#dearsally Holiday Wish List

I'm not currently working here in Pennsylvania, so I have a lot of spare time on my hands.  As a result, I've been doing a lot of reading, sleeping in and virtual window shopping.  As sad as I am to give up actual shopping because, well, no job (and really no need for clothes, if I'm honest), window shopping is pretty fun.

Especially at Long Tall Sally.  It is truly wonderful to see an item and know that it will, in fact, be long enough in the arms.  No more scrutinizing the model to see if maybe, just maybe, those ankle-length pants will be ankle-length and not mid-calf.  It's heavenly, I tell you, heavenly.

Here are some of my favorite pieces:

Because I'm an optimist (and I enjoy cat sweaters), I've created both a Workday Wishlist and a Weekend Wishlist.

On my Workday Wishlist I have an appropriately aloof cat sweater, a plaid skirt and an A-line midi, as well as tights and double-zip ankle boots.  I selected two skirts because I'm not sure how conservative my new work place will be and, because I think they're both fabulous with this sweater.

And on my Weekend Wishlist, I have an awesome mixed media, gradient houndstooth sweater coat, that I'd wear over either a black over-sized sweater or a cream sweater dress.  And I added heavy jersey leggings, waterproof boots and leather gloves that will actually fit my giant hands (I know!).  These pieces would be fabulous for cold days spent exploring Pittsburgh.

What about you, Reader Friends?  What's on your holiday wishlist?

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Tobacco

That's right, I'd like to talk about tobacco today.  No, not the cigarette filler, the color.  The color of this scarf:

Now, personally, I'd call that caramel, but, for some reason, retailers are calling it tobacco this season.  And whatever it's called, I love it.


Especially paired with chambray and black:

Scarf: Old Navy  Top: Nordstrom  Jeans: Old Navy  Boots: Born Kyndra

If this looks familiar, that's probably because you recognize it as the outfit I wore under my Long Tall Sally coat.  I just liked it so much I wanted to do an individual post for the outfit:

And to talk about tobacco, of course.

What do you think, Reader Friends?  What are your thoughts on this color?  Would you wear it?


Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey

Get the Look

The Leather Look

I am not wearing this today:

I wore this while I was still in Oregon and still had my very most favorite photographer friend Ferge to take my pictures.


No, today, I am sitting home watching the Pennsylvania weather decide if it wants to rain or snow.  Oh, goody, it's decided on snow.


But, that's enough talk about the weather.  Let's talk about the outfit:

Leggings: Long Tall Sally  Sweater: Free People  Boots: Splendid (similar)

I usually shy away from "leather look" leggings for a couple of reasons.  And both of those reasons are my thighs.  They like to stretch these types of leggings so far that the "leather" appears to crack.  But, these leggings, from Long Tall Sally, have so far proven to be resistant to my thighs' shenanigans.


Now, the sweater is not a "tall" sweater but you wouldn't know it to look at it:

Free People sweater via Nordstrom

Most over-sized sweaters are just "sized" on me, but this one is well and truly over-sized.  I can't imagine it on a less tall person; it must be a dress!


To lighten up my gloomy-but-cozy look, I added citron earrings:

Kate Spade New York earrings via Nordstrom

Because nothing cheers up a look like some neon citron.


Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

I've Moved!

No, not my blog.  Me.  My physical person is no longer in Oregon!


I'll give you some time to absorb that.


Okay, ready?  Yes, it's true, I've moved away from my beloved Oregon and my even more beloved family.

How do I feel about that?  Like this:

How do I look like I feel about that?  Like this:

Because, of course.

Now, I'm sure you have questions, like, why did I move?  Well, I got engaged and his job moved to Pennsylvania, so we moved to Pennsylvania.

And questions like, what?!!  Pennsylvania?!!  What are you going to do in Pennsylvania?!!

Well, the first thing I'm going to do is buy some leg warmers.  I'm kidding, I already have leg warmers!  But, I might buy some more.  And then I'm going to cut the necks out of all my sweatshirts.  And then I'm going to get a job in a steel mill but, because I am wholly unqualified for that line of work, I imagine I'll have to supplement my income by figuring out how to do this:

Of course, I'll only do that until I'm able to get a scholarship to the performing arts school of my choice.  Wish me luck!

And don't worry.  In between my imaginary steel mill working and flashdancing, I'll still be blogging.  It'll probably be sporadic (more sporadic?) at first as learn how to take my own pictures and how to look cute under my steel mill coveralls.  But, I will be blogging so I hope you'll all stick around as I try and figure out tripods, remotes and the optimum amount of water to douse myself with. 

Happy Sunday from Pittsburgh!

Gracey

Long Tall Coat

As most of you know, I've long been an advocate of thrifting everything I can possibly thrift.  I don't thrift undergarments or swimwear because I'm squeamish like that, but pretty much everything else is fair game, including coats.  But, there are pros and cons to thrifting coats.  Pros: they're inexpensive, the evening coats are in great shape due to minimal wear and you can find plum capes with plum mink collars.  Cons: they often have tissues, pills and the occasional "if I die my husband did it" notes in the pockets and, worst of all, they are not sized for modern giants.

While I love, love, love my thrifted coats (especially the aforementioned cape),  not a one of them works as a true winter coat for me.  They're either too fitted to wear anything but a leotard under (which is unfortunate because during the winter you need to wear more than a leotard!) or they're too short in the arms (and sometimes the torso too!).

Happily, Long Tall Sally is here to rescue us modern giants by offering true winter coats that truly fit.  This is the one they sent me:

Faux fur-lined parka c/o Long Tall Sally

I chose this coat for several reasons.  One, it's olive and I'm obsessed with olive this year.  Two, it has a hood; I love hoods to help keep the rain/snow off my glasses:

Three, it's long enough both in the arms and the torso to keep me fully covered and warm.  Four, this coat has a removable lining so I can wear it now when it's 34 degrees and later when it is, for some hellish reason, less than 34 degrees.


The best part about this coat though is that I ordered it in my regular size (US 14) and it's roomy enough that I can layer under it without feeling like Randy from A Christmas Story:

No way I won't be able to get up if a bully pushes me down.


Now, if you are really, really lucky, perhaps you'll find a Tall coat at a thrift store.  But, rather than hold out for that and possibly freezing to death due to winter leotard wearing, may I recommend Long Tall Sally?  They have a great collection of coats from true winter coats (here's mine (currently on sale!) and I love this one), as well coats for more mild winters (this one is fab and also on sale!) and great dress coats (my favorite).


Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Olive and Boots

My skirt and my top are both olive when they're on their own.  But putting them together seems to have lessened their olive appearance.  They look brown and gray together:

 I guess I should have titled this post "Brown and Gray and Boots" then, but I'm still standing by their individual olive-ness.  I'm supportive like that.


I also could have titled this post "Wind in the Hair" because I feel like Tyra would totally approve of this photo:

Well, not totally; I don't think I'm "smizing."  Next time, Tyra.  Next time.


I should also mention that this outfit was worn earlier this month.  I would likely freeze if I wore this today as we've entered the "freezing rain" phase of fall here.  And it's no fun at all.

But, earlier this month it was warm enough to try to pair two olive pieces and have them change color and still be comfortable:

Sweater: JCP a.n.a  Skirt: Nordstrom (exact)  Boots: Born (similar)

 Ah, those were the days.


Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Review: metrostyle leggings

As I've mentioned before, it can be difficult to find quality leggings in Tall lengths.  And by quality, I mean leggings that are not see-through and have well-stitched seams; it's bad for my self-esteem when I pull on leggings and the seams pop!

Lately I've been on a serious mission to find leggings I love and I'm happy to say I've been very lucky!  But, it took some work.  I'll share all of my finds later this week, but today I want to talk about the leggings metrostyle sent me.  Apparently they knew of my search and were there to help a sistah out.

These are my metrostyle leggings:

Leggings: Skinny Ponte Knit in Tall c/o metrostyle

And I do love them.  Please to allow me to explain why.  One, they are seriously thick because they're ponte.  And while they're not thick enough to wear as pants (because leggings are NOT pants) they are thick enough that if my tunic rode up a bit, I wouldn't be completely uncomfortable.


Two, at 32.5" they are the perfect length for me to wear with flats, like I did today; as you can see, they hit me right above the ankle bone.  Also, to my eye, the 10" leg opening looks better with flats than a smaller, tighter opening.

And three, they have a nice, wide waistband and are therefore very comfortable.  I don't know about you, but wide waistbands are my jam; I can't even pretend to wear leggings with a skinny waistband.  These also come up pretty high on my waist, which some people hate, but I love.


And, best of all, there was only minimal bagging at the knees after a full day of sitting in them:

Shirt & Sweater: Gap  Leggings: c/o metrostyle  Shoes: Old Navy (similar)

Fit-wise, they fit true to size.  I'm a size 14 and I ordered the Large Tall and they fit perfectly both in my thighs (they haven't popped a seam yet) and my waist.

If you haven't ever tried metrostyle, give them a look.  They carry petite, tall and women's sizes as well as standard sizes.


Happy Monday, All!

Gracey


Please Note: Although this item was given to me in exchange for a review, all opinions expressed on this blog are my own.  And that means that if the leggings were not great (Bob) I'd tell you.  Promise. 

Five for Fall: Plaid

As I mentioned earlier this fall, I'm doing a series of posts on trends that I'm excited for.  The first was Animals and the second is Plaid.

That's right, plaid is big again this fall and I, for one, couldn't be more thrilled.  One of the reasons I like plaid is because it's both classic and on trend, depending on the colors and application.  Another reason I like it is because it works for those who love color and those who prefer a more somber palette.  And I love it because there are options other than flannel shirts in case "lumberjack chic" isn't your thing!


Here are some of my favorites for this fall:

Clockwise from the top:

Gap Festive Plaid Car Coat - I love this coat for winter, it's a classic print but the solid sleeves make it modern.  Available in Tall as well.

Dear Creatures Dress - I love the mix of plaids on this dress and the tasteful cut-outs.  Available in sizes up to 4x.

Gap Plaid Always Skinny Jeans - I have these jeans (worn here) and highly recommend them; they are super comfortable.  Available in Tall as well.

JOA Brushed Plaid Vest - Sleeveless coats, i.e. vests, continue to be popular this season and this one is perfect to wear with skinny jeans and boots.

Press Plaid Peplum Coat - This is a great example of a modern plaid piece.  The bright colors and the peplum cut are very now and very cute!

Kohl's Plaid Scarf - I know I poked fun at oversized plaid scarves, but I couldn't resist this one.  It's blue!

ModCloth Plaid Flats - If you have mild winters and love adorable flats, these are the shoes for you.

Betsey Johnson Fit & Flare Sweater Dress - Quite possibly the best sweater dress ever.  Not a lot of sizes left, but what sizes there are are on sale!

And for more of my favorite plaid pieces and inspiration on how to rock it this fall, check out my Mad for Plaid Pinterest board!

What about you, Reader Friends?  Is there any plaid in your wardrobe this fall?

Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Houndstooth for the Holidays

Remember last week when I talked about how impressed I was with Foxcroft’s new prints?  Well, I’m wearing another Foxcroft print today, and let me just tell you, I’m still impressed:

I love a big, bold print and this black and yellow houndstooth is just that.  Like the vintage royal print, this print has a throwback vibe that I’m absolutely loving.  

It’s a little 80s, a little 90s and lot wonderful:

Blouse: c/o Foxcroft  Skirt: Old Navy (similar longer)  Tights: Spanx   Boots: Splendid (similar)

Patterned shirts like this one are on Foxcroft’s Holiday Checklist as a must-have for the holiday closet and, I must say, I couldn't agree more.  Printed shirts are just so versatile.  Today I paired it with a simple skirt and tights:

But it’s also the perfect layering piece to add color, interest and throwback flare to winter outfits.

In fact, I'd say there is really only one con about this blouse.  And that is that the blouse's wrinkle-free crispness tends to highlight the fact that I should have ironed my wrinkle-full skirt but didn't because I prefer sleeping in to ironing.  It is otherwise perfect.

Also pretty perfect are the rest of Foxcroft's holiday must-haves; you can see the rest of the Holiday Checklist here.

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey


Please Note: Although this item was given to me in exchange for a review, all opinions expressed on this blog are my own.  And that means that if the top was not great (Bob) I'd tell you.  Promise. 

Fall Colors, Fall Boots

Sometimes, during the fall, I like to wear fall clothing in fall colors.  And, sometimes when I wear fall clothing in fall colors, I like to wear fall boots.  This was one of those times:

Boots: Born Crown (similar)  Jeans: Old Navy  Sweater: Gap (similar)  Tee: Gap (similar)

Is it the most creative outfit ever?  Probably not.  I mean, I'm not wearing a single "on-trend" item.  The color combination of olive and burgundy is neither wacktackular or never-before-seen.  And the scarf is not plaid, over-sized, or over-sized plaid.

But, this outfit is comfortable:

The scarf is covered with paisley and tiny little flowers:

Thrifted scarf (similar)

And I will probably never not wear these boots for fall:

Boots: Born Crown (similar)

Fall clothing in fall colors with fall boots; it's not exciting but that's okay.


Happy Monday, All!

Gracey