The best work blazer for summer.

I went to lunch a few weeks ago with a friend who works at a big law firm.  She was wearing a cute striped blazer, which is about as wild as you can get with prints in a work environment like that.  (Speaking of big firms, this article is nightmare-inducing.)  I told her I liked it, and she said it was her favorite work purchase ever, because it feels like a sweatshirt.  

Even better news:  it's perfect for summer in the office over a sleeveless blouse, comes in petite, regular, and tall sizes, and is 40% off today (with code BRWED40).  SOLD.

Put it with a white, sleeveless blouse with a fun collar detail, 

a delicate gold pendant necklace,

a bright yellow pencil skirt, 

sharp navy pumps,

And a roomy bag.

Cool enough for warm weather, warm enough for chilly office a/c, polished for the office, comfortable for wearing all day.   

Working on my fitness (sort of).

I am a horrendous exerciser.  a) I just don't really like it that much; and b) (this is so lazy and shameful) I hate showering.  So then I just don't exercise, because committing time to something you don't like in the first place which in turn requires you to do something else you don't like afterwards is a skill of adulthood I have not mastered.

This is not sustainable.  Enter: the Seven Minute Workout.  12 exercises, 30 seconds each, with a 10 second break in between.

You can do this in your house.  It takes, from start to finish, seven minutes, and even I have to admit that I surely have time for THAT.  In sum, it's over once it starts, so you don't even really have time to quit in the middle -- by the time you decide to give up, you're done.  Are you going to lose tons of weight?  No.  Will you get ripped?  I can't imagine that you will.  But for someone like me, who adheres to a "shopping is my cardio" lifestyle, this works.   

I also dipped a toe into the world of Flywheel lately, for a friend's birthday party.  It's hard, but a lot of fun -- they play awesome music and it's a serious workout.  I personally found using the bike a bit  awkward for someone as tall as I am, but it wasn't impossible.  And I discovered this mashup of I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Last Friday Night, and Feel So Close, which is my new favorite workout song.

Workout gear tip for tall ladies: I abhor their rigid return policies and general attitude towards customer service, but Lululemon makes maddeningly good workout stuff, including a pair of leggings that are designed to be worn over people's feet while they do yoga.  The upshot of this is that they're super long, so if your'e looking for a pair, check out the Wunder Unders.  And if you're looking for cropped pants that aren't too short, try these. 

Funny 'cause they're true.

I mean, these are all so true, but it bowls me over how often people approach me just for the fun of saying "You're so tall!"  I used to say something snarky back, but I always ended up snapping on someone nice and  well-meaning . . . like the time I gave some sassy remark to an old lady in Nordstrom who apologized profusely and said that she just wanted some help picking out a gift for her granddaughter, who she thought would be close to my age.  I felt horrible!  Who doesn't want to help that lady?

I've never been compelled to walk up to someone and just say "You are [fill in some very obvious physical characteristic here]," just to prove that I've observed said physical characteristic, so for the most part, I just wonder where these people possibly see the conversation going from there.  (I think the closest group to understanding this is pregnant ladies -- from what my friends say, it sounds like they get all kinds of weird comments and rude stares.)

Now, I just say "that's true" in response to people who blurt out weird things, and give them a big blank stare and wait for them to say something else (except for little kids, who even I can't expect to know better -- I just tell them I drink lots of milk).  No one ever seems to have a follow-up if I don't really react to them (though yesterday on my way to the dentist, after some older gentleman did this and I walked around the corner, I heard him shout, "You must be Swedish!"  WHAT?  All credit to my colorist for that one, because I am no natural blonde . . . nor, for the record, am I Scandinavian.)  For the most part, people just look flustered -- and, I hope, get a little clue that they're being sort of rude. All without the guilt of being a smart ass to strangers.  Everyone wins!

Hilarious comic by Doghouse Diaries, thanks to my funny mom.  :)

When it rains, it pours.

So I already got one piece of great news today, and this latest bit of information threatens to collapse the Tall and Salty world with the sheer weight of awesome stuff happening all at once: forty-inch inseam jeans in two styles from Frame Denim, designed by supermodel (and fellow St. Louis native!) Karlie Kloss, who's about six feet tall.

And though Vogue somewhat uncharitably describes these as "excessively long" (meanies), these sound fantastic, with a slightly raised waistband and a redesign of the proportions throughout (like another awesome line of longer-length jeans, TallWater).  The jeans, available the first week of June, will come in two styles -- the flare and skinny, pictured -- and in two washes, light and dark.  Huzzah!

Seriously, Universe . . . thanks.  And while I'm pounding salted margaritas and advance online purchasing multiple pairs of these jeans, consider spreading out the good news next time, okay?

[Updated on May 16 to add: you can check out all four styles here!]

(Images via Vogue by Erik Torstensson.)

Distressed, high and low.

Madewell's Chimala jeans are slouchy, cool, distressed, and 100% different from every single pair of jeans I own.    

Unfortunately, at about $500 a pair, that's going to be the way things shall remain. (I confess, somewhat shamefully, that I probably WOULD pay that much for a perfectly tailored, extremely long, dark wash, forever-pair of jeans. But wouldn't you pay that much for Your Perfect Pair? I like the distressed, cropped look, but they're a bit too trendy and out of my wheelhouse for that kind of money. The solution? The Gap (really).  

The 1969 sexy boyfriend cut (available in regular, tall, and petite) is also slouchy, cool, distressed, and 100% different from every single pair of jeans I own, for the bargain price of $69.95.    

And if you're looking for something a bit slimmer and longer, the 1969 Real Straight Deconstructed is similarly priced and has the same vibe. 

Bonus: Gap is offering 25% off online purchases today with code GAPSTYLE.  

PS: another high/low option.

(Image of Jenna Lyons via The Guardian.)

Sun, sand, ocean.

Can't take it anymore.  (Mentally) packing up.  (Pretend) fleeing Chicago.  Things I (would plan on) taking include, but are not limited to:

Gap printed henley tunic (in regular, petite, and tall), $54.95.

J. Crew Fan Fringe Necklace, $148.

Gap leather flip flops (available in a bunch of colors and sizes, though I am partial to the mint), $24.95.

Emerson Fry short sleeveless keyhole dress in green, $325.

Zara printed fabric clutch, $49.90.

I got a little carried away and since this is, after all, a pretend evacuation (note that on this trip, I will apparently not be wearing a swimsuit, hurrah!), there's lots more in this bottomless suitcase that you can check out here on Pinterest.  And to override your good intentions to refrain from shopping, some sale info that you clearly need:

• Gap is 30% off online (with code "GAPEGG") and up to 40% off some items in stores.
• J. Crew is offering 25% off of purchases of $125 or more with the code "LOVEJCREW" and 30% off for J. Crew cardholders with code CARDHOLDER, 
• Madewell is offering 25% off of $125 in purchases with code "4SPRING."
• Old Navy is offering 30% off online with code "THANKYOU."

Who's coming with me?  Where are we mentally fleeing?

(Top image of the J.K. Place Capri.)

Bespoke Barbour

Yesterday was the first day I felt a real chill in the air.  Fall is here, ready or not.  My thoughts, in order:

1.  Yay sweaters!

2.  Ugh, it's going to get really cold soon (this is the curse of being married to someone who hates cold weather: the joy of fall is subsumed by the dread of impending winter).

3.  I get to wear my new Barbour jacket THAT FITS.  Huzzah!

A little-known but amazing tip: Barbour, the British barn jacket maker, will add extra length to the sleeves of any of its waxed cotton jackets, a perfect fall jacket.  (They can't add length to the quilted jackets, but hey, let's be happy for what we're getting, right?)  I got measured in-store when I was visiting New York City, but I'm sure you could measure yourself and order over the phone.  I got mine at the Soho store and the folks there couldn't have been nicer or more helpful.  Tall ladies (and men!), your chilly wrists are welcome.  And regular-sized people, enjoy not paying extra for custom length.

Puppy and prince sold separately.

PS: Chicagoans, we're getting a Barbour store here soon!

PPS: an interesting article about Barbour's growth and a cool video. 

(Images via here, here and here.)