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Spring; Stop Camouflaging Yourself

Back from New York and I immediately got sick with a stomach bug. It was probably my body rejecting my return to Wisconsin and to work. I swear, the time goes so quick in New York. The only time it didn’t go quick were the moments when my feet were swearing at me for so much more use than normal. We ended up between 7-10 miles a day walking around, which is pretty standard for us. Stay tuned, I will have a post put together on a weekend in New York and packing list for next week!

It’s probably for the best that I got sick because we ate really well while we were there. All I’m saying is a natural detox never hurt anybody. I’ll be sure to include the places we ate as well, I know I’m always looking for food recommendations when I’m traveling. Speaking of, last chance to share yours before I’m down in New Orleans this coming weekend. It’s going to be a quick week at home in between, but I’m really looking forward to traveling with my brother! He’s been on the blog before, here. Also sound off below if you’re interested in us sharing more men’s tall fashion again!

We’re in that pseudo Spring season, where it’s honestly still too cold to dress like all the new arrivals in stores want us to. I’m compromising and trying to incorporate Spring-like touches to my outfits, which basically means I’m adding some fun jewelry or headbands. At H&M in New York, I found two cute headbands that have the wire inside them. I find that those work much better for me than the structured headbands that dig into your head right behind your ears. I’m not sure if that’s just another unspoken problem of being tall as well, or maybe it’s just a differently shaped head as well! There is ALWAYS a gap where the band doesn’t lay on my head on both sides.

Luckily, we’ve got plenty of options because headbands are everywhere right now. I basically had to hold myself back (or Tim helped hold me back – whatever) from scooping them up in every store. H&M has some great two-packs, or some great thicker patterned headbands. If a headband is too much for you, they also have some great scrunchies or ribbons you can use with a ponytail. The two headbands I grabbed are the first two in the widget below, pink floral and black polka dot!

Back to talking faux-Spring dressing. I was pretty pumped about neutrals being a big option for the season. The tonal dressing completely speaks to me. Add in the utility vibe with neutrals and we have a winner. We’ve said it before, but camo print is a neutral in our closets. It is just an easy grab to give your look visual interest.

I’ll be wearing these camo pants all year long. They are from American Eagle, and I know we haven’t really touched on their pants before, but we’ve been longtime fans. They not only have long options, but they have extra long options, which is what this pair are. I got these as a present from Caitlin for my birthday, and I have been wearing them since! Stay tuned for some upcoming posts featuring more of American Eagle that Caitlin has been working on (aka she has been trying to figure out her size). Thankfully, because of all of you the amount of exchanging and sampling we do is worth it! The sweater is an old mainline find from Old Navy. As you can tell, the sleeves aren’t quite long enough.

Pairing these are super easy once you think of them as a neutral. I knew I wanted to warm up the look with these gorgeous booties from Long Tall Sally. If you’ve been searching for great larger sized boots, the time to buy is very soon! You can typically find them for the best price as retailers are trying to clear out their stock for Spring. It’s like Caitlin was talking about on Monday’s post here, which items you like you save or splurge on. Boots are definitely one of them for us. If you pay for leather quality options, they should last you a very long time! It’s always worth considering the cost per wear of an item.

Do you like to consider the cost per wear you’ll get out of an item? Or do you find yourself making more impulse purchases? We definitely find ourselves doing some of both!

Outfit Details

Camo Pants are long sold out, linked similar and added headbands as well!

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Well, Well, Wellies

Save or splurge? This isn’t a question we find ourselves asking very often in these parts. We are both extremely sale oriented over here and I would say it dictates a lot of our purchases or at least when we purchase. Often times we will even combine our goods to either get free shipping, or to spend the larger amount on Express/ASOS etc to get more money off.

I feel blessed to have been raised in such a way that we don’t need to spend to feel impressive or flash our things. I honestly don’t care where an item came from or what brand it is what I value is the fit and that I don’t feel bad about myself for spending on it. Growing up so many of my friends had the UGG boots and North Face Jackets. While in our family you needed to wait until you are fully grown to get your hands on those goods. It was tough to hear at times, but wow does that make sense!

I recently caught my mom telling our young teen cousin that when she is done growing she will get her some UGGs, but until they she needs to stick it out. Maybe I’m more budget conscience, but I often catch myself gasping at families of 5+ walking around in their matching Patagonia’s and expensive boots. It astounds me how much that must have cost them. I have tried to change my thinking to redirect it more to: that’s great for them! They must be so established that they can afford to do that. Honestly though, I am not sure I ever want to do that. Do kids need the name brands when they are growing like weeds? In most instances I say save.

I am not going to lie to you or pretend I don’t own UGG boots, Sorels, a nice winter coat, and various other things. To me, those are things I can afford to splurge on, since our climate can be so so cold in the winter. However, most of my winter products still came from websites like Steep and Cheap, Back Country, and Moosejaw. This can limit your color options to “last years colors.” If you ask me, black and olive green are never going out of style.

Not so coincidentally, I found both this Retro zip and vest on discount sites “out of season” for more than half off. I picked up the vest awhile back in a shop up north. Before I bit the bullet and purchased, I decided to hop online and do a price comparison. It led me to promptly hang the in store option back up. You can also see a few more ways to style this vest in our fall post here.

The quarter snap is a newer purchase that I saw in a Facebook Ad and started swooning for. Talk about targeted ads. You win this round Facebook Ads. But again no guilt on my end, knowing i purchased it for 50% off. Plus I was able to still snag it in my favorite colors! We haven’t touched a ton on Patagonia here yet, but stay tuned for that. All I will say for now, is that I would consider them tall friendly. I have slowly morphed from North Face to strictly Patagonia, not because I like the label, but because that arm length couldn’t be more right!

And now to the item that inspired my save or splurge post. I am sure by now you have seen the Hunter label plastered somewhere before. If you ask me, I bet most bloggers own a pair. To me the price point has always been a bit too steep for a rain boot. I was ready to pull the trigger when Target announced they were going to be selling them for much cheaper. My friend Kasi and I both promised each other we would let each other know the moment they dropped. We knew they would sell out. Then Target rescinded their announcement and I buried the need for my own pair.

However, when you find a pair (IN YOUR COLOR), deeply discounted, plus you have a Nordstrom Note, there is no more to say. I have tried on Hunter boots before, and have always been turned off by the tight calves. Basically I just accepted that they weren’t for me. When I tried these on, I noticed this pair has an adjustable calf, and they couldn’t be more perfect! I love the color, fit, everything. Even when I was checking out at the Nordstrom Rack the (tall) cashier was like, “these fit you?!” I could sense the sadness within her (they were also her size) but I snagged them up first.

I think these are going to be a great staple for me through the wet spring season in Wisconsin; as well as our pre/post winter messy streets. I also love that you can add inserts to make them warmer, I’ll be purchasing a pair next season! The boots match most of my closet, so you will see these again and again.

Also, I just have to add in how much I have been scoring at the Nordstrom Rack with shoes lately. There was a major personal drought and I pouted my way through it. They have redeemed themselves thoroughly. Jenilee sent me a picture of these last week, and somehow convinced them to hold them for me. (The link is a different color) Then the next day when we went back to purchase them, she also found me these sneakers. I am so excited about both of these finds for some upcoming trips. Foot comfort is high on my priority list. At this point all I can conclude here is sometimes the splurge is worth it (even when the sale price is still a splurge). Also, that my sister is a bad influence on my wallet and shoe collection.

What is one thing you have no problem splurging on?

Outfit Details

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