Still Falling for Amalli Talli

As many of you know, I am a huge fan of Amalli Talli. If you have not read my first review on their amazing launch, please do (click HERE).

While I am definitely going to talk about some new and exciting tall options from Amalli Talli, let’s start with the remarkable women who founded and developed the line.

Sisters Alli Black and Amy Rosenthal felt the void that we have in fashion. They literally know how we feel because they are part of the ‘we.’ Amy is 6’4” and Alli is 5’10”. They saw and felt a need and literally went and continue to go after it. They create, test and release amazing tall styles to help us find what we need. It’s their passion and it drives them every single day. Check out this WWD article about what they do and the lack of inclusion of tall girls in fashion.

Check out the WWD article on Amalli Talli HERE

A prime example of the hard-to-find styles they create is the tall teddy jacket. I mean when was the last tall teddy jacket you have seen? I’ll wait.

These types of trendy items are incredibly hard to come by, if at all, and they really hit a home run with this one. The cut is appropriate for a tall frame rather than just having a couple of inches added on to it. It hits the waist right at the appropriate spot, is well constructed and it really does keep you warm. It’s an outerwear option that I will be wearing for cold seasons to come.

Tall Girl Teddy Jacket/Black Moto Legging/Favorite Tall Crew Neck Sleeve in Black

Use Code TALLSWAG15 in at checkout for 15% off

Now, I think my face tells the whole story. Who else is shocked when the busted knee actually hits at the knee? They hit this design right on the nose. The denim is soft but not too soft, as you can see the fit is right and the length is a true 35” or 37” inseam. I also personally love a great dark wash. Really, what is not to love about these jeans.

Blakely Skinny Jean/Striped Sweater

Use Code TALLSWAG15 in at checkout for 15% off

Now, we all know the trick where you roll up the sleeve to a faux 3/4 length to make it look like it was supposed to be made that way. I have been doing that to my jean jackets for years.

Not with this one right here hunni.

Just like the teddy jacket, it is the appropriate body length and the arms are spot on. I also love the light wash. While I don’t think they were made to go together, I like to wear it with the light wash Blakely Skinny jeans. Add a simple shoe and you are set.

You can also easily transition this look from day to night simply by taking off the jacket and rocking the jeans with the lace cami. Also, a hard item for us to find that Amalli Talli slayed.

Hollis Jean Jacket/Medium Wash Blakely Skinny Jean/Black Lace Cami

Use Code TALLSWAG15 in at checkout for 15% off

As you can see. I am literally STILL falling for Amalli Talli. I love everything they have released and am on pins and needles to see what they are releasing next. I can’t wait for you to try it and remember to enter TALLSWAG15 in at checkout for 15% off your order.

Thank you Amy and Alli for everything that you do. I am looking forward to rocking Amalli Talli for years to come!

PS. My beautiful niece took all of these photos. I would put her name and photos on here but don’t really like to put her information on the web. Just know that she is super talented, strong and smart. I am blessed to be her Auntie.

Stand Tall in Your Truth

Yes. At 6’6” I am obviously tall (shoutout to all of the strangers who think they are the first person to tell me this) but what does it mean to truly Stand Tall?

I think it’s different for everyone.

For me, I try my best to Stand Tall in every single thing that I do. Standing up for yourself in all areas of your life can be difficult. Do I fall short? Yes. But I have more wins than losses and I use my losses as knowledge to fuel my future wins. Standing Tall has saved me from making bad decisions, from believing lies that people tell me about myself, from lies that I tell myself and it has certainly saved my back from the terrors of slouching. Standing Tall is not just a physical occurrence, it is an act of pure self love.

I wanted to wear my badge of honor, so I created a shirt for myself and thought…what if others want to wear their truth too? No matter what your height is, we all Stand Tall for something. What is it for you?

Your declaration is coming soon. Sign up below to stay connected for all of the details.

I can’t wait for us to Stand Tall together! Coming soon…

Click HERE (or any photo above) to subscribe for all of the Stand Tall updates.

Photos by Lakeela Smith

Full Circle

Graduation season is in full swing and recently I had the absolute honor to be the commencement speaker for my Alma Maters Black Graduation. It was a full circle moment for so many reasons. At University of the Pacific, I found my voice. It was where I discovered my confidence and realized that being Black was a privilege. I could explain it further but I thought there was no better way to show my sheer amazement for the day but to post my actual speech. 

I am incredibly grateful for Marshea Pratt and her entire staff for asking me to speak and congratulations to the 2019 University of the Pacific Black Graduates!

Good evening! How is everyone doing today? Greetings friends, faculty, staff, alumni and the illustrious class of 2019! Yes, you better make some noise for yourself! You did that!

My name is Alicia Jay. I received my Bachelors in broadcasting in 2002 and my Masters in Public Relations in 2003 right here at Pacific. I see you sitting there trying to do the math and let me just do it for you...I am 38 years old and looking great I might add. Now the burning question, did I play a sport at Pacific? Yes. I was the captain of the soccer team. The tallest goalie Pacific has ever had. Y’all actually believed me?

Really, I played basketball for 5 years because I redshirted for a season. For those of you who don’t know what that is, I was granted an extra year of eligibility because I needed to get stronger. When I walked on this campus I was a very skinny girl, with absolutely no muscle, who didn’t know who she was, with zero confidence. I came all the way down from Beaverton, Oregon where I was one of a few black kids in the school district. Not the school...the entire district. I would walk home from elementary school with my little brother and someone would yell nigger out the window. I had a teacher that would bring me up in front of the class on a regular basis and tell everyone how poor my spelling scores were and what a terrible student I was. Later when I began my career in basketball, my Father pulled me off of the court during a game because he could see that I was visibly shaken due to the other teams racial remarks against me. On top of that, I was bullied on a regular basis for being exceptionally tall. Now, I know that they were making fun of me because they wanted my gift and couldn’t have it but at the time every comment felt like a knife to my side. So by the time I arrived at UOP, I was depleted. I was low. I was suicidal.

During the first week, my teammate and I got a knock on our door and when we opened it, we were greeted by every black person on campus. The entire black student union came to make sure that we knew that they were there and more importantly that they had our back. After they left, my roommate and teammate who was from Oakland (shout out to Ahshalic) was shocked that the group were ALL of the black people in the student union, but for me, I was juiced! I finally had MY community with me. The 15 people at my door made me feel seen. They are my best friends to this day. They are the people who brought me back from hating who I was and more importantly taught me what a privilege it is to be black. They are my Sorors who I crossed with in 2001 when we reinitiated Delta Sigma Theta Sorority incorporated right here on this campus. They are my community that reminds me every day that I do in fact belong in the rooms that I am in and have the strength of every single black person who paved the way before me.

Look around you right now. No matter where you go, you will always have a thread of being in this graduating class with each other. This moment is the starting point to the rest of your lives. Now, I’m gonna take it church. I need you to greet your graduating class right now. Hug your neighbor to the left and the right. Congratulate them. Really. Do it right now. Don’t make me come down there and hug each and every one of you because I will...

Now, why am I up here? Sure. I have accomplished some things. I could talk about how after graduating from Pacific, I commenced a 13 year career in corporate America with the Golden State Warriors in Game operations and marketing. I won awards, produced championship games, I was in parades and I have three rings which of course I am wearing tonight because I earned these bad boys and paid the taxes on them so please believe I wear them whenever I get the chance.

I could talk about creating a successful lifestyle platform called TallSWAG that helps people to stand tall every day, in every way, that has brought me to many stages just like this one, enabled me to change lives and even star in a number one hit television show on TLC that was watched by millions of viewers. BTW I’m @TallSWAG on all social channels.

Click the photo for more about why I decided to go on a show with the word GIANT in the title.

I could also talk about meeting Michelle Obama. I have proof y’all. Look. She is hugging me like I’m family. That’s not photoshopped. I still can’t believe that.

But I am not going to talk about any of those things. Today, I am going to talk about painting your own picture.

The other day, I went to one of those paint and sip classes for the first time. If you haven’t been, it’s a class that teaches you how to paint the template of a picture while you sip the drink of your choice.
This was the one that we were going to paint.

So, I get there. Find my easel. And I see the outline that is drawn. I make sure all of the colors are there and I am ready to paint it exactly how they told me too and something just clicked...why? There’s nothing wrong with it but I don’t put flowers in my hair and these colors don’t really go with my apartment...why did I have to stay in these lines? The answer is...you don’t.

As you walk into the rest of your lives there are many people that are going to try and box you in and up. They will put parameters around you and give you parameters to stick to.

They will tell you your hair is too natural,
that you can’t deviate from the plan,
that you are intimidating,
that you don’t deserve the promotion, a seat at the table or can create your own table.

That is their version of the painting. Those are their lines. Don’t let those lies incarcerate your truth. You are bold. You are dynamic. You are a game changer and a history maker. You are everything that many people don’t want you to be

and they will do things to make you believe that their version is better. Do not let them.

8 months ago I listened to myself say this and walked away from a guided portrait to pursue my own work of art. I am now a full time entrepreneur. It has been challenging, it is taking prayer, patience and persistence but any great feat does. In your path you will encounter many lessons and it is your job to live through them, learn from them and pass them on, so today that is what I am going to do for you. These are lessons I learned for someone in this room today and you better appreciate them because they were not pleasant but like all lessons completely necessary...

Starting over is essential. You will do it many times throughout your life. They will all be scary. They will all be worth it. You arrive at every new start with the necessary lessons for that level of your life. Nothing is wasted. Use the levels, don’t let the levels use you.

You belong in the room. Whether it be a room that you created or one that you are helping to create, you deserve to be there. Your path led you to this place.

God makes no mistakes. Embrace it and thrive in it.

You are the only one with your gifts. No two people are the same. We are created to accomplish things that only we can do. Stop comparing your gifts to someone else’s. There is no comparison. Create your lane and thrive in your purpose.

Congratulate and Collaborate. We are here to build with our community. We achieve together. Our gifts are to be shared and celebrated. Contribute to and gain from your community.

Hard work always pays off. You must move your feet or someone else will. Purpose cannot be achieved without movement.

Never stand at closed doors. Closed doors are a blessing. They carve our path just like open ones do. Do not stare at them. They are there to create movement. Thank them for the experience and move forward.

The bear is scared of you. Your gifts will scare people into forming weapons against you. They will not prosper. Move past their noise and towards the achievement of your goals.

Ignore the clock. Shed the worlds timeline of success. Work hard. Follow your path and let your purpose unfold in the way that it was meant to. Don’t rush your story. Live it.

Get out of your own way. Your feelings will stop you from doing what it takes to accomplish your purpose. Choose faith over feelings always.

Leave it here. You will never see a U-Haul behind a hearse. You are here to leave a positive mark on the world. Get out there and use your gifts to do it. Use your influence to the fullest.

Now, these are very important points but really it all comes down to this very moment. You have accomplished something amazing and I am very proud of you but if you don’t do anything with it, you just paid a lot of money for a cap and gown. Use your gifts, your black privilege and the knowledge that you have gained right here at UOP to change the world in the most humble way possible. There is nobody that can do it in the way that you can except for you.

It has truly been an honor. Thank you for having me and congratulations to OUR new class of 2019!

Congratulations to the 2019 University of the Pacific Black graduating class!

Just Give me the Light

Warning. I really liked this outfit and photos so there are a plethora of them. Like 12. There is also different lighting in almost every photo because the sun was going bananas. It’s cool though because it shows you that you should never compare yourself to others because what you are comparing yourself to could just be great lighting. Love yourself, love your lane and by all means, take 1000 selfies in some bomb lighting. Let’s get to outfit shall we?…

Can we talk about this jean jacket? It’s from Alloy (which is clearly one of my favorite tall retailers). Also, If you have been on their site, the beautiful Jamie Lea is rocking it in the fiercest way possible. As you can see on her and I, this jacket has an amazing cut and is super flattering. Alloy really constructed it right. It’s tall in the right places. You know what I mean. Some “tall” clothes out there are just tall all over. The arms, the body, even the dang pockets are over cut. This jacket does not do that. I love the wash, quality and price. It’s only $64.90. Also, Alloy always has some sort of amazing coupon code so if you don’t see it on their site, google that bad boy.

I’m geeked about the jacket and also pumped about the sneakers…here’s why…

As you may or may have not seen, I recently took a trip to the Nike World Campus in my hometown of Beaverton, Oregon to visit one of my High School basketball coaches. His name is Sam McCracken. He was a great coach and now he is the founder, General Manager and visionary of the Nike N7 fund and collection. These kicks (specifically the Nike Air Huarache City Utility Premium N7) are one of my favorites from the line. I love them but I love what they do even more. All of the proceeds from the Huarache (and entire line), are given back to youth sport and physical activity programs in the Native American Community. The line is fire and the power of change that it provides is phenomenal. I am so proud of my coach and his entire team for all that they do.

Tall Sofia Trucker Jacket - Alloy Apparel (shown in size L)/Nike Air Huarache City Utility Premium N7 (shown in a 10.5 in mens, I always run a half size larger in Nike’s)/Slashed Powerstretch Skinny Jeans - Long Tall Sally (shown in a 10/38”)/Essential Roll Neck Top - Long Tall Sally (shown in a size M)

Photos by Lakeela Smith

Whhhhhhew that was a lot of scrolling. I hope you are still with me!

I seriously love this outfit because it’s very much the direction I am going with my style. I am changing in so many ways right now and the way I am dressing is one of them. This is me 76% of the time (hence the 1000th time you have seen these skinny jeans).

I look forward to sharing all of these changes with you and what I am rockin along the way. Thank you for being there, thank you for being you, thank you for giving me your light and love. I appreciate it more than you will ever know.

Winter Werk

Hey! It’s been a minute. I’m working hard and for me that meant I had to step away from the blog for a moment to lay a foundation. I had to plan some things, connect with a lot of people, present some concepts and prepare like no other. I have also been applying to programs that will strengthen my knowledge and preparation. Basically, I have been out here hustlin.

While I was hustlin, I asked you on IG what you wanted to see more of and overwhelmingly you said jeans, shoes and coats. I will be working to bring you more coverage of all of those things but it’s cold right now so let’s start off with an amazing tall coat…

This beauty right here is the Teddy Bear Faux Fur coat from Long Tall Sally. It really is soft like a teddy bear, the proportions are spot on (meaning the arms and body are actually long enough) and it’s timeless. I love the color and it’s super warm. Everything I need in outerwear this season. You will probably see me wearing it a lot in the coming months. When I like something, I stick to it.

It just so happens that I am also wearing the other 2 items you wanted to see (don’t worry, there will be many more). While I have already showed both on the blog, I think they deserve another mention don’t you?

Hey skinny jeans! These are haute, go with anything and I love the rip detail in the appropriate places. They go up to a 38” inseam. Check out all of the skinny jean options HERE. Including these maternity options that I was so excited to see (NOT BECAUSE I’M PREGNANT BECAUSE I AM FAR FROM IT LOL) because it’s hard out there for expecting Tall mamas.

These are from last season. I know, I suck for showing something that has low inventory but it went best with the outfit (shrugs shoulders). BUT Long Tall Sally does have some amazing selections HERE that come in sizes up to 15.

Photos by Lakeela Smith

Teddy Bear Faux Fur Coat (shown in size 10), LTS Sorley Stud Suede Ankle boot (shown in size 12), Slashed Power Skinny Jean (shown in 10/38”) and Essential Roll Neck Top (shown in size M) ALL from Long Tall Sally.

I will be werking this coat all winter and want to see your favorite LTS winter looks. In fact, you can enter to win your own winter wardrobe from Long Tall Sally! Check out THE CHRISTMAS SHOP for more details about the #MerryEverything contest.

Great luck on winning the wardrobe…talk to you soon beautiful!

Speak Up

When I saw this jumpsuit, I literally shed a tall tear. Yes. I am emotional by nature. Sappy commercials can trigger watery eyes but this jumpsuit called out to me. It was like hey Alicia girl! Not only is it animal print (which you know I live for), it’s also LONG ENOUGH in every way. You wanna hear the most amazing part? It was only $29. That’s not a typo my friend.

Now. Don’t hate me…but this beauty was so popular that it flew off the shelf before I could shoot it BUT it’s just one of the many pieces that are the new COLLUSION line from ASOS. The site describes the line as:

A new brand for the coming-of-age generation that refuses to compromise on principle or style, COLLUSION believes clothes that celebrate self-expression and inclusivity should be the norm. It's no surprise then that it's linked up with six inspirational creatives to shape its first collection, which includes denim, knitwear, dresses and loads more.

Now apparently this was made for something called the Gen Z that apparently I am aged out of but I don’t give a dang. I really like a lot of the pieces and will rock them as my older self pleases. The design and the price are winners for this lady.

I also love that they had a collective of six young designers, models, artists, and influencers that created the line. That is dope. Creative collaboration is my jam. Let’s just pray that ASOS calls me to help create their next Tall line. *speaks it into existence*

Now, let’s talk about these beautiful sock boots. They are from none other than Payless. Payless has been a staple in my closet since I was young. As a whipper snapper, not only were they the only shoes my Mom could afford, they were also the only ones that could fit. They have been holding it down for size 10-13 for years and continue to step their game up design wise. These joints are a testament to that.

While we are speaking things into existence, Holla at me Payless! We have a capsule collection to make, as well as a sick commercial that I have already scripted. Let’s do this!

See…they really are long enough. I knew you were wondering.

Photos and MUA by Nikki Notarte

Tall COLLUSION Jumpsuit - ASOS (sold out. Check out the new line here)/Brash Women’s Xaya Pointed-Toe Sock Boots - Payless (shown in size 12)/Belt - Thrifted/Hoops - Forever 21

I will be rocking this jumpsuit a lot. That $29 will be put to good use! Don’t be surprised if you see me running down the street wearing the suit, some sneakers and a faux leather jacket. Yep. That’s gonna be me.

PS. If you even had a thought, even for a moment, that you shouldn’t wear this much print…THROW THAT THOUGHT OUT THE WINDOW AND RUN OVER IT. You can wear whatever you please. Give them somethin to look at hunni!