Tall Advice & Issues

Here we are in the midst of Awards season with the Golden Globes behind us and the Baftas and the Grammys this weekend. The media is full of ‘Best’ and ‘Worst’ dressed lists with Hollywood actresses parading in some seriously glamorous gowns which, for us tall girls seem purely aspirational. Whereas the high street is providing an ever increasing choice of party dresses and evening gowns for your average woman, tall women are left out in the cold wondering if this is one area of fashion where we fear  we may never tread.

I was recently reminded of the near catastrophic stress caused by my need for a full-length evening gown last year. The joy of hearing of my brother’s engagement was swiftly followed by a panic about what on earth I would wear to a very glamorous, Spanish (or maybe ‘Spanglish’) wedding.
At 6ft2, evening gowns have not featured highly in my quest for clothing to fit my amazon stature. My years of searching for jeans, suits, shoes and t-shirts have been fruitful, however, it is nearly 9 years since I had to wear an evening gown so I really didn’t have any clue where to look.

On previous trips to New York department stores,  I knew I had seen evening dresses what would fit me far better than anything I could buy on the high street here in England. There is something about the American cut and fit that suits us tall girls and women better than anything here in the UK. Unfortunately, I wasn’t going to the Big Apple before the wedding: what was I to do!?

With two good friends for moral support in tow, I set upon Oxford Street one Saturday. I recalled the ‘Designers at Debenhams’ range used to have some great styles – I should emphasise ‘used to’.  Their cut and fit, even girls of an average height (5ft 7 or so),  was appaulling! Monsoon (too short), Long Tall Sally (frumpy), Karen Millen (might fit my left leg at a push) were equally disappointing. I even ventured into some of those old-fashioned evening dress shops run by frighteningly matronly, middle-aged women who seem to intent on making you look like an extra from Dynasty circa 1989. Everywhere I tried the gowns were not only badly cut, with cheap fabric and frumpy designs, they were also on average about 8 inches too short - guaranteed to make you look like the hillbilly sister from down on the farm. At this rate I was going to make it on to the ‘Worst Dressed’ list at my brother’s wedding!

Convinced I would be ex-communicated by my big brother if I didn’t manage to pull something off (he works in sports media, darling, hence he has the most fashionable and sophisticated friends), my thoughts turned back to the US. How could I get a dress from an American brand here in the UK? Then I had an idea. Bridesmaids dresses! If you’ve never been to an American wedding, you’ve probably seen them in films. Far from dressing their best friends in grown-up versions of child pageant dresses, as we seem to be rather fond of here, their bridesmaids and maids of honour wear dresses more akin to film premieres than ‘Miss Junior Oklahoma’.

I hunted down all the stores in West London who sold two brands in particular: Dessy and Watters.  Both of these brands have several ranges, totalling hundreds of styles in a massive array of colours.

If you’ve never ordered from a Bridal Shop before, this is how it works:

-    These dresses are made to order in standard sizes. Shops have many different styles, all in a different   colour variation so don’t expect to get to try on the style you want in the right colour.

-    You choose a style, and then a colour. The staff will advise you on the size required.

-    You can choose to have up to 6 inches added on the skirt of the dress (which I needed).

-    Once ordered, your dress will arrive between 6-12 weeks later.

-    On arrival, it is best to try the dress on with a seamstress present (any good bridal shop will have one they use) as usually, they can suggest ‘nips and tucks’ to the dress to make it truly fit like a couture gown.

In the end, my gown cost £160 plus £40 for the seamstress’s alterations. Plus, I think I avoided all the usual pitfalls for tall girls - my dress was a lovely, amethyst halterneck number in chiffon and matt satin which was full length, even with my 4 inch silver high heels (from Amazona Style). I felt like an Oscar-nominated starlet!

So, before the wedding season sets in, your next black tie invitation or your invite to a film premiere with Will Smith (I can dream!), why don’t you plan ahead and check out what‘s on offer from those US dress companies.  Almost guaranteed to make you look like a film star!

www.dessy.com

www.watters.com

Photo credits: www.houseofbrides.com; www.dessy.com; www.watters.com

If we didn’t have enough guilt to deal with at this time of year between the post-Christmas diet that never happened, the inside of the gym that doesn’t see us five times a week and the thank you cards that haven’t quite been posted yet, the Government has now decided that it is ‘irresponsible’ for UK couples to have more than two children. Apparently my potential future offspring would leave an unacceptably large environmental footprint on the planet so we should all be rationed to only two.

Well, for single women like me this is far from top of the ‘Green Guilt’ list since it’s nigh-on impossible to find a decent man to spend 4 hours with in London, let alone one who has the potential to father a child. Our guilt is more likely to be centered around not calling our mothers enough and the ever increasing number of supermarket shopping bags in our kitchens which, despite all attempts, seem to multiply at an erratic pace.

However, I have managed to keep to one New Year’s Resolution (only one? Now don’t try and pretend you’ve kept more than that): I no longer use any plastic bags. I keep a fairtrade canvas shopper from Dogeared in my car or bag at all times.

As if being able to smugly look down my nose at other shoppers with their earth-killing plastic bags wasn’t enough, I also love the celebrities favourite shopper because of it’s catchy designs such as ‘Your plastic can kiss my canvas’ and ‘White (non) Trash’.

Available from Amazona Style, they are currently on sale for only £14.00.

It seems despite the credit crunch, there’s one group of businesses that are seeing a boom in business – tailors.  Many of us are adopting a ‘Make do & Mend’ attitude rather than splurging on new purchases and with a good tailor isn’t just a case of investing in a bespoke creation or getting some repairing and hemming done – they can take an old dress or jacket and create an entirely new product with new additions or re-shaping.

Apsley Tailors in Pall Mall has also noticed a marked increase in demand for what they call ‘homage tailoring’ – having a favourite garment remade in alternative fabrics or sizes rather than investing in new designer pieces.  Having said that, it’s not cheap – jackets and skirts start from £400 and wool coats from £680.

For any woman or girl who is extraordinary in her proportions, whichever dimension, a good tailor is something you should have access to throughout your life.  For tall women, a tailor can be a lifeline.

I may have had a predisposition to liking tailors since my favourite shirt, and the one that I have worn until it now hangs off me in threads, is actually one of my grandfather’s bespoke  shirts from Turnbull and Asser which was made for him as a young teenager.

When I was around 15, my mother agreed that I should have a long dress made for me as we couldn’t find anything to fit on the high street.  I had a dress made by a  local dressmaker  and all I remember saying was that I didn’t want an empire line dress. What did they make me? Yes, an empire line creation worthy of a BBC period drama.  This experience put me off the whole dressmaking/tailoring business for a long time!

It wasn’t until 5 years ago when I started travelling to Hong Kong regularly that I even thought of using a tailor. The UK tailors were always way out of my price range so it had been ten years since my last foray into bespoke.

The first time I was in HK I stumbled upon Raja Fashions in a side street off Nathan Road. This is quite a well known tailor as they have a slick PR machine and travel to large cities around the world, including London, taking orders.  I ordered two pairs of trousers, three shirts and a coat (think long, sophisticated trench coat in a very Chanel-esque, cashmere dogtooth check.  I wore the shirts to death (they were copied from the original Turnbull & Asser I loved so much)  and the coat is briliant for dressing up some dark trousers for evening. The trousers were another matter and I have only really worn them a handful of times. I’m not sure whether it was the cut or my shape but they  just don’t sit right around the waist. However, it was my first time.  The prices (including fabric) were around £35 for the shirts and £250 for the coat.

I went back to Raja a few more times and get even more shirts. I also used their London service which, despite costing me almost double per shirt what it had in HK, still produced great results.  I’ve also introduced several friends and housemates to the London service and they were very happy with the suits they’ve ordered.

Two years ago I decided to change tailors and went to Sam’s. This has to be the most famous tailor in HK ( it’s where all the politicans and celebrities go) although you wouldn’t know it from the shop – a tiny room in the scruffy Burlington Arcade on Nathan Road (just round the corner from Raja’s). After my first visit (more shirts and another jacket/coat!) I was absolutely converted to a Sam’s devotee. They were cheaper than Raja and I found the service better – more friendly and less pushy sales tactics. However, on subsequent visits the service wasn’t nearly so good and after I had a problem with some items, it took forever to get email or telephone responses from them (I’m still waiting from them to return a load of fabric!).  As to whether I would use them again? If my current problem is resolved shortly then I would use them again.

Last year I invested in my first piece of British bespoke couture.  Claire Mischevani is a Welsh designer working from Shropshire who my mother introduced me to. I went to Claire with some ideas but unsure of what would suit me and she was incredible. I ended up with the most phenomenal trouser suit in the style of 1950’s Grace Kelly that was the talk of the wedding I had to attend.  Financially, it really was an investment but worth every penny.

Next read Part 2 of ‘Tailors - Why Every Tall Girl needs one’ including top tips to avoid disasters like mine.

Raja Fashions - www.rajafashions.com

Sam’s Tailor - www.samstailor.biz

Claire Mischevani - www.clairemischevani.com

Hi! I’m Stefanie Grace, the new contributor to Amazona Blog. I love all things fashion and as a tall girl myself, I fully support what Amazona is doing for us. I love shopping so when things don’t fit, I get how annoying it is. I write about all things fashion here and on my own blog. Thanks for reading and keep coming back!

All of us tall women have felt this at one time, in any city; you think that you are a giant, you feel huge and ugly and fat (even though in reality you’ve probably just got some good womanly curves on you!) and you most definitely do not feel like going out and attempting the whole mortifying experience all of over again! When it comes to shopping, being tall sucks. We may as well be honest about it. Especially when you’re shopping in Spain.

Ok, so this statement may not be as strongly felt as it may have sounded, but I just spent 3 days trying to shop in Barcelona and I could not get anything to fit! When your feet are a large UK 8 and you are 5’11’’ in bare feet, shopping in a city full of petite senoritas does nothing for your self-confidence.
Amazona is here to make sure that we stop feeling like monsters! If you need to know where to get jeans that are long enough, a dress with a waistline actually on your waist, shoes that are big enough (and don’t look like big leather boats!) or even how to feel better about yourself, then check out the advice on this blog and the website!

I went out this morning and bought a gorgeous pair of black gladiator heels for an interview tomorrow from New Look, size 8 with a 4-5” heel! Why should we hide away in baggy clothes and flat shoes! I’m not saying that I’m converting to heels all day long! I’m quite happy in a pair of ballet flats or chunky ankle boots for hitting the shops or the library, but when I want to put on a pair of heels and strut out in front of the world, I will! I have the confidence now and I will never lose it! People look up to supermodels as gorgeous Amazonian women, and just because we don’t strut down a catwalk proudly displaying our great heights doesn’t mean that we can’t strut down the street! So, what are you waiting for? Go and buy some heels for that Christmas or NYE party! You’ll feel, and look like a million dollars!

So at 6ft2, I’m very tall. If I hadn’t noticed this fact, I would have found out very quickly – from the ten strangers a day who feel the need to let me know.

There are many strange things about being tall but one of the most annoying has to be complete strangers (or fashion professionals incognito??) who feel compelled to tell me that as a tall girl, I should not wear heels.

I didn’t wear heels until my early 20’s because I couldn’t get them in my size but now I can and you can’t get me out of them – particularly 3 or 4 inch one’s on a night out.

Now look, people don’t go around telling short girls they shouldn’t wear flat shoes so why do 60% of the peopl e I meet insist on telling me that, as a tall girl, I shouldn’t wear heels?

Tall women should wear heels and here’s my top reasons why:

- As stylist and fashionista Jay Manuel says “Everyone can look like a supermodel with a bootleg trouser and a high heel” (it does quite ring true if you say ‘ballet flat’ instead of ‘high heel’ , does it?).

- They make you seem leaner and slimmer.

- The give you the best walk which just can’t be replicated in flats.

- They give you better legs, slimmer ankles and accentuate the best of your figure.

- The are the glamorous and somehow that changes how you feel and behave.

- Is your love-life lacking? Well get some high heels on! No, not just because men seem to love them but because, according to the latest research by Dr Maria Cerruoto , wearing high heels improves your pelvic floor muscles, and we modern girls all know what that does for you.

- They make you taller. Yes, I really did say that! Your height is something to be proud of and to be honest, when you’re very tall, 3 inches isn’t actually going to make a whole lot of difference to how tall you look (6ft and 6ft3 all look the same from down there).

- They make your feet look smaller.

- When was the last time you read the words “fabulous flat pump”? Exactly.

I don’t think women with legs less than 36 inches long can ever appreciate the mission that is jeans shopping for really tall girls.  It has to be one of the most taxing activities for tall girls and women all over the world.

Jeans are such an integral part of everyone’s wardrobe. They are an attitude, a way of life and for most of us, more essential to our lives than any other item of clothing. The right pair can make you look thinner, taller, curvier or whatever you choose.

As the owner of both a curious mind and 38 inch legs , I have spent that last 15 years constantly searching for the right jeans.  I have never had any success with the UK brands from Tallgirls or Long Tall Sally. The weren’t long enough and didn’t suit my particular figure (years of sport has done little for the size of my thighs and my bottom is far from small!).

In my teenage years I briefly toyed with a pair Levi’s 516’s (until they stopped making the style) and men’s jeans from High & Mighty.  Then, in my early 20’s I started travelling to the USA regularly and seeking out brands there – did you know that Levi’s mens 501’s do come in a 40 inch inseam?

Of the designer brands, J brand, Notify and Hudson all have styles available in a 37 inch inseam (all available from shopbop.com) although unfortunately, my thighs have never quite been able to squeeze into any of these apparently brilliantly cut brands.

A tip I have is to search for the cut and you can always take care of the colour later. As I never really have much choice in the wash or finish, I have become a bit handy at home dying to create my own wash effects. It’s really easy so if you find the perfect pair in a not-so-perfect colour, don’t worry! Just do it yourself!

Here is where I shop for my jeans:

GAP (USA)
Despite not shipping to the UK, you can sign up with My USA and they will order jeans from GAP for you, have them to shipped to their address (your ‘US Address’) and then forward them on to you here in Europe.  Their jeans aren’t as long as they used to be but you can still get a good 37 inch inseam (despite branding them as 36 inches) and they do cords and trousers too. I love their curvy fit myself.

Diesel
On a trip to Bloomingdales about 18 months ago I bought what is still the most flattering pair of jeans I’ve ever worn from Diesel . They are from the Men’s section, were every expensive and only had an inseam of around 35.5 inches but they had a 2.5 inch turn-up which I let down and as they were so distressed, it seemed to add to the design.

Alloy.com
Alloy sell several brands up to a 37 inch inseam and a few pairs of trousers too. My favourite from here are the Truck brand.  I love the non-stretch style but they have almost any trend covered, are really affordable at around $40 a pair AND they ship to the UK.

Buckle.com

A relatively new discovery for me but with a brilliant search facility where you can sort by length of rise, inseam, style, wash, cut, fabric and many more, this site is my new favourite.  Currently they offer five brands in a 37 inch inseam and one brand available in a 38 inch inseam and they ship to Europe.

These days I rely purely on American Brands to satisfy my denim desires but, to be honest? I’m still searching for THAT miracle pair that makes me look and feel like a supermodel….

What is a girl to do?  When the man of your dreams is a lowly 5’6 and you gracefully stride towering above him at 5’10?   It a tricky situation, Nicole and Tom were vertically imbalanced and look what happened to them!  He turned into a nut job and she ran off with a cowboy.   Thankfully, for the leggy ladies whose heart has decreed that a short man is the one for them we have Sophie Dahl and Jamie Cullum.

The ultimate pin up girl for the taller women, Sophie Dahl stands tall at a clean 6’, Jamie, is a little less statuesque at 5’6…and yet, how happy they are.    It proves that love can conquer all.  She still wears heels, and he’s happy to have his head level with her assets!

Next time a shorter gentleman slides up next to you and you feel like talking down to him (literally and metaphorically), think about Sophie and Cullum…it could be you!

Being 6ft2 myself, I have often wondered why there is so little written to encourage and celebrate tall women. It’s so hard growing up and having any extraordinary feature which makes you stand out from your peers, whether that be height or looks or whatever. You should embrace everything that you are, particularly if that is great height - the rest of the female population is desperately squeezing into 5 inch heels in an attempt to achieve what you do simply by standing up every morning!

Here are my favourite reasons to celebrate your height:

1.    It’s easier to be taken seriously. Tall women are perceived to be more intelligent, capable and successful.
2.    You can always see any talent (boys!) in the room & find your friends easily.
3.    You always get to sit ‘shotgun’ in (the front seat of) a taxi or friends car.
4.    You can never be average…..Thank God!
5.    People will always remember you.
6.    The likelihood to someone wearing the same outfit as you is so slim - so,so slim.
7.    You have a hope in hell of resembling a supermodel.. .to most of the female population, it’s an impossibility.
8.    You are naturally a more able athlete
9.    Your friends (generally) can’t borrow shoes or clothes, which they later trash.
10.    Tall women statistically earn more than their shorter colleagues.

It’s one of the most observed issues surrounding tall women: Should you date significantly shorter men?

Personally, I’ve never bothered to read those articles in the past as I don’t recall a time when I have ever been attracted to a much shorter man. AT 6ft2, I’ve had dalliances with men of 5ft10 and possibly 5ft9 when I was a teenager, and I’ve dated men of 5ft11, 6ft and 6ft1 far more than I’ve dated men of 6ft5 and above but what about proper ‘short’ men? It’s never really crossed my mind, until last weekend….

Following a friend’s party on Saturday, I’m now racked with a gigantic schoolgirl crush on one of the sexiest men I think I’ve ever met.  He was so much fun, so hot I nearly fainted and had a body that could make you think that skinny dipping in the Thames in November was a great idea (don’t worry, we didn’t).  And to be honest, it wasn’t so much a case of ‘You had me at hello….’ like the movies, since his first words were  ‘F*!k me, you’re f*****g massive’ (a line usually guaranteed to ensure the cold shoulder from me all evening).  However, when he was maybe 5ft7 and I’m 6ft5 in my heels, he might have had a point.

Short man/tall woman couples are all over the media, even more so since Sophie Dahl started dating Jamie Cullum.  So, why are shorter men attracted to tall women who only accentuate their lack of stature?

Several studies have investigated whether height is  a major factor of attractiveness to the average man and almost all of them have found that it is definitely not .  Whilst supermodels are almost always over 5ft9, singers and film stars are often far from statuesque.  Much of the earlier research seems to suggest that  tall women are not more physically attractive than their shorter friends but are perceived as more glamorous and prestigious.

Therefore, to the extent that tall women are preferred as mates, it is probably so that the man can show her off as a hard-to-acquire status symbol, like a Lamborghini. If you’re honest with yourself, you know that when you see a shorter man with a very tall girlfriend or wife, you do wonder just who the hell he is or what he has. It is possible that broadcasting his status in this way may also allow him to be taken more seriously by his male colleagues, friends and inferiors, and so to rise further in status: “Hey, that guy has a 6′ tall wife — he must be a real go-getter”.  And more importantly, parading around your tall wife is a far less vulgar signal of status than, for example, driving up in an obscenely expensive car or sporting tons of jewellry. Consequently, the man does not suffer a loss of reputation as he would with those other signals, and because it is less conspicuous, he is less likely to draw the jealous scorn of those around him. He will provoke class envy in them, for sure.

I was lucky enough to be sent to Monaco yesterday for my day job and I bizarrely ended up at a dinner party with 15 of the most beautiful, supermodel-thin, tall women and 5 older, very successful and much shorter men.  The men were more than enthusiastic about their taller wives and girlfriends and explained that it was almost the norm in Monaco and many have only dated women who were much taller than themselves. It seems the notion of tall women as a status symbol is definitely a reality.

So, the question still stands, do I choose to pursue a man significantly shorter than me? Or am I too tall for him? Maybe, as he’s not an international financier, film star or Formula 1 boss, he doesn’t find tall women attractive and doesn’t need the status boost.  As he’s not wealthy or famous (and those things have never been attractive to me), I’m guessing that I experienced proper sexual  chemistry and, alas, I don’t think there’s a cure for it.

Now, can someone just pop round and explain to him that I’m the next best thing to a Lamborghini except I’m more affordable and I handle better than a Murcielago….