Tailoring terrors for tall people

Post date: Nov 02, 2017 2:59:59 PM

Published 10/20/17

By Nadya Ellerhorst, ‘20

A struggle for many people of above average height is shopping for clothes. Many of them have trouble finding pants and shirts that are long and wide enough for them.

There’s no doubt that a lot of people wish they could be taller. And there’s no doubt that height has some benefits. However, there are negatives to towering over your peers.

One that could be considered especially aggravating is clothing. Some do not realize that being taller usually makes it difficult to shop. Many brands simply do not design clothes for a person of above-average height.

According to livestrong.com, the average height of an American woman is about 5’4”, and the average height of an American man is 5’9.5”. Therefore, many clothing stores primarily carry sizes for people around these average heights. The men and women who exceed these measurements have to work a little harder to find things to wear.

Arthur Schmid, ‘19, stands at around 6’4”. Schmid calls in-store shopping a “battle of proportions”.

“ finding clothing that is long enough but also fits your width is a challenge because most clothing is not long enough, like pants, shirts; they just don’t fit. They’re just not made for tall people,” Schmid said.

In regards to the ease of finding clothes, Schmid said, “Pants are definitely the worst,”

Kendal Cooke, ‘20, who is 5’10”, has created ways to find pants that suit her. “If my pants aren’t long enough, I always can buy fabric and sew them and make them long enough, so I don’t really stress over buying my clothes anymore,” she said.

Shoes can also pose a problem for those who exceed the average height range, because being tall often means having longer feet.

Although Cooke does not have much difficulty finding clothes, as a size nine in shoes, finding shoes that fit is more challenging.

“Things that are harder to find are shoes in my size, because I’m so tall. So, either everybody has bought them or they just don’t have that size...even though I don’t think my feet are really that big. I think I have average feet,” Cooke said.

“I always have to ask for their shoes in stock in the back; they never display it. Most shoes in stores don’t even sell my size, so I have to order them online”, said Schmid, who wears a size 14 in shoes.

Because of these shopping setbacks, taller people can’t find clothes that fit them properly.

Fortunately, there are brands that specialize in the production of tall-sized clothing such as Long Tall Sally, New York and Company, Topshop, and Old Navy for women, and 2Tall and H&M for men. Brands such as ASOS and J.Crew carry tall clothing for both men and women.

However, most of the brands that produce tall clothing only make the garments available online, which can pose additional annoyances.

“It’s always a lot more of a gamble when you can’t try it on, because you don’t know if it’s long enough or if it fits you perfectly,” Schmid said.

Even though it can be tough to find clothes and shoes that properly fit, being tall has some pros.

“Being tall, there’s a lot of things that we get offered… modeling, sports, people are just interested because you’re tall,” Cooke said.

“You get to look over people… It’s way easier to push through crowds… You can reach things easier… You have more of a presence when you walk into the room,” Schmid said.

It might take a lot of effort to find suitable clothes if you exceed the norm for height. However, everyone should embrace their height, no matter the hardships it may come with.

“Just make sure that you love yourself. Tall or short, we’re all different, because if we were all the same, it would be boring. So if you’re tall, rock your tall, if you’re short, rock your short and just make the best of it,” Cooke said.