Fashion | Denim shorts and the tall girl

I have a theory about being tall and wearing shorts and short skirts and thats this, we look more indecent.

It sounds insane and frankly a little ludicrous but if we wore the same length skirt as a shorter girl (and I mean relative so it would end the same distance from the knee on both) gathered the general public and asked for their opinion I am pretty sure that they would say that the tall girls skirt was shorter.

Its all relativity in all honesty that because my legs are longer my shorts look shorter, but it certainly doesn’t help a girls self esteem! On the upside when its as hot as it was when we took these photos (at half nine in the morning) then a girl is likely to wear what ever to insure she doesn’t end up a puddle by the end of the day!

Also whilst taking these photos we had a group of guys who sleep by the river in tents throw stones and sentiments like, “hey poser!” Oh, how little did they know about blogging that I would not be deterred! Jeers and all.

Fashion |Light Layers and posing

Everything here is old but it was from… Umbrella: Tiger, Pink Blazer: H&M, Sweater: Zara, Lace T: H&M, Jeans: New Look, Leopard print flats: Barefoot Tess c/o Long Tall Sally

I’ve got to be honest these photos are probably a month old. Since posting less often I keep getting a backlog of photos on my camera which in all honesty I forget to post.

Apparently I’m still good at the photographing part but not so on the posting. Another I’m not so good on? Posing. It’s down the drain. Here I have even resorted to finding statues to lean on.

I’ve gotten desperate guys, desperate.

Fashion | Throwback Dungarees

from the bottom, Shoes: Clarks, Dungarees: New Look, T: Zara, Green Bag: Paperchase, Tasseled Cardigan: Zara, Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters

Fashion | throwback dungarees

I distinctly remember getting into the back of our family car as a kid wearing dungarees. The first house I remember had its garage as the walk through to the front of the house and we, by this time I think had a navy Astra. I remember sitting in my seat in the back and unclicking one of the straps, just because … I think. It’s my first real fashion memory, they were comfy and for a long time I have related them to being a kid.

Last year I started the search for dungarees as an adult. First I bought an oversized white pair which were seriously not the right decision! They went back and honestly I figured I just wouldn’t have a pair!

This year however I was back on the hunt and although I would say these aren’t long enough for me … (I like wearing them undone in a very 2000’s Rock n roll metal rebellion way – see below). In simple black I am in love, in fact when it was hot the other weekend I was slightly sad, how could I wear my dungarees now? I don’t see myself giving up on them that easily however, I’m very much planning on wearing these well into autumn and probably next winter!

What do you all think of the dungarees trend? Are they a yes or a hell no?

Simple, Effortless Style: Jeans and a T-Shirt

All of these clothes are really, really old . . .

Sometimes easy clothes are the answer. In fact, scrap that easy clothes are always the answer. I love wearing a fancy outfit but honestly most of the time I want comfort and easy style.

Jeans are a prime example of this (for most). After having found the dream denim in New Look I was actually (shockingly) a little sad to wear these from last year’s Zara collection.

Don’t get me wrong I still love them but in comparison they are just not as comfy but this look is an uber simple one. Just jeans and a T-shirt.

If anyone tells you fashion needs to be hard then may I present them jeans a T?

Creating a Balanced Outfit: Work Shorts?

The Top: Zara, The Shorts: Next, The Necklace: Accessorize, The Shoes: New Look

As you know early in the year (about April time – way ahead of the times!) I found these! Smart shorts. Now smart shorts to me have always been a little bit odd, I certainly don’t see myself trying to wear them into my office no matter how casual we get on Fridays and yet . . . they have a distinct amount of appeal. Something about their structure and fabric choices make me feel instantly more at ease with wearing them outside my home and there wider flare makes them far more flattering for an apple shaped body.

However shorts can make you feel quite self conscious. I do know that I was blessed with good legs but even I sometimes feel uneasy leaving the house in shorts even when the weather is hot! So this top I feel is the perfect answer to our worries! With the three quarter length sleeve and more relaxed fit I feel like it looks more conservative on top which therefore balances out the fun and revealing nature of the shorts!

One of my favourite looks which I still have yet to find is the slightly longer denim short (neither too the knee or cut off half way up a butt cheek) but a longer more substantial pair would be fantastic paired with a smart or checked shirt which could be worn loosely and relaxed on a late summer evening. Maybe next year perhaps?

How have you been wearing your shorts this year?

The incredible shrinking “Lorelai” dresses

The Kimono: H&M, The Dress: H&M, The Belt: H&M, The Flats: Clarks, The Bag:Zara

The incredible shrinking “Lorelai” dresses

I don’t know what happened to H&M’s basics dresses this year. Last year they cost £7.99 apiece and are still going strong! This year they cost between, £12.99 and £14.99 and they came up shorter to start with and then proceeded to shrink in size. Clearly this was very unhelpful.

Honestly I am sad about this dress, I am in love with the colour khaki at the moment (and let’s be honest, who isn’t? – have you seen the highstreet? It’s saturated!) and yet this dress makes me antsy. Is it too short? Has it rolled up? Can this guy see that I am in fact wearing grey cycle shorts under this get up?

It’s an ongoing drama which quite honestly takes away from the purpose of a dress which would cover you and allow you an easy and freeing summer. It’s even worse with a capsule wardrobe because you know what these clothes need to last you, they need to be somewhat of an investment and I feel a little let down by this dress to be honest. It’s also shown me that come Autumn what I want to look into is smart workwear, I want longer skirts and dresses, that are structured and stand out pieces. It’s my dream, whether or not that comes true however is another thing completely . . .

AW Collections | Long Tall Sally Musts

The Coatigan

The Denim

The Tunic

The Boots

The Trainer

The Heels

You know what I love best about August? The highstreet AW reveals! They start slowly but my oh my does it get you excited for the new season!!! Ack! Now onto my first store – because I love looking at the new collections its my hope that over the next few weeks I can show you my initial go to stores for clothes inspiration and shopping and give you the lowdown on my favourite pieces.

Now Long Tall Sally – if our not tall I am super sorry because look at these pieces above! *dying* for me this is a store that I love for the longer pieces like T shirts and of course jeans and trousers but those of you who are a little shorter give me a heads up on what stores you love and I’ll have a gander and make a post just for you! This post is also not sponsored!

So onto the fashion, I love LTS shoe game this season, I’m not overwhelmed by the clothing options but as you can see above I am all about their shoe collection! In fact I can’t even decide which pair I should buy (first?). You’re totally right if you suggest buy them all! haha – Now Long Tall Sally do their shoes in size 7 to I think 12? So its great if your feet are on the larger side!

The clothes above are like the perfect outfit! I don’t understand what my obsession is with greyscale this year when everything I wanted last year was coloured but here you have it! Hopefully the blog won’t become therealgreyscale blog but we will see!

Have you got any favourites I missed or any store you want covering, drop a link below!

Your five tips to shopping Tall.

Your five tips to shopping tall.

Shopping tall can be an exhausting process and I know this because A: I am tall and B: I am currently looking for a non-wedding wedding dress. Similar to if you’re a gorgeous petite girl when you’re not average it’s like the stores have banded together to make our lives that little bit more complicated but let me tell you, it needn’t be so stressful!

Try everything on.

It’s an obvious one but I often find my clothes in unexpected places.

For example, Zara. Zara is ace in my books because online it gives you a handy little break down of what height each model is. I really don’t understand why more stores don’t approach their sites in this manner but they don’t. Because of this Zara has now become my go to for jeans and trousers. Not for everyone however but Zara suits my more boyish shape. It offers a good leg length and wider waist line which is the most flattering shape for apple shaped girls like myself.

So although sometimes it’s easy to dismiss a shop by its looks it’s often the place where you can find a great steal!

Shops who inadvertently cater to the taller girl include, Primark, Zara and Mango and these are not even specific tall ranges!

My new jumpsuit from H&M divided has surprising length in the body.

Adapt clothes.

Sometimes of course, this doesn’t work out. Whether that’s dresses with defined waists too high up or crop tops that become bra-lets with some cuts you just can’t win.

So let’s talk about adapting your clothes. You want a mini skirt right but you’re in H&M and the divided section is literally laughing in your face? Well march yourself to the grown-ups section and find yourself a knee length skirt!

Clearly this won’t work for everything but let me tell you, a lot of the time I’m rocking midi skirts as knee grazers and knee length skirts as miniskirts. In fact my favorite trick is with my black, jersey pencil skirt which during work I wear on my hips with a shirt half tucked and when/if I go out in the evening with my friends or the boy I pull the skirt up to my waist and tuck my shirt in to give me a mini skirt. It’s the easiest two ways to wear one skirt!

Two of my favourite tall brands! Long Tall Sally and Taller Than Your Average!

Scope out the tall sections.

Not all stores are built the same. In more ways than one.

New Look, Dorothy Perkins and Next for example only keep their tall sections online, why? Because apparently we don’t shop enough. Crazy right? I honestly miss the days of just popping into the high street to peruse the tall sections, but that’s pretty much over now. Which I think explains why I now shop more in the regular sections and cut corners.

Luckily however some other stores still carry their tall sections although in smaller numbers. Topshop is the main one and they have a dedicated tall section other than our obvious go to store, Long Tall Sally.

I love going in to Topshop for the headlines. I feel like this is the store for the big hitter trends which are not exactly my bag but if you need a great trend piece in a hurry than these are your guys. Other stores who offer longer leg lengths in store include Marks and Spencer and Next.

Cut monetary corners.

When a piece of clothing isn’t a sure thing I hate the idea of paying postage. It’s my biggest hate that I’m ordering not the cheapest of clothes which I have no idea what they will look like on and then I have to pay £4 postage. To make things worst certain stores then won’t have them delivered to you for another two weeks! No thank you. When you can deliver to store for free, do it!

It doesn’t take longer to arrive in fact sometimes its quicker because it just gets put in with their normal weekly deliveries and to make it even better? Your life just got even easier because you can get it delivered to the store closest to your work! Is there anything better than picking up clothes at lunch?

Shoes matter.

If you’re a tall girl shoes can be a problem, why? Because to balance those sky scrapper pins then you’ll probably have slightly bigger feet. Sucks right? Well I have found that shoes are my biggest problem mainly because I have size nine which is just out of most stores regular sizes but if you have size ten and larger my thoughts are with you poor ladies!

Size nine for me is limited and not just because they are big but balancing me along with an ankle injury mean that I have to have more support which is even harder to find! My favourite UK stores include, New Look. New Look is great for cheap quick fixes but remember where size nine shoes are concerned finding them on the high street is dependent on store location and clientele.

Next online order in to store for the best deals on affordable shoes which have slightly better support! My ultimate favorite however is Clarks. They are for great quality shoes which when bought on a deal really are a, really, really, excellent deal! Meanwhile for a wide range of choices Brantano is a great store!

Supportive needs are fulfilled by stores such as Hotter and for big is beautiful sizing check out the gorgeous ranges at Long Tall Sally!

So those are my quick five shopping tips for us tall ladies! If you have anymore great tips feel free to share them below!!! And stores where have you found mecca for tall clothing?

Outfit 15 | The twenties and Kate

I’m not sure how it happened but this week has been all about the fancy dressing. I just stood in front of my wardrobe and all these great, colourful ideas fell out! I can’t believe how great this outfit looks, fur, a hat and a nice dress? This is where the twenties got it right! gorgeous multi dimensional fabrics and colours should always be the way to go!

I snagged this dress over summer in the Monsoon sale and it has pretty much been sitting in my wardrobe ever since. Not because I don’t love it, because I do but rather, because I needed to sew the front closed. Yup, it was one of those dresses! Now this really shouldn’t have taken me this long to do this, it was relatively simple and yet lazy bones Low over here took months to get the simple job done, shame on me because look at this dress! I love it and it was so cheap for Monsoon!

Now, the Kate reference. Doesn’t this look like something she would wear? Back in the day I was all about the knee length wrap dress, I loved them, they loved me and they just, worked. However as with all great pieces that you wore consistently for ages eventually you hit your limit. The time when you just don’t want to keep wearing the same style over and over again anymore. So for the last three to five years I haven’t worn a dress like this and coming back to it, it feels a little bit like coming home.

Now for the most important question I wonder if Kate ever gets sick of the knee length wrap dress . . . mmm . . .

Outfit Fifteen | All the colours.

Camel Coat: Next (Tall), Shirt: M&S Collection, Skirt: M&S Collection, Shoes: Clarks, Bag: Zara

 

When I first found blogging it was all about colours! Everyone had this love of bright colours which they would wear with clashing pride! Fast forward to Autumn 2014 and its less colour and more about greyscale. Don’t get me wrong, I love the chic simplicity of greyscale but sometimes I need  a little more colour than that!

I personally believe that colour is more flattering on most people myself included and so when I bought this skirt and top from Marks and Spencer’s at the beginning of my Capsule I knew that I had to wear the two together. Sure purple and cobalt doesn’t scream. “Put me together!” but I actually think this works rather well.

Now I hate to bring this up but look at this furry bag, isn’t it, lets be honest . . . the best? I adore this fuzzy little thing! I actually went into Zara shopping for my bosses birthday present initially when this little bag literally jumped into my arms and screamed I am the dream accompaniment to your coat and gloves (purple leather, just wait until Friday!)

The only problem with the one that jumped into my hands was that had a tiny bit of matting so I ended up ordering this beaut and having it delivered (which btw came in a box and tissue paper, it was a beautiful moment!) and I really haven’t regretted it. To the point that it may have even been in bed with me for my nap on Sunday afternoon!

Now I obviously love colour but what are all your thoughts on the great colour clash of November 2014? This I think might be my favourite outfit of this capsule so far! However on Fridays post I am notching it up again, its getting classy up in here!

5 Foot 10 Blog by Emma

5 Foot 10 Blog

by Emma (5 foot 10)

Have you ever… dreaded clothes shopping because finding something that fits is… difficult? Felt self conscious about your looks, and wondered how ‘others’ seem to get it so right? Seen ‘the’ perfect clothing item online/on a blogger/celebrity/in a magazine, placed an order and found the fit is hideous? Wanted to find nice affordable recipes, crafts, travel ideas? Have you ever started a blog to share your clothing struggles, fashion dilemmas and life? Welcome to 5foot10 blog!

I grew up being ‘the tall girl’- the one who stuck out in photos. I wanted to be like my friends, wear the same clothes, copy the latest trends- not stick out like a tall tree in a forest waiting for owls to roost. Consequently I spent most of my teenaged years wanting to stoop and hide. I loved the thought of shopping but hated the fact that finding clothes to fit was… like mission impossible unless you wanted to show a lot of skin. Skip forward a few years and things are much better (in terms of clothing brands and my outlook). I now try to embrace my quirks and try to help others do the same via positive blogging. Life is there to be embraced.

5foot10 is my height, just in case you didn’t know. It’s a number, but we are all far much more than that. I may have been noticed or defined by my height (“the tall one over there”, “ tall people at the back of the photograph please”, “you’re tall for a girl”, “excuse me, you’re tall- can you reach that box of cereal down for me off the shelf?” etc) but it doesn’t define me. I know I am not the tallest girl out there, but it seems my ‘taller than average’ height makes people open up out their height (and other) insecurities. It’s amazing how much we beat ourselves up about things other people have said- things beyond out control. I created 5foot10 to be a positive space- hopefully one that inspires someone, somewhere to ‘Stand Tall’.

A while back I ordered something after I saw Fleur De Force wear it, only to find it was very short on me. When I met Fleur a few months later I realised I am a little taller and there was no way the dress would have fit me. This episode inspired the ‘Blogger Height Wall’- a place where Bloggers leave their height and URL so readers can find a blogger’s height easily, or be inspired by REAL people of the same height. I also created a database of online stores that list their model’s height so you have more of an idea if an item will fit BEFORE you waste your time and money.

Style Post: Sam Chapman AKA Pixiwoo- a healthy, positive role model

Aside from those ongoing projects, I analyze celebrity style, share my fashion picks, purchases, stories, personal thoughts and adventures.  I will only feature healthy looking models, and support a healthy diet and lifestyle.  I also chat to REAL women of all heights about where they shop, funny stories and favourite style icons AKA ‘Tall Talk Tuesday” (Jess very kindly took part in a TTT here). 

You don’t have to be tall to read 5foot10- 5foot10 is for all heights, and open to requests.  I hope you find something inspiring there.  Perhaps you’re a blogger and you’d like to be added to the Blogger Height Wall- or maybe you’d like to take part in a Tall Talk Tuesday?  I’d love to hear from you!

Thank you so much for Jess for asking me to be a guest on her blog.  I feel really honoured to talk to you all and share a bit of my story.

If you have enjoyed this post, then maybe you could comment below and let me know how tall you are and what your favourite shops are? Or share your thoughts with the hashtag #trjlgw!

 Stand Tall

How could you not want to read more? You couldn’t exactly! My favourite pieces on Emma’s site includes her Tall Talk Tuesday series as well as her lovely wishlists! Find Emma on her site found here -> http://www.5foot10.blogspot.com or as well as on Twitter and Instagram as @5foot10blog and on Pinterest as 5foot10!!

Easy Stripes

Shirt: Matalan, Jeans: New Look (2012) Flats New Look (2013)

Do you know how long I have been searching for a breton stripped shirt? Forever, thats how long. I found this one in Matalan, its not the most perfect fit unfortunately but it will do the job for now at least.

It seems like every time I find something that I really want to add to my wardrobe it becomes suddenly unavailable on the high street, on the internet . . . and how does that happen? I always used to think that maybe I was just ahead of the times but when your looking for a classic piece and can’t find it? Well maybe I’ve just fallen into a trend and haven’t even realised it! I hate it when that happens.

What piece are you guys looking for this spring/summer to make your wardrobe ‘complete’ but haven’t found yet? Lets share the searching love and leave a comment below for other readers and myself to see if we can find it for you. After all whether its a classic stripe shirt, a pair of patterned flats or the dream handbag its not just a want, sometimes its a need right? So lets see if we can find it ’cause lord knows spending months on one item with no luck stops being so ‘fun’ after a while. . . .