The Real Tall

I’m Seeing Red… In our Future

Awhile back we did an Instagram story asking whether you all wanted to see casual wear or work wear… and spoiler alert, you wanted both. Ha, so we’re going to keep doing what we’re doing, with the mix of both. If you have any feedback on what you’d like to see, as always please sound off in the comments or send us a DM on Instagram!

We had a non glamorous weekend but sometimes those are really needed to feel like life is under control! I ran errands with my husband all day Saturday and did some minor shopping, he ended up being the lucky one of the two of us! We found him some great brown boots that he’ll be able to rock with jeans, they’re like the men’s’ version of the women’s Chelsea boot. He looks super sharp in them!

Caitlin did some work and play. She ended up at the pool Saturday and got our favorite flavor of the day from Kopps, which made for the perfect Saturday. She and her roommate moonlight as photographers so they ended up taking some Senior pictures on Sunday morning. We both went and saw Crazy Rich Asians and gorged ourselves on popcorn. It was such a sweet movie, perfect for a girls date! We both read the book beforehand and as usual it always cool to see your visualizations come to life but they can’t ever fit in everything from the book into a movie.

Back to our outfits, they both could be considered an in between casual and workwear, so basically a cop out of picking one or the other. We don’t know about you all but we’re usually bemoaning the lack of fancy events we can get dressed up to attend. Our version of Wisconsin is pretty casual, for social events we attend.

Caitlin found this romper, which we’ve showcased before here awhile back on Asos and we were both skeptical that it would fit. Thankfully, the sizing ended up being perfect! I actually tried it on as well and I love the length for myself. So it’s a total tall girl win. You need this beautiful statement romper in your life! Plus you don’t have to worry about getting in and out of it for bathroom purposes, so no temporary dehydration here.

It’s worth mentioning again that while Asos has definitely stepped it up with their size prediction tool, their outlet only brands can be the rogue wild west. This happens to be one of them, Influence Tall and we usually order between a 10/12 and some of the outlet only options go up to size 10. You can imagine it’s a little tricky wanting to order an inexpensive option and hope that it will fit, when you’ve never dealt with that brand before. We will as always, keep you updated on our fails and wins with sizing.

My outfit can kind of be a wildcard. I ordered this bodysuit at the beginning of summer and took a chance with it not being tall sizing. I ended up trying a size bigger than normal and I probably could have stuck with regular sizing because the length is still plenty long. It was a final sale, and for under $10 I’m quite happy with it! I don’t mind it being looser than a normal bodysuit, because I feel like it makes it a bit more casual.

The shorts became a quick favorite of the summer. They hit the sweet spot 4 inch inseam and they are probably the most comfortable stretchy pair of shorts I own while still looking completely polished and put together. They have a side zip to keep the front streamlined, and the A-line cut helps give my thighs some breathing room.

We are both totally feeling red lately, and you can expect to see some more up on the blog soon! Ever since Caitlin wore this jumpsuit last pictured here, we have both been snatching up red when we can!

Let us know below if you like red or it’s a pass for you!

Our Outfit Links
(Bodysuit no longer available, similar listed)

August 20, 2018/0 Comments/by Jenilee & Caitlin

Post, Style

We’re Blue About the End of Summer

Why is it always ridiculously difficult to transition back to real life after a vacation. The time away gets you all relaxed and then your return to work and all your other responsibilities hits you like a slap in the face. All of a sudden you realize how busy you’ve been/normally are and you feel like you’re behind on EVERYTHING. Bear with us while we play catch up, and get back to that normal feeling.

It’s usually a great time to take stock of what you’re giving your time to, and whether it’s a good/healthy use of it. For us, sometimes it even means saying no to stuff you know you’d enjoy because you know that it will be an energy suck that you can’t or don’t want to afford. Our time is our life and it is precious, so take a look at where your time is going and see if you’re happy with the answer.

Along the vein of time, is the fashion industry hurrying up fall before summer is even close to ending. We LOVE fall fashion, don’t misunderstand, but we in Wisconsin know that Winter is coming on Fall’s heels and most of us don’t need to rush that. Plus we have limited time for warm weather dressing, and we’re not throwing on sweaters before we need to.

The good news is, for anyone else not interested in rushing the cool weather fashion, all of the fun summer pieces are now on sale! So maybe you’re browsing for sweaters or jackets, but take a look at the clearance section and see if you can get an “off-season” item for cheap. It’s such a good feeling to find a bargain and even if you can’t wear it right away, you’ll get so much joy out of realizing you have something new when you switch out your seasonal clothes.

Speaking of seasonal clothes, we’re getting to the end of the season where we can wear these fun pieces. You saw Caitlin’s romper in our romper round up here, but she styled it for a day at the lake. This romper is tencel fabric, which feels very sturdy and kind of luxe to us. It holds its shape well and doesn’t wrinkle easily either. It actually fits both of us, so a total tall girl win!

I found this beautiful ruffled skirt in June and have worn it so many times. It’s a new favorite of mine. I love the ruffle detail on it and the stripes and coloring are perfect for summer. I dressed it up for work but it also can be worn casually as evidenced here. It also comes in black if you’re looking for a more versatile option and it is a tall!

Plus it’s on major sale right now, so no guilt over grabbing a new skirt. I paired it with a basic tank from Asos tall that I have in white and black. They’ve got some great basic multipacks. I’ve also got to take advantage of wearing these sunny flats while I still can. Wisconsin winters are brutal on shoes and I don’t want to ruin these happy shoes!

One note about it, is that it’s a little see through – but unnoticeable unless you’re tucking your shirt in. I don’t have a skirt slip, but I haven’t felt uncomfortable wearing it without one. Just keeping it real with y’all! Does anyone like wearing slips or feel like their totally out of date? I think a lot of fabrics (especially if they’re budget friendly), end up being see through nowadays. I finally gave in and purchased a dress slip that I found on Amazon here. I sized up to try to get extra length but I would read reviews before ordering because it’s definitely large on me. As long as I wear under looser dresses it’s all good!

Give us your skirt slip options below if you have any!

Outfit Details

August 16, 2018/0 Comments/by Jenilee & Caitlin

Style, Uncategorized

Swimsuits for (T)all

Dang was it hard to return from vacation and back to real life. I think we’re both still in denial about it to be honest. Every time we go on vacation, a little delusional part of our brain screams “I’m never going back to work,” rather maniacally. Truth be told, it probably makes it easier to fully embrace and enjoy the whole vacation instead of thinking about work and wondering how far behind you’ll be and how much you’ll have to rush and catch up on!

It’s so worth the time away. Unbeknownst to us, some of our generation has a problem with unplugging from work and actually taking time off. This is hard for me to fathom, as someone who definitely uses EVERY LAST DROP of vacation time. You’re earning that vacation, use it up! Do it for your health, you might not even realize you’ve been wound up and stressed out. Even if it means you do a staycation and explore your hometown or take time to get some stuff done you’ve been putting off doing, it will be well worth it!

We got to spend some quality time with our family and our Grandma up north, which becomes more and more special as she nears her 90th birthday in less than a year. We also celebrated our Mom’s birthday and she really liked her gifts! Caitlin got her these socks, for when they visit the Smoky Mountains and do some hiking next month. She also finally gave her this romper that we’ve been hinting about forever! And she also grabbed this cozy beauty from the N sale, which isn’t a tall but still has long enough sleeves. I got her this pair of tall black skinnys that she’s been eyeing, and Tim gave her this perfect colored shaker bottle. She requested this perfect makeup bag for travel and once I ordered it, I immediately wanted one for myself!

I know we’ve talked a lot about swimsuits we’ve ordered in the past, and despite starting our Instagram page with a series of one piece suits, I don’t think either of us figured we’d be posting swimsuit pictures on the blog. Our friend Sophia, who has great vision as a photographer had a location in mind and we figured, what the heck – let’s see this out and we can always trash them.

I just finished this book (which I totally recommend), which tons of women have been recommending lately and it talks extensively about feelings of worthiness. I felt compelled to address it; considering we’re stepping out on a limb here. We both work out extensively and value our workouts, especially for mental well-being. There is no replacement for me at least over breaking a sweat. I just don’t feel like myself without it.

We also love to eat, and we do a lot of that as well. Our bodies aren’t perfect, but they’re ours and we’re embracing them, as an ongoing process. It’s easier to pick them apart than to choose love and be proud of what they have gotten us through. We want to be real with you all on here, and help you love your bodies, especially as tall women and having the tendency to feel different, without adding swimwear to the conversation. It’s a tricky conversation for many as it is, but the tide seems to be turning to a positive place and tall women should be part of it! So enough of my rambling – if anyone has made it this far!

Caitlin has on a black tall one piece from ASOS, that you’ve seen before on Instagram (if you feel like scrolling all the way back to the beginning). We bought a two-pack which has white and black. They actually fit both of us well for length, except I would warn anyone that they might want to sew cups in the white suit unless they’re comfortable with people seeing a little nip.

I’ve got on one of my favorite bikinis from Express. It’s a good option for smaller busted women. Lately I’ve been all aboard the bra strap bikini train. It’s perfect for tan line purposes and much more comfortable than the halter tops. Ever since Victoria’s Secret forsook us all, Caitlin and I have been on the hunt for a go-to spot for swimwear. So far Express and ASOS have taken the lead pretty easily. They’ve both been true to size for us.

The only thing worth noting for tall women on bikini bottoms is the long butt that people don’t typically address. As our proportions lengthen that includes the butt, and if you ever have had issues with your butt crack making an appearance or you typically like a fuller coverage suit, you could benefit from sizing up, as a lot of Express’ bikinis are low rise. We did try this pair of high rise, but we weren’t comfortable with that amount of cheekiness.

Last note is the jean jacket. It is a tall size from Gap. You won’t regret purchasing a classic jean jacket, especially one with the correct sleeve length. I’ve got a light wash and a dark wash one and they are easy to layer over anything!