Does a higher rise mean a potentially shorter torso? - YouLookFab Forum

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Does a higher rise mean a potentially shorter torso?

Ket

Veteran

Maybe an odd post, but curious. If you have a higher rise, do you find you have a shorter, average, or longer torso? Do you find you have a longer leg and need a longer inseam than average? Would love to hear from all of you and how this has affected clothing cuts and such. I have round it really affects how I buy clothing and shop.

When I think of long leg with short torso, Natasha Lyonne leaps to mind, especially her latest Old Navy commercials. And that isn't really me. My body build tends to be closer to Sophia Loren. Lots of pelvic depth, but not necessarily a short torso.

I've always found I have a slightly shorter inseam for someone who is 5'10.5 tall. I wear a 32" inseam, though need a 34-36" inseam to have enough length for heels. However...I definitely have a high rise. The low-rise jean trend of the late 90s/early 00s was horrific! So much of my bottom was hanging out -- and I'm not someone with a lot of derriere.

I definitely need tall for tops, when possible. I feel I'm probably average torso, but the tall/deep rise kind of shifts me into long torso territory.

Totally curious what everyone has found true for them!

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Body Type

23 replies

Latest reply was from Ket

Julie

Very high-rise body checking in. For me as well, this translates into a longish torso over all. It's definitely a thing I need to keep in mind when shopping for pants, and I guess tops as well, as they easily veer into "cropped" territory on me. I have been so so happy about the high-rise retail extravaganza these last several years, and am never going back to the late 90s low rises (shudder).
I'm 5'7" so I guess average height, and usually a 30in inseam is fine for my usual flat/low heel shoes. So I don't usually need a tall size, except SWIMSUITS- must be a tall/long or two-piece.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Proportions can differ sooooo much! It's amazing any of us fit into any clothing, honestly.

I always thought of myself as relatively short - legged for my already relatively short height (5'4"). But when I took some actual measurements, I found out the following:

I am less short-legged than I thought. In fact, my torso and leg length is almost equal. I wear a 29" or 30" inch inseam with sneakers. Shorter than that is ankle length on me. And such short-leggedness as I have is all in my calves. Pants that are designed to be slightly cropped or ankle length on a regular height person are often somewhere between the "new" full length and full length on me. That has been convenient!

I have a long rise for my height. But I am also slightly short-waisted. And I am slightly longer than average from chin to bust. So -- overall -- my torso, like my legs, is more or less proportionate for my height, maybe just a touch on the long side.

This explains why -- despite my height -- it's difficult for me to wear petite pants. As a rule, I need more length in the rise and even in the inseam. It also means that despite my shortwaistedness, I can often wear regular jackets/ coats/ shirts. The stance is sometimes a bit off, but usually not enough to be a deal-breaker. Sometimes a petite jacket will work better, depending on the cut (and availability.) Oversized jackets look sloppier on me -- not only because I'm short and my frame is relatively small, but also because of this business with the stance. Because my bust is not large and I have a narrow ribcage, nothing in front occupies any real estate. So an oversized coat can droop.

I have a larger than proportionate head, and my face is on the long side -- which is one (among several) reasons that longer hair tends to "drag me down."

Learning these proportions has been really helpful to me. More helpful, in fact, that all those "fruit" and other body shape discussions. I think proportions are the secret of a great fit.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I have a short rise and a short torso. At 5’7” I need at least a 32” inseam for flats and more if I want to wear a heel of any kind. All my height is in my legs. Dresses are often awful for me because they’re too long in the body and extra fabric bunches up in my back and above my butt.

I hate high rise pants — too often they just create a lot of extra fabric on me, and usually result in an unintentional drop-crotch look. A slightly low rise used to work well for me, but these days I am happy with a mid rise!

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Ha! I had not seen those ads but love Natasha Lyonne so thank you! I am short but pretty evenly proportioned with a slightly shorter waist and short rise. I think. This is mostly based on how high waists fit (they don't) whereas I can manage with some regular length inseams.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

ETA -- I wanted to add that all of this varies enormously. A few examples -- forum member Tanya is long waisted and has a long (ish) rise. I think her leg length might also be in thighs vs. calves. Some people have short rise, short waist, and they will look long legged even if they are short. (I think maybe Tina Turner is one of those...). Some people have long calves -- they will look longer legged in skirts than someone like me with shorter calves will look, even if our legs are approximately the same length.

Bust size and shoulders are also relevant for the top part. If you have a large bust or wider/ broader shoulders, more material is taken up there, so tops might gap from side to side or top to bottom.

lyn67

Veteran

Very interresting thread and comments above already. Learning about proportions is always best criteria for finding clothes that fit.

I am 5'7" always was a long torso, long waist, long rise but wide hips, apple tendencies and a flat rear. I also have longish legs with proportionated musculous thighs and calves which I developped during my youth by practicing classic ballet for several years.

Still, these together made me troubles in finding pants that fit good even in my youth (now I learned to stick with cigarette cuts and wider crops).

Dresses and skirts were always much more easier to me but during the 1,5 decade in the era of minis of not so long ago I always craved more length in their torso and hem for a more elegant look.
And gaining weight in my adulthood especially after having a baby at 30 makes me see my legs length is mostly in my calves since back then (so now I understand what Suz said about why pencils to my knee look still look good on me:-)).

I also have wide shoulders and a larger bust which can take length and material in my top part as per Suz said above---so I always have problems finding tops (and dresses) with a matching shoulder seam and long enough in the body (and hem) --oversize it's sloppy on me, too.

Joy

Veteran

Ket, this is very interesting. Nothing is long waisted on me. I had always thought I was short waisted, but unsure. I have been 5'4.5 inches tall but am losing height at an alarming rate. Last week at the doctors' I was 5'2" tall and can no longer reach some rather low shelves . I fall off of step stools do have to rearrange things to be able to set the table. And the clothes closet needs to be over hauled. Out of season things have been put on high shelves to keep,them available. The bathroom linen closet goes to the ceiling. Not good for a short person. I need to climb up to clean top shelves and keep putting it off. Sorry , I rambled and got off topic.

Joyce B

Veteran

I don’t think a high rise correlates with torso length. What I think correlates is having a long torso and short legs.
I think it may be a matter of proportions because if the legs are longer, the torso may not look as long.
Opinions may vary, though.

ophelia

Veteran

Proportions confuse me! I’m just under 5’2 so a different situation. I have a short waist, which I keep forgetting & calling it a “high waist,” lol. But the narrow part is close to the breasts. High rise pants look really bad on me (plus I find them very uncomfortable). They make me look scrunched on top. Maybe my length is in the rest of my torso, my butt seems low . So I wear low & ultra low rise best.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

For those who are measuring, this might help: https://insideoutstyleblog.com.....ons-2.html

Points to measure:

Head length
Base of chin to mid bust (bust peak)
Bust peak to natural waist (that bit that dips in between your rib cage and your hip bone, not necessarily where your belly button is)
Natural waist to leg break (where the leg bends at the hip, normally around 1″ or 2.5cm above the crotch)
Leg break to mid-knee (this is 2 head lengths)
Mid knee to ground (2 head lengths

Then measure from:

Top of head to leg break
Leg break to the ground

Is one of these two proportions noticeably longer than the other?

You may have:

Longer legs, shorter body
Longer body, shorter legs
Fairly balanced, but shorter through your mid section from bust peak to knees) with longer or balanced head to mid-bust, and knees to the ground.
Balanced – all proportions very similar

Kate

Veteran

5’8 with a long rise and long torso. Lover of high waists! Pretty straight figure all around with broad shoulders.

anne

Veteran

I have both a long rise and a long torso. At 5'4", I am loving the ultra high waist trend (13 inches).
As far as fit goes, dresses often hit a bit higher than I would prefer at the waist.
So I think I am long waisted too. Imogen, who Suz linked to, has a hand test, and I am long waisted by that measure.
I sometimes think that I am long in the shoulder to bust length too, but I think it's more likely that, like Suz, my small bust means that I am just not filling out the length of garments sometimes.

Staysfit

Veteran

5’9” (Really 5’8.75” so I round up), and my rise is very long but I am regular waisted. I take a longer inseam on full length pants (32-35 depending on the style) but my legs may be proportionally short for my height based on measured proportions. My shoulders are slightly broader than everything else and I have a fairly rectangular and narrow/small frame.

Ginger

Veteran

I'm both similar and different from you in this respect! And it DOES complicate shopping, quite a bit.

5'9"
Very high rise (low rises of the early 2000s were horrific, as you say)
Long legs. 32" is always too short; 34" okay, I don't wear heels with pants
Short waist. Petite top proportions are good, though sometimes long sleeves are a little short. "Cropped" tops and jackets are perfect with natural-waist skirts, though too short with jeans.

High rise + short waist = average torso length

Bonnie

Veteran

I have the high rise/short torso thing, too. I like high rise pants and cropped tops often work out for me. My legs are are probably a couple of inches shorter than ideal so cropped pants often work like regular length pants. It's good to have finally figured this all out. It sure makes shopping online easier.

Val

Echoing Ginger: High rise + short waist = average torso length.

I am 5’6” (167cm) tall with a long rise, longish (32”) inseam and short waist. It affects clothes shopping in all kinds of ways. During the Horrific Low Rise Era, I tended to seek out really long tops because my pants were always slipping down. Now that higher rises are available, I go for shorter tops that work with my short (high) waistline and wide hips. Petite tops rarely work for me because of shoulder width and sleeve length. Tall sized pants tend to fit better in the rise than regular pants, though sometimes needing a little hemming. That’s just a few examples.

DonnaF

Veteran

5’ 1” with extra long torso and super short legs. My back waist length (as measured from the bone at the back of my neck to my waist) is extra long, probably about the length of a non-Petite. My rise seems to work for Petite and straight sizing but I tend to favor straight sizing because it gives me a longer leg line. My legs are so short that even Petite jeans and pants generally need to be shortened.

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

I don't know about my torso length, but like Janet, I'm short-waisted and have a short-ish rise. High-rise pants are usually way too high for me. Mid-rise tends to work for my "high" rise. My legs are a little on the long side for my height, so while I have at times found that petite pants fit me better in the rise than regular ones, they were too short. (So I stopped trying them.)

Ket

Veteran

Oh, fellow Fabbers! Thank you all! I am so excited and fascinated by the discussion and all of your different proportions and experiences!

This is really helpful to read from you all. It helps me see how much individual proportions figure into the equation. From reading all the comments, it's not JUST torso and leg length. It varies widely depending on hip rise, shoulder length, and more.

Suz, thanks for the link! I looked at Imogen's link that you shared. I haven't taken measurements yet. But I did find another post from Imogen; she demo's how to measure torso length using your hands. https://insideoutstyleblog.com.....waist.html

I'm not sure where to put myself.

Using her hand placement instructions, I am slightly short to average torso. (It's hard to know where my waist is, as I can't just bend over to the side to find it currently.)

Looking at photos of myself, I can look average to slightly long torso.

Measuring from the bottom of my ribs to the top of my hip/pelvis shelf, I only have 3 inches. I often need to let out most to all of the strap on bras. I need long tops for my arms and some waist coverage. Crop tops can be tube tops on me.

After talking this all out, I feel I have an average to longer torso, but most of the torso length is in my rise and upper torso/bust area, versus the actual abdominal length between hips and rib cage.

I think (and hope!) this will all be helpful to me as I begin sewing in 2024. I'll probably learn more as I begin fitting items to my body proportions.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Ket, I'm sure as. you measure for patterns you'll get precise information that will really help with clothing purchases as well. It's incredibly complex and no wonder most of us have fit problems when we try to buy off the shelf!

Anonymous

I'm 5'3" need 30in inseam, high rise (mainly cause my backside :/ ), and very short waisted- only 1 hand width. Petite tops would work lengthwise, but I have wide shoulders and gorilla arms, and even regular sizes have too short sleeves for me.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

What Suz said here:

"Proportions can differ sooooo much! It's amazing any of us fit into any clothing, honestly" .

As someone who has dressed just about every body type, the answer to your question Ket, is no - not generally! Proportional similarities are rare.

Ket

Veteran

suntiger, I agree with Suz and Angie: how do any of us fit into ready-wear clothing?? My mother is very petite but also slightly plus size; she sometimes has a challenge finding clothes off-rack that fit her well.

Angie, that is nice to know there isn't a lot of proportional similarities. I feel somehow relieved ha!