November 2011

30 Nov 2011

Pants Week Day 3: Winter Capri

Nov 30 Olive Tall Capris

Uh oh.  I’m three days into my Pants Challenge and very sadly I’m not sure I like pants a whole lot more than I did on Monday.  I can see the appeal and will continue to wear them but they’ll never be my favorite.  I had to dig super deep in order to come up with enough pairs to last the week.  Don’t get me wrong, the “work clothes” part of my closet is full of dress pants and suits...it’s casual pants I’m lacking.  So, even though it’s almost December, today’s outfit features tall capris.  I'm trying to roll with it.    

 Nov 30 Bird Shirt Olive Capris Red Shoes

This shirt is one of my favorites.  I’m a sucker for bird prints and I love the neutral color palette (which gives me a lot of room to play up the color with my shoes, jewelry, and purse).  The bodice is long enough for my tall torso, but I wear a tank underneath because the material is a tad sheer. 

Nov 30 Bird Shirt and Anthro Necklace

I added a dash of color with some red shoes.  I love the buckle!

Nov 30 Red Shoes Olive Capris

What's your thought on tall capris? 

pants week
tall capri
bird print
29 Nov 2011

Pants Week Day 2: Pretty(ish) Pink

Nov 29 Pink Pants Olive Sweater

Pink pants are a real stretch for me.  Posting outfits for Redwood has taught me something very quickly:  I’m pretty comfortable wearing jeans, a sweater, and embellished flats every day of the week and would have been totally ok not taking what I consider fashion “risks.”  But since my goal is to do just that, this outfit is another chapter in that “can I pull this look off?” saga.  I don’t know how I feel about the combination of the tall button down shirt with the olive sweater (similar).  Next time I think I’ll button it all the way up and wear a bib necklace to spice things up a bit (but at least I included some fun bouclé shoes).  The good news is the tall Waverly chinos fit well and have a great rise so I’m going to try to put them in regular rotation.  

Nov 29 Pink Pants Pic 2 Nov 29 Boucle shoes
What do you think?  Would you have buttoned the shirt differently?  What would you have added to pull this outfit together?

Waverly chinos
pink pants
pants week
28 Nov 2011

Pants: My Fashion Nemesis

Nov 28 Color Pants

Pants.  The word sounds so benign, but don’t be fooled.  As a girl with a 36” inseam and generous thighs, pants and I have had a rocky relationship.  Either the inseam is too short, the rise leaves my bum exposed, or I can’t pull the fabric past my quads.  I’ve found a few tall size pants that fit me but they've been relegated to the back of my closet, completely unworn and ignored.  So...since I’m challenging myself to try new styles I decided to wear pants every day for a week.  Wish me luck. 

Nov 28 color pants pic 2
 
What’s been your experience with pants?  Do you have a favorite tall brand?

Pants - Tall cafe capri from JCrew

Tee - Martin and Osa

Boots - Intyce by Steven Madden

Jacket - Total steal from Goodwill...a JCrew blazer for $10!

Scarf - Madewell

Intyce boots
tall pants
pants week
25 Nov 2011

Dress Week Day 4: An Ode to Wonder Woman

When Scott told me to twirl in a circle for this picture, I had flashbacks to the Wonder Woman underoos I wore to bed every night as a kid. My bedtime ritual was to put on my cape and channel WW while I spinned around the living room in front of my family. As the youngest, they indulged me (or ignored me? hmmmm). Plus I was kind of a showboat so I'm not sure they could have stopped me anyway. Smile
 
Wonder Woman twirl
 
After seeing these pictures, I might take the shoes out of rotation. It's sort of disturbing that my legs are so white that the pumps look like an extension of my legs. I do not, in fact, have naturally pointy feet. I love the shoes, just not on me. I'd been looking for nude shoes for a long time; I ended out finding this pair of Calvin Klein patent kitten-heel pumps on eBay for a steal. It felt like fate. Hmph. It turns out that this is another chapter in a lesson I should have learned a long long time ago: clothes, colors, shoes, etc that work for other people don't necessarily work for me. I'm pale, freckly, and super tall. Some styles just don't work. You'd think I would have accepted that by now. Darn it! At the same time the inconveniences of having to search a little harder are worth it. Just think: I get to be unique (I really love that!).
 
Nude patent pumps
 
What do you love about being unique? 
 
Midi Dress:  Francesca's Collections
Sweater:  Anthropologie (from a couple of years ago)
Pumps:  Calvin Klein via eBay
Wonder Woman
midi dress
nude pumps
patent pumps
23 Nov 2011

Dress Week: Day 3

I know I've said it already, but it's my birthday week.  I'm going to share with you my birthday wish.  Which, incidentally, has been my wish for the last 10 years but hasn't happened yet so fingers super, super crossed.  And honestly I'd give up all the b-day presents for the rest of my life if this one would come true.  Here we go:  I'd like Anthropologie, Nordstrom, and JCrew to get together and have a super-tall love child who combines all of the parents' designs into one giant dream-come-true of a tall clothing store.  Pretty please?!?

Purple midi and black Lady Day coat

The dress o' the day is my favorite midi of all.  This is my go-to dress when I'm having an 'I-have-nothing-to-wear-so-I-should-probably-stay-in-my-lounge-pants-all-day' kind of morning.  One of my favorite colors, love the material, perfect length.  

Purple Midi

Being tall and loving fashion can mean (at least for me) making adjustments to typical-size clothes and making them work for my tall frame. The sleeves on this dress (similar) are intended to be full length but aren't on me, so I pull them up and make them a blousy 3/4 sleeve.  The shoes are a little too high for me (3") but I love the black patent and ruching so I make an exception for these Jessica Simpson pumps (similar).  The JCrew coat is my favorite tall style - the Lady Day Coat.  The purse is Michael Kors via TJMaxx, the belt via Nordstrom, and I picked up the necklace and scarf at H&M. 

purple midi
Presley Skye
JCrew Lady Day coat
black pumps
22 Nov 2011

I Dream of Midi's

I can't help myself.  Before I move forward, I have to promise you that I do know the plural of midi is midis, but I included the apostrophe in my title because Midis looked like the name of some Greek god I'd never heard of and I didn't want to confuse anyone (although apparently I have no problem with run-on sentences.  Hmmm.).  I'm just sort of particular when it comes to spelling and grammar - at least I think I am - so I couldn't handle it if readers thought I didn't know the difference between the possessive and the plural.  AND....SCENE!  We now go back to our regular, non-crazy-person programming. 

Black midi dress, tall trench coat, and red wedges

Midi dresses are my absolute favorite fall trend.  My midis share common characteristics including mid-calf length, cinched waists, and roominess in the bum region. That's a recipe for a flattering dress on my tall frame.

Side note:  I'm not a girl who shows her legs.  If you ever see me in a short skirt, call the authorities, because I've been kidnapped and replaced by my doppelganger.  Short skirts are intended for women who are significantly shorter than me.  I'm trying to keep it classy over here. 

Black midi dress for tall women, red wedges

I'm wearing my favorite Banana Republic tall trench, a midi dress by Presley Skye via Nordstrom, and red wedge heels.  I bought the belt and clutch (similar) a couple of years ago. 

How do you feel about midi dresses? 

midi dress
tall trench coat
red wedges
camel clutch
21 Nov 2011

Dress Week Day 1: Tall Maxi

Long Legs Canada maxi with purse

It’s official – I’ll be wearing dresses all week.  Partly because it’s my birthday week (woohoo!) and partly because one of my goals when I started this blog was to challenge myself to wear new combos/styles.  Because…to be honest…I would wear jeans every day if I could. 
 
This dress was a summer purchase from Long Legs Canada.  As you can see, it goes all the way to the ground.  For a girl my height, that’s unheard of.  You should have seen my perma-grin when I tried it one for the first time!  
 
Not only is it long, it’s super comfortable.  I’m talking PJs kind of comfortable here.  Perfect for a Sunday afternoon Christmas shopping trip (I like to get it done early.  I don’t shop between November 25thand December 25th.  There’s nothing that could get me to shop on Black Friday.  Nothing.  I don’t like the crowds, the parking lots, or the desperate/exhausted look of Holiday Panic on shoppers’ faces.  Thank heaven for online shopping!).  I wanted to layer up, so paired the dress with a button down, sweater, and structured coat.  I added my favorite gold flats, which admittedly you can’t see in the photos.  Please bear with me as I learn how to pose for outfit shots.

Long Legs Canada maxi dress without coat or purse

                                                                                                                                                                                    
What’s your go-to casual weekend outfit? 

Tall size dress:  Long Legs Canada

Shirt and Sweater:  JCrew

Tall jacket:  JCrew

Shoes:  Halogen via Nordstrom Rack

Purse:  H&M

 

Long Legs Canada
maxi dress
dress week
14 Nov 2011

'A' is for Atomic Tangerine

The invitation said to dress in a Crayola color that started with the first letter of my first name.  Crayola makes it kind of hard on the “A”s (and people with my complexion)…pale, freckly girls look sickly in Almond and Aztec Gold.  It turned out to be too cold to wear my Asparagus dress, so I went with an Atomic Tangerine shirt.  It’s my favorite shirt in the world.  Gold buttons on the shoulder seams, long torso length, and a jungle print that was designed by someone either a) on acid, or b) with a good sense of humor.  How many printed shirts feature leopards with butterfly wings?  
 
I have a lot of pictures from that night, but most of them feature me with Ravishing Red and Caribbean Green…so I decided to recreate the outfit in a collage.  The coat and jeans are in tall sizes.  The blouse is an average size, but everything I have by Leifsdottir has good length in the torso and width in the shoulders. 
 
What did you do this weekend?

A is for Atomic Tangerine

Tall size Coat:  Lady Day coat by JCrew

Tall Jeans:  Belladonna by Fidelity via Tall Couture, 36" inseam

Shirt:  Nature Collage blouse by Leifsdottir via Anthropologie

Shoes:  Nine West Izabela

Similar clutch to what I carried via Asos

Similar bracelet to what I wore by Linea Pelle

Similar scarf to mine via Nordstrom

Similar earrings via Max and Chloe

Atomic Tangerine
Leifsdottir
Fidelity Belladonna
Lady Day coat
09 Nov 2011

The Gateway Garment

Midi skirt and knee high boots

I am not a skirt person.  It probably has something to do with the fact that “knee-length” means “barely-covers-the-bum” on a girl who’s 6’2”.  So…I’m absolutely loving that midi-skirts are back!  Since I’ve committed to stepping outside my fashion comfort zone, midis are the perfect gateway garment.  Who knows, maybe by spring I’ll bring my hemline all the way up to my knee (gasp!).  But for now, baby steps.

I tried both boots and booties...I think I'm leaning toward the higher boots (which has nothing to do with the fact that I haven't learned to walk in the booties yet!).  Which pair do you prefer?

Midi skirt and booties

Falling in midi skirt and booties

Skirt:  Anthropologie (similar)

Shirt:  Nordstrom (similar)

Belt: Target

Boots:  Entyce by Steve Madden (Barefoot Tess has a similar style)

Booties: BCBG (Similar)

midi
skirt
booties
knee-high boots
07 Nov 2011

A Tall Redhead and her Red Velvet Blazer

Tall person dilemma. 

Is there something counterintuitive about rolling the sleeves on a tall size jacket - why buy tall if I'm not going to take advantage of the added sleeve length?!?  But...this jacket is super structured, and rolling the sleeves made my outfit feel more appropriate for a casual Saturday morning (we went on an outing to pick out my new laptop! yippee!).

 Red Velvet Blazer 1

Tall size Jacket: JCrew (a couple of years old, but this is similar)

Chambray tunic: Madewell 

Striped tee: JCrew (similar)

Jeans: True Religion skinnies, 36" inseam 

Shoes:  Steve Madden "Sasha" (I wear the shoes and carry this bag way too often, but cognac goes with absolutely everything and I can't help myself!) 

Red Velvet Blazer 2

So tell me:  do you roll the sleeves on your tall size jackets, or enjoy all that wrist-reaching sleeve length???

JCrew
blazer
velvet
True Religion jeans
Steve Madden cognac pumps