Blankies for grown-ups

Hello there!  I'm finally back.  I severely underestimated the effects of my "vacation hangover" (i.e., jet lag), so apologies for my extended absence.  I'll have some pictures of my travels next week, but in the meantime, it seems that fall happened while I was away -- I feel like I left and it was summer, and now that I'm back, it really is fall.  Which is the best time of year for one of my favorite pieces of clothing: what I call the blankie sweater.  It's a huge, cozy sweater that doubles as a blankie for snuggling up under, wherever you might be (couch, office, public transportation, the movies, or in my case last week, a plane).

The key to looking polished and not like you're hidden under a giant afghan: pick one that fits you in the shoulders and wear slim cut pants underneath. Seven good ones:

Bloomingdale's Aqua cashmere poncho with split neck, $220.

Coldwater Creek Cable Sweater Poncho, $89-$99.

Joie Celia Wool Cashmere Poncho, $288.

Gap Poncho Sweater, $63.99 on sale (plus an extra 15% off today with the code GAPGIFT).

Addison Poncho Sweater, $212

Diane Von Furstenberg Ahiga Bis Oversized Dolman Sweater, $245.90.

Vince Cowl Horizontal Rib Sweater, $320.

(Image via here.)

Have a lovely weekend!

Hello my dears.  Tall and Salty is heading out on a little vacation this week, which means I'll be off-air until next Monday, October 1.  While I'm away, enjoy these links, and if you really need your Tall and Salty fix, feel free to peruse the archives, check out my Pinterest, or follow me on Instagram (where I'm TallandSalty).  Have a great week and I'll catch up with you when I'm back!

A work-around for the loss of Google Maps when you update your iPhone software.

A song I've (pleasantly) had in my head all week.

Like all good stories, the tale of how two of the the famous men-eating-lunch-on-a-beam-over-Rockefeller-Center were identified involves an Irish bartender (via @brainpicker).

Beautiful lacy unmentionables (and by the way, if the word "unmentionables" didn't tip you off, I'd advise against clicking on this at work if people can see your screen).

A hilarious and incredibly well-taken rant about Blake Lively's Allure cover (she really does have million-dollar hair though, doesn't she?).

Prepare to have serious dorm room envy.

This cake recipe sounds delicious; the part of the post about having kids will make you sniffle.  

While dog outfits are (almost) always funny, these are just on a whole different level.

A site dedicated to delightful but woefully underused words (via Sho and Tell).

Part of me thinks I need to learn how to be a good sport like Brooke here.  A bigger part of me thinks "why?"

(Images: Studio Cabrelli via Note to Self; via Note to Self.)

Softest outfit ever (that is not actually PJs)

There are days in life when you just need to be comfortable, but your elastic-waist college sweatpants (sadly) just won't do: long flights, running errands during daylight hours, or watching college football in public.  This tee and jeans are so soft but polished enough that you won't be embarrassed to be seen by others.  Bonus points for a pretty cross-body (code for hands-free) bag, comfortable rubber-soled flats, a sturdy watch, and a cozy scarf.

  

Anthropologie Bourdeaux Duo Coloblocked Top, $48;

Joe's Jeans The Skinny in Yasmin, $169.  

J. Crew Cece leather flats, $138.

Anthropologie Viscid watch, $58.

Coach Legacy Colorblock Leather Patricia, $398 (a splurge -- but hey, if you take care of it, perhaps it'll end up your granddaughter's one day!  I have a Coach bag of my grandma's that makes me happy every time I use it).

Madewell Hill-side plaid flannel scarf, $89.

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.)

Hello there.

Hello there everyone.  Apologies for my absence: things went a bit haywire last week and I was spending some time with Tall and Salty's biggest fan (my mom), who unexpectedly went on the DL and has had a brief sojourn in the hospital.  I love writing Tall and Salty, but I love her more.  And I don't think I could have strung together many coherent sentences, so let's just consider my radio silence a blessing for you all, shall we?  She's doing better now, and hopefully that means my head is on a bit straighter.

Tall and Salty isn't a particularly personal blog, and that's by design -- my day job (and hope of getting other day jobs in the future) requires that I maintain a certain level of anonymity here, so I haven't done a lot of sharing of personal details.  However, I'd like to take a quick time out from our regular diet of style, design, pop culture, and other random interestingness to note something I've observed in the last few weeks.  As we were heading to her surgery, I told my mom that one of my friends was sending her good thoughts, and my mom said that what she's taken from this experience is that people are so nice.  And I agreed: we are so fortunate to have surrounded ourselves with incredibly thoughtful, nice, people who have gone out of their collective way to step up and do good when things have been down.  Thank you so much to all of you.  I am grateful.

And with that: onward to the interestingness!  Since I went AWOL last Thursday, I figured that I'd jump back into things with the weekend links I owe you (I trust you still had a lovely weekend, even without your usual post).  

The first ads for famous books.

All of Jenna Lyons' outfits, all in one place.  

Salty chocolate chip cookies!  

With all the huff and puff going on about the Kate Middleton photos right now, this post about Princess Diana is so interesting

In the spirit of Work Week, this advice on managing Fashion Week seems to be good advice for managing any busy work project.

This picture cracks me up.

Oldie but goodie beauty products and the newbies that might take their place. 

Love medals.

Bonnie and Clyde?  Maybe they will end up on Mugshot Doppelganger, which is seriously awesome.

Pretty tray.

James Cameron tells you why Jack and Rose couldn't really both fit on the piece of wood.

(Image: Dream Fall by Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison.)