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Dear jean makers,

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Please start making jeans with longer inseams! Gahhhhh!

I put on my Rich & Skinny houndstooth skinnies yesterday after laundering and was bummed to see that what was *just* enough length to wear with oxfords had shrunk to ankle length. They are stretchy, so any shrinkage in the width quickly stretches with wear, but length doesn't work that way so much. I can keep wearing them with booties, but in the spring I'm going to want to wear my jeans with other shoes.

Come on, jean manufacturers. Shorter-legged ladies can get legs tailored, but we long-legged girls need pants too. And it seems like a lot of the premium denim makers are some of the worst when it comes to giving a little length. And is there really that big a market for these awkward ankle-length styles?

Ok, rant over. I feel better now.

General

21 replies

Latest reply was from

Mochi

Veteran

It's a problem I kind of wish I had, but yeah, that's annoying. Why, when it's so obvious the huge variety of heights and sizes in women's bodies, are manufacturers offering so few options? I will refrain from spinning off on a new rant here.

Claudia

Veteran

The ideal would be for them to offer their customers three inseam lengths: P/R/L or S/M/T. So tailoring wouldn't have to fall on just one or two groups.

Amy

(website)

Veteran

Hear hear! Claudia, you're right too.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Absolutely, Claudia! If Gap can do it, why not higher end denim makers?

It sucks to find a brand that fits my thighs and hips well only to see the hems hovering two inches above the tops of my shoes. And despite my sometimes feeling like my body is freakishly proportioned, I know that I'm really not that unusual. I'm not even truly tall!

Raisin

Veteran

Makes sense to me Janet! There needs to be several lengths to choose from, just like sizes.

Kristin L

Veteran

I'm sorry Janet. I use to have that problem as well. Do any of the brand you like sell longer inseams online? I noticed that some makers do that.

Amy

(website)

Veteran

Some do sell longer lengths, but it's usually just the most basic styles. If we long-legged gals want to try the fun printed pants or other more unique styles, were usually out of luck.

Why do all department stores have sections for petites, but nothing for tall gals?

P.s. I'm only 5'8" tall, so not particularly tall either. I just have long legs.

Mander

(website)

Veteran

I have this problem too! I'm only 5'8" and never thought of myself as being particularly tall or long-legged but I've had a hard time finding any kind of pants long enough for PPL. Business-like trousers are especially hard. I have been looking for some on and off for the past year and I have yet to find any that are not made from horrible-feeling polyester. It's especially bad here in the UK -- many of the standard "fat lady" stores don't even seem to carry anything longer than 30", which does not work on me with any sort of heel.

Diana

Veteran

Amen! I am 5'3.5", technically PETITE and jeans inseams are too short for me these days. I have one pair of CoH Avedons from 3-4 years back that have a 34" inseam, but the new avedons are around 30", so it is true that even styles that used to be long are now short. Gah!

cinnamon fern

Veteran

I'm short and short-legged, but I'm not happy with current jeans lengths either! I thought all these short pants would be great for me, then I realized it makes a difference that they're meant to be cropped - the knees end up in the wrong place. Gah! No more ankle pants!

christieanne

Veteran

It's this silly ankle pant trend. It's fine to offer that occasionally, but why do they make everything an ankle pant???

rae

(website)

Veteran

They just need to make more inseams/fits! Or build in more seam allowance, or something. And thank goodness skinnies are popular, because in the time of bootcuts, it was crazy getting knee breaks to sit in the right place, too. Knees way low on shorties, ankles flapping on tall gals...

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

You knew I would sign under this BIG TIME, right? I don't even try pants and jeans in the stores anymore because it is so frustrating. Thanks God for Gap and Banana republic for their Tall sizes (now in Canada too - YAY!) and for Long Tall Sally or I would walk around in huge violation of PPL...
And I really HATE the current cropped length trend because it makes it so hard to find any other length around. I think manufactures took to this trend with such abandon because it offers them substantial savings in fabric for the same price. 2-4" do not sound like much but multiplied by thousands of jeans I think it adds up.

catgirl

Veteran

Here at the opposite end of the spectrum and totally agreeing that there need be several lengths to select - if women are different sizes, so are our legs! Or I could send you the 6 inches of excess fabric I have to hem!

Tina.b

Veteran

This happened to me with a pair of J Brands the other day after I took them out of the dryer, and I thought they were the right length at one point. So frustrating! I'm 5'8 but my legs aren't particularly long. Truly tall, long legged people must be driven crazy by this.

I run into the biggest problem with bootcuts, because my preference is to wear them with heels, and so often there just is not enough length.

rae

(website)

Veteran

FWIW, at the store, all day long I would hear nothing but dismay at how long hems are. So the current situation keeps absolutely no one happy, and you have lots of company from both sides of the fence.

Diana

Veteran

Why are jeans not made with hem allowances like trousers? Is it just a saving money thing or is it more of a design/construction thing?

With slim trousers, I can usually get a couple of inches extra by letting out the bottom hems. My microchecks are actually a long length cropped pant from BR that I then let the hem allowance out of to get them to the right length. But I've never found a pair of jeans with a hem allowance.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I think it's a saving money (or actually maximizing profits) thing. :-/ Like Sveta points out, chopping off an extra couple of inches adds up when you start multiplying it by thousands of pairs of pants or jeans!

Five years ago or so, I used to be able to find certain brands in longer lengths -- Calvin Kleins in a 34" for instance. No longer. Everything is 32, and even that is getting harder to find.

I am hanging on to my long Paige Hidden Hills bootcuts and my Hudsons from two years ago because even bootcuts seem shorter now.

KeepTheKey

(website)

Janet, I find a lot of my premium denim on ebay dirt cheap. I just make sure to search for 34 inseams. It's tough, but I did manage to find a pair of CoH Ingrids that were long enough for only 20 bucks

ManidipaM

Veteran

Where do I sign this petition for length options?! (Only one retailer, an UK brand, in my vicinity offers this --- and even they only offer 2 out of 3 lengths here.)

There's something seriously weird going on when I, at 4'10'', can actually wear some pants without alteration given a 2-inch heel (which is not that high on anyone, let alone on a short person!).

On the other hand, it would be nice not to be entirely swamped in longer lengths till I've effectively cut off the taper of a straight leg and rendered them bootcut, or turned skinnies 'straight', not to mention what Rae said about the knee break.

Anonymous

Yep, my only options in the premium department are the 7 FAM Roxanne and they don't come in many colors. That's why I love AE skinnies / bootcuts so much,they come in 4 lengths;)
Check COH too. they are long.