Skirt Spotting

Haylee Solid Maxi Skirt - Extended Length (size xl) - Alloy Apparel/Skylar Mini Crossbody (on sale for $19.99) - Alloy Apparel/Blouse - Windsor Store/Hat - Key West Hat Company of New Orleans/Shoes - Vince Camuto/Ring and triangle necklace - Nicki Minaj for Kmart/Tri-Necklace - Forever 21

Photo credit: Shannon Warf 

Usually I have some witty story to tell you but today I simply just want to show you this amazing maxi skirt from Alloy Apparel.

Unlike most "tall" maxi skirts, it's actually long enough. I'm not talking about add one inch and label it tall kind of long, I'm talking about when I wear flats it hits the floor kind of long. Now, one thing I wish Alloy Apparel would do is give the measurement of the actual length of their tall skirts, but as you can see it's long enough for me and I usually wear a 37"-39" inseam in jeans.

I have worn this skirt with so many things. You can easily dress it up or down, wear it in any season, it's super comfortable, comes in 3 colors, sizes XS-XXXL (I am wearing an XL, I would suggest ordering a size up) and it's only $24.90. It's a staple that you will wear time and time again.

Want a different maxi skirt than the one pictured? Never fear. Alloy Apparel has an amazing selection of tall maxi skirts for you to choose from. Click the pic to find the perfect one for you:)

Career Girls

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by an incredible non-profit, Career Girls. The organization's goal is to prepare young women at an early age to attack their goals, dreams and future careers. Here is more about the remarkable work that they do:

It isn’t enough to tell young girls to “dream big” or “aim high.” Without proper encouragement, or concrete methods for turning their abilities into tangible careers, many young women can simply flounder in the educational system. Career Girls is an organization dedicated to providing young girls of all income levels and ethnic backgrounds with the academic tools and support they need to achieve their professional aspirations. We do this by providing a “real world” context for a child’s academic studies, specifically through interviews with positive female role models and a comprehensive collection of easy-to-follow educational resources.

By hearing from successful women they can identify with, and learning about the educational paths these professionals took to reach their goals, female students can take direct steps toward nurturing their own intellects, skills and talents in order to create fulfilling and productive lives of their choosing.

It is an amazing, inspiring resource for young women with a plethora of career choices to reference, amazing tools and priceless information. I am honored that they chose me as one of the women to share about their professional and personal paths. Below are some of the clips from the interview about my tall experience, TallSWAG and life advice for young girls. You can watch the full interview HERE.

TALL EXPERIENCE

FINDING MY VOICE

ABOUT TALLSWAG

TALL GIRL FASHION TIP

HEELS

A TALL BEST

FAITH AND OBSTACLES

LIFE ADVICE FOR YOUNG GIRLS

60+

Today we are going to talk about tall retirement!

Sike.

Actually, I was searching for tall maxi dresses and while they may work for some tall beauties out there, the majority of them were below 60". Now, I don't know about you but anything under 60" won't brush my ankles so I thought Self: you need to post your favorite tall retailers that carry maxi dresses above 60". So I listened to me and here are my top 5...in no particular order...

Long Tall Sally

Like the Fern Print Maxi Dress above, they have many styles of maxi dresses above 60". I really like the quality of their dresses and their customer service is great. The prices are moderate to expensive but they have some great sales so be sure to look out for those. You need shoes to go with that maxi? Shop at LTS for those too! They now carry Barefoot Tess and other brands of footwear in sizes up to 15. 

Alloy Apparel

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am an Alloy Apparel freak. I stalk the site. They might have a restraining order against me. But anywho, they have some very affordable maxi dresses up to 63". While you are looking at their dresses, check out their entire tall shop with all types of clothing options (including fab jumpers) and shoes up to size 11 (a little birdie told me this might be getting higher too...stay tuned). Pictured: Sarah Racerback Maxi in Black/White Tribal.

Talltique

As you may have gathered from the name, Talltique is an online boutique of curated, tall women's fashion. In the collection of tall, they have some super long maxi dresses that can be worn in 4 ways, with an unfinished hem for custom tailoring. The price is expensive but it's a great investment as it's customizable and provides a bevy of different looks. While you are there, check out their tall jean options. Trust me, like the maxi dresses, the length does not disappoint!  Pictured: Brown Tribal Multi-Way Maxi Dress by MJVO Couture.

Height Goddess

By far Height Goddess has the longest maxi dresses around. I mean, I am 6'6" and know that I shed a style tear (technically called stylemotional) the first time I put one on. It not only hit the floor, it swept it. That is worth a good, joyful cry if you ask me. The owner Lameka Weeks makes all of her clothes especially for tall women and creates her maxi dresses in different inseams (#genius) from 62" to 71". Love this post but aren't really looking for a maxi? Check out all of the HG collection HERE. Pictured: Zoie Leather Maxi Dress *The back is stunning too.

asos

Va va voom! I mean sexy isn't even the word. When you step out in a tall asos maxi you better be ready to catch some people because they WILL pass out. Granted they do have mutliple styles but the majority of them are HOT HOT HOT and go up to 62". As you know, I absolutely adore the asos tall line and highly suggest that you check out all of their tall clothes if the style of these maxi's aren't really your vibe. Pictured: Tall Deep Plunge Maxi with Front Split and Tall Deep Plunge Maxi with Split.

And the honorable mention goes too...

Stitched9

I would have put this in the 5 but I didn't because 1) I have never ordered anything from them and 2) There is no length because the maxi dresses (and all of their garments) are made to order. Why are you recommending them if you have never tried out their clothes? Good question. Simply because I really like MiMi and Adrienne's creations, have seen some great reviews, am an avid viewer of MiMi's blog, the garments are flying off of the shelves and at the end of the day I feel like it's a great option for a custom, length made just for you, maxi dress. I would really love to work with Stiched9 and hope to have an actual garment for review soon (shameless ask:)! Pictured: Floral Front Slit Maxi

So, who would you add to the 60+ list? Let your tall sisters know:)

Tall in Love

Photo courtesy of Piecenquilt.com

Admittedly, thus far, love has not been my forte. I have been in some strong likes, ridiculous infatuations and a situation that may have been love but was unrequited, so to this day I question if it really was love because doesn't it take 2 to come to that conclusion?

Yep. Love has been a complicated thing for me and so I ran from relationships like the plague. For a long time I just didn't date. It was a tactic of guarding my bruised heart. Then when I started dating, I wouldn't let anyone in. I was completely afraid to give my feelings to someone else.  

On top of all of the confusion, I am also waiting for sex until marriage. This is something that I have always had a strong, personal conviction in but without a doubt a decision that adds another layer to the quest for true love. It's a beautiful layer, but a layer nonetheless.

However with all of these layers, the one that is definitely the hardest to cut through is the tall layer. For one reason or another height is a huge deal to a large majority of males walking this earth. It will stop a man in their tracks and make them run in the opposite direction. Trust me. I, like many of us, speak from experience on this one. I have had multiple men see me, realize that I am taller than them and run for the hills.

And to that I say, let them run.

Let those insecure men run to the highest point, of the farthest hill, far far away from you. 

For example, last night I went out on a second date with a guy. The first date was awesome so I was actually excited for the second one. I kid you not, the FIRST thing out of his mouth was you still wearing them heels huh. I had to calm my inner Alicia down but then his next sentence took it way too far and there was no going back...we are going to have to invest in some flats. After that, who knows what he said because all I heard was insecurity and I no longer speak that language.

You see, there are a lot of layers to love and being tall is definitely one of them but I have grown to realize that these layers are not barriers to finding love yet little sifters that expel the bad and keep the good. Imagine a bunch of men in a colander. Each one of your layers is a hole in the colander and the men who are insecure fall through the insecurity hole, the jerks fall through the jerk hole and and so on and so forth. You just have to keep sifting until the one that is made to love all of you is left.

Now, this is not to say that we don't have some work to do on our end. In order to find the right person we must love ourselves completely, know what we deserve and be the person that deserves what we require. We have to hold up our end but know that along the path, he will be there. God has him picked out for you. You just have to be patient, do your work, sift and wait on Him.

I am happy to say that I am in this place right now. Working on me, exploring what is out there with an open heart, scoffing at ridiculous dates but having full faith that every no will lead to God's yes in my love life.

True love will come...keep sifting my tall, beautiful one!  

#INSTAstyle

I love, love, LOVE to blog but when I am on the go, I often like to share with you using my little friend (who also happens to be friends with 200 million other people) Instagram. When I see something, experience something, feel something or wear something, I post that bad boy to IG.

But ya know...just like every other social medium, not everyone is on it (insert sad face here). And I really don't want to leave anyone out SO I have decided to start doing a #INSTAstyle roundup to showcase some of my favorite tall finds. Want to hear it? Here it go...

This is the one and only Cutout Side One Piece - long Torso Swimsuit from the Alloy Apparel Tall Shop. I was elated when I received it because it actually fit without giving the dreaded camel toe. I wore it during a photo shoot that I had for Candid Art Accessories. I love the cut of it and it also gives a great shape for a person who has a lack of chi chi's like myself. It's what I like to call ladysexy. Nothing is hanging out but the sex appeal is still off the charts. Right now it is only $29.99 and also comes in a tribal print which I will probably buy as well.

Ahhhhhhhhh! This jumpsuit stole my heart the minute I put it on. It's the Zip Detail Jumpsuit from Long Tall Sally. It is SUPER cute, can be dressed up or down and covers the ankles (I just shed a tall style tear). On this particular day, I wore it for a day out with the girls but I have also worn it to the office with a blazer and threw on some flats with it for a day of running errands. If it asked me to marry it, I might say yes. Right now, it's 20% off! Personally I feel it's a steal for a piece this versatile and hard to find. (PS. the shoes are Christian Siriano for Payless circa 2 seasons ago).

My girls! We had a fab day getting our mani's on at the nail salon and I happened to be wearing a FAB pair of tall, floral shorts from the asos tall line. It also has a matching tall kimono but I chose to wear the shorts solo because I was just going to the nail salon and thought it was a bit much. The shorts are super comfortable, cover the buns and are perfect for hot weather. Aren't my friends fierce!?! *Wedge patrol: Free People via the Nordstrom Rack.

I had the honor of seeing my best friend (the dapper guy with the bowtie) marry his better half. It was a beautiful ceremony! Leading up to their special day, I had a couple of non-stop weeks where I had absolutely no time to shop (eeeek!). At 10 p.m. the night before I was leaving for the wedding, I prayed a little fashion prayer and ran into my local Target for a last ditch attempt to find something special. God answered my prayer with this little number; the Mossimo Lattice Back Dress. It was meant to be worn baggy but I wanted a little shape to it, so I paired it with a thrifted belt. It was perfect for the occasion and the back detail added a special little touch. Another testament to the fact that you can find stuff off the rack...you just have to look a little harder:)

So, there you have it...my first #INSTAstyle roundup! Is this something you would like to see on a regular basis? Let me know. Can't wait for the roundup? Follow and get instant @TallSWAG instagrammys here :)

Forever and Ever

 

Mineral Wash Midi Dress (size L) - Forever 21/Nude Sunnies - Forever 21/Platinum Cuff - Forever 21/Enzo Angiolini Pumps (Size 12) - Nordstrom/Handbag - H&M

Photo Credit: Shannon Warf

I absolutely love Forever 21!

Halt. Stop the presses. Get this tall girl some medication because she done gone crazy! She just said she loves Forever 21 and she knows there is nothing in that store to fit us tall girls!

Not true. Are there many pieces? No. But are there some? Yep.

Now, I am a bonafide member of team Forever 21 needs a tall line STAT but until then, there are finds that they carry right now that we can rock. Obviously we can wear their affordable jewelry and accessories line, most of their midi dresses and skirts work for us, some of their 3/4 sleeve blazers look amazing on our tall frames, we can rock many of the tops all day long and some of the ankle pants look fabulous on us. I have said it before and will say it again, try it on! You never know what amazingness you will find.

Prime example, this Mineral Wash Midi Dress. It hugs all of the right curves, has a haute denim look, perfect for a function with friends and shows the legs off while keeping it classy with the faux turtleneck. Oh and did I mention it's only $17.90! The perfect little dress for a perfect little price:)

What Forever 21 pieces do you rock?