Dress lengths just keep getting longer and longer.

[NaturalScone]

I thought about splashing out on a new dress for summer, as only have the one, but I am discouraged by the growing lengths since the past year or so.
I do recall midi used to actually mean midi (looking at you, M&S!), but now they have definitely grown. I wonder why, if the average woman is 5'4?
Why not offer 2 lengths or just opt for the middle ground?
And seeing as every damn ting is 'tiered' it isn't even easy to shorten them.

I am 5'5 and struggle so god knows how people shorter are getting on.
And yes, I know tall people will be thankful, but it is definitely at the exclusion of all others now, which is typical of the high street I know

Here are just 2 samples from Hush. I just picked them at random. If they are that long on a model, I give up! it's bordering on ludicrous..

Anyone else had enough of dresses and their lurid patterns? I was so happy when they first came back, but they bury or defy the lines of my shape and look like giant curtains now.

That is a good point

I think I just want something more structured and less long and floaty

Also as someone on the marginally taller side of average.. the TOPS. Omg every flipping top is about two inches too short. It’s SO frustrating.

@MinglingFlamingo what’s your budget, can we help? Goat are really nice, structured but floaty. Often on OUTNET, usually proper midi lemgth

Fwiw. I’ve had a look at joe browns online. They have some lovely imo, dresses etc and appear to cater for more ranges of body shapes. They aren’t too badly priced either.

A friend suffers with this! That and the ‘gap’ on blouses. Infuriating.

@Alphabet1spaghetti2 and everything is super low cut as well. Wrap dresses that don’t wrap etc etc I’ve given up…!!!

zara have plenty of short dresses! I couldn’t buy any when I went in recently as arse on show.

Thanks in the end i got my dress, little jacket and fascinator from phrase 8 in the end. For the same thing for the last three occasions I got my dresses and fascinators from there. I just fancied something a little different but the same iyswim

Thanks though! I will bear those places in mind for next time

i dont want knee or mini, i want midi.

Wouldn't it be great if women's clothes came in proper measurements like men's - eg leg length, waist, chest. We're just stuck with the nonsensical 6/8/10/12 etc that means something different to every single retailer.

@CurbsideProphet i would sign a petition for that!

ive honestly come to a point where i hate women's clothes. I am too small fro men's and too big for kid's. I give up, aaagh!

Scrubs perchance?

I’ve never had the courage to wear wrap around anything since I was a teenager…. Wrap around skirt and door handles are not a good combo. Luckily I was alone at the time. Skirt only ever worn with the use of a safety pin or two after that.

I'm less than 5ft and ordered some petite midi dresses last week. They are dragging on the floor, so sending them back.

I am 5' 11' and i don't have to buy a long anymore, regular fits. There is definitely something weird going on.
Plus there are so many hideous clothes in the shops atm.

Don't mind the length, but it's the twee ditsy prints and ruffles on everything that get me. Ditto tiered skirts, which I hate, and pouffy sleeves. So many dresses seem to be over-feminised to the point of looking like something the Stepford wives would wear. I just want a plain cotton midi shirt dress with side pockets and decent belt that sits on my waist. Can I find it? No

I always wear a slip under dresses to compensate for no
lining and the dreaded potential unwrapping 🤣

I'm 5'7" and in the last 5 years or so have had to start buying "petitie" trousers. When I was young it was a struggle to find trousers that were long enough.

Is it because people are getting taller? DS1's 18yo GF is 5'10" and she's not unusually tall among their friends. DS is about 5" taller than his dad. I'm 4" in taller than my mum....

If 5'4" is average overall, perhaps the average for clothing manufacturers target market is taller?

I agree with you, OP. I'd love some midi dresses (I'm 5 foot 1).

@SonicWomb Petite ranges are mostly crap (a tiny selection of the 'main' ranges). They also assume that if you are 5 foot 1, you also have short arms and legs. I have neither. I would like to have exactly the same range as taller women, but just in a less swampy length.

I'm 5 ft. 1 and finding trousers is a real struggle even in the petite range. And not every retailer does a petite range anyway.

I did buy one of these in the Ralph Lauren sale - plain navy shirt dress, mid length, cotton, belt. No silly stitched-on logo, thank God (RL normally have these, and they look completely cringeworthy).

I was in M&S recently and their jeans department provides every style you could think of. Skinny, straight, bootleg, flare, cropped, etc... Go to look at dresses. All maxi length, tiered, frumpy numbers. Why not do a range of styles in dresses too?

I'm 5ft 11' so quite glad that everything is longer after years of all dresses looking like tunics on me .Now for the next problem the length is mostly is the skirt and not in the bodice so the waist line is right under my boobs in many dresses .Not a fan of tiers either

For all those saying petite ranges are crap go and look at the tall ranges to see how much less choice there is.

For years the petite range has been for women under 5ft5 and the standard range has been too short for most women over 5ft6, at only 5ft8 many shops "longer length" trousers were frequently too short for me. Women are getting taller, shops need to cater for them, so the standard range needs to get longer.

I would rather things be too long than too short, at least you have some leeway if they shrink and can take them up, it is impossible to make things longer.