Finding Clothes for My Super Tall Daughter



where a hem should end

My daughter is six foot two (188 cm.)  This has posed some challenges in where to find clothing and shoes. Being tall myself, I've heard many times that clothes look better on taller people.  In general, that is probably true.  But your clothes won't look better if your sleeves end before your wrists or the hem of your pants barely reaches your ankles.  (In case you're wondering where the hem of your pants should end, the rule is that your pant's hem should end halfway down the heel of your shoe.)

Many retailers have started making clothes in tall sizes.  Our favorites are Gap, J.C. Penney, and Old Navy.  All of these stores are less expensive--and I would say more fashionable-- than retailers who only stock tall size clothing.




gap perfect boot jeans in extra long tall

Jeans
 My daughter, who is extra tall, likes Gap jeans best.  They have an extra long size as well as a regular long size.  If you're not quite as tall, you can try tall size jeans from Levi's, Old Navy, Lucky brand, as well as some other brands.  Tall size jeans are becoming so common that I've even found them at thrift stores.  To save money, sign up to receive e-mails from Old Navy and Gap.  They often notify you of sales and coupon codes.

School Uniform

Since my daughter attends a charter high school, she usually wears khakis and polo shirts to school.  We've found that Old Navy polos are the most flattering tall polos.  They come in a lot of colors.  She also likes the Old Navy khakis in tall.  Since the Old Navy khakis are not long enough for her, I have to use my sewing skills to make them over a bit.  I found a product at the sewing store called bias tape hem facing (pictured below.)  My daughter and I remove the stitching from the old hem, iron the pants, sew on the bias tape hem facing, and sew the hem again.  This usually adds at least two inches to the hem.

Bathing Suits

We love Lands' End bathing suits since you can order them in long, and they come in many modest styles.  Lands' End also has some nice wrinkle free button down oxfords in tall sizes.

Shoes

If I had to pick one thing that's the hardest to buy for my daughter, it would be shoes.  She has very long, narrow feet.  Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of shoes available in her size and most of what is available isn't as attractive as she would like.  We get several shoe catalogues, including Auditions and Maryland Square which specialize in hard-to-find sizes.  Nordstroms is a great place to find larger sizes.  Unfortunately, they also tend to be very expensive.  Their clearance store, Nordstrom Rack, usually has a limited selection in her size.

Payless Shoe Source is also a great place to find trendy shoes in larger sizes; however, Payless shoes tend to be less comfortable than other brands.  Don't forget that Payless has a website.  We usually order shoes through the website, have them shipped to the store (free shipping), then try them on at the store (in case we need to return them.)  It works out to be simpler than driving around to all the stores to see what they have in the right size.

If you want your feet to look smaller, here are a few things that help: 

• a smaller vamp (that's the top part of the shoe that covers the end of your foot)
• lots of straps
• a slight heel

The image below is a sandal from Payless that has some of these characteristics.

Since it's so hard to find shoes, I encourage my daughter to have fun with her other accessories--purses, scarves, belts, and jewelry. 

[Click here for an update I wrote in March 2013 with additional resources.]

I hope this post has helped you.  Please add your comments about what you've done to find tall clothing for women.