Tall women- clothes shopping

[pouncingpluto]

This is a spin-off of the thread about unusually small or large children.

Originally posted by snoopy
Although I long ago learned to accept the fact that my height would be a source of fascination for people, and I'm only 5'10". I can imagine what taller women go through.

I know exactly what you mean. At 5'9", I hear comments about my height so much, and I have SO much trouble shopping. I can't even imagine... where do women over 6 feet shop?

I mean, part of it is that my limbs are disproportionately long even for my height (arm span is 6'3" instead of being roughly equivalent to my height like it's supposed to be)... I CANNOT buy long sleeved shirts. Everything becomes 3/4 sleeves. I'm so glad stores (or at least websites) have started to get better about carrying long length pants, but doesn't it occur to them that people with long legs generally also have long arms?

I have to say, though, that J Crew's site has started to carry long coats and a very small selection of long shirts. The shirts they're offering in long are a bit conservative for my taste, but it's nice to have a couple long-sleeved shirts in my closet that truly fit instead of just sorta fit.

I don't mean to rag on short people, but I really don't feel bad for them when they complain about shopping. I would be so happy if every major department store had a tall section the way they have a petite section. Plus, at least you can get clothes altered when they're too long for you. You can't do anything about it if they're all too short for you.

So let's hear it... tall women... where do you shop?

My two favorites:
J. Crew
Victoria's Secret

 

[stinkerbelle]

heheh...Ok - I bought 3/4 length sweater at the Gap yesterday - coworker made fun of me saying it was too short (um - the sleeves are SUPPOSED to stop just after your elbow.) This is the same woman who wears capris as long pants. (she's like 5'1")

I bought 3 pairs of pants from the Gap in my size long - all the same cut, just a different color. (black/grey/beige) I find Gap longs really fit me well...

I can't wear ANY pants in old navy except for their capris.

Long sleeve shirts? forget it! if it fits in the arms, it's falling off my shoulders. (but I did find a perfect one, at the Gap, yesterday...you gotta buy these things when you find them!)

I find abercrombie jeans...albeit extremely expensive and I hate the marketing campaign of the place, fit me quite well (also come long)

Banana Republic long is nice too...but I just can't afford that place!

I'm also 5'9"...always wished I was 5'10" though for some reason.

Petites have it so much easier - they get entire stores dedicated to them!

 

[snoopy]

I have found that the shop that works best for me is Eddie Bauer. Their tall line is for women that are anywhere from 5'8" to 5'11", I'd guess. The inseam on their tall pants is 34", which is perfect for me. I have a "tall" shop at a mall not too far from here, but that caters to the very tall woman, over 6 foot, and the stuff is all way too long. I also shop at J. Crew, J. Jill, Banana Republic, and Lands End for pants and skirts. My legs are what is longest on me -- shirts and coats and sometimes dresses I can buy in the regular misses department of any store.

 

[NMAmy]

This drives me crazy and I'm only 5'7". I have monkey arms and really long legs. My inseam is 34". Now here's my problem--when you buy a long in pants--they're huge around the middle!

Apparently, if you're tall, you're also "larger size." So even though I wear an 8 in shorts or a skirt, I wear a 6 or a 4 in Longs. And you have no idea how hard it is to find a 6 or a 4 in a Long.

Short or larger people are always complaining that clothes are proportioned for models. Well, I'm definitely not model size anymore, but they do not sell clothes in sizes that are tall and thin.

I'd love to know where others get their clothes as well.

 

[DisneyDreamer8]

It is almost impossible for me to find pants that don't look like high water pants...I am 5' 11" (actually closer to 6 feet than I care to think about ) I used to buy mens jeans just so I could get lenght. Then the new low rise jeans became popular and I had to try to find some that fit. Is it so hard to make jeans with a 36" inseam????

Anyway...enough ranting...it is just the way it is....

I shop at:

Levi outlet, Old Navy, Wal-Mart

 

[floridafam]

I hate shopping for pants. I'm somewhere just over 5'10"

I also buy a lot from J. Crew. I like the fact that they carry tall capris.

Banana Republic also has a lot of pants that come in longer lengths.

Eddie Bauer has the long length shirts but I don't like a lot of their styles.

Gap is nice.

 

[snoopy]

DisneyDreamer8 - you might try shopping at this company:

Long Elegant Legs

I get their catalog, their stuff is very pretty and I like how ALL their models are over 6 feet tall so you see what it really looks like. Unfortunately, ALL of their pants have a 36" inseam, which I would have to have hemmed, so I don't buy from them. If you are looking for pants with a 36" inseam, though, this place has them!

 

[eeyore74]

I'm 6' 1 and 3/4". And that last 1/4" happened recently!!! I'm almost 30 and I'm still growing?!?!? Course, it could also be I've stopped slouching so much.

Anyway... I shop at longelegantlegs.com. Sometimes at the Tall Girls Shop in the mall, but they are so pricey, plus they carry more juniors than anything else now. I don't see them seeing as tall people as big, but as skinny. I'm very tall, but I'm large all over, too.

JCPenney "used" to have a nice talls selection in their catalog, but then I started getting clothes that were marked tall, that very obviously weren't. They were just charging more for regular clothes. Now they have very few talls, and never in the ultra-tall anymore.

What drove me nuts in the summer Long Elegant Legs catalog was all the capri and cropped pants. To me, those are redundant. lol

If you're crafty, and pants or sleeves are too short, you can always cut them and add insets. Lace or a matching print or something. I have done that a few times, but it sucks having to cut new clothes.

I think there is also a store called Tall, etc. I may have the link somwhere.

Oh.. and forget one piece bathing suits. Even the so called long torso is still at least 3 inches too short. Eek!!!

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

I am 6'1" and for women's tall clothing I shop Eddie Bauer, or Gap has (or used to have, I have not purchased any in a while) long and extra long jeans. Mostly for t-shirts, shorts and sweats I just give in and buy men's.

 

[CheshireVal]

What a nice thread! I'm 6' and have always resented all the petite departments in stores when you can't find ANYTHING in most regular department stores that comes in long length. I hate that!!!

For work clothes, I end up finding a lot of nice slacks at Lerner NY-- most all their pants come in Long length so it's great.

I also get all my jeans at Gap (Gap.com even has EXTRA long length) and sometimes Old Navy.

For outerwear, Eddie Bauer is great because they have tall size coats-- I used to have to get a huge coat just so the sleeves were long enough, but I'm thin so I really need just a medium or even small body size.

I've also found low-rise jeans a blessing. My legs are so long and my body so short, that finally I can wear jeans and look somewhat proportionate.

 

[Disney Doll]

Lands End has some tall stuff too.

 

[legs22]

I'm about 6 ft. tall and need a 34-36 inch inseam. I order 34 ich inseam pants from Victoria's Secret. Some pants are too short, some are just right (same stated 34 inch inseam in the catalog). The cuff pants are a good length. VS now has a 36 inch inseam jean that I bought- the V-cut. I just discovered Banana Republic- 35 inch inseams and not jeans! I bought 2 pairs even though they were $78 each, that's how desperate I am for long enough pants. I usually wear an 8-10 but had to get these in a size 6. JCP is another good site but with only one or two 35-36 inch pants. I plan to get some jeans from Gap.com (35 inch). I find other sites like Lands End are too matronly. Yes, some stores and catalogs have "tall sizes", but the inseams are only a 32 or 33. Too short for me. What is the inseam at Lerner's?
JCP has outerwear in tall sizes.
Why do petites get a special section in the stores but talls do not?

 

[Octoberbeauty]

Woohoo! I love this thread! I'm 5'11" and have really, really long arms too. Jeans I can find these days, but shirts are still a huge problem!! Eddie Bauer is the only place I've found for tall shirts, but I'm not always crazy about their styles either. So, I'm so glad to read where you all find shirts. I'm the crazy lady in the stores who is always measuring shirt lengths looking for the one that may be 'just a little longer'. I used to order a lot from JCPenney's but they've really cut back on their talls.
Nice to meet all you TALL Girls!
Sherry

 

[spb999]

Sorry to hear about Penney's OctoberBeauty.......I was reading this thread and was going to contribute that I used to get a lot of Tall length pants at Penney's -then I saw your post

I'm 5'9" and most times feel like my pants aren't highwaters, but they're not long enough either ..... Brand name wise I recently bought some Briggs and Alfred Dunner slacks that actually look like they're the right length for me .....most of my height is in my legs

 

[stm61]

ok, I'll join in. I'm 5'9" and (pre-multiple pregnacy) was thin. I find that jeans are made for either the 5'7" and under group, or the 6'+ group. What are those of us in the middle suppossed to do?? I also had the same problem with shirt sleeves to short and the overall length of the shirt to short. When I do find them long enough they are wide enough for 2 people! Apparently you have to be a 42 DD to fill out the longer length shirts!

 

[KathyTX]

5'10" here...

For slacks, jeans and khakis, it's Eddie Bauer, Lands' End and JCPenney.

I do still find pants and jeans at JCP, but the assortment for talls is usually limited to a few basic styles. When I find one that fits well, I might buy it in lots of colors.

I need a 34" or 35" inseam... I get really frustrated at the stuff that's labeled tall or long but only has a 31" or 32" inseam, too.

And SHOES!!! Tall women sometimes have long feet, and I get so tired of not being able to find shoes that fit!

And LONG TORSO swimsuits! These can be so hard to find... thank goodness for Lands' End swimwear and all the styles they carry in long sizes. But it would sure be nice to find something in a store that you could actually try on before you buy!

 

[catsrule]

I think the length of pants/jeans are made for women who are 5'6", because they seem to fit me just perfect!

 

[pouncingpluto]

Wow, I was so surprised to check back and see this thread so long already!

I know what you all mean about having to get HUGE shirts or coats to get the sleeves long enough. Like, if it's short sleeved, I wear a medium, and if it's long sleeved, I need an extra large, and even those aren't usually long enough in the arms. Plus, they don't fit my body well at all!

Anyway, I bought two tall length coats from J. Crew this past season, and I am sooooo happy with them! Seriously... I felt like a princess, walking around in a nicely fitted coat instead of a huge tent.

Oh.. another thing... I'm a gymnastics judge, and we're all required to buy our uniforms from this one company. They don't have tall lengths in women's at all, but they do have talls in men's (because tall women don't exist). So, I ordered the men's tall suit jacket, which looks horrible and boxy and unstylish on me, and the arms are STILL not quite long enough!

For pants, 34 inch inseams are good for me, or 35 if I want to wear them with heels.

I wear a size 11 shoe. Don't you hate how that display shoe looks so cute, and then if you're miraculously lucky to actually find it in your size, it is so hideous?

Suffice it to say, I do a LOT of internet shopping.

 

[Judy from Boise]

I'm 5'9"....but i can get away with a 33 inch inseam, but for the rise i have to have tall !

I love Lee jeans, the 8 long are a good fit. I have lots of Land end and eddie Bauer stuff too.
For dress pant ( fully lined, wool) I have had great luck ordering through Chadwicks. The 8 tall fit perfectly. The best thing is how affordable they are!

 

[Virgo10]

Originally posted by eeyore74
Oh.. and forget one piece bathing suits. Even the so called long torso is still at least 3 inches too short. Eek!!!

We have a store here in MA called Lady Grace. They might be nation wide, not sure. Their bathing suits (long torso) fit great. Yes, they are a bit on the expensive side but well worth it to get the length.

Remember Lane Bryant's? They use to have a great tall section. I can find jeans that fit at Wal Mart but I haven't had a long sleeve top that comes far enough down on my arms in years. As a matter of fact, I think it would drive me batty... I'm so use to having them end about 2 inches above my wrists.

Roberta