Suit Up

For the past three weeks, I have been on a Netflix binge of Friends. As someone who was in elementary and middle school throughout the nineties and grew up in a one television house, I was not vested enough to keep up with the series once I owned my own television during the latter half of the original run. With the introduction of Netflix, that has changed.

Of all of the characters in the ensemble sitcom, Rachel Green’s style evolution is the most obvious. She goes from Central Perk barista to Bloomingdales assistant, personal shopper, and buyer, to Ralph Lauren merchandising manager. Reflective of her career trajectory, she transitions from denim vests and miniskirts to polished suiting.

I interjected my Friends binge with a Sex and the City binge. Rather than Miranda Hobbes’s power suiting, it was Samantha Jones’s that spoke to me.

I found myself inspired to invest in some suiting of my own. Challenging when one tops 6′-2″ in height, but possible!

These are my suit-shopping-for-the-tall-girl takeaways:

When presented with the option of different pant cuts, purchase all of them and return the ones that are not your favorite. Apply the same practice to sizes. More often than not, tall lengths are exclusive to online stores. Making a bulk purchase keeps the shipping and handling charges, which tend to be flat if not free after hitting a price threshold, to a minimum. Return the cuts you don’t like to the store.
If you have the option to buy the coordinating skirt, dress, or cropped pant, do it. Maximize your options!
Many suits (and most of the following options) come in multiple colors. Once you identify your ideal suit size and cut, purchase it in all of the available color options. I cannot tell you how many times I ended up kicking myself after not purchasing multiple colorways of my favorite styles (suiting or not), after finding out they were discontinued.
Unless I am shopping for activewear, I have a no-to-minimal polyester policy. I learned this lesson from Confessions of a Shopoholic when Rebecca realized she was clinging to an item consisting of only a small percentage of cashmere. If you are investing a few hundred dollars into an item, pay attention to fabric content. I was shocked at how many pricey suiting pieces listed polyester as the primary fiber.

The following suit separates come in tall. Hover over each of the pants photos for the inseam length.