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Original poster

Why are there so few Tall Sections in women's shops?

215 replies

goldylookingpane · 09/04/2015 19:09

I see lots of Plus-Size Sections and Petite Sections as well as Regular, but very few shops now have a Tall Section.
And what there is in 'Tall' is completely shapeless. I'm tall, but also have a small waist and decent sized hips. I want shaped clothes that go in and out and emphasize my shape, not shapeless things that hang. Which seems to make up the bulk of clothes you find in Tall.

In Next, none of their nipped-in-waist style blouses and jackets are featured in their Tall Catalog, only shapeless, loose-fitting rubbish (oh I forgot to say -they don't even have the actual tall clothes in any of their shops).
Unlike Petite! There's a whole range for them (and why isn't Petite called 'Short' Hmm Why do they get the 'naice' name?) Hmm
But that's a whole other argument.

Somebody did a survey on here once, and there were a LOT of ladies 5'8 and over.
And people are being born bigger and taller. So why are we not being catered for?

At the moment there is only LTS and possibly one or two other shops, that seem to cater mainly for 20 -30 year olds.
So there is definitely a fantastic 'opening' in the market for some clever person (with money) to make a killing and clean up.

How do other tall ladies find the whole shopping experience?

OP posts:
mysteryfairy · 10/04/2015 06:39

I'm 5ft 10.5. I don't wear a lot of dresses but I find the following helps
Most of my jeans are premium denim where you can buy by leg length and there are some longer lengths around.
Skinny jeans and boots also helps as you can get away with something that is not the exact right length.
Top shop online have a decent amount of jeans in longer leg lengths if you want high street
Both Baukjen and Me and Em are cut for taller women.
I'm an 8/10 on top and 10 bottom which I think makes it easier to shop. I find by getting a 12 in coats I get some extra arm length.

bythewindsailors · 10/04/2015 07:19

Great thread. I desperately need new clothes, spent hours at the shops last week and couldn't find anything suitable.
I will look at dp and tall girls, they look good.
Next is good for work trousers. I want to buy their lovely colourful cardigans but they only have black, navy and weird floral pattern in tall Angry
Lts has the occassional nice thing, but mostly weird fabrics / frumpy lengths and far too big. I have just sent back 2 dresses that swamped me. I think at 5'11 I am too short for lts.
I love simple, plain knee length dresses or just above with a simple cardi for work. Or straight leg jeans/ trousers, vest and cardi.. I like a bit of colour but I like bold primary colours best. Damn near impossible to find to fit my (not especially) giant frame.

BeeInYourBonnet · 10/04/2015 07:30

I am still traumatised about having 3 inch too short trousers for the whole of my early/mid teens. When I reached my late teens, and SOME shops started doing Long trousers (over 32") it was a revelation. I'm a 35" inside leg so even then the best I could hope for was 34" so still too short, but such an improvement! I still get excited when I find any long trousers!!

I feel for very short people too, but until you've walked a mile in 3 inch too short trousers at the very time in your life when you're most self conscious, you don't know what its like!

PennieLane · 10/04/2015 07:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MrsMook · 10/04/2015 08:01

Saying about it's not just length, it's positioning of waistlines, that applies to petite ranges too. I spent years wondering why busts were always saggy with my bra hanging out: I know I have a small bust, but it is in the right league for my clothes size. It's because on me, a standard top expects my shoulders to be somewhere near my ears. Not too bad to sort on a sleeveless top, but would take considerably more skill than I own for anything with sleeves.

I also have the shoe size of a 9 year old. I don't have the taste of a 9 year old. Things like quality running trainers do not exist in my size.

It amazes me that bras can be made and profitable in so many sizes, and children's shoes, but other adult clothing is so limited to such a tight range.

mrsdavidbowie · 10/04/2015 08:11

Yes the petite section in Next is much better than the tall. Better colours and many more trousers.
How many black parents do they think I want?

I'd love simple straight summer dresses which aren't bodycon. Got a lovely DPs cotton one years ago.

Shoes...aargh! I'm a size 9... And by that I mean a proper 9. Not a New look or Clark's One.
Or a 42.
I have very narrow feet and shop at Crispin's, where they do litslots of Italian shoes which are properly sized. But ££££.
Average £150 for a pair of shoes.

I'd love Superga in interesting colours..but no. They only do them up to size 8 so you have to go into the men's boring dull ones.

I have a couple of coats from Monsoon and Banana Republic and the sleeve length is good..also Gap biker jackets.

Aridane · 10/04/2015 08:17

Unlike Petite! There's a whole range for them (and why isn't Petite called 'Short' Why do they get the 'naice' name?)

because 'short' can be an insult - eg short arse - whereas 'tall' rarely is (tall arse, anyone?).

trinitybleu · 10/04/2015 08:22

You want to try being tall, long bodied and properly plus size (28) ... nothing goes past my belly button and swimming costumes are impossible. I wear tunic dresses as long tops. Very boring.

trinitybleu · 10/04/2015 08:24

Oh, and then add in looking for maternity wear 9 years ago (before Simply Be started doing it). I was importing jeans from America!

trinitybleu · 10/04/2015 08:26

iheart reading back, we must have the same length body ... I am 5ft 8.5 and 31 inch leg Smile

19lottie82 · 10/04/2015 09:12

see this is where I get confused. I'm 5'9'' and sometimes even normal length jeans are slightly too long for me. I've always wondered how tall you need to be for the "long" option. Maybe I have short legs and a long body, but I don't think so?

Elledouble · 10/04/2015 09:22

I'm 5'9" so hardly freakishly tall but I've almost completely given up wearing trousers. If the leg length fits, the crotch doesn't. Dresses and skirts may come up a bit short, but my 36" legs are probably my best feature so I've pretty much made my peace with that Wink

Mind you, since I've been pregnant, I find a lot of maternity stuff comes up a bit longer (to accommodate the bump I guess), I've had everything from ASOS, it's been alright.

Orangeanddemons · 10/04/2015 09:26

I've just bought this www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-capsule-collection-linen-dress-white/p1913949.

I'm 5ft 9, so not as tall as some on here, but it's bloody fantastic. Waistline in correct place. And the length....I love the length.

TheEmpressofBlandings · 10/04/2015 09:36

I'm 5'10" but have reasonably normal length legs (31") and long torso. And long arms too, given how difficult it is to find jackets and tops whose sleeves actually end at my wrists.

PatricianOfAnkhMorpork · 10/04/2015 13:26

Shortarse 5' 3" here and as a few PPs have said its no better at the short end of the market either.

Whilst there are more petite ranges available in stores they seem to think that your entire body is petite and don't seem to realise that a size 16 is going to have a decent bust, a large bum and/or belly and arms that aren't stick thin. Its a struggle to find dresses that aren't all bodycon or shift shapes (but I also find that in standard ranges too).

I'm lucky in that my feet are a common size unlike my very petite friend who takes a size 2 in shoes.

ClinkLady · 10/04/2015 17:18

I had to laugh at a quote from Marian Keyes. She wanted a pair of shoes in size 35. She was told by the assistant "there's no demand for shoes in size 35
"I demand these shoes in size 35" said MK

5'3 is only one inch shorter than "average". Somebody of five foot five wouldn't describe themselves as tall. It's like if you deviate from the average below average, that deviation is weighted.

pinkrocker · 10/04/2015 18:27

If you follow any blogs,'Does My Bum Look 40 in this' is good, she's 5ft 11 (I think) and always says if the clothes she's recommending are suitable for taller people (or not!). I just got some tall high waist work trousers from asos via ebay, purely for the rise to be long enough.
Crossing fingers they will fit....

lertgush · 10/04/2015 18:55

If you're ever in the US then American Eagle Outfitters do extra long trousers. You have to order them online as they they only stock regular and long in the shops.

My DD13 is 5'11 with a short body and long legs, and we get pretty much all her trousers/jeans there now.

Eastpoint · 10/04/2015 18:57

There's an American Eagle at the White City Westfield in London. I don't know if they do tall but they do xxs which fits 5' dc3.

ClinkLady · 10/04/2015 19:12

5'10" is "not that tall". Confused Sorry but if you're talking about clothes and the average woman, then that is half a foot taller than "the average woman".

I fail to see why women who are only an inch or two inches shorter than average are described as midgets and short when women of five foot ten can say (and mean it when they say it) "i'm not that tall'.

A woman who was six inches shorter than average would be 4'10 and would be laughed at if she said ''i'm not that short''. She wouldn't say it.

A little bit of equality is needed when looking at deviations over and under (sorry, hate that word) from the average.

lertgush · 10/04/2015 19:39

Just realised I said DD13. She's not my 13th DD but she is 13 years old :-)

stonecircle · 10/04/2015 20:16

Like Bythewind, at 5' 11" I'm not tall enough for 5' 11". Love the John Lewis white linen dress - but no good for my daily dog walk!

I'd so love some nice dresses but am in my 50s and a size 16 so look too mutton dressed as lamb in short dresses. I've been wearing monsoon dresses as tunics over leggings with boots in the winter but it's starting to get too warm for that.

Mind you, poor DS is 6' 8" with a 38" inside leg and can rarely even find stuff on line.

FunkyPeacock · 10/04/2015 21:39

Clinklady - sorry but I just don't buy that the UK average female height is 5'4" anymore. I know it's the figure that is often quoted and was probably right in 1950 but I'm pretty sure it must be nearer 5'6" now

I would say that 5'3" or under is short
5'4" to about 5'8" is standard and
5'9" or above is tall
I wouldn't think of someone as being 'very tall' unless they were 5'11" or above, and I would say 'very small' is 5'1" or under

But maybe I'm deluded?

Eastpoint · 10/04/2015 21:44

I think I read somewhere that for women born after 1980 the average height is taller than 5'4" but when the total population is taken into account it is 5'4".

FunkyPeacock · 10/04/2015 22:45

That sounds believable Eastpoint

Thinking about the adult women I know and specifically friends/colleagues etc who are mainly in the 30-50 age range there is no way the average height is 5'4"