Clothes for the tall woman

Oh yes. We're going there. When I was a teenager, I had to figure out clothes on my own. I wore men's cowboy jeans from Farm & Fleet for years because I couldn't find girl pants long enough. I wore men's shoes all the time (I still do actually. Just bought a pair of sweet oxfords online!), which was fine for sports but not so much for school dances, etc. I'm a real grown-up now (technically. I have a full time job and everything, but sometimes I eat microwave popcorn and cheese for dinner, so.) and I'm proud to say I've finally learned to dress myself properly! This is thanks in part to the fantastic powers of the internet. There are tons of forums out there that can help. Tallwomen.org is one of the best for conglomerating a big list of sites. There's one for shoes there too.

Specialty shops

I've had the most success with Tall Girl. I know they're owned by Long Tall Sally now, and I haven't bought anything from LTS yet, but it looks like little has changed from what was in Tall Girl stores so I'm hoping it's good.

I bought all my dress pants at Tall Girl, and they fit well and have held up well. I also bought a couple of blazers there. The fit was a little weird, since I have wide shoulders and tiny boobs, so that, combined with the fact that my workplace is uber casual, means I don't wear them much. I definitely need to find a tailor, though, because they're nice. I also bought all my sweatpants and workout gear there during my track and field years (and am still wearing the sweatpants to lounge in and go to the occasional yoga class).

Overall, some of their stuff was pricey but there were also good sales. LTS looks to be the same, so here's hoping.

http://us.longtallsally.com

There are a large handful of catalogs and sites catering to tall women's clothing that I watch, but some that I've tried have a weird fit or iffy quality (I'm looking at you Long Elegant Legs). I would suggest ordering one thing from a new company to see if you like it before purchasing a whole new wardrobe.

Shoes are a big one too. When I first took to the internet looking for large size women's shoes, I was about 13 and my mom was sitting right next to me. We promptly entered the wonderful world of 5-inch clear plastic stilleto platforms and thigh-high pleather boots. Drag queens can rock that sh#@, but it's not really my style. Thankfully, we've come a long way in only 10 years or so and there are tons of sites devoted to large size shoes for the ladies. I used to buy most of my dress shoes at www.designershoes.com, but lately their selection has been boring. **Actually, I just checked it and most of their stuff is Barefoot Tess anyway.** Barefoot Tess is great when it comes to catering to the tall ladies. I wear a 14, and they have more styles and cute options than I've found anywhere else. Their shipping costs are ridiculous, but I still order from them. (See those Jeffrey Campbell heels down a few posts? Totally bought them this summer. A-maz-ing.)

http://www.barefoottess.com/

Buried Treasures

Specialty shopping is easy and you're likely to be disappointed when you find the perfect item in a department store only to realize it's too short. But honestly most of my clothes aren't from a tall shop. Today I'm wearing a striped sweater I got on sale from the Gap with a thrifted scarf and a khaki green jacket from Lands' End with jeans from Tall girl and shoes from Payless. Shirts are definitely the easiest thing to buy in mainstream stores. The long, tunic length is all over the place and I buy a lot of tops at TJ Maxx, Old Navy and Target because I'm poor.

The aforementioned Gap sweater was a bit short when I bought it but I'm in the habit of stretching the sleeves and body of shirts after washing them, then airdrying, to lengthen them out. This might not be great for the clothes but very few of my clothes are so high quality that I care.

If you didn't know already, Payless has women's shoes through size 13. I get sandals there a lot, and you can order online and get them shipped to a store for free.

http://www.payless.com/store/

If you're looking for trendy, cheap jeans, you should probably just do this now. Yeah, it's kind of embarrassing when I get ads for Proactive and the latest YA novel catered toward tween girls with every order, but seriouslyyouguys. $20 jeans with a 37" inseam is not something you give up because they're trying to sell them to 16-year-olds. I know buying jeans from a catalog or online makes some people nervous, but I've bought probably 20 pairs of jeans there since high school and have only returned 2 or 3. If you're a tall teen or young adult (or mature adult with hip style!) check out Alloy if you haven't already.

Two final notes on shoes: Zappos.com is pretty reliable when it comes to large sizes and they have great customer service. And finally--I almost don't want to let this secret out and if any of you readers start raiding the Northtowne Mall is Spokane, WA taking my shoes I will find you--Nordstrom Rack has size 13 and 14, quality shoes at really discounted prices. I can't afford to buy most brands in the regular store but they're really high quality. I stop in there every time I'm driving by and almost always find something. Leather ballet flats for $20? What? You have them in black and metallic bronze? I'll take them both. This spring I bought a pair of suede leather boots, originally $180, for $50 and am reaping the benefits of my thriftiness with this fall weather. It's definitely worth a look.

Of course, every body is different and the things that work for me might not work for you. But hopefully this list will help.

To end this super-long post, I urge you all to add your shopping suggestions to my list. Where do you buy your workout gear, your school clothes, dress clothes, coats? Let's all get together and help the next generation of tall girls avoid the world of man pants and too-short sleeves!

Ack.

I can't seem to meet my own self-imposed deadlines.

Inspiration? Oh, there it is!

I've been severely lacking in the inspiration department lately. I got married a few weeks ago (YAY!), and the months of preparation, planning and setting up that led to the (amazing, unforgettable) big day has left me somewhat drained of enthusiasm.

I've been preoccupied with worries about the future, for my career and my life in general. I've also been thinking a lot about this blog, mostly feeling guilty for not doing anything with it, not posting. I'm still not sure what I want this blog to be...well, actually, I do know what I want it to be. I want it to be a place for tall girls and women to come for advice, for understanding and encouragement.

The problem has sometimes been the fact that most of the goings-on in my daily life don't have anything to do with being a tall woman, or at least I don't think about it that much. And when I do it's usually a passing thing, like I'll be out shopping and can't find any clothes or shoes that fit. Or someone will ask me my height and I'll just tell them and that will be that.

I need to spend more time thinking about these little things and turning them into ideas that will work for a larger tall audience.

I started writing this post because I was feeling bad about letting the blog languish again. But just now, writing about frustrations of shopping, makes me realize that I do have a well of knowledge about where to find clothes and shoes. So that will be my next post!

Bottom line, I know I've said this before, but I'm going to get serious about posting regularly. I'm going to start by giving myself an easy goal: one good, in-depth post once a month. August=Shopping for the Tall Woman. If anyone wants to contribute some shopping tips, write them in the comments and I'll incorporate them into the post. I'll be back soon! PROMISE!

Posture

I'm tall and proud, but I constantly catch myself slouching. I stand in line with one leg bent and my back curved (looking a lot like the guy on the right). I lean down and lower my head to hear a friend at a loud party. I nearly double over to prepare food on my kitchen countertops (I need to save up for this!). It's easy to blame these moments of subpar posture on our environment--I wouldn't have to slouch around my apartment if I didn't have to worry about hitting my head every third step--but a lot of it is carrying on a habit I formed in my teenage years. My muscles are probably accustomed to letting my shoulders fall forward, and it's an ongoing struggle to hold myself upright.

Once, while standing in line at the grocery store, a woman engaged me in conversation about my height. No surprise there. But she told me she had lost several inches off her former height due to bad posture (she looked about 60). She said her bad posture led to mobility problems and she has trouble exercising due to lower bone mass, etc. She even said she spends time every day hanging upside down from a bar to try to stretch out her compressed bones and muscles! This really hit home for me. I'm back in an exercise routine after a year of next to nothing, but even when I run I see my reflection in a window and my back is hunched! It's frustrating, but after years of hiding my height, I realize it will take time to rebuild my posture. And as a young woman I feel like I need to make it a priority now to stand up straight, even if it means I bump my head more often, because I don't want to be lamenting my past slouching in 40 years as I hang upside down trying to straighten myself back out!

I need to spend some time learning exercises that strengthen posture. Anyone have any tips?

How do you see yourself?

So I've been thinking about self-image issues a lot lately. I had a group of girls over at my apartment last weekend and we were talking about body image in the media, and how on blogs and message boards fat girls are saying skinny girls look like emaciated skeletons and skinny girls are saying fat girls are disgusting and lazy. Likewise, when i was a teenager this boy I liked called me a tree trunk. Weird insult, but amazing how the embarrassment has stuck with me. Obviously there should be no ideal body type, and everyone's body should be celebrated. But how do we get young girls to understand this? Is it perfunctory to feel bad about yourself growing up because you're different, whether it's too tall, too short, too dark, too chubby or whatever it is? Is there a way to instill self esteem in girls, or do they have to get there, as I did, through a long, difficult, self-doubting process? I certainly don't have the answer, but a couple things that have been boosting my self-esteem lately: bright red lipstick, and these Jeffrey Campbell shoes, which I am hoping to buy eventually (Shoutout: barefoottess.com!). Hey, it's the little things that count.

Tall reading...

Has anyone read "The Tall Book" by Arianne Cohen? I was just checking out her Web site. The book claims to answer the age old questions, "Why do tall people succeed professionally, financially and intellectually? Why are tall men the most successful dating and mating group on earth, while tall women have low birth rates? And who the hell is behind those airplane seats?" I wonder if there's actual research on these things or if she used anecdotal evidence. Either way, I'd like to talk to whoever's responsible for the airplane seats.