Tall girls and clothing struggles

Anonymous

How many members are no shorter than 5’8” or taller?
I’m around 6’1” and I was wondering what clothing and shopping struggles you often struggle with?

For me finding clothing long enough in store is the biggest struggle, especially jeans!
Often jeans are either too short in length for my long legs or slightly big in the waist, so unless I can get away with cuffing or wear tall boots I usually have to get the longer inseam but slightly larger waist and belt them to compensate. Much of my shopping is done online for taller inseams which is more expensive.

Shoes are another struggle, usually I am a 1 1 or 12 shoe and often these sizes aren’t sold in store or are limited quantity, my foot fits but my toes are long and it makes it hard to fit properly. I end up sizing up or ordering online but sometimes the shoes/boots feel a little loose due to me sizing up.

Tops generally aren’t hard to find, though with my long torso sometimes regular fit end up sitting much higher or right above my waist, so I do end up buying some tall tops.

In general being tall means spending more $$$ on special clothing sizes

5 years ago

Dressing

18 replies

Latest reply was from The Cat

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Hi Jess,I agree that it’s tough if you fall outside the average that the High street caters for.lm 5ft 8 so with a British high street that bases its patterns on a 5ft 6 woman most things are too short for me but hurrah for the recent midi trend!I m lucky that I generally don’t find trousers a problem because I have a regular leg but cropped trousers are great!Dress waist bands are inevitability in the wrong place ie too high.It must be a lot harder for you because you are taller than me .There are places that cater for the taller woman and gradually retailers are offering longer lengths I have noticed but I appreciate its slow progress and must be very frustrating for you.

5 years ago

Helena

Veteran

Hi Jess, I can't help at 5'5" but one of my besties is 6'1" - I'll ask her if she has any good retailers to recommend

5 years ago

Barbara Diane

Veteran

I’m not your height but I also have a significant challenge finding size 11 shoes that fit, especially as I need a wider toe box and a narrower heel.

You might want to get waistbands altered rather than relying on belts. I wish I knew that back when that was a problem for me.

5 years ago

kkards

Veteran

you probably prefer to shop in store, but if you're looking for an on line source....QVC has 2945 shoes/sneakers/boots etc in size 11..and they never upcharge for larger sizes (they also have some 11.5 and 12's).....they also sell some (not all) of their apparel in talls (again, no upcharge for extended sizing)

5 years ago

cindysmith

Veteran

Girl, I feel your pain. I'm only 5'7", but almost half of it is my 33" inseam. I'm short through the torso, but my arms are long like my legs. Which means that finding pants that fit is a nightmare. Pants/jeans for tall? Generally, they have a rise that is sized for tall, meaning the top of the pant hits just under my bra strap. Which is annoying. I have a pair of high waisted moto leggings from target that I almost love but I won't get rid of them because at least it's a legging and it's super soft so not too annoying most of the time.

Tops are a bit easier. I buy tall tops and sweaters online without fear because I'm totally fine with the sweater being too long as long as the arms are long enough.

It does make shopping a pain in the arse. An expensive pain in the arse, sometimes. Why can't girl pants be like man pants, sold by waist/inseam instead of randomly assigned number sizes that have as much to do with reality as a bag of flour has to do with the rings of Saturn?

5 years ago

Sal

Veteran

It must be tricky!!

The US is better than NZ for options for talls and petites. I am tallish at 174cm but can usually find enough choices - dresses and waistbands can be the issue.

A friend of mine makes clothes and she makes a lot for people who are non standard sizes - maybe there is someone like that in your area?

5 years ago

Pat_P

Active Member

I wear a size 11 or 11.5 shoe and Zappos is my friend! So many choices and next day delivery! I also order from Nordstrom but can never find my size in store. Nordstrom Rack, on the other hand, has a lot of larger size shoes in stock, at least at the store I go to (outside of Boston).

5 years ago

Staysfit

Veteran

I’m 5’9”, my daughter is 5’10”, and my SIL is 6’1” like you. We all have the jeans length issue. DD and I also have problems finding tops with long enough arms, plus we have fairly broad shoulders but narrow torso so most tops are too short and wide for us. We all have to pay$$$ to find things that fit. I believe my SIL takes a size 12 shoe, and frequently wears men’s shoes because they are less expensive but fit her well. She also looks for men’s tops and trousers that can pass as gender neutral. (Some boots, oxfords, and loafers look surprisingly “feminine” on her but she buys them in men’s departments.). They suit her style, but may not work well for you. She also does well with pencil skirts and midi skirts which are currently available in longer midi lengths. In shoes, DD takes size 10, and I’m size 9, so we don’t have much difficulty.

Perhaps the most important suggestion is to consider having things altered by a tailor. A good tailor may add cost to your clothing budget but is worth every penny. DD who is a graduate student with a limited budget (very limited), gets her clothes tailored, as do I. DD works with a smaller wardrobe of items that fit perfectly. She also does a lot of her shopping resale and consignment. I find that I can include a wider variety of items when I use a tailor because I would otherwise reject them for fit issues like having too big a waist, or too short a sleeve, etc. I believe SIL May have men’s shirts altered so they fit her curves, and I have had tops narrowed so they look less boxy.

5 years ago

Preppy Pear

Veteran

5’10” here. Most pants I order in tall. I prefer to order coats and jackets in tall sizes if I can, but I can usually manage with regular length tops. I often try on in store and then order the tall. In my experience:
Gap/Old Navy/BR - make tall clothes that are often too long for me, so I have to figure out if I can make do with regular or if I want to hem.
J.Crew - talls are usually right on for me.
Boden - longer lengths are not all that long - just long enough. Often the long pants and dresses are equivalent to regular lengths at BR.

I wear an 11 B shoe, so I hardly bother to look in store. I think I order 5-6 pairs for every pair I actually keep. But, I take consolation in that there aren’t too many shoe companies out there that I like and and that don’t make my size (get with it, Pikolinos and Boden). If you are willing to order, there is a lot of choice, which was absolutely not the case 20 years ago.

Agree with Staysfit and Barbara Diane about tailoring.

5 years ago

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I was tall as a girl—always the back row in class photos—but not so much now. I’m just over the size you set as “tall”—5’8.5”.

I have size 10 feet. I think I’m lucky there—over that, there are fewer styles available, as you know, and more than once I’ve looked at those racks and though they picked out the styles for drag queens. It isn’t unusual for a shoe to look cute to me in size 6, but then not once it’s sized up to 10. They must design for that diminutive size.

For the most part, my shape is proportional. Looking only at shoulder measurements, I guess I’m broad shouldered. I like my shoulders as they are, and my 36” rib cage. My sister, who is 2” shorter than me, has the same inseam i do. She is much thinner than I am, even at my thinnest, so has difficulty finding pants long enough. Neither of us has been much of a fan of cropped pants. I’ve probably owned 5 pairs my whole life—the jeans I have now and the rest all brightly colored & patterned.

It’s funny that we all know each other through pix here. I would not have guessed that you were taller than me. Now I see why you are so into belts, but I also agree with an earlier comment to make sure your pants fit, even if you are going to wear a belt. Someone on here once flat-out said she didn’t believe I was 36” on top “I know what 36 inches looks like”. Lol. I think she knows what it looks like on a shorter person.

5 years ago

Taffy

Active Member

Hi Jess! Another 6’er here. I have a 36” inseam, wear a size 12-14, and an 11.5-12 size shoe. I think the key to shopping is just to embrace the online experience, honestly. Otherwise you’re stuck going into a store and choosing between the only 2 pairs of ugly black shoes that the store has in your size. (And yep, that happened)
So, to make your shopping experience more successful without being there to try everything on, you need to know your preferred measurements and look for them in the item descriptions. For jeans/pants know your preferred front and back rise (9” & 14” for me) as well as inseam. Know your preferred dress (>42”) and skirt length(>25”).
I only buy clothing from places that I can return in the mail or easily at a store for free. I don’t want to be obligated to keep anything if I don’t love it. If you’re between sizes, order them both! I don’t love shopping, so when I do, its often an $800 order in a giant box. I usually end up only keeping 1-2 items and returning the rest.
Also, find those brands that fit your body type best and work them over. J.crew has length, but is too straight of a fit for me. American eagle is also long, but I’m a bit too mom bod for it. BR used to be my go to, but our relationship has become rocky. Gap really is my foundation, bc the Gap family offers the greatest amount and ease of shopping variety. Some seasons are better than others, but I always end up circling back around to them. LL Bean has talls, but the sleeves aren’t quite long enough for me. Eddie Bauer, J.Jill, Ann Taylor, WHBM, Boden, and Loft are all places I’ve ordered clothes from in my size. Nordstrom’s is great too, and they post all of those additional measurements I mentioned. I order my shoes from them or Zappos. Love them both, but Nordstrom’s does seem to have a better selection once you hit the size 12and up.
I’ve spoken to other girls that have preferred Alloy, but I haven’t tried them yet.
Hope that helps!

5 years ago

Keturah

Veteran

I feel your pain! I wear a size 11 shoe and need a wide toe box but narrow heel. I also need flats because I fun after my little one and live in steep terrain. So lots of shoe complexities. I’ve recently began looking at Zappos. I also found a fantastic pair of snow boots from Keen on consignment that fit so wonderfully with room for thick socks.

Clothes. I am 5’10.5 and can wear a regular inseam. It’s fairly easy here in the US to accommodate tall women. My issue is I’m tall and curvy. So that requires more money to buy from retailers that offer it. And I’m finding I truly need that curvy cut now that I’ve been getting into shape. I no longer want wrinkles in the back of my jeans because the thigh is too narrow.

You might check out Long Tall Sally. They offer 34 to 36 inch inseams. Too long for me but could perfect for you!. I’ve heard Talbots and Loft are good for tall inseam as well. I’m planning to try both of those and NYDJ for pants and jeans.

I have a good tailor. She is an hour and a half away through mountains. But she is very good. So I am more than happy to pay the extra gas, time and postage to have things fit beautifully. She has given me the most expensive looking clothes thanks to fitting them well. I will buy things a little large or ill fitting and just have it tailored to fit by her. Even clearance rack items for $2-3 look perfect on me.

I’m also wanting to knit and sew more of my own clothes. It’s a process and not for everyone. But to me hopefully
it would allow for better fit as my skills grow and improve.

5 years ago

Anonymous

I could have written Taffy’s comment although I am a very slightly different size:5’11’,size 11 shoe. I live a five minute walk from a downtown mall with most of the retailers she identifies. I find it useful to visit the store to feel the fabric and see the color. Some retailers don’t charge a shipping fee if you order while in the store. I also find it easier to return to the store than repack for shipping.

In general I think more midrange retailers carry tall sizes than decades ago. It has more than made up for the loss of shops specifically catering to the tall, which had usually poor quality merchandise. My experience with Long Tall Sally has been mixed. When I’ve visited their London shop I have seldom found things I like but I have ordered online basics like full length bathrobes (sorry, dressing gowns!) which are stalwarts.

5 years ago

RoseRampling

Member

In my opinion, regardless of age or height, it is always very difficult to find clothes of the right size. My height is 5.8 and I personally can never find the perfect size for jeans or shoes. They are always either larger or smaller than necessary. And this is in ordinary stores, and when you order online, the sizes are often not entirely accurate and you get either too small or too large clothes.

4 years ago

MsMaven

Veteran

I had the problem of too short pants, skirts, and waists growing up. I was almost 5'9". Now with age I've lost a couple of inches, darn. When I was younger a lot of the less expensive shoes didn't come in half-sizes over size 9, or even over size 9. I did shop at Long Tall Sally once in a while. I also sewed most of my clothes by the time I was a teenager. And with a small waist, when I bought in stores I usually had to have the waist taken in. Now I need it let out most of the time.

I don't have a particularly long inseam, so that isn't a problem for me. It's still the long waist though, and now I need 10 1/2 or 11 shoes. I was so frustrated on our trip to Paris 5 years ago. There were darling patterned sneakers in the stores but they stopped at size 40. Darn French girls and their small feet!

4 years ago

Anonymous

Even I'm going to tall sizes if I want full length pants- and I'm only 5'3". DH is 6'4" though, and has trouble finding long enough shirts.

4 years ago

Gigi

Veteran

Just FYI...this is an old thread.

4 years ago

The Cat

Veteran

To RoseRampling, who felt a need to revive this old thread: Where in the world do you live? Please put some information into your profile. This will make it easier for other members to help you.

4 years ago

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