Long body, dress advice welcome please!

[catwithflowers]

I've noticed recently that lots of dresses I have don't seem to sit properly where my waist is. The waist on the dress is almost always too high on my body, a few inches above where I would normally wear a belt. Does anyone else have this problem? Does anyone know of brands/shops to look at where this isn't the case?

Many thanks

Do you WANT dresses to sit on your natural waist though? I'm similar - long body and not v long legs, and unless I'm wearing heels to balance it out, the result can make my legs look shorter, so I don't mind something sitting just above it, depending on the shape of the garment. I remember reading an article many many years ago about Kate Middleton having this body type and intentionally having dresses etc. tailored to sit ABOVE her natural waistline to shift the balance upwards and give the illusion of longer legs. I haven't thought about her tailoring since then (!), but just something to think about.

If you DO want clothes to sit on your natural waist I would suggest maybe tall collections and then take up the hem.

Also what brands have you bought? I have a dress from Toast, and while not empire line, the waist is very very high - intentionally - and that's just the look. Quite a few dresses I have bought in recent years have this quality, come to think of it, but I don't know if that's universal or just what my eye has been drawn to.

Like this (which I would LOVE) - https://www.toa.st/products/trailing-nasturtium-print-dress-garden-green - surely most people's natura waist would be a couple of inches lower?

Lol and there go my sidebar ads! 😂

@DarkAcademia Thanks for replying 🙂

Do I want dresses to sit at my natural waist? The honest answer is I don't know! I'm not super up to date on fashion but just find some belted dresses uncomfortable and I'm constantly tugging at them. A bit like I do with a high necked sweater.

High waisted jeans work well on me and I don't have short legs either 😬. I do really like wearing dresses. Sometimes I discard the dress belt and use a wide leather or suede belt instead as it feels more comfortable but still pulls me in (also hides the dress belt loops). Have bought from Hobbs, M&S, Mint Velvet in the last few years.

I have same problem so watching with interest. Generally I do want things that are supposed to sit on the waistline to sit on my actual waist because I am pear-shaped and I would like to show the thinnest bit of me before it all goes, well, pear-shaped, below.

As pp said look at the Middletons, to shorten your body the waist needs to be higher & the hem needs to hit the right place to not shorten the legs even more.

The blue dress is really unflattering whereas the green looks great.

Look at Boden, Dorothy Perkins, Next or Karen Millen tall ranges.

Thanks everyone for replying. I'll have a look at those makes MinnieMountain.

I'm afraid I don't have any brand suggestions but I really sympathise. I have a long body - dress waists are in the wrong place - and I can never find a swimsuit that fits properly. Frustratingly I've noticed that US swimwear sometimes comes in different body lengths, but I've never seen that in the UK.

@Exx Boden do long body swimming costumes. For fitness swimming I wear Zoggs with adjustable straps. You can search by feature on their website.

No real solutions but I have the same issue with belted dresses. At 5ft 7 I’m a bit taller than average but not much and belts often sit above my natural waistline. Feels irritating and stops me buying some lovely dresses. Have had ones from Mint Velvet where I’ve changed the belt to something wider which helps a bit.