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

[goldylookingpane]

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' Why do they get the 'naice' name?)
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?

What about sportswear? Capris are supposed to be mid calf but more like on the knee! Looks hideous! Shorts ride up and no pretty running shoes for ladies in size 10! Have to buy mens

I'm a tiny bit taller than average at 5-7 but I have the spine of a giant and if my legs matched Id be 6'6" I reckon. And a big bust. So the waists on everything fall far too high and look like maternity wear.
I struggle finding anything with a waist in the right place and am universally dressed in wrap tops.
I long for a store called "cruelly short legs and extended spine" to open cos I'm their prime customer.

Oh yeah and tops are too short and I end up with a flabby muffin top thang going on. If I buy long-range tops the arms are too long.
Life is very hard.

This is one example of our awful clothing retail market failing to cater for a group of people who are not unusual. Never mind poor quality, no sleeves in many things, skirts only being above the knee, or other reasonable choices that some women would want to make.

I'm with you op, I hate shopping with a passion and I'm only 5'10 also. And it isn't that tall, I know loads of people as tall as me. In relation to averages white British people are surely taller on average than Asian people for example?

Its also arms being too short .

I love the way on mn you can be thinking about something and then discover someone has started a thread about it!

I am 5'8'' and have a long torso. I recently bought a mens T-shirt and it was a revelation, the length actually fitted.

I am so tired of not being able to buy any T shirts or tops that fit, I just want to be able to walk down the street without my stomach hanging out.

And I give up with dresses, so many pretty dresses out there, and they all have a waistline under my bust.

I totally agree, why do shops do longer length in trousers, but not in tops?

Mind you, I bought sainsbury's long jeans this week and they are really a bit short, can't believe it, I am 5'8'' with short legs, how can their long length be too short

don't get me started on shoes either. Worse thing that ever happened to the high street was when Lilly and Skinner was taken over by Barrats and they closed the Tall and Small section.

stepponeggs I never thought about mens t shirts because of the bust but now I'm going to think about V neck ones! Ta!

Where do you shop most? I end up with longer tops from Fat Face. Can't get anything from WhiteStuff or Phase8. I don't "get" Next these days!

Next is good for work trousers. I want to buy their lovely colorful cardigans but they only have black, navy and weird floral pattern in tall

bythewind, I have also noticed that Next's Tall Selection never has any of the nice 'shaped' clothes that you see in the shop.
It seems to be all baggy, shapeless rubbish in strange patterns and drudgy colours.

My main gripe is bloody tops!! Why are there so few tops in long length? I am not overly tall compared to some of you (am 5ft 8) and short tops are the bane of my life! Fine if you are a size 10 with a flat rum but when you are a size 16, you need tops that cover your tummy.

Totally agree about Next - yes they have a tall range but it is very limited and what annoys me the most is that, say a top in the standard range comes in 8 different colours, the same top in the tall range will come in maybe 2 colours and one of those will be black I want the same choice as standard sized people!!

omg just read the last few messages... Men's T-shirt's!! Of course, why did I not think of that? They would be the perfect solution to wear with jeans as my fave tops (which were sold as 'tunics' by Next ) do have a very similar shape to DH's T-shirts.

Agree about the tops, spooky.

The shops fail to realize that it's not just legs that are longer on tall women. It's the torso as well.
And even average height people can have a long torso. So most people would love to have a Long version of all the tops on the rails well as Long trousers

The shops are obsessed with having a Long choice in trousers. But completely ignore every other item of clothing.

I'm a long-bodied size 8 with three kids. I do NOT have a flat tummy, and nobody needs to see it! Tops are a complete nightmare.

The only problem with mens Ts is they have a high crew neck, which is my least favourite.

There are some V ones out there I'm sure. But they're not cut with boob accommodation so can end up shorter at the front.

Men's t-shirts have unflattering necklines. The neckline is too high.

I have ordered some men's v-necks from Next so will try them and see. They even have them in pretty colours like pink, lilac and turquoise I will report back.

I hate round neck t-shirts.....not fkatteribg. For me.
Pissed off we have to compromise all the time....

If we all emailed a link to this topic (to most of the major women's retailers) they might start to listen.
spooky report back on the tshirts!

I am raging about this at the moment. I'm 6ft and SO limited with where I can shop.

I want work trousers that arent horrible, stretchy black office junior ones from Next (I effing well hate Next!).

I want dresses - maxi dresses for summer, properly cut knee-length work dresses, some pretty midi or just below knee dresses and skirts where the waistline sits at my actual waist.

I want coats and jackets that fit my shoulders and arms properly.

I want more bloody choice than Long Tall frumpy bloody Sally!!!!

Funky you're probably right that average is a bit higher than the often quoted five foot four but I don't think it's as much as five foot 6 either.

I think it is probably five foot five. For every friend over five foot five, I have one under five foot five.

I do think that a couple of inches under average is regarded as short whereas posters will be five foot 11 and say 'i'm not that tall' (but consider 5'3 a midget). It is a bit rude.

I'm five foot 3. I think I'm too tall for the petite ranges. And not tall enough for normal ranges. SO I'm not happy either.

I'm 5ft11, slim, with wide hips and long narrow waist. I've emailed LTS many times about the frumpiness of their clothing range, they replied saying they're trying to update it and make it more fashionable. It is slightly better now but they still miss the mark and their cstalogue uses awful models- most seem to be amateur models with masculine figures (big shoulders no waist definition) who don't know how to angle their bodies flatteringly in shots (they also have terrible Botox grins, bad hair and saggy boobs). I pointed out to LTS it's not inspiring for tall women when many of their catalogue models look like men in drag. The Xmas cstalogue was particularly cringey, featuring shots of a mannish woman in garish clothes sitting in deckchair on ice-rink with knitting! Bizarre. I hate the way they make out tall is somehow 'clownish' and ungainly rather than beautiful and elegant. They really need to get a better stylist/photographer.

I like Tallgirls but quality isn't great.

Boden sadly only does 'long' for dresses and trousers not tops.

TKMax has some great extra-long jeans and trousers if you have patience to sort through rails.

Asos Tall do long length tops!

It was a revelation and has made me realise that most of my clothes have been too short for me (6 foot). I've started clearing my wardrobe and gradually replacing it with clothes that fit properly.

Feels like I've only just learnt how to dress myself.

5' 10" here and am fed up of having to order everything online as no tall ranges at all in shops
Gap do some nice shirts in their tall range. I generally find next tall coats fit me well but the rest of the clothes as others have said sure all dowdy colours.

I have never looked at Gap. Must check them out!

I think the Gap Tall tops are only online.