Tall Wedding Shopping Woes

I was going through some wedding photos the other day and it brought back the oh so (not) joyous memories of trying to find a dress, shoes and underoos that fit my abnormally long figure.

The Dress

At the 2 bridal shops I went to, I secretly found amusement in the half-my-size attendants having to hoist the 6842848680 lb dresses over my head.  Of course, every sample dress was way too short and I ended up having to pay more for "extra length" BUT the thing that saved me from needing any alterations was the lace-up back.  This is KEY if you want to save 100s on alterations because you can just tighten or loosen the bodice according to how bloated you're feeling that day. So, even though I had to pay more for a dress that was long enough, it probably all evened out since I didn't have to shell out cash for alterations.(Click "Read More" below the pic to read on).

Me in my "extra length" dress from Alfred Angelo

Do you Ebates?

I know I've done a bit of grumbling recently about the fact that us tall ladies must primarily purchase our tall clothing online BUT there are some upsides to shopping online.  Enter Ebates!  My online shopping guru friend introduced me to Ebates about a year ago and at first I was a little skeptical because it seemed too good to be true. But it's simple as pie and I love it!

Here's how it works. Over 1200 online retailers ranging from Crate & Barrel to Groupon to Nordstrom etc. offer you a percentage of cash back if you click on the link to go to their website through Ebates.  So, you set up an Ebates user account (click here if you'd like to do so) and then let's say you want to buy this lovely tall khaki trench from Banana Republic (which I have by the way...it's a great coat and I got it on sale but I digress).  Just search for Banana Republic on the Ebates website and Ebates will inform you what percentage you will get back.  For instance, Banana Republic is offering 10% cash back through the end of the year (which is fantastic by the way...a lot of stores only offer 1-5%).  Then, there will be a big orange SHOP NOW button Click on that and it takes you directly to Banana Republic's site where you can shop to your heart's content just like normal.  I'm a visual person so here's a screenshot to help you get an idea of what I'm talking about. 

Once you make your purchase, Ebates will send you an email confirmation indicating the amount of cash back you've earned.  And 4 times a year, they send you your "big fat check" as they like to call it.  So far, I've received $63.08 refunded to me.  When I told my husband about this awhile back, he furrowed his brow and asked if Ebates was going to motivate me to buy more stuff that I wouldn't otherwise buy.  Nope...but it is nice to get some cash back on stuff that I'm already planning to purchase.  Some of my favorite retailers that do the Ebates thing are Nordstrom, Endless.com, Banana Republic, Gap, Groupon, J. Crew, Eddie Bauer (and a bunch of furniture stores, but this is a tall blog so I won't bore you with all of those).

Be warned...if you sign up and start using Ebates, just make sure you don't EVER forget to go to a retailer through the Ebates site like I did when I bought our expensive backpacks from Eddie Bauer.  Depression over the cash back you missed out on will ensue.

Maternity Musings Part 2

Disclaimer - Before these 2 maternity posts start a flurry of speculation and rumors, let me just reiterate that NO I'm not pregnant.  Moving on...

Yesterday, I posted about a couple of tall maternity lines.  All of this preggy talk got me thinking...what was it like when my two favorite tall ladies (my mom and my big sister - both 5'11) were pregs?  I was curious about the availability and evolution of tall maternity clothes over the years, so last week, I did a little informal interview with them and here are their answers.

My beautiful "big" sis (who is 3 inches shorter than me but don't remind her because it's a touchy subject) has 2 kids and was last pregnant a year and a half ago.

1. Where did you primarily shop or find clothes when you were pregnant? 

Target and Old Navy.  I didn't see any tall maternity stuff at Target and Old Navy.  I did a tiny bit of shopping at Gap and I believe I got some tall jeans from there.

2. Were there any tall maternity lines that you were aware of?

Nope.

3.  Do you remember getting frustrated with your clothing options?  Did you ever throw a hormonal fit?  If you do remember getting frustrated, what was the most annoying thing? 

Pants were what I got most frustrated with.  Hard to find tall ones.  I don't remember throwing a fit. :) [Author's note...she's a lot more level headed than me.]  At the end of the third trimester, my shirts definitely were borderline short. 

My lovely mom also has 2 (grown up) kids and was last pregnant long, long ago.

1. Where did you primarily shop or find clothes when you were pregnant?     

There were very few stores period for maternity clothes other than Sears and JC Penny. So of course my few outfits were made by my mom.

2. Were there any tall maternity lines that you were aware of?

I do not think that there were any tall maternity clothing lines at all when I was pregnant.  

3.  Do you remember getting frustrated with your clothing options?  Did you ever throw a hormonal fit?  If you do remember getting frustrated, what was the most annoying thing?

Yes it was frustrating because even the patterns that we had to choose from were limited and the styles were just very basic. Not really stylish at all. There is so much more nowadays. You have to remember that even up into the 70s and early 80s, pregnancy was all about being subdued and not drawing attention to the fact that there was a baby in the hopper. It wasn't until the late 80s maybe and 90s that pregnancy was all about showing off your expanding waistline and the fashion for pregnant women was more varied and stylish. For my day and age it was basically the "tent" style in tops and dresses. I would have loved to have had some choice back then. I was very grateful for grandma that she was willing to sew some outfits for me. I feel sorry for any tall gal back then who didn't have the resource I did.

I'm taking 2 things away from these interviews. 1) I'm glad that the tall community (blogs, clothing lines, info websites etc.) is growing so that we can spread the word about resources such as tall maternity clothes. 2) I'm glad that nowadays we don't have to wear the "tent tops" my mom described in an effort to hide our pregnant shape.  I think this quote from the founder of Mommy Long Legs sums it up nicely "My husband and I decided there needed to be more [maternity] choices available for women of lengthy proportions. After all, we all deserve the simple pleasure of quality, affordable and stylish apparel." Yah we do!!!

Are there any tall maternity lines that I missed?  Leave a comment and let me know! 

Also, I noticed that Laura at allthetallthings.com has a couple of maternity posts on her blog.  And while you're over at All the Tall Things, check out this post featuring yours truly.

Bun in the Oven? - Tall Maternity Clothes

A couple of weeks ago, one of my readers left a comment on my Musings on Tall Shopping post lamenting about the difficulties she experienced finding maternity clothing to fit her long frame.  Last week, I received a flyer in the mail advertising a "baby spa" at a local hospital. 

I think the universe is trying to tell me something...

NO NO NO...not that I need to have a baby. Nice try. That won't be happening for a few years (sorry mom).  Rather, the universe is trying to tell me that I should do a post on tall maternity clothes!!!  Thanks to my recent love affair with Twitter, I have become aware of a couple of tall maternity lines. Check em out!

Little Black Book on Allthetallthings.com!

Lately, I've been tickled pink to be receiving some comments on the blog from readers in other countries.  Actually, I get giddy whenever ANYONE comments because I'm over-social and easily amused like that. BUT, my point is, since I seem to have readers in both the U.S. and abroad, I wanted to point you toward allthetallthings.com's recently updated Little Black Book, which lists "addresses for suppliers of long-length clothing and large-size shoes from around the world".  Laura has done a fantastic job of putting together a list of tall retailers in 8 different countries. 

And it doesn't stop there!  She's asking for your help.  If you live in a country that’s not mentioned on her list and you’d like to recommend a tall line, or if you're aware of a tall supplier that is not yet on the list (although the country is), shoot her an email.  Your contribution will make the tall world a happier place. Hooray!

"Shopping Tall" Challenge

An alternate title for this post could be - Why I Need a Job ASAP - I've Pinned Way Too Many Tall Items to My Pinterest and I Want To Buy All of Them STAT But My Husband Might Not Be Too Happy With Me If I Do That - but that would be way too long.

I publicly declared my "4 months of only shopping tall" challenge to the blogosphere last week, and I figured I'd better get organized. So, I turned to Pinterest (one of my other recent obsessions in addition to Twitter) and made a wish list.

Below is a teaser screen shot of some of my picks (can you tell blue is my favorite color?) but if you want to see ALL of my picks (many of which are non-blue), just click here. And if you want to keep up with new items as I add them to my wish list, then follow me on Pinterest...comment on my picks...re-pin them if you'd like...vote for stuff you think I should buy first...tell me I'm off my rocker for wanting custom made dress pants that cost $200-$300.  We can have one big Pinterest party!!

  

Stuff I've Learned From Twitter

I've put off joining Twitter for a long time because...well...I have a tendency to become obsessed with things, and I was worried I would just sit in front of my computer all day refreshing my twitter feed and  forsake all face-to-face contact with the outside world.  OK...I'm being a little over-dramatic.  I'm way too social to let that happen, but just ask my husband about the 4684208624 hours I spent researching houses to buy, finding the perfect cabin to rent in the Smoky Mountains and looking into a tropical vacation for us. You get the picture about just how obsessed I can become.  

I decided to take the Twitter plunge several weeks ago so that I could connect with more tall people and boy am I glad I did!  Not only is it boatloads of fun tweeting with all my new tall "buddies", check out all the random stuff I've learned.

Musings on Tall Shopping

Disclaimer: I know this rant is nothing new under the sun, but I just need to vent for a second.

As I walked into the Huntington Beach Waterfront Hilton ballroom for the Long Tall Sally pop-up, I experienced a couple of emotions that I didn't expect...a bit of anxiety and a smidge of sadness.  Weird huh?  I thought I would skip into the ballroom as light as a feather and flit around the room merrily plucking tall dresses and skirts and shirts and pants and coats off the racks.  Don't get me wrong....the pop-up was wonderful with its racks and racks of fabulously long clothes.  So why on God's green earth was I feeling a little deflated?  

Orange County's Long Tall Sally Pop-Up Shop!

My (5'11) sister and I after shopping at the Long Tall Sally pop-up in Huntington Beach, CA.  I'm thinking the hotel maintenance man who took our pic should not quit his day job in pursuit of a photography career.

"Are you two together?' the Long Tall Sally dressing room attendant asked me and my sister.  "Yep" I replied as she led us to our dressing room.  She whipped back the curtain to reveal two half-clothed strangers busily trying on their LTS finds.  "Whoa...wrong room" I said as I tried to avert my eyes and back out of the room as fast as I could.  "Nope," said the attendant as she began helping my sister and I set up our stuff. "It's 4 to a room.  You'll get to know your neighbors really well. Thanks for being flexible." Ummmm...you're welcome? (Click read more to read on....)

Elle Mayers Tall Tank Top Giveaway at TallSnob.com

Remember how excited I was for the launch of Elle Mayers activewear and how in love I am with my new Elle Mayers Serendipity tank?   

Well, now you have a chance to be my twin...FOR FREE!  Click here to go to Tall Snob's blog and follow the instructions on how to enter the giveaway for the same tank I bought a couple of weeks ago.  

And who says you have to be tall to enter?  The contest is open to anyone, so even if you're not long of limb, chances are you know someone who is.  Imagine how many cool points you'll rack up with your tall buddy when you give her a tall tank and introduce her to a new tall line! 

The contest runs through midnight on October 24, and the winner will be announced October 25. Good luck!

30% off at Banana Republic, Gap and Old Navy

It's 6:45 a.m. here and I haven't had my coffee quite yet so I had to rub my eyes a few times to make sure I was reading the email I received from Banana Republic correctly.

After a few reads, I realized that it was true!  30% off at Banana Republic, Gap and Old Navy today and tomorrow (Oct. 3-4) on most online items including sale items!!  Use the code 48HOURS at checkout.  There are a few exclusions (such as BR's Timeless collection, Monogram dresses etc.).  Be sure to read the details at the top of the BR, Gap or Old Navy homepages for all items that are exluded.  As I've mentioned before, Banana Republic has a great tall line and Gap and Old Navy have some fun tall apparel too.

As if that wasn't enough good news, order at least $50 worth of stuff and get free shipping.  No code required for that.

The emails I get from BR usually seem to offer a discount only on full priced items which is why I had to read through this one a few times to make sure it really was a general 30% discount.  If I would have had my coffee BEFORE checking my email, I'm sure it wouldn't have taken my foggy head so long to catch on.  Lesson learned.  To the Keurig I go....and then to the DMV.  O joy.

Elle Mayers Review!

My new Elle Mayers Serendipity tank just arrived and it is FABULOUSO.  I ordered a small and was hoping it wouldn't feel like saran wrap. 

No saran wrap here. Thanks to the perfect blend of 95% cotton and 5% spandex, the tank is uber comfy and soft, fits perfectly and doesn't ride up when I'm moving around.

A few more things I'm in love with...the logo in the lower left corner, the fact that the tanks are made in the good ole USofA and the SPEEDY shipping.  I ordered my tank on Thursday and it arrived today (Saturday).  Definitely impressed with this new line so far!