Spring Fever

I don't know about you, but I'm so ready for Spring! Heck, I even jumped on board with spring cleaning and cleared out my closet a couple of weekends ago! We got a little taste of it this weekend with temperatures in the upper fifties and low sixties. It was just wonderful! I took Sadie on some extra long walks because I just wanted to be outside. 

Spring brings the same challenges I face in the Fall when it comes to dressing for the office. I'm cold natured, so I won't go bare legged in fifty degree weather. But, the temperatures definitely put me in a lighter brighter mood and make me want to dress the season. 

I bought the blazer and scarf from JCrew, but at separate times, only to find out that the pink color in the scarf is a near perfect match to the blazer, so I always pair them together. But, I normally throw them on with navy pants, nude wedges, and a white blouse. I don't currently have any really good fitting navy dress pants, so I opted for a navy dress. I love blush and navy and it feels so spring-y to me!

I also wanted to let everyone know that JCrew Factory started selling their pencil skirts in tall, you can find them here. I spoke to a customer service representative this weekend and they did not know whether Factory would be carrying more styles in tall in the future. I always make it a point of letting JCrew know that I love their talls whenever I've got a representative on the line and I've made it a point to request that Factory carry tall sizes too. I have no idea if they listen to customer feedback, but I figure it can't hurt and I definitely want the regular retail store to continue offering talls. I've also noticed that retail's last couple of new arrival rollouts have featured longer dresses even when they weren't available in tall, so I've been loving it!

Dress: old, similar here | Blazer: old, similar here  also love this blue here | Tights: here (currently on sale!) | Shoes: old, similar here | Scarf: old, but I'm loving the pink accents in this one (and the print generally, I'm dying for the dress, here)

Winter Necessities Review

 

I know I haven't been blogging much lately. Not nearly as much as I'd like. But, work has been insane and my husband and I keep passing a cold back and forth so the past few weeks have been rough. Also, the cold weather and winter elements have left me uninspired so it's been hard for me to get excited about getting dressed. 

However, I have been wearing a few winter accessories regularly lately and I thought I'd give you a more detailed review. The coat has appeared on the blog before (seen here). And if you follow me on Instagram (@prettytallthings) you probably saw these boots a while back. 

This coat was a birthday present so I received it in November. Initially I was wearing it at night to walk Sadie right before bed, when the temperatures dropped. However, we have had our fair share of days in the teens, snow, and ice so I have been wearing it almost daily since January. I got a Tall Small and I could not be more pleased with it. The sleeves are long (maybe even too long according to some) and although it doesn't fall quite to my knees, it's only a couple inches shy. The length provides added warmth for my legs; I can definitely notice how much colder my calves are because they're exposed. 

The coat keeps me extremely warm, isn't bulky, and is very easy to move in. I wear the hood a lot as well and I love the faux fur trim, it definitely adds additional warmth. I will say it is hard to hear or see out of my periphery when I wear the hood, but it is so warm. I have also been pleased with how dry it keeps me! So, if you're looking for a heavy duty winter coat I highly recommend this one. It kept me warm through #blizzard2016.

I bought these boots directly from Sperry online last fall when Nordstrom was having one of its big sales because my size was sold out at Nordstrom. Sperry was price matching, and I figured they were a must have for all the walking I'd be doing in the winter. 

They seem to be a big hit with most people (see reviews here and here). I'm totally disappointed. First, the sizing is a bit off. I tried these in an 8.5 and with thicker socks they were a little too tight which is unusual for me. So I exchanged for a 9, and thought they'd work with thick winter socks. The size, although a little big, is OK. Definitely not the deal breaker. 

The deal breaker: they aren't warm. Well, the front half of the boot doesn't keep my foot warm. My heel and ankle stay pretty toasty.  But, my toes and the rest of my foot freeze. Plus the traction isn't very good. At all. Definitely not what I would expect from Sperry for a winter weather boot. 

I was initially drawn to these because of the zipper on the inside. I figured they'd be that much easier to take on and off when walking the dog. And it is a nice feature, but it definitely doesn't make up for the other drawbacks. 

I will be looking to buy replacement boots and I think I'll go with the LL Bean duck boots this time. Let me know if you have any suggestions or comments on great winter boots (or which version of the Bean boots you love)!

Coat: Here (unfortunately it looks like Tall sizes have sold out) | Boots: similar here (identical except fabric on shaft)

Banana Bread

I'm not a big cook, but I have several dishes that I really enjoy making. This is one of them. It's been a while since I last made it; I don't think Tyler has ever even had it. Work has been off to a crazy start this year and this weekend I took some time to catch up around the house. We did some major spring cleaning in our closets and I can't tell you how good it feels to have them back in working order!

I forgot to take photos before we started eating!

Recipe available here

I'm on a gluten free/dairy free diet so I swapped the whole wheat flour for gluten free flour and it turned out just as tasty as it did when I made it with whole wheat flour previously.

Leopard + Leather

 I'm not the biggest fan of leather (faux or real) clothing. I'm not really sure why, but it's not my thing.

But, some way, some how, JCrew has a way of taking an element, like leather, that I'm not a huge fan of and incorporating it into something that's got my name written all over it. Suddenly, I become willing to try something outside of my normal wheelhouse. This dress is the perfect example. 

When I saw it on JCrew's website, I was drawn in by the long sleeves and zipper details. I love zippers. Then I realized the leather patches on the backs of the sleeves and I have to admit I was a little disappointed. I thought it ruined the dress. But, I couldn't pass on an otherwise amazing dress. It's very similar to this dress that I love (seen here) and wanted to grab in black but missed out. I will say the placement of the zippers is lower than I typically like - I prefer an empire or natural waist. But, I appreciate how pairing the dress with a scarf doesn't hide the detailing which usually happens to me. I'm wearing a tall and I really love the length, though it is shorter than a lot of their tall dresses run (suiting dress in particular). Also, the sleeves are more like a bracelet length which I love. I think after all these years of wearing shirts with sleeves that are too short, I don't like wearing true long sleeves. I find they bunch too much when I'm wearing bracelets or a watch (...which is every day).

Dress: here | Scarf: here | Tights (I don't recommend them, they're from Loft this year and haven't held up to a month's worth of wear; I recommend Hue here) | Boots: old, similar here

| Watch: here