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Work Pants That Work

One question we get asked frequently is for help with work pants. Combined we have been working in business casual, business professional and casual settings for over 10 years so we have had plenty of experience shopping around. However, at this point I think I am ready to fully endorse Express as my go to work pant. I have tried  Old Navy, Asos, Gap, Banana Republic, etc. I don’t want you to misconstrue this as me saying I dislike these ones, they just aren’t my favorite. Let me dive into this a little more to hopefully eliminate confusion.

Old Navy was the first place I went when I got my “Big Girl Job” and I was smitten with their pixie pants. I loved that they were more modern and let’s say young. As a 22 year old entering the workforce I wasn’t wild about wearing slacks every day. These were great for a while until they quickly become misshapen, stretched out and very worn looking. At this point I decided I was done purchasing pixies from them. I do have some traditional slacks from them that have held up much better. At 5’11 I will say they are even a little bit long on me with flats.

I have numerous pairs of culottes from Asos but to be honest that is all I have tried from them. I love them all and can’t stop buying them in multiple colors! I did size up with the first pair I ever ordered thinking “Those won’t fit how they are supposed to on my athletic legs.” Then I had to have them taken in. Stay true to size with Asos and they should fit like a dream. I will also mention that the quality here has been top notch to me. There is no pilling, no wear, no stretching. I have to add in how much we both love our Asos skirts, I can’t get enough of the midi styles they offer!

I tried a few pairs of pixie pants from Gap as well (they are a sister company to Old Navy for those that don’t know). And they appear to hold up much better. My gingham pants from this post are Gap and show little to no signs of wear.  I also have a pair of leopard ones which only show a little bit of color fading on the seam. Overall they are better than Old Navy and I would still consider pixies from Gap.

Now when it comes to Banana Republic i’m going to be in honest in saying that I have only accepted work pants from here in the form of hand-me-downs. I never have issues doing this to be clear, it’s just how I ended up with them. I have some khakis as well as some skinny cords and love them both! They have been great for me even after my mom wore them for years!

Now onto the main event, Express. I have always had a few pairs of Express slacks on rotation. I just love the fit and most of the time, the quality as well. I started with just typical black flare slacks. One pair I have had and worn regularly on rotation for 6 years and it the quality hasn’t lessened. The other the hems have both come out multiple times which is slightly frustrating.

Jenilee ordered some columnist pants in Marigold and Olive last year and unfortunately they both ended up being awkwardly short on her so I did what we do best. I immediately bought them from her. Her sad loss was my huge win. These became my new favorite pants. If only it were more acceptable to wear marigold every single week. I ended up adding a pair of black columnists to the collection soon after.

For each pair of them I own I will say I sized up 1, because I pretty much had to! I also have these two pairs of paper bag work pants that I wear as often as possible as well. Again-I sized up one. My roommate who is in the regular length has also had issues with workwear sizing at Express ranging between three sizes. So maybe it’s just who they are? So all in all I would say if you’re 5’10-6’1 you’re probably going to have great success with the pants from Express. If you are 6’2 and above maybe try the full length as ankle pants!

We have had some messages asking if we disclose our sizes. The answer is always yes. We may not write it outright in a post; however, if you are wondering we are also more than happy to disclose what size we got (compared to our typical sizes). We’ll also include recommendations from other retailers. Please never be afraid to ask for help with anything we love hearing from you and trying to help!

I really hope this helped some of y’all with navigating through the work pant problems we have all faced. I want to point out that since I am only 5’11 I understand that this may not help all of you who are truly what we would consider “tall.” We refer to me as being a small tall for a reason, which is that I don’t always struggle as much as others. For example, I myself, would never claim to be a true tall blogger if I wasn’t part of a duo with Jenilee. She brings so much value to this blog as well as all of you! I know I play my part and have taken such joy in hearing from some followers who say they are my exact build but we urge you to take into consideration whose advice you are taking as “tall bloggers.” We both feel blessed to be able to work as a team to double our knowledge, advice, and outlooks! With that being said, if you want to essentially see this exact type of post written by Jenilee – drop a line below! And then enjoy the heck out of your weekends!

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It’s The Lake Effect

Why did we start this blog? To help as many (tall) people as possible. Whether this may be with fashion, confidence, a sense of belonging or anything else you may be looking for. Why do we keep going? Because of all of you and because of companies like this one. We are so excited to announce a new ongoing collaboration with a company that means so much to us.

Meet Lake Effect Co! We hope you love them as much as we do. A little bit of backstory on this: we decided in November we wanted to share a Small Business Saturday Guide to feature local business that we care about. We made a point when we reached out to these companies not to ask for ANYTHING, except a little bit of early knowledge into what their sale was going to be so we could include it in a post ahead of time to share. We got some positive response, neutral responses, some companies ignored us, and some were more friendly than we could have ever hoped for. Enter Katherine the owner of Lake Effect Co.

Katherine, a fellow tall lady herself, emailed us back with such warmth and friendliness. She basically said she looked at our Instagram and have we met yet? I feel like we’re friends already? If not we need to be. P.S. I am 5’11 too. So she shared the details of their sale, met us for wine and became our first in real life internet friend. We had so much in common with our deep love for lake life, a love for wine-ing, dining, and socializing. We ended up having to force ourselves to stop chatting so we could get home at a reasonable hour. We have stayed in contact since meeting. Between Katherine appreciating our goofy side through Instagram videos, and with posting the products because we genuinely want to. We feel blessed just to know her and this company.

We’re going to steal some info directly from their website because we can’t possibly word their own mission statement better than them:

“Lake Effect Co. is a retail brand and blog that encourages you to connect with the beauty and adventure of nature, through time by the water. It’s a venue to share magnetic lake stories and perfect lake moments, to embrace a unique lifestyle, and to let the ever-changing water inspire us. It’s about being balanced in adventure, health, beauty, and self, all through the lens of life by the lake. It’s a suggestion to “Chase More Sunsets” which is code for finding what inspires you and building a life that includes more of that.

Lake effect literally means the precipitation or other miscellaneous weather patterns produced when cold air passes over warmer water or vice versa. In my world, the lake effect includes crisp breezes swirling off the lake on sweltering days and incubator-type temps on cold days. A lake’s effects extend far beyond the weather. When you’re on lake time, you know it. It’s a slower pace. It’s a breath of fresh air. It’s connecting with nature. It’s letting the waves heal you. It’s forgetting you’ve ever been anywhere else. When you’re on lake time, it’s never wanting to leave.

And while we may not all have the chance to reside lakeside, or even near a body of water, we can still find common ground in those prized, even if brief, moments when we catch a glimpse of the closest body of water or remember a moment when the water filled us with a sense of awe. Sometimes you just know what feels good to your soul, and for many like me, that is the Lake Effect. “

Source: Lakeeffectco.com

Now that you have a better idea of what this company stands for, we need you to know that we couldn’t resonate more closely with this company. We know this isn’t a “tall clothing retailer” but we can guarantee you that because someone tall is designing the goods, they will fit you. We have tried long sleeves, short sleeves, tank tops, and even crop tops thus far and everything fits like a dream. The quality is top notch, the length is perfect, and we are pretty much just obsessed.

We wanted this blog post to serve as an introduction to Lake Effect Co., Katherine, and why we are choosing to collaborate with this company. And also to reiterate we genuinely only post items we truly like, believe in, or care about. We hope you feel like you know this company as well as we do now. Our next post will be a glimpse into specifically what “lake life” means to us and will feature the lake we call home.

Both of us would love to hear if there is a lake that is special to you. Where is it, why do you love it, what’s your favorite memory? Any piece of lake love you want to share, we want to hear.

You can use our code THEREALTALL15 for 15% off of your purchase which is a huge deal for this company. If you’re looking for our current favorites, you can shop our favorite long sleeves here and here. If you’re in the midwest a perfect short sleeve t-shirt, a few of our favorites in general here and here, and a few of our favorite tanks, here and here. Keep in mind we will be updating our favorites so stay tuned for more to come.

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Sassy Striped Midi Dress

It’s Monday, after an eventful weekend. I have to start with a shout out to my husband, Tim for his 30th birthday! He is the man behind 90% of the pictures of the two of us together. We couldn’t appreciate his help any more! Tim is very good natured about helping out, and the only time we have to yell at him, is if he’s making us talk and continuing to take pictures at the same time. I feel truly blessed to have a husband who is a great partner in life. He keeps us laughing during shoots as well!

We had a full weekend of family events, including birthday celebrations for Tim last night. We made some tacos and had some birthday cake for him. On Saturday Caitlin and our parents went up to Green Bay for a family friends wedding. Stay tuned for her wedding attire tomorrow! Tim and I spent some time downtown wandering in and out of shops, and then went out to dinner. Friday we had our cousins 8th grade graduation. Like I said, it was an eventful weekend. Now this week, we’re prepping for our mystery European trip over Memorial Day. We are beside ourselves with excitement and can’t wait to find out where we’re going!

All we know so far, is that it’s Europe and our flight leaves Thursday night. We’ll arrive in the “morning,” wherever we are, and hit the ground running. We’re gone Thursday night to Tuesday night, so we’ll be packing in as much activity as possible. If you have any guess as to where it may be, sound off in the comments below. In the meantime, we’ve been plotting our packing and are really excited about our outfits. Get ready for some fun travel content, and tall jumpsuits just in time for Summer!

As for this dress, it totally screams Summer. It has bright punchy color blocking for the perfect warm weather look. If you have any weddings to attend, this dress is the perfect choice. The length is perfect for any tall woman, so no worrying about flashing unwanted bits while you’re dancing. Although you’re well covered, this dress is anything but boring. The bodycon shape hugs your curves really nicely. Plus you can adjust the straps for adding length.

I bought the size large, and it fits really well. Normally I wear a 10/12 in bottoms. If you’re larger busted than me, this dress will fit you really well up top. I normally wear a smaller size in tops than bottoms, especially if it’s sleeveless. My shoulders are wide, but my torso isn’t as wide. Obviously the dress still fits, but I know some women are deterred by wondering if it will work on larger chests. Maybe we’ll have Caitlin try it on at some point to showcase the difference in height, but let us know if you’d like to see that!

Height of Fashion has been showcased heavily on the blog recently, and that’s for good reason. She is all about helping tall women feel like they have on trend options, that fit well. As with this dress, Natalie wants tall women to help embrace their sexiness. She’s certainly making it easy for us. Whenever we throw on one of her garments, it’s like leveling up. It makes it all the harder to return to ill fitting clothing. Basically what we’re saying, is keep all the wonderful clothing coming! We’re plotting our next purchase, as there is a long list of items we “need.”

Sound off below, where do you think we’re headed this weekend? More importantly, we want to know where you’re headed this weekend! Any big Memorial Day weekend plans?

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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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Nothing But Blue Skies

Don’t you just feel… lighter? It’s the breeze blowing gently across your face, or the sun warming your shoulders. What I’m hinting at, is that Spring has arrived! We welcome the season, and are endlessly grateful for Winter to be firmly ushered out. Usually in Wisconsin we have a few fake outs on our season changes. This was definitely the case last Sunday and Monday when we got two more inches of snow. Meh, to that memory. Thankfully we were blessed with a warm enough day to melt it quickly.

It’s astounding how much easier it is to be happy when the weather is nice. Add up a Wisconsin winter, and we’re lucky that Wisconsin is known for its friendly people! It probably has something to do with the good beer too, if we’re being honest. The great weather showed up just in time for Easter. The weather wanted to get in on celebrating Christ’s resurrection too! Caitlin was down in Austin, on vacation for four days. If you’re following along on Instagram she’s shared some amazing days at the pool, so you know the weather is nice. Tim and I went down to visit my best friend from college, and we had an almost 80 degree day in the Quad Cities area. It felt so so nice to sit outside all afternoon long.

Right about the time the weather gets warmer, the summer plans start to kick into gear. I’m already looking ahead at my calendar and trying to figure out if I should keep the few remaining weekends open or just give in and book them up! If we stay in town, we end up making plans here anyway! Summerfest already dropped their headliners, and we’re all busy comparing who we want to see and when they are playing. An 11 day music festival is always a marathon, but it’s only once a year!

If anyone is debating a visit to Milwaukee, Summer is when everything is going on. You could come during Summerfest, or they pretty much have some sort of festival happening every other weekend as well. We typically hit up Germanfest, especially as an excuse to wear our lederhosen and dirndl we bought while at Oktoberfest in Munich. Speaking of, this year our parents are heading to Munich. We’re hoping they’ll both fit in our costumes so they don’t have to buy them! But literally name the festival and they have it. They have Taco Fest, Festa Italiana, Mexican Fiesta, Summer Solstice. Basically any chance to be outside, Milwaukee is creating an opportunity.

We still definitely have to dress in layers, because the festival grounds are at the edge of Lake Michigan. As with most lakes, it runs cooler. You could be wearing shorts and a tank and then boom the sun sets, and you need jeans and a coat. If you’re watching a show, you might be a little warmer in the middle of the crowd. But still, we’re a little past the age where you dress for the weather you want instead of the weather you actually are experiencing.

The athleisure trend has helped everyone’s dressing in immeasurable ways. You might be thinking, how did we get on the topic of athleisure?! Well like this dress, the silhouette is a classic cut. Caitlin had been searching for pinafore dress all Winter, especially after our friend Sarah found the cutest option at a Milwaukee boutique. Unfortunately the tall options are limited, as they usually are.

We were perusing the cutest boutique (Harvest Home) in our hometown and came across this lovely number. It’s the comfiest fabric, while maintaining the cutest pinafore/overall cut. Thanks athleisure, is basically what I’m trying to say. You allow us to look good, but be comfy and we appreciate you. This dress would be so easy to walk around in at a festival or market, or traveling. It makes it ultra versatile.

PLUS, so easy to layer. Here, Caitlin brought out another familiar piece. Our favorite mainline t-shirt bodysuits. They help create the perfect slouchy tuck, without a huge amount of fabric making you look bulkier. The Converse strike again, showing you that they work with literally anything and everything. Now I definitely need to prioritize a white pair, so Caitlin and I can match in yet another way.

That’s all for today. Let us know below if you have any favorite local festivals in your own hometown! Also, do you ever shop local boutiques? Our Mom also just found a jumpsuit that is long enough in a different boutique.

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