Long Tall Sally Bloggers Breakfast : Spring Summer 2014 Collection

A few weeks back I went for breakfast at Long Tall Sally, to preview their upcoming Spring Summer collection before it hit the stores.  (Most pieces are now online and there is 20% off until Sunday!)  I hung out with Isobel Pooley, ate croissants and chatted about tall life and fashion!  Long Tall Sally are a high street brand with a twist- they cater for the taller girl!  Gone are the days of limited choice as LTS carry a mixture of classic staples and trendy pieces to cater for every occasion including casual, formal, sleep, beach, party and swimwear.... plus accessories and shoes!

Part of the spring summer collection- the maxi dress is really floaty and perfect for a beach holiday.

(I have been absolutely snowed under with work (plus study and travel) so you may have noticed a lack of posts and tweets recently.  It's not intentional, and I hope to have a bit more time shortly!)

The blogger's breakfast was held at their head offices in central London.  I was hosted by Alice, Ricarda and Jane of Long Tall Sally- and their brand ambassador 6' 3" British high jumper Isobel Pooley.  Isobel has such a positive attitude (and amazing skin)- I think she deserves her own post on 5 foot 10 so stay tuned!  More on Isobel later!

(L-R) Ricarda, Isobel and Alice (all wearing LTS outfits)

While at the head office I met Jane Woolf who is their senior garment technician.  She has a passion for tall.  She hit the nail on the head by saying "shorter people can hide, but if you are a taller person, you cant hide.  Tall girls try to shop on the high street to fit in, and some can see shopping at LTS as giving up on wearing what everyone else wears.  It is important that people feel comfortable in their clothes, regardless of height, size or shape".  Jane was so passionate about us tall(er) girls not having to compromise on style, trend or choice.

Isobel (l) and me.  I'll do an outfit post separately.

A lot of brands see tall (or petite ranges) as a small niche and not an investment.  Consequently they give it to the junior workers as away to cut their teeth before they are promoted to work on the regular range (the biggest revenue spinner).  This can mean high street stores end up designing a range, picking a few safe items and then simply add an extra inch or two of fabric on the bottom for the 'tall' range.  The result? Things like pockets, knees and waists are all in wrong place!  LTS invest specialist attention into the range so that all elements are proportioned.  Jane explained how LTS scale every outfit for the taller range, paying specific attention to the details such as waist tucks, pockets, buttons, patterns- even distressed rips in faded jeans.  Who wants a pair of distressed jeans where the knee rips actually fall on the thighs?  Who wants a cardigan where the pockets are too high and you cant rest your hands in them?  Who wants every dress to be an empire line waist?  Not me!  I was also pleased to hear that their trousers come in 34", 36" and 38" leg, (which means you can copy me and buy a size longer and have an external turn up on your jeans!).

I love blues so the dress in the center caught my eye for a wedding outfit this summer.

There are some really lovely pieces in the spring summer range, from maxi dresses for the beach (with appropriate waist lines and skirt lengths), to long line tops in bright colours and patterns (that us taller girls wont have to constantly pull down throughout the day).  There were some gorgeous formal wear dresses- check out the blue dress below.  I was also quite taken by their jumpsuits as I haven't worn a jumpsuit/playsuit since I was about 12 because I great too tall.  These deserve their own post!  It goes without saying, that all their clothes are modeled by tall women- so no 'sample size' promo material that is then scaled for retail. 

Lovely jumpsuits in plain and floral material!

I was also quite taken by some of their shoes.  I always find sensible heels difficult to find.  I'm not a fan of huge platforms- because- well- they hurt and they are bad for your feel/posture/body.  While browsing the new collection I found out that LTS stock shoes up to a UK women's size 11, and stock several heel heights!  I know a few readers have asked me about shoes so have a look at the range in store, or online. 

Shooooooos! (LTS even stock converse- I may have just purchased these)

There is too much to mention in one post, so I will be picking out some key items, letting you know what I purchased and chatting more about the day in later posts!

Thank you to the team Long Tall Sally for hosting 5 foot 10 an exclusive preview of the spring summer collection.  This collection is now available to view and purchase online with 20% off until Sunday.  (Link!)  Somethings will suit the shorter girl so it is worth having a look online or in store if you are under 5 foot 10! 

Stand Tall x