Aibu. It should be women’s clothes that are longer and not children’s

[Kennykenkencat]

Dd is tall and slim with long legs and long arms. No idea where this body shape comes from as we are all short with stubby legs.

All Ds’s trousers (women’s size 4-6) look like pedal pushers when she puts them on
Coats are always short in the arm.
She has resigned herself to having cold wrists and cold ankles unless she spends
££s on getting the right leg length and arm length

Passing the children’s section in a store we spotted a really nice looking jacket.

She tried it on and it fitted perfectly. Even the cuffs came down to her wrists. We then looked at trousers, age 14.
The leg length was noticeably longer than the adult section.

We went to look at the adult section of another store and nothing fitted her properly
Coat sleeves finishing somewhere south of her elbows and leggings finishing north of her ankles same department store children’s section and everything again was longer and fitted her perfectly

Inspired by this she got a good selection of clothes from the children’s section age 12-14. Trousers, t.shirts, jackets and leggings. that actually fitted her.

A lot of adult trousers look like they have a long legs but I have no idea who these trousers are supposed to fit but most of the length is the bum area.

I am definitely not tall or slim and my legs and arms are definitely short. I have tried on trousers where the crotch is somewhere around my knees.

Aibu that sizing for women’s clothing is really strange

@CoffeeBeansGalore

For the petite ladies - Cotton Traders do shorter length trousers, some start at 27in inside leg.

But there are so many shops that only do this with trousers. Petite women also need tops and dresses etc.

If you are short you can get trousers altered to shorten the legs…not so if they are too short.

It's not just about leg length. It's about the length from waist to hips, or rise or whatever it's called. Same with dresses - it's about the positioning of the waistline.

I'm 5'10 and get jeans from ASDA which aren't too expensive.

And the number of jackets I have sent back, because the arms are too tight. And the distance between the armpit and point of the shoulder is too short and cuts off circulation.

Lands End used to do a lot of Tall but now it's Petite or Plus as well as Regular.

Yes the 14-18yr range - albeit limited - at m&s is a good go to for tall skinny kids or size 6-12ish taller women...

You can't be tall and slim.
You can't be a size 10 -12 but have bigger boobs.
At 5'9 I'm on the cusp of tall, but often it just means bigger and longer. Whereas I just need the waist band in a different place and longer sleeves.

I can't say this is an issue I have come across. My 10 year old daughter is very tall 5ft3.5 and I actually find a ladies size 4 or 6 is best for her because the waist is smaller than a kids age 15. Leg length and arm length seems pretty much the same.

New Look and Asos do long length. So do Seasalt, Next and Boohoo/ Missguided etc. H and M do long length on jeans as do Primark. All isn’t lost!

Dd is 15 and 5ft 11. She was in adult sized lengths at about age 10.

You have my sympathy.

@crankysaurus

I'm 5'9" and it's a bloody nightmare. Most of women's fashion has no clue that taller women exist. I end up wearing men's coats to have warm wrists in the winter. I'd suggest shopping online if I'm honest (which I hate), it's the only way to find taller trousers etc as most of the time shops don't seem to stock them on the racks.

I’m the same, with a long body. As a result trousers aren’t too bad but dresses are bloody awful. And places that do ‘long’ lengths just seem to make the skirts longer, while the waistline is up at mid-ribcage….

I think it was a fluke not a rule, generally no you will not find that children’s clothes are longer than adults. That would be absurd.

I am taller than average 5ft 8, when I was a teenager / early 20s in the 80s and 90s it was really hard to find trouser legs that were long enough and everything was half mast. But I honestly do not find that to be the case today. I would generally go for the standard leg length now and assume anything “long” is intended for the 5ft 10 and over.

The ''standard'' notional woman that clothes are designed for is a taller than average woman rather than a shorter than average woman

This isn’t true. I designed womenswear for years. They are diesigned for an average height of 5 ft 5.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

The ''standard'' notional woman that clothes are designed for is a taller than average woman rather than a shorter than average woman

This isn’t true. I designed womenswear for years. They are diesigned for an average height of 5 ft 5.

But isn't the average height of a British woman around 5ft3?

Were they not too wide?
My dd is 5'6 and 7 stone and it's a nightmare. The age 15 are so big round her waist she just can't wear them. She needs a 4/6 but like your dd they are too short.

It's just a right old pain

@marble11

I can't say this is an issue I have come across. My 10 year old daughter is very tall 5ft3.5 and I actually find a ladies size 4 or 6 is best for her because the waist is smaller than a kids age 15. Leg length and arm length seems pretty much the same.

@marble11 that's because although your daughter may be tall for her age she isn't tall, so when teenagers who are tall then the size 4/6 are just way to short! If they fit your 5'3.5 daughter it's no wonder they are too short for my 5'6 daughter but to get the right length she'd need braces and looks like a clown 🤣

Dorothy Perkins tall range is the way to go, always sales on and there are always discount codes to be found online

River island do a tall and their sizes are often on the smaller side anyway so might be a good fit. I'm short and spend a fortune getting stuff tailored

A 15-16 in children departement is up to 176cm in height. Not bad but in most cases it doesn't take a teen/women figure into account.

DD is quite tall but unfortunately developed hips when she was 13. So most children sizes were too slim cut for her, she had to go to adults and size 10 fit in waist but too short on legs.

I am between petit and regular. Most petit are also too slim cut in waist and shoulders, no idea where designer think we are coming from, we are not slim twinks.

Shortening trousers is not easy, if the trousers is a tapered cut, then just shortening it will result in an odd looking leg. It may work in wide or straight legs though.

M&S extra short petite is great for short legs.

I agree with whoever said that tall clothes are not actually adjusted for tall adults.

I live in leggings, and disguise them as more formal trousers. If I had to wear a suit I think I'd cry - nothing fits me.

My 12 year old DD is 5 ft 9 and all leg. Shopping for jeans/trousers/joggers/pjs is a nightmare! I am a goid few inches shorter with a long body, so have no idea where to shop for super long bottoms!!

None of the physical shops seem to stock the tall ranges (at least not near us). Currently awaiting 8 pairs of jeans/trousers to arrive from Asos for her for to try.

Not looked at Dorothy Perkins as suggested by a pp. Will try there.

@HardbackWriter

Try being shorter than average....

The ''standard'' notional woman that clothes are designed for is a taller than average woman rather than a shorter than average woman.

But it's easy to hem trousers and not possible to add extra length onto them.

I am a reasonably competent dressmaker and at 5’3” I always have to take up trousers, but it’s not that simple unless the trousers have parallel legs - which not many do. So you have to take in or out at the side seams as well, to get the right shape. The longer they are, the harder it is to take them up successfully. I’ve actually bought an over locker for dressmaking and have found myself cutting off legs almost where I need them, overlocking the edges and turning up the very merest hem to try to overcome the problem. You are right, though, that it’s still easier than adding on a few inches 😁

I shouldn't have said it's easy to hem trousers, but it is at least possible!

DD is 5’9” with a shorter body and longer legs. I find ASOS good (New Look jeans from there have fitted well) and Fat Face do a tall range which seem ok for her. On the more expensive side, I find Jigsaw quite long which I assume is to allow trousers to be tailored to the correct length.

@minipie

As a 5’3 short legged woman please tell me where to find these short trousers! All the ones I try have many inches of extra length.

I am exactly the same.

When I say short trousers they are short on Dd as she has 36 inch inside leg.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

The ''standard'' notional woman that clothes are designed for is a taller than average woman rather than a shorter than average woman

This isn’t true. I designed womenswear for years. They are diesigned for an average height of 5 ft 5.

There is no way that fashion is designed for people who are 5ft 5” The last pair of trousers I bought I cut about a foot off each leg to get them so I wasn’t tripping over swathes of material.

I think the issue with the leg length between adult and children’s sizes is about the amount of bum space designers think an adult woman has.

I have tried on more than my fair share of trousers where the crotch is hanging around my knees.
I tried on a pair of jeans once and pulled he waist band up until the crotch was at a comfortable height.
The legs were too short and the waistband was so high i could have made arm holes where the pockets were and. worn it as a jump suit.

No idea why the arm length in the jackets were so long compared to the adult section.
She didn’t get trousers from the children’s section. She got leggings and jogging bottoms.

It wasn’t just one shop we went in it was the same in any other shop that did both adult and children’s stuff.
She got a designer t.shirt for a huge discount. The adult and children’s stuff looked exactly the same apart from the fact children’s clothes don’t attract VAT and were cheaper because they were in the children’s section.

She did go a bit mad spending as it was a revelation that stuff actually fitted her.

I really cannot understand why the children’s section is a better fit than the adult section. Although I do remember seeing a boys track suit in mothercare and my friend and I put the bottoms against our selves to size them and to stop them trailing on the floor the waistband came up to our chin