I spend most weekends furiously running errands around town, and trying to fit in the tasks I neglected during the previous week (god help me if I ever have children). My hopping from sun salutations to late breakfast to the grocery store to Target and beyond of course necessitates versatile, utilitarian staples. But I often use “utility” as an excuse for looking polished—wearing the same Under Armour leggings, white tee, Toms, and scruffy ponytail stuffed under a knitted cap all weekend. While it seems okay to relax standards of dress sometimes (especially when you put a lot of effort into looking bright, shiny, and bushy-tailed for work)—it’s less okay when you actively hope you don’t run into friends and colleagues around town because that would mean they see you. Increasingly, I’ve felt the need to play incognito because I look so sloppy. Incognito is really, really hard when you’re 6’4″.

So I thoroughly welcomed the opportunity to review casual staples from Talltique, my favorite boutique for modern, tall girl apparel handpicked from indie designers nationwide including Prairie Underground, SiHo, Otis & Maclain, Second Denim, and more. Though I had been familiar with Talltique for a while (and a customer), I historically associated the brand with denim and knitwear. But the stock increasingly includes business casual pieces, accessories, dresses and skirts, and even a line of Talltique-exclusive organic cotton tees and leggings—always singular, high-quality, and unlike any tall-dedicated offerings you’ll find online.

And more than just a business owner, Talltique’s Helen Pappas is part curator and part stylist. Hearing that I needed some help in the casual department, Helen picked a variety of offerings for me to try, based on my sizes. The result was a Stitchfix-like experience—a selection of pieces that I might not have tried (but unanimously loved), perfectly sized to my frame and aesthetically on-point. For those local to the Washington, D.C. area, Helen offers on-site styling consultations and appointments in her showroom. Take it from a stylist who had never been styled before (and welcomed the assistance)—she is marvelous at what she does.

A particular few pieces really changed my mind about what casual wear can be. One was the Long Gathered Zip Up by Prairie Underground ($275). Far less a hoodie, and more a three (or four, depending on where you live)-season jacket, this made in the U.S.A., organic cotton goodie is gloriously lengthy through the body and arms, substantially weighty, with figure-enhancing ruching and puff-sleeves—it is perfectly suited to the tall frame, and magically flattering whether you’re slim or curvy. Though the Wheat colorway was perhaps a bit close to my skin-tone for depth-of-winter wear (also comes in black; a similar style is available in brown or black), it is exactly the kind of piece that I could and would throw on over a tee, my beloved Under Armour tights, and with a short skirt to take me directly from yoga to a casual snack or coffee run, or with jeans and ankle boots for a jaunt to visit family or friends. Paired with the perfectly stretchy, Nikibiki long-sleeved black tee ($28)—an ultimate game-changer for seamless layering—I felt cozy, perfectly composed, and downright pampered in the casual department.

In fact—wearing Talltique pieces this good–I’d really hope to run into someone I know.

Stay tuned this week for another review of Talltique knits and denim from yours truly coming this Wednesday, two reviews of Helen’s Talltique picks from our contributor Liz running tomorrow and Thursday, and an exclusive Q&A with Helen herself. Be sure to visit Talltique’s website for great holiday shopping for all the tall ladies in your life, and sign up for the Talltique newsletter to get the scoop on the latest sales, deals, and items about to pop up in the shop.