Mostly, I like being tall. I’m a teeny tiny bit off 6′, and I don’t really notice that 70% of the population have to tilt their heads back to look me in the eye.
But one thing that’s a pain in the backside is clothes buying. Losing 3 stone this year has helped enormously, obviously, but there are just some things that I resigned myself to years ago that I simply can’t have.
Fitted shirts, for example – the ‘fitted’ part sits snugly under my bust, and just looks like I’m squeezing an adult body into a child’s top.
Same with jackets: any thing fitted is a big no. Because the fitted stuff just won’t… fit.
But then the beloved Long Tall Sally sent me a couple of items to see if they could change my mind…
The spot cotton stretch shirt is £42 from Long Tall Sally, in sizes 10-22.
First up was this Spot Cotton Stretch Shirt.
Yes, at first glance it doesn’t look much, does it?
Don’t be fooled.
It’s fitted (quite snugly, actually, as it’s a stretch fabric).
And it… fits.
The nipping in is actually on my waist.
The tail sits neatly down over the top of my jeans.
The cuffs are long enough to fold back, and not hover under my elbows.
And it has a crisp fresh style which is just so wearable.
It’s great for work – but equally I throw a soft scarf on, and it’s soft enough for some weekend wear too.
It’s doesn’t hug your body, it skims your figure: it’s so flattering, I love it! My one complaint is that it’s only in one colour. Much as I love the spots, the shape is so perfect I want a whole array in different fabric choice!
I’ve washed and worn and washed and worn… and am still yet to get bored with it.
They also sent me a Boyfriend Jacket. I Opened the parcel, fell in love with the colour… but then my heart sank as I shook it out. Jackets and I have had a love/hate affair since I wore a man’s suit jacket over my high-waisted jeans in the 80’s. I love them – but only the shapeless ones, fitted ones are restrictive to wear and just look foolish on. Curse them.
So I slipped on the Longline Boyfriend Jacket with little optimism, feeling a bit sad at the delicious colour that was about to be wasted.
But the snug under-arm feeling didn’t happen. And when I finally braved the mirror… wowsers. It’s GORGEOUS!
Longline Boyfriend Jacket from Long Tall Sally – now reduced from £75 down to £50 (the boring old black is still at full price…), in sizes 10-22.
I love the new long line style for 2014 (I always prefer a jacket that sits way down on my bum), and the intense mallard blue is even more delicious in real life; and surprisingly flexible to team with a variety of outfits.
The sleeves are an excellent length, and the fitted shape is fitted in all the right places for a flattering, curvaceous outline. The cut is good too, with plenty of movement making it a comfortable wear.
Oh how I love this jacket.
It’s taken me to see the bank manager. It came with me to see Imelda May in concert. We’ve been to the pub together, and it was perfect as an evening-stroll cover up in autumnal Italy.
Really – what’s not to love? It’s just an absolute mid-season wardrobe staple. It may well take a deep-winter’s sleep in the back of my wardrobe if the weather dips to freezing (it’s not blessed with warmth and padding, obviously) but will re-emerge from hibernation with the first of the sun’s warmth in early spring to brighten up my days again.
This jacket is just a splash of joy from the minute you slither it on and catch sight of it in the mirror…
and yes – as if by magic the shirt and the jacket go brilliantly together, too :)
