AIBU to ask why so many clothes are sized for taller women?

[sarahb083]

Genuinely question - why do clothing companies design clothes for women who are much taller than average height? Why not make the 'standard' size fit 5'5ish women, then offer petite and tall sizing if there's demand for it? The vast majority of women are somewhere within a few inches of 5'5 and very few are 5'10!

I've been looking for a jumpsuit. They all look lovely on the model, then you look at the model's height and she's 5'10. Surely a very small percent of women are this tall? Some companies make petite sizes (great!) but most don't.

I love the look of these for example, but the model is 5'10! They'd look ridiculous on me and I'm average height.

Yep. Definitely not.

It’s not just a case up turning up trousers, for example. For trousers, the gusset to waist is also too long and very difficult to correct and any features on the legs are in the wrong place. On dresses and tops the waist doesn’t sit in the right place.

I'm 6ft. I'm surprised the average woman is only 5ft 5. I would have guessed 5ft7

I guess it's easier to take up than fix if it's too short.

I get your point though. I'm 5'10 and generally clothes fit well and I don't need to buy a longer length. I do look for jumpers with a longer body or I get cold round the middle.

I do remember being at work once and seeing someone wear a dress I owned. I couldn't wear it to work, as it was too short to be suitable but it was knee length on her!

I am 5’11 with 35” inside leg.
I can assure you that most clothing manufacturers do not make clothes for my body shape as standard!

also, given that I see so many people saying that women my height are so unusual with the the average woman a full 8” shorter than me, I meet an awful lot of them in real life. You’d think I would stand out in public places, like Hagrid walking down the high street, but somehow I don’t.

I am also 5’ 9” and find it difficult to find well fitting clothes. The sleeves are far too short and on dresses the waistline is usually 3” above where it should be making the hip line wrong.

Swimsuits are another nightmare as they are not suitable for long torsos.

I lived in America and the clothes there fitted so much better.

I’m 5ft9 and most clothes are too short for me but I’ve noticed recently I can often buy trousers from normal ranges instead of having to buy only “tall”’clothes which didn’t used to be the case. I hope the oversized trend never leaves and we don’t go back to those stupid short trousers that were trendy for a while

Crop t shirts and jackets are another nightmare- nobody wants to see my middle aged spread!

I’m 5’11” and I really struggle finding stuff which is long enough! You can at least buy long length trousers more readily now, but dresses and tops are never cut for taller women: waistlines are a particular issue.

I'm 5ft9 and tend to buy men's clothes where they suit because they give the length I need.

I’m 5ft2 and find Mango and Uniqlo both good options for shorter women without needing petite. I have a short torso and long (for my height) legs.

I wish designers would design for women with boobs too! The waists on all dresses are so high that anyone with boobs doesn’t stand a chance of getting them to fit! A dart in tops and blouses would be very helpful too.

Shoes are a bug bear too: I’m a 43 and almost nowhere does women’s shoes beyond a 42. Agree with whoever mentioned hiking boots. I want the nice feminine colours and, more importantly, my feet are narrow so men’s sizes don’t fit well, even though they’re long enough.

Agree! I'm 5'3" and things are often too long. Petite range is a nice idea, but they often seem to assume you're also thin - no, I'm short AND fat. I need the proportions of the "normal" clothes, just with shorter legs/sleeves/bodice please.

Very true. I think often they stock sizes to reflect the hoped for customer they would prefer to have. Slim and tall. Marks and Spencer particularly.

Why designs are not slightly tailored for different sizes I do not know either.
What looks good on a size 8 tall woman will not be entirely the same just because you have made it in a bigger size. Slight adjustments to the design could be sensible.

What amazes me is that stores do not restock or even stock enough in the first place. A line of clothing runs out in a certain size. Perhaps order some more ??
Because they are clearly popular in that size. But no, they often don’t.
They think all we want is something new. Not realising we haven’t been able to buy what we wanted in the size we wanted from an earlier range.

I am average height but have a "Tall" torso and very short legs. Tops are all far too short for me and expose my belly button as if they are supposed to be a crop-top and trousers are always far too long even if they are sold as "petite". However, it's a lot easier to shorten trousers than it is to get clothes that are too short lengthened!

They look ridiculous on the model !

I agree with you. I'm 5'5", & sleeves are always far too long. I can sew, but it's annoying to have to alter every long-sleeved item I buy.

They're really not doing this. I'm 5'11 and I struggle to buy clothes to fit, even tall tops have short arms too. Nothing main stream fits me properly and is always too short by quite a way.

This! The legs are one problem but I am fed up of dresses that turn into empire line when I put them on!

(5’ 9-10, 34 leg)

I am 6' tall and nothing is the right length for me! If I just had long legs it would be alright because you can get them. I am longer all over. What I struggle with is the length of tops and sleeves. Coats, dresses, anything belted all nip 'in' at the wrong points on me.

Nothing within the "tall' ranges allow for having boobs, they seem to assume the taller you are the more straight up and down you must be. I can't even get crossbody handbags long enough or gloves to fit my hands!

It doesn’t help when you look at a website and the models are posing in a really weird way. And you cannot really see the clothes.

Try being 5ft 2 and being plus sized (size 22 or more) . All plus sized clothing is made for tall women.

I miss the days when M&S quoted leg lengths in inches and centimetres. I knew I could pick 27in inside leg trousers and they would fit length-wise. Describing trousers as "short", "regular" and "long" tells me nothing

I’m short and my daughter is very tall. We both have issues with clothing being far too long of far too short. I’m finding size 8 seems to have a smaller waist than usual.

For those asking for items for taller women, here are some lovely jumpsuits which unfortunately would be inches too long for me:

Beyond Nine (model is 5'9)
Beyond Nine (model is 5'10)
Beyond Nine (5'9)
Lucy & Yak (5'10)
The White Company (5'9)
The White Company (5'9)

I’m 5’ 10” and find M & S Tall trousers are generally long enough but dresses are a nightmare as the waist is always too high - I have to find a skater style that’s straight down.
Also jumper or blouse sleeves are never long enough so I look for three quarter length or men’s that tend to be longer in the body and sleeve.
Its odd because even when they state the model is 5’ 9” or 10” when I try something on it’s never as long on me!!