Tall Life: Ruth Riley

Woman of faith, NCAA Women’s basketball champion, gold Medal Olympian, WNBA Champion, Most Valuable Player, difference maker and the list goes on and on.

I am talking about Chicago Sky center Ruth Riley.  Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing this amazing woman and official member of team TallSWAG.  Wanna hear it? Here it goes…

Alicia Jay: How tall are you?

Ruth Riley: 6’4.5”

AJ: I see you getting that .5 in there…I know that’s right!  Do you like being tall? What is it about being tall that you like?

RR: Like anything else in life, being tall has its advantages and disadvantages.  It took me a long time to feel comfortable with my height.  My mom would always tell me to stand up straight but adolescence was not a friendly period for me.  Once I got to college, I became more confident in who I am as a woman and then I began to embrace my height!

AJ: Unfortunately for a lot of us adolescence wasn’t a friendly period, were there any specific bad experiences that stand out?

RR: Bad experiences often came in cruel comments that people made or times when emotionally I just do not want to deal with the inevitable attention.

AJ: Got it. There are so many of us that can relate to both of those things. Now, a lot of people have followed your career but don’t really know you as a person.  Can you describe yourself in one sentence?

RR:  I am a compassionate, easy-going, woman who tries to live out my faith each day. 

AJ: Now tell us something about yourself that people would be surprised to find out…

RR: I love to joke around.  Most people would assume I am very serious.

AJ:  So we know you are a jokester, what about your fashion side?  What do you like to wear and how would you define fashion?

RR: My favorite thing to wear are lululemon pants and a comfortable yoga top.  And as far as the definition of fashion, I think fashion is an outward display of your personality, just like no two people are exactly the same, I don't think that any has the exact same sense of fashion.

AJ: Agreed! Now that we know some things about you personally, what about professionally...what do you do for a living?

RR: I play professional basketball for the WNBA Chicago Sky.

AJ: That is so exciting! I know the season is starting soon, good luck! Do you like what you do?  What is the best part?  Is there anything you don’t like about it

RR: I LOVE what I do! I love sports in general, so the fact that going to work for me is heading to the gym, is a beautiful thing! I love the dynamic of working together as a team for a common goal.  The most difficult part about my job are the sacrifices that I make with my family and friends.  I have missed significant days in the lives of those I love because most times it is impossible to take a day off for days like my Mom's birthday or a friend’s wedding. 

AJ: I’m sure that part is hard but I can imagine there are a lot of amazing moments as well. What is your most memorable WNBA moment?

RR: My most memorable WNBA moment was winning my first WNBA Championships in 2003 with the Detroit Shock.

AJ: Nice! That is definitely memorable.  You love sports but did you feel pressure to play basketball because you were tall?

RR: Yes, society is always going to put pressure on those who are tall to not just play, but be great at sports.

AJ: Don’t we know it! If I get one more person asking me if I play basketball, I swear! So, outside of your basketball career, what are your goals and dreams?

RR: I love the platform that sports gives me to make a positive impact in the lives of others whether it is speaking to kids at schools or doing humanitarian work in South Africa where we use sports as an avenue to teach leadership skills along with HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention.

AJ: So with all of your accomplishments, what would you say is your biggest achievement?

RR: This is a difficult question to answer. The greatest honor I have ever had was representing my country in the 2004 Olympics and winning a Gold Medal!  I have just recently been inducted in the Academic All-American Hall of Fame which is a great achievement because it is a combination of my academic and athletic accomplishments.

AJ: Your path has been amazing, if you could only give one piece of advice from everything you have experienced, what would it be and why?

RR: Believe in yourself, Dream BIG, surround yourself with positive people, and then work really hard to accomplish your dreams.  My mom encouraged me to follow my heart, and then taught me the value of hard work to make my dreams a reality.

More Ruth Riley: RuthRiley.com - Facebook - @RuthRiley00 - Official WNBA Bio - Chicago Sky

Backyard BBQ

When I say it was beautiful this past weekend, I mean it was GORG! The absolute perfect time to have a barbeque with my friends.  Now, being the first one of the season, I had to put a little more effort into it.  No flip-flops, shorts and tanks (although they are on thier way out).  I started it off with a bang, boom, pow!

I knew I wanted to wear this skirt from Long Tall Sally. It's amazing.  So amazing, I did a review on it. Watch it por favor.

I kept it simple with a neutral belt and Target tank (which obviously needed to be hit with a lint brush.  The proof is in picture 5), and my favorite Nordstrom Rack wedges.  I call them the green machines (yes, I sometimes name my clothes and shoes).

The period on the sentence, the super red, stone necklace from Amrita Singh. I seriously wanted to marry it the first time I saw it, but I came to the conclusion that, that was just silly.

What are you wearing to the first summer get-togethers? Email your looks to info@TallSWAG.com.

 

Skirt - courtesy of Long Tall Sally/Belt - Target/Shirt - basic tank from Target/Shoes - Nordstrom Rack (Free Press)/Necklace - Katharine Bib by Amrita Singh

Photo credit: Kate Bowyer (YBowyer Photography)

Are You Working Someone Else's Dream?

Do you feel like this on a daily basis? OK, maybe not exactly this but I'm sure you get the point of this cheesy photo. Mine would be more colorful, fashion forward and overall AMAZING. What would yours look like? Cheesy photo courtesy of Dream-symbols.com.Last week I was told that I am working on someone else’s dream. Long pause. Still paused. Stuck.

I have been working for a professional sports team for about six years now.  I enjoy my job (most of the time).  I am blessed to have it BUT this statement brought up a set of questions that were always there but buried under the ‘I gotta pay my bills’ mentality;

What are you working towards?

Would you be happy with the end result of your job?  After tirelessly working to get to the top, would you feel satisfied and accomplished?  If the answer is no, you are working on someone else’s dream.

If your job became an unpaid internship, would you still work it?

A lot of us worked internships to gain experience.  I don’t know about you, but most of mine were unpaid.  I worked them because I knew the end result would inevitably get me to where I needed to be. This should still be the case. Unless you are living your end result, you are still working to get there. If you wouldn’t work your job for free, is it something you should be working?

Do you consider work, work?

When you wake-up in the morning, if your thoughts are anything like this; “eh, I gotta go to freakin work AGAIN,” you may need to reassess the situation.  When you live YOUR dream, you don’t work and you certainly don’t dread doing what you do for 8+ hours a day. 

After breaking these hard hitting questions down, I am sure you have a better idea of what dream you are working on. 

If you are working on your dream, let me shake your hand!  You are one of the few that are living the way you are supposed to.  Keep it up!

If you are not, you can! Follow this step and you will be where you want to be:

1. Step out on faith.

Yep. That’s it. The shortest, hardest step ever.  You know what you want. Get out there and DO IT!  God wouldn’t put it in your heart, if he wasn’t going to see you through to getting it, so what is stopping you?

Truth time: this is for me, as much as it is for you.  I am certainly taking steps to live my dream but having the complete faith to jump in, that’s another story.  It shouldn’t be hard.  But it is. 

We can do it!

Attack of the Orange

Looking at the site, I think you can see that I LOVE color.  I used to be stuck in a black, brown and white phase but from the moment I put on my first POP of color, I ran like a sprinter with it. However, orange was one of those colors that I thought I could never wear.  I always thought that I was too orange for orange. 

I couldn't have been more wrong.  One day I put on an orange tank top and my world changed.  Another parameter that I placed on myself was shed and I got that much closer to being fashionably free.

Dang. That was deep.  You are just talking about orange Alicia. Calm down.

Story short: try everything! After all, you never know until you try (there I go getting deep again).

Orange you glad to see these options (I know, corny. I had to do it lol)...which one (or ones) tickle your fancy?

By now you have probably noticed that some of this options are orange's cousin, coral. Too beautiful of a color to leave out. Had to keep it in the family:)

ISABELLA STRAPLESS MAXI DRESS IN TANGERINE from Height Goddess. $129. 62" and 67" length. Sizes S-XL. Also comes in black and turquoise.

CANDY SKINNY JEANS IN ORANGE from PZI JEANS. $79. Regular to x-long lengths (38" length). Sizes 4-18. Comes in 6 other colors.

TALL RUFFLED KEYHOLE TANK IN ORANGE from Old NAVY. $15. Sizes S-XXL. Comes in 7 other colors.

TALL PRINTED FRILL PLAYSUIT from Next. $47. Sizes 4-14.

WRAP MAXI SKIRT from Long Tall Sally. $95. 44" long. Sizes 6-8. Also comes in tropical green.

TALL DANCING BLOOMS PRINT SKIRT from Ann Taylor. $88. 22.5" long. Sizes 0-18.

MILSBTWN from Nine West. $109. Sizes 5-12.

UO CAT-EYE RISKY SUNGLASSES at UrbanOutfitters. $14.

MATERIAL GIRL EAR LACE at Candid Art. $32.30. 

TALL SMOCKED DRAWSTRING NECK KNIT DRESS at Loft. $49.50. HURRY! Hot item. Only sizes L and XL left.

KATE SPADE NEW YORK FINGERS PRINT BON SHOPPER at Zappos Couture. $198. Also comes in black and red print.

STRIPE TANK TOP at Long Tall Sally. $35. 30" length. Sizes Extra small to extra large. Also comes in multi.

TALL STRAPLESS DRAWCORD DRESS at Gap. $59.95. Sizes S-XL. Also comes in 3 additional colors.

TALL NEON LACE DRESS at TopShop. $75. Sizes 8-14. 

KATE SPADE DOTZ BIB NECKLACE at Piperlime. $117.99.

DISTRESSED FAUX STONE BRACELET at Forever 21. $6.80. 

HOLLAR TOTE at Aldo. $45.

GRADIENT RING at Banana Republic. $45.

STEVE MADDEN TRACY FLAT at Barefoot Tess. $59. Sizes 11-14.

WEWANTIT T-STRAP SANDAL at Endless. $79. Sizes 5-12. Also comes in 2 additional colors.

Tall at the Met

Team TallSWAG took over the Met Gala last night. Seriously, we were all over that red carpet!

Check out how we wore it and who shouldn't have worn it (we don't make mistakes often but when we do, we can admit it).

Bianca Brandolini in Diappa (cool it with the cape)/Milla Jovovich in Prada (interesting)/Rhianna in Tom Ford (could do without the nails)/Brooklyn Decker in Tory Burch (ages her a little)/Camron Diaz in Stella McCartney (just ok)/Chanel Iman in Tom Ford (beautiful)/Chelsea Clinton (works for her)/Jessica Pare in L'Wren Scott (pretty)/Heidi Klum in Escada (LOVE the neck piece)/Jamie King in Topshop (steal of a dress)/Gwyneth Paltrow in Prada (side boob…really?)/Florence Welch in Alexander McQueen (Foster Farms chicken commercials).

Anja Rubik in Anthony Vaccarello (you knew that was wrong when you put it on. Please eat now)/Jessica Stam in Dior (unique)/Kanye West in Givenchy (please smile. I know your ‘boo’ isn’t with you but can we see the pearly whites?)/Kate Upton in Michael Kors (No)/Liya Kebede in Tory Burch (the shoes make it too casual)/Linda Evangelista in Prada and Harry Winston (I can’t get over the amount you ‘need’ in child support)/Liv Tyler in Givenchy Couture (ill fitting)/Nancy O'Dell in Zac Posen (*shrugs shoulders*)

Brooke Shields in J Mendel and Tiffany & Co. (I hope you are ok and maybe next time get a cane with some swag to it. The Walgreens pick-up isn’t cutting it)/Ivanka Trump in Peter Pilotto (is that velvet?)/ Caroline Trentini in Oliver Theyskens (I’m scared)/Karolina Kurkova in Rachel Zoe (would be amazing without the head piece)/Stella Tennant in Chanel (wrong on too many levels)

Matthew Morrison (straighten out that bowtie and we are good)

Justin Timberlake in Tom Ford (helllo, helllo)/Jessica Biel (5'8") in Prada (I feel like you hemmed that in the limo)

Gerard Butler in Alexander McQueen (a little less goat)

Tim Tebow in Ralph Lauren (does the jacket not fit or is it the way you are standing?)/John Krasinski (so over anorexic ties)/Emily Blunt (5'7") in Calvin Klein (nice)/Donald Trump (eh)/Melania Trump (5'11") in Marc Bouwer Couture (eh)

Tom Brady in David Yurman (something is off)/Gisele Bundchen (5'11") in Alexander McQueen (stunning)

L'Wren Scott (HOLD IN IT DOWN!)/Mick Jagger (5'10") (Who cares what he is wearing. He has a beautiful 6’5” goddess on his arm)

Carmelo Anthony (dust those slippers)/LaLa Anthony (5'6") in Zac Posen (love the color)

*All photos courtesy of Getty Images via The Huffington Post.

Independence Day

I will never forget the day another tall woman came up to me and told me that I shouldn't be wearing red because it would bring MORE attention to me (it was a super cute shirt btw). I was baffled, astonished, mad and then sad. Before I could even react, she was off. Clearly she tried to paint her insecurities on me. Thank God they didn't stick.  I hope they aren't sill stuck with her.

I am all about red (really any color) this season.  It highlights your amazing presence.  I LOVE these pants from Ann Taylor LOFT (10T). They are super flattering and the fabric is comfy (it's almost like wearing sweatpants).  The pants were long enough with flats (36") but I wanted to wear them with the platforms (Payless pick-ups) so I had a tailor bring them down (a good tailor should become your best friend.  I wish I could legally adopt mine).

The shirt is also Ann Taylor LOFT.  I really bought it because I had a promo code and needed $10 more dollars to make the $20 off quota (I live for a sale).  So really, I feel like I almost got the shirt for free (which we know isn't really true but I'm going to roll with it).  However, I wear the shirt all the time.  With jeans, skirts, suits, you get the drift.  Most of the time I keep it tied but I also leave it long for a "tie" look.

Last but not least, my baby, the vintage blue handbag.  Can you believe I picked it up for $12!?! I was as shocked as you are.  I stumbled upon this watch repair shop by my office that doubles as a vintage handbag shop (SCORE) and have been going weekly ever since.  

I say all of that to say this. No matter what ANYONE says, rock whatever you want to rock when you want to rock it. That is all.

PS. Don't sleep on the bracelet.  It was the perfect period to the fit and is a Candid Art origiNAL. 

Shirt and pants - Ann Taylor LOFT/Handbag - Vintage Corelli/Bracelet - courtesy of Candid Art/Shoes - Payless

Photo credit: Kate Bower (Ybowyer Photography)