can give you pointers on how the leggings are supposed to fit.

As always, we’re a pair of goofballs, so we’ll leave you with some fun photos, gotta keep it real! Tell us below, have you checked out Lululemon and like it? Maybe you’re sworn against it after trying it once, or you’ll never try it. Let us know in the comments below!

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Yurtin’ In the Smokies

Since the day our blog came to fruition we knew that we wanted to obviously base the blog primarily on tall fashion finds but we also wanted to work in some other parts of our lives that we value so highly. So that brings me here, to our first travel post! Jenilee and I both love traveling and exploring this beautiful planet we live on, and try to see as many places as our budgets and time off allow.

I am all for road trip comfort-especially when it is an 11 hour drive so I grabbed my favorite Gap Joggers and was ready to roll!

So let’s dive in! This past weekend my mom, best friend/roommate/our wonderful blog photographer, and her mom and loaded up a truck and hit the road from Milwaukee to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The laughs started immediately as we all tried to cram everything we needed into every single nook and cranny in the car. We took on 6 hours the first night in order to crash in Louisville for a short time before finishing off the last 4 in the morning.

We arrived in the Smoky Mountains around lunch time and checked in at Imagination Mountain and unloaded our car and got settled in our Yurt. That’s right, our yurt. For those that are unfamiliar a yurt is a circular tent made of collapsible framework. Ours has two sets of bunk beds, a mini fridge, heat/air(thank goodness), and a small table. However, the best part was what was outside of our Yurt. Less than ten steps from the base of our steps was a little babbling creek, a fire pit and picnic table. We all loved hearing the sound of the creek as we slept and enjoyed our fires each night.

Once we were semi settled we loaded up and took off to get a short hike in before it got too dark out. We took off on our first drive up the mountain and began Grotto Falls. We were drawn to this hike because there is a waterfall you can walk behind and it was a shorter one to begin with. This hike was very moderate for the four of us and we easily made our way to the top and enjoyed the small waterfall and then headed back down to enjoy a bonfire.

We planned this trip with the goal to be as relaxing and work free as possible which for us means no cooking and no dishes. So we each prepared foil packs for the fire and just had to toss them on each night and then throw away the foil when we were done.  The first night of sleep was rough for us, Sarah and I prefer the air to be on while our moms would prefer it to be warmer. Unfortunately the air doesn’t reach the top bunks easily but freezes those on the bottom. So if you ever consider a trip like this-plan accordingly.

Day two was a rough start for us. We all slept quite terrible and that’s all there is to it. Therefore, we were slow to get going and everything just felt a little pushed back. We did a hike called Chimney Tops this day, which was very laboring on all of us. There are so many steps we weren’t anticipating and we all had a hard time catching our breath and I personally felt very out of shape. We choose this hike because of the wonderful views; however, due to the awful fires a few years back a large portion of the trail is still shut down to keep hikers safe. The view was still spectacular and well worth the climb but it makes me so sad knowing how much damage was done from the fires. It was also extremely disheartening how many water bottles, wrappers and other garbage was left behind. Anywho, I won’t make you all listen to me and my soapbox. We all felt our legs shaking on the way down and decided the base of the trail sitting on some rocks at the base of a waterfall would be the perfect spot for lunch. It was simply incredible sitting there listening to the water rush by and relaxing after a taxing hike.  

We wanted to do two smaller hikes this day but due to our late start (and some unexpected rain) this wasn’t in the cards for us. Instead we headed towards Gatlinburg and stopped into Sugarland Distillery and bellied up to the bar for a moonshine tasting. The minute we stepped up to the bar I committed to trying all 13-yes 13 flavors of the moonshine even though they didn’t all sound appealing to me. Most of the flavors were great but the real entertainment was the bartender. I can’t even describe the hilarity that came from his mouth. After tasting so many flavors we were all ready to buy a jar or two to take home to share with friends and family. After this we headed back for a different foil pack, fire, and a semi early bedtime since we were all feeling the lack of sleep from the night before.

The four of us were ready to take on day three bright and early. We got up, packed up our bags and headed to Ramsey Cascades for our longest hike. We started out and all of us quickly decided this was already our favorite hike. I cannot even put into words the beauty of this terrain or the incredible waterfall that was waiting for us at the top. This hike was close to 8 miles round trip but was much easier than the previous day. After we all picked up our jaws from the floor at the sight of the waterfall we unpacked our lunches on a huge rock and enjoyed another lunch with falls. It was so rewarding making it to the top and enjoying some rest before trekking down.

Unfortunately more unexpected rain was upon us but we set up our fire and got dinner cooking anyways. We got to enjoy the fire and dinner before a downpour quickly approached. All of us booked it inside and even though we were sad we knew it was for the best since we needed to get packed up and head out early. And early came quick. Our alarm went off at 6:15 and we all hopped up and tried to cram everything back in for our 11 hour journey home.

You’ve heard us mention this chair before-but I wanted to show you how amazing it is for a taller frame (See her toe reaching to touch?). The back is so incredible high and supportive for my tall frame, the base where you sit doesn’t sag at all and it is so comfortable! They sell them in XL and regular!

If you like spending time outdoors/hiking/camping I cannot recommend this type of trip enough. I personally had never heard of a yurt before but once my mom mentioned it and I searched it online I was sold. I feel so lucky that I was able to go on this trip with my mom and both of our close friends. We shared so many laughs, memories and wonderful experiences in the mountains that none of us will forget.

I just wanted to throw out some products that I personally cannot camp without! This hammock, these lanterns, this headlamp, my camp chair shown above, this speaker , this portable charging stick, this water bladder for hikes, this backpack, these cups are perfect for coffee and cocktails, and my cooler!

Below you will see some of my very favorite hiking (and every day) gear. These are things I always grab for when I am going to athleisure, camping, hiking or even to a chilly movie theatre. One thing I want to note is when I ordered this backpack I originally a mens assuming that the fit would be better on my long torso and I was wrong. The women’s large was perfect and it was the perfect hiking pack-kudos to Patagonia for making it TTS!

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Fall Guide – Trends 2018

We’ve got you all primed and thinking about fall jackets per our last post. If you haven’t had a chance, go look through it and see if you agree with our jacket run down! Onto some of the 2018 fall trends, just in time for Fashion Week! We would love to attend in the future, but for now we’ll just point out things we’ve been loving from afar.

First up is all things animal print! It’s going first because we completely adore this “trend.” It’s easy to love because it’s not really a trend that goes out of style. However, because it’s in right now means that there are tons of options we can find and make work. We actually made two different widgets to separate the shoe and clothing options.

Speaking of shoes, we are all about some booties for fall/winter. Here in Wisconsin we have to cover our feet and the best way to do it stylishly, is with your boot/booties collection. We love booties with our skinny jeans and straight jeans, plus we love that kitten heels are in right now or the block heel. The snow is no joke to walk in, so your heel can’t be too pitiful for you to brave the elements. Plus, let’s be honest for a second. Lower heels are basically synonymous with comfort, which reigns as king around here.

For all of us out here who love cozy, welcome to sweater season. One can never have too many sweaters. I always look at my stash and feel bad for a moment about how many I own, but then I remember I wear them basically six months out of the year and then I feel thankful instead.

Another trend you’ve probably been noticing at a lot of retailers is that the 80’s are back! I can get behind some of the quirky pieces but best not to fill your wardrobe with the stuff. Along with that is neon clothing. It can be fun to add something but unless you already loved all things neon, don’t go nuts!

With fall ushering in the holiday season quickly, also brings holiday parties and events. Sparkles are in, so you’ll easily be able to grab a fun top or dress to shimmy around parties in.

Another fun comeback are scarves. Not the typical wear of the infinity scarf, but more headwear and scarf printed dresses. Considering I used to be all about headbands and hair accessories, I can get behind this trend one hundred percent. Just have to find a print that I like, and can fit my big head!

We wanted to include a non-trend as well, but a necessity for tall women and that would be long sleeved tops and ones that we’ve found success with repeatedly. Not a flashy item to buy, but one that will be an unsung hero in your closet

The trends this year are all so different, it seems like there is something for everyone! Tell us below, are you interested in any of these trends or are you taking a pass on this fall’s fashion options?

Also since we gave you these options for shopping, just a heads up that there are several sales happening right now, should you choose to make a purchase! Jcrew currently has 40% full priced styles. Gap also has 40% off with Code FALL. Old Navy adds 25% off your order with no code needed. Missguided has 40% off new styles  with code NEWFORYOU and Boohoo is doing 50% off everything with no code needed as well! Topshop has free express shipping on orders over $50. And of course, Asos has a spend more save more event, per the code below! Let us know if you took advantage of any of these sales!

Spend and Save! Get $50 OFF $200 $70 OFF $250 $100 OFF $350. Use Promo Codes SEPT50 SEPT70 SEPT100. Valid 9/10-9/15 2am GMT.

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Tall Fall Jacket Guide

No more pretending like Fall is not upon us anymore. Once Labor Day passes we join the rest of the people pushing fall and just embrace it! I think it was sometime this last week, when we were doing some Labor Day sales shopping, when we both realized that we were only looking for cooler weather finds. We knew it would happen eventually, and I think all the rain we’ve experienced this weekend really makes it feel like the weather change is imminent.

With that in mind, we wanted to make a guide for the best purchases to have in your closet this fall and maybe any fall. Some of these pieces we already have in some variation and have gotten a lot of mileage out of already. To illustrate that, we threw in some random old pictures of us wearing said jackets, as we didn’t have time to take some new ones yet. But fear not, we’ll be posting some updated looks soon! We tried to keep a mixture of low and high price points to ensure people would have plenty of options.

Let’s start with the obvious, being light layers. Once the temperatures start cooling off, especially in the evenings – it’s always a great idea to keep a light jacket on hand. We have a couple of our wardrobe stalwarts that remain in rotation year after year.

The jean jacket, in its many variations will never go out of style. I like to rotate between a good classic fit one and my husbands old jean jacket that I can wear for the updated oversized look. Caitlin has the classic, a slightly oversized lighter wash, and then another favorite is the sweatshirt sleeve mixed material.

The army/utilitarian jacket is another piece that comes back year after year. It is offered in so many different variations and colors that probably anyone could find one that they’d wear. We both have options from Old Navy that we really like, in our favorite olive green. It’s basically a millennial neutral, so layered over whatever you already have in closet! If olive isn’t your color that typically also offer it is khaki and navy as well. We also finally both found army jackets at a thrift store when we were visiting NYC, and that has been an awesome addition to our closets as well.

The bomber jacket is everywhere still and doesn’t show any signs of disappearing, which is perfect for us! We both have a black jacket, I have two green bombers and Caitlin has a gorgeous burgundy bomber. They are so cute and comfortable, especially for our unfussy lives.

One of our true gratifying experiences, is always finding a new leather or faux leather jacket with the perfect length in body AND sleeves. My husband bought me a real leather jacket that I will have forever, because it’s completely timeless. From there I found a great faux moto leather jacket that has a bigger collar and I feel like my closet is complete. Caitlin got her first tall leather jacket from Topshop, she also got one from Asos with a bigger collar and she just received this new real leather jacket from Asos and is so pumped to style it repeatedly this fall/winter season.

Another unexpected jacket that Caitlin found while she wasn’t looking is a faux suede jacket in khaki from Nordstrom Rack last season. She tried it on after feeling how buttery soft it was and when the sleeves were plenty long we both knew it was coming home with her. Suede can be a great alternative if leather isn’t necessarily your style.

Another option I’m reluctant to include but I know a lot of women wear often, are blazers. I’ve historically struggled to find well fitting blazers and/or some that are actually comfortable. Not sure if the comfort search is a lost cause (maybe someone should tell me to suck it up). But at least this year the oversized blazer look is in and for us tall women, we finally have our work cut out for us. One that was a huge success is a leather blazer I bought Caitlin for her 22nd Birthday that she still wears frequently We have several tall options or we can borrow from the boys, better than more women!

An option we include as an honorary jacket, would be the chambray. It has been a hero in our closets as an easy layer although not considered a jacket per say. It’s another piece that is basically a neutral and has been able to tie in with whatever we need it to, which makes it perfect for trips as well. 

We were going to do a complete fall guide in one post, but after starting in on it, it makes more sense to break it down a little bit or it will get super long and tedious. These are all jackets we’ve collected/accumulated over the years and you will definitely see posts on in the short future. Let us know what you think of our jacket list, and if we’re missing any must haves!

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