Skirdresses

Whenever I've been been shopping online for one of my favorite looks (AKA the maxi dress) and have come across "convertible" dresses, I've always thumbed my nose and thought "Seriously?  How can this thing can look good as a dress AND a skirt?" On a recent trip to Dillards, I happened across what I thought was a maxi skirt (my new favorite trend by the way).  Upon closer inspection, I realized that it was (gasp) a convertible dress.  Intrigued (and still very skeptical), I took it into the dressing room and was pleasantly surprised to find that I could make the skirt as long as I wanted because the stretchy smocked bodice (which you fold over when you're wearing it as a skirt) allows you to ride the skirt as low or as high as you want on your hips.  Observe...

I don't think I'll personally be wearing this as a dress, but at least I know that skirdresses can potentially masquerade as really long maxi skirts. In case you're interested, the brand is Lapis and I bought the skirdress for $30 at Dillards. I couldn't find this exact item online but here's a shorter style by the same designer to give you an idea.

Hazards of the new home

THWACK!!  Yep.  That's the sound of me accidentally whacking my head on ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING in my new house as I unpack, clean, organize etc.  Oh the joys of being tall.  Let's hope I get used to where the potential head smack hazards are in this house before I lose too many more brain cells from hitting my head on stuff.

Wanted: Mall of America

Let's see...if I leave now, I could be at the Long Tall Sally store at Mall of America in 14 hours.  On second thought, maybe I should look at flights.  Anyways, LTS has 2 locations in the US (one at Mall of America in Minneapolis and one in Detroit.)  I hope to make a trek to Mall of America soon so that I can feast my eyes on all the fabulous long clothing.  LTS also does random "pop up shops"across the US and UK.  They'll bring their wares to random towns throughout the country and pop up a shop for the weekend so check the website frequently for an LTS appearance near you.

Shopping List - Shoes

I've worn a size 11 or 12 since I was in 6th grade so finding fabulous shoes in my size has always been quite the undertaking.  Selection and availability have definitely gotten better over the years.  Here are a few of my favorite shoe stores/sites.

Barefoot Tess - This site exclusively carries shoes in sizes 11 through 15 which is pure heaven for us tall ladies who aren't used to being catered to in the shoe department.  In addition to its own line, it also carries a gaggle of other designers.  Join the email list for secret sales and specials.

Long Tall Sally - Along with its fabulous selection of clothes for tall chicks, LTS carries a plethora of shoes in sizes 9-13.

Nordstrom/Nordstrom Rack - Nordstrom has been my all time favorite shoe buying destination for years.  Back in the olden days, Nordstrom started out as a shoe store so it's no wonder they've realized that there's a market for extended size shoes (unlike many other department stores who only carry up to a size 10).   On the website (and possibly in the stores), they go up to size 14.  I've definitely seen size 13 and 14 shoes sitting out at the Nordstrom Rack stores. Sign up for the mailing list to find out about special "extended shoe size" events.

Endless - They carry up to a size 16!  I was curious to see what kind of a selection they would have in size 16 and they had 120+ styles.  Not too shabby.  They have great searching functions and video reviews on the site.  They're speedy (items ship for FREE either overnight or 2 day). Returns are FREE. They're always having special deals/sales.  They offer a 100% price match guarantee.  What's not to like?

Zappos - The site lists women's shoes up to a size 20 but when I had a gander at the shoes in sizes 17-20, they all looked unisex to me (Converse, various athletic shoes etc.)  It looks like their selection of women's shoes goes up to size 16.  Similar to Endless, Zappos offers FREE shipping (although items may take 4-5 days to arrive so Zappos isn't quite as speedy) and FREE returns.  Can you tell I love getting stuff for FREE?

Marmi - Marmi's selection is mostly for the more "mature" leggy lady but I do see something that strikes my fancy every now and again. The go up to size 13 and have several locations throughout the US.  In my experience, their in-store customer service is fantastic.

You guys have kids?

My husband and I were in Walgreens the other day and the checker was commenting on some of the stuff we were buying.  Then he said "You guys have kids?"  I thought maybe he was going to tell us the water bottles we were buying were some kind of safety/choking hazard for kids or something.  Nope.  He just was in awe of how tall we were and was wondering if we had any freakishly tall offspring.  Not yet.

Shopping List - Clothes

Here are my favorite places to shop for clothes that don't look like I bought them in the children's section due to short sleeve and hem lengths.  Check back often for additions to the list.


"Brick and Mortar" Locations That Cater to the Vertically Gifted

Dallas, TX and Oakland, CA - Height Goddess -  A couple of boutiques in Dallas, TX and Oakland, CA carry the HG line. 

Bloomington, MN and Detroit, MI - Long Tall Sally - Locations at Mall of America in Bloomington, MN and Detroit.  Also several locations in Canada, England and a few in Germany.

 NYC - Quincy Apparel - Quincy offers slightly customized, tall clothing. In addition to its online store, Quincy has a showroom in NYC at 209 W. 38th Street, Suite 1010. Read about my experience with Quincy here.

D.C. Area - Bethseda, MD - Talltique - This boutique opened in March 2012 in Arlington, VA! Check out the Talltique photo album on Facebook or click here for the online store. I can't wait to visit and do some in-person tall shopping!  They also offer online shopping.


Websites Specifically for the Vertically Gifted

Sign up for email updates from these companies.  They are always running promos and offering various deals and steals.

Long Elegant Legs - Great for basics! Click here for a review on a tunic my sis bought.

Tall Couture - I've scored some great deals by shopping their sale rack over the past few years. Click here for a review of a top I bought and here to see my favorite coat!

Long Tall Sally -Broad range of styles at pretty affordable prices. Click here for my review.

Height Goddess -  HG has a small number of items online including dress pants, dresses and jeans and they add new items every season! There are a few boutiques in TX and CA that carry the line. Just bought some dress pants. Review coming soon!

Elle Mayers - Tall activewear. Click here for my review of the black tank and here for my review of the berry tank.

Tall Snob Store - Krista from TallClothingMall.com has opened an online shop!

Tall Girl Crafts - Tall custom made hand sewn PJs! Click here for my review.

6 Foot Fashion - Fabulous high end tall clothing including BCBG, Joie and others!

Mommy Long Legs - Tall maternity clothes sold in the U.S., Canada and Australia! Click here for more details.

MaternaTall/Pixie and Giraffe - Tall maternity clothes sold in the U.K.

Other Stores That Carry Tall/Long Sizes

Banana Republic - Unfortunately, BR's tall line is only carried online BUT keep an eye out in your local store. If someone buys a tall item online and returns it to a store, the store puts it out on the floor and you might just score a fabulous khaki trench coat and 2 pairs of longgg jeans like me! Click here for a review of a couple BR tall cardigans.


Victoria's Secret - Check this out for more info.

Ann Taylor Loft -  I recently bought a couple of sweater dresses that I love. Next I want to try some of the shirts and pants. They are always having great sales!

Ann Taylor - Haven't bought anything from Ann Taylor's tall line yet but I'm drooling over several things!

Old Navy - Just bought 2 cardigans and a dress from the Old Navy tall line. I'm VERY pleased with the sleeve and body lengths on the cardigans! Check out my review here.

J Crew - It's been years since I've shopped J Crew's tall line but I just bought the Majesty peacoat (down to $120 from $258). Review coming soon!

Target - Shop in-store for long pants or click here to shop online.  I've bought a few pairs of these for working out.  The longs are borderline highwaters for me so I'm thinking they're probably 33"-34" inseam, but I don't really care since I'm just wearing them to the gym.

Lucy Activewear - Lucy carries some of its styles in tall sizes. Check out my review of my Lucy workout pants here. 
 
Lucky Brand - You're bound to get lucky at Lucky since they have both long (34") and extra long (36") jeans.  I even found a pair of 38" inseam jeans once!  I usually get my Lucky's at Nordstrom Rack or during Lucky's semi-annual sales in December/January and again in June.

Eddie Bauer - EB has over 100 tall items...shirts, cardigans, jeans, pants, jackets etc.

HUE Tights - Even though the size chart only goes up to 6'0, the tights fit great on my 6'2 frame. 

Zara - They don't have tall sizes per se but most of their pants are REALLY long....I'm guessing 36"-37" inseam since I'm able to wear 3 inch heels with them!  Look for a store near you.

Any Department Store (Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, Bloomingdales, Macys etc.) - I survey the sale racks of jeans and look for any that are hanging lower than the rest.  I've had good luck with 7 for all Mankind and Joe's Twiggy jeans, both in 36" inseam.