American Eagle Outfitters

Tall women's pants with up to 37" inseams and come recommended by 5'10" Jeanna.

American Eagle Outfitters provide you with unique, high-quality styles from American Eagle & Aerie. AE makes America's favorite jeans, as well as on-trend clothing, shoes and accessories that are designed for self-expression. Aerie makes intimates, apparel, activewear & swim for every girl - find something that makes you feel good!

Visit their website

Stefanie Drew wants a pair of leather pants. “I saw some at Zara a while ago and was like, ‘Oh, my God, these are beautiful,’ ” she says. “But I can’t wear them.” That’s not something you’d expect to hear from Drew, who’s 27, a size 6, and dresses like someone who can tell you a lot of stories about going to Coachella. In other words, she’s Zara’s ideal customer. Except for one thing: Drew is 6 feet 2. That sizes her out of pretty much everything in the store, as it does at other retailers she wants to shop at, such as H&M, Forever 21, American Apparel, and even the small boutique where she works in Toronto. “If I bought pants there, I’d just look like I was walking around waiting for it to flood,” she says.

Most discussions about fashion’s refusal to acknowledge diverse body types focus on plus-size women, who struggle to find brands willing to cater to their frames. But tall women may be even more underserved. “You wouldn’t think so, because models are all so tall,” says Clary Hilliard Gray (6'1"), who runs a fitness studio in Charlotte. “But most stores don’t sell that many clothes to supermodels.” Or to tall women who don’t walk runways: Women who are 5'8" and taller make up only 5 percent of the U.S. female population, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. And making clothes to fit them takes more than just adding a few extra inches to existing patterns. Buttons need to be moved. Jean pockets may need resizing. “A cute flair may look good on a petite blouse, whereas on me it’ll look like I’m wearing a dust ruffle,” Hilliard Gray says. For most brands, changing designs for such a small pool of potential shoppers isn’t worth the effort. “When everything got tough during the recession, retailers took a step back from ‘tall.’ Now you almost never see it in stores,” says Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst for NPD Group.

A few months ago, frustrated by her lack of options, Drew searched online for what she calls “tall-girl shops.” Up popped the name of U.K. retailer Long Tall Sally, which has one of its few North American stores in Toronto. Drew visited and tried on a few pieces - the kind of simple shopping trip that’s usually impossible for her. “I was like, ‘What? Clothes that actually fit? This is fantastic!’ ” Now she owns her first pair of overalls.

“Clothes that actually fit” towering women are Long Tall Sally’s specialty. The company, which is named after the 1956 Little Richard hit, sells a lot of T-shirts, long skirts, and cotton blouses - stripes and polka dots are popular, as are flower patterns - at prices higher than the Gap’s, but not as costly as Banana Republic’s, to those 5'8" and taller, though 75 percent of sales are to women above 5'11". The clothier has long relied on brick-and-mortar sales in Britain, but now it’s making a push online and in the U.S., mostly in the Midwest. This expansion has helped sales rise about 30 percent in the past 12 months, and Sally expects to bring in about $80 million in revenue this year. “We’re serving a surprisingly small customer niche,” says Andrew Shapin, Sally’s chief executive officer. “But if you can reach people all over the world, suddenly that niche doesn’t seem so small anymore.”

Judy Rich, an American expat living in London, founded Long Tall Sally in 1976, when she couldn’t find pants long enough to fit her 5'11" frame. “I used to have to go to men’s clothing shops,” Rich says. “Who wants to do that?” She ran the company for almost three decades, until the early 2000s, when Sally, unable to stay competitive in the digital age, went into administration (the British version of bankruptcy). It was purchased in 2005 by Amery Capital, a retail investment firm backed by brothers Maurice and Michael Bennett, who’d made a fortune decades earlier selling floral-print dresses and frilly tops to the British masses through Warehouse, Oasis, Phase Eight, and Coast stores, which they’ve since sold.

Shapin became Sally’s CEO in 2007. He knew how to sell online - he’d co-founded the Cotswold Co., an online furniture retailer, in 1997 - but he had a couple of shortcomings: He wasn’t a woman, he wasn’t tall, and he didn’t know fashion. “I had zero awareness,” says Shapin, who’s about 5'8". “There is no lower level of awareness that I could’ve had about this industry before I started.” He spent six months sitting in on “at least 30” focus groups, he says, listening to hundreds of women talk about how hard it was to find clothes. They told him about being gangly, awkward teenagers, and about slouching so they wouldn’t be taller than men. “One thing that surprised me was how many tall women said they don’t like shopping,” he says. “It becomes a very emotional experience because they can’t find anything that fits.” Instead, they buy clothing that’s too small and MacGyverit so it appears to fit. Jeans too short? Hide them with tall boots!

The struggle is real. Diana Runkle, 5'11", Sydney: “I typically wear a long tank top under all my tops to keep my stomach from showing.” Jessica Brommelhoff, 6', Los Angeles: “I pretty much do not own any tops with full-length sleeves that actually go the full length of my arm.” Claire Burns, 6'1", New York: “I actually used to own two petite-sized, floor-length skirts that hit the base of my kneecap.” Tasha Watt, 6'1", Southaven, Miss.: “I can’t wear cocktail dresses because the waist hits me in my stomach area.” Says Shapin: “When I talked to women, I realized this was something that had the potential to go way beyond the U.K. market.” Instead of just moving Sally online, he thought, why not move it overseas?

How to tap into such a fashion-starved niche seems like it would be a case study taught in Marketing 101. (“Too tall for other stores? Go see Sally!”) But the company’s customers are more diverse than a typical retailer’s. They range in age from teenagers to grandmothers, have all sorts of jobs, live in all sorts of places, and have nothing in common with one another aside from their height. “We’ll hear from women who say, ‘I’m 6 foot 2, what do I need high heels for?’ Then women who say, ‘Why don’t you make more high heels? Just because I’m 6 foot 2 doesn’t mean I want to wear flats,’ ” Shapin says. Older women complain that Sally’s styles skew too young; young women write to ask for specific trends. “It’s a real challenge,” he says. “We try to focus on that sweet spot: women between 25 and 55. Middle class.” Some of the more popular offerings are supersoft legging jeans ($79), the crinkle tiered maxi skirt ($89), high superskinny jeans ($109), and the relaxed-fit pocket tee ($27). It’s not groundbreaking fashion, but at least the sleeves are long enough.

When Drew first visited Long Tall Sally in Toronto, she says she may have been more excited by the prospect of clothes that fit than by the actual clothes. She saw mainly work-appropriate skirts for women who commute to desk jobs in sneakers. “I like them now, but I was kind of discouraged when I first found them,” Drew says. Online, though, she says things are sleeker and more contemporary. The work skirts are still there - but so are skinny jeans, floppy hats, and gray tees that she’s more likely to buy. The company has teamed up with British designer Irene Agbontaen’s TTYA (Taller Than Your Average) label; last year the brands collaborated on a line of silk maxi dresses and, yes, leather pants, which sold out before Drew could snag a pair. “Long Tall Sally ... hasn’t always been the most fashion-forward name,” Glamour’s U.K. edition wrote about the collection. “But that’s all changed now!” Shapin is more reserved in praise of his accomplishments. “We’re trying,” he says.

In 2009, Sally started acquiring North American competitors, such as Tall Girl, Long Elegant Legs, Long Fashion, and large-size shoe seller Barefoot Tess, which had all somehow managed to sell clothes to women despite names that seem straight out of a 1992 Sears catalog. Sally also opened seven stores in Canada and four in the U.S., in Chicago, Denver, Detroit, and at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. (There are 26 in total, including in Europe.) But it’s still not a well-known name here. To drum up awareness, the company has hosted pop-ups in 40 cities, from Boston to San Francisco. Online, it advertises mainly through sponsored ads on Google and social media. About 7 percent of people who see its posts on Facebook click on them, which Shapin says is a higher engagement rate than those of J.Crew, Nordstrom, or most other retailers, who average anywhere from 0.2 percent to 4 percent. So far, Shapin’s tactics have worked; almost 65 percent of the company’s sales are from people outside the U.K. who are shopping online, often in places where Sally doesn’t have a physical store.

Long Tall Sally has another major marketing hurdle: its name. On the one hand, having “long” and “tall” built into its brand makes it easily searchable online; it’s the fourth-highest Google result for tall women’s clothing, after the much larger retailers Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, and New York & Co., which offer limited selections. But women don’t always want to broadcast that they shop at a specialty store. “Men can go to big-and-tall stores, and it’s like, ‘Oh, I’m big! I’m virile!’ But I don’t want to carry around a Long Tall Sally shopping bag,” Hilliard Gray says. Shapin says he’s aware of this problem, but so far he finds the Google-able pros outweigh the cons and has no plans to change it.

Long Tall Sally intends to open more stores in the U.S. and is also making a push into Germany, where the average height of a woman is 5'6" - 2 inches taller than in the U.S. After that comes the Netherlands, whose average height of 5'7" makes it the tallest country in the world. Currently there are no plans to expand into plus sizes for women, or into clothes for tall men. Although who’s to say Long Tall Stan’s leather pants wouldn’t be a hit?

Read the original article

Ann Taylor

Tall women's jeans and pants with up to 35 inch inseams

Ann Taylor began in 1954 with a dress and a dream. When Richard Liebeskind opened his first shop in New Haven, CT, he named it “Ann Taylor” after the best-selling dress style in his father’s own store. That dress represented his vision of the modern, stylish American woman. With that vision, Ann Taylor has grown from a regional chain to an iconic brand with 242 full-price and 122 outlet stores across North America.

As the American woman has evolved, so have we, staying one step ahead to bring her a wardrobe of possibilities. She lives a rich and varied life, and we strive to bring her thoughtful style options for big days and everydays. With a sophisticated, feminine approach to modern essentials, we promise to give her the inspiration and confidence she needs to do what she loves.

Visit the Ann Taylor website and their dedicated "Tall Section"

Anna Scholz

Luxury Plus Size Designer Fashion. Wearing Anna Scholz designs allows women of all shapes and sizes to create their own individual looks from her varied styles. Anna Scholz, the celebrated designer of “curvaceous couture” is known for her bright bold prints, striking silhouettes and luxe fabrics.

Visit their website

ASOS

ASOS is a global online fashion and beauty retailer selling over 65,000 branded and own-label products to fashion forward twenty-somethings through our website, asos.com. We ship, for free, to 234 countries and territories from our 1.1 million square foot global distribution centre in the UK.

We tailor the mix of own-label, global and local brands sold through each of our nine local language websites: UK, US, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia, Russia and China.

ASOS's websites attract 29.5 million unique visitors* a month (31 December 2012: 23.7 million) and as at 31 December 2013 had 14.8 million registered users (31 December 2012: 10.5 million) and 7.9 million active customers** (31 December 2012: 5.6 million).
* Desktop visitors only; excludes mobile and tablet visitors
** Defined as having shopped in the last 12 months

What the fashion press are saying about us:

"The online wonder store is ablaze with hot designers." Marie Claire
"In just nine years ASOS.com has gone from niche get the look website to massive internet phenomenon." Grazia
"Asos.com is the credit crunch defying brand. " Esquire
"The undisputed champion of online fashion." The Times Magazine
"The word on the street is ASOS." Evening Standard
"ASOS.com's trend led mix of clothes, accessories and beauty products is perfect for lunchtime browsing." The Guardian
"With its boundless enthusiasm for trends, ASOS.com is contagious." The Times
"ASOS.com is changing the way the nation shops. " The Telegraph Magazine

Visit their website

ASOS Deutschland

Keine Lust mehr auf zu kurze Hosen und eingelaufene Ärmel? Dann ist unsere neue Kollektion für große Frauen ab einer Größe von 1,75 cm perfekt! Unsere Auswahl: trendige Pullover, Kleider und Denims von ASOS Tall und New Look oder tollen Jersey-Pieces von TTYA.

Website

Avenue

Tall women's pants with up to 34 inch inseams

Avenue debuted in 1983 as a plus size retail store. In 1993, Avenue opened our Distribution Center in Troy, Ohio, allowing customers to get their goods faster than ever. By 2000, the Avenue.com website was launched. Avenue restructured in 2012 to become Avenue Stores, LLC.

Today, the business includes both retail stores and ecommerce and has grown into the leading Plus Size Specialty Retailer. With approximately 300 stores, Avenue sells everything to keep your closet on trend season after season. Offering beloved brands like Cloudwalkers® Comfort Shoes and Maidenform^® shapewear, Avenue Body^® and Kenneth Cole Reaction handbags, you’ll find everything you need to complete an outfit for work, play and everything in between.

At Avenue®, we know that trend-right fashion should be available to every woman, every season – no matter her size. Satisfying our customers’ wishes for fashion, quality and service is our highest mission. We are forever evolving with the needs of our customers.

We begin each season with a renewed passion for fashion to create the best new looks and styles. We continually strive to offer the best fit, value, service and shopping experience. We uphold the highest standards of integrity, honesty and work ethics. We are determined to stay ahead of the curve on how to best serve the needs of our customers. At Avenue^® we believe in loving your clothes; loving your style – but above all, loving yourself.

Visit their website

Banana Republic

Tall women's jeans and pants with up to 37 inch inseams

"We are a global apparel and accessories brand focused on delivering modern, covetable style for professional men and women. We offer elevated clothing, handbags, jewelry, and eyewear designs at accessible prices. Dedicated to helping customers achieve professionally and personally, we offer versatile work wear that can be styled for any occasion."

Note: They have a dedicated "tall" section.

Visit their website

Banana Republic UK

Gap Inc. is a leading global specialty retailer offering clothing, accessories, and personal care products for men, women, children, and babies under the Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime, and Athleta brands.

Visit their website

I just read some reviews on Amazon.com regarding a shoe company named Onlymaker. Most of the reviews were negative, to say the least. Most of the shoes aren't on the cheap side but the quality seems to be lacking. I must admit I'm not a big fan of products made in China generally but clothing and footwear are an even more delicate matter. You need to know what kind of materials are being used - especially if you are allergic to specific components. Hence my advice: Beware of items made in China...

Joerg asks: What is your experience? Have you bought products from China? Were you happy with them? Feel free to comment.

Bluesuits

Jamak Khazra the founder of Bluesuits,LLC and designer of Bluesuits Collection sold her first creations to stores when she was only 15 years old. She grew up in Tehran, Iran among her mom’s seven sisters who spent their free time designing and making what would be considered Haute Couture garments today. In her many travels to Europe throughout her college years she loved frequenting fabric stores and mills. She came back with suitcases full of exquisite fabrics which she then turned into everything from bed linens to evening gowns for herself and her friends.

Jamak was trained as a classical pianist and holds a masters degree in piano performance from Univeristy of Illinois and an MBA in finance from Columbia Business School. She also worked in equity research on Wall Street but fashion design and dressing professional women remained with her throughout her years of studies and work.
Jamak has dressed thousands of women who bought their entire wardrobe from her. Her clients include seasoned executives, bankers, lawyers, consultants, TV Anchors among whom are Deborah Duncan of KHOU TV, Great Day Houston, Maggie Rodriguez of CBS network news and Roma Torre of New York 1 News. Jamak has also dressed hundreds of business, law and medical school students who are embarking on a new course in their lives and who need that perfect interview suit, internship suit or work attire. She was also hunted down by Evelyn Foster, Jodi Foster’s mother who says "Jamak’s work reminds her of the pieces from the likes of Yves Saint laurent that she wore when she was younger" and commissioned Jamak to make several outfits for her.

Jamak’s experience gives her a unique perspective as a designer. Her approach to design and fit of the garments is informed by her thousands of clients who were outfitted by her. She has first hand knowledge of the challenges women face when they are looking to purchase business attire. From fit, fabrication, quality and value, Jamak has been able to translate her customers’ wish list into a collection of classic, tailored, high quality and sophisticated career wear. The result has been stellar sell rates for her stores and an ever growing roster of very satisfied customers.

Note: check out their "Tall Section" (described here)

Tall Women Suits - Custom Suits for Tall Women

If you are a tall woman, 5'9" or taller, You probably have found it challenging to shop in stores for a high quality designer business suit for tall women that fits your proportions perfectly.

Bluesuits offers custom clothing for tall women that includes women's business suits, women's tall jackets and women's tall pants and women's tall dresses.

"Having gone the custom suit route once before, it was a relief to find someone who specializes in women's clothing and has the experience to make recommendations that work. You also were able to produce the suits quickly and kept me informed every step of the way. I look forward to working with you in the future!" -Kate New York, NY

To get started if you are in New York you can make an appointment to visit our showroom and get started with your custom business suit. Alternatively you can fill out The Custom Order Request Form. We will contact you with a free consultation to discuss your specific needs. We will provide all the information you need during the free consultation session.

Custom Suits for Tall Women

Bluesuits offers custom tall clothing to women in sizes 0-22. Some of our tall clients are sizes 0 and 2 and some are tall plus size. Regardless of you proportions we will make a jacket, pant, skirt, dress or suit that would flatter your body and fit you perfectly. Learn more about Bluesuits Custom clothing for women

Bluesuits is a leading manufacturer of Made in USA women's clothing. Bluesuits Collection focuses on Women' classic suits and professional attire. The collection includes classic women's Business suits, Executive women's suits and separates sizes 0-22.

Bluesuits Showroom on the upper west side on Manhattan, in New York City has been a destination fro the Savvy Business women in New York for the past 30 years.

Bluesuits collection is designed with the unique body shapes and proportions of women in mind. The founder of the company, Jamak Khazra launched her collection after dressing over 10,000 professional women who could not find appropriate styles and fits in the stores.

Visit their website

Boden

After five burglaries, one office dog, nine Christmas quizzes, twelve nights spent in the warehouse, one consignment of refugees arriving with a clothes delivery, four office moves, quite a few sense of humour failures, a few sackings (but thankfully not many), 2 venture capitalists, 6 awards, about twenty fantastically annoying customers (mostly related to me), a couple of crooks, 520 King Pizzas ("Continental" medium thin crust with extra anchovies for me), a great team spirit, one incredibly tolerant wife, bucket loads of sweat and even more laughs, we're still here!

Visit their website

Box 2

Nicky Allen opened the first Box 2 store in Brighton in the early 80’s, selling a wide range of ladies fashions and accessories. The shop was one of the most successful boutiques in the area, satisfying the discerning fashion needs of the local female shopping population. 

In 2000 Nicky identified a major gap in the market place when she realised that more and more customers were asking for larger sizes, and with this in mind the decision was taken to focus exclusively on this section of the market. With a proven understanding of the fashion industry and a keen sense of what the larger lady wanted in her wardrobe, Nicky and her team were perfectly positioned to develop the business in this new direction.

Box 2 quickly developed a nationwide customer base of over 80,000, with these loyal ladies travelling to visit the shop in Brighton as well as buying more and more from the new seasonal catalogues.

In 2004 the business grew further with the opening of the first new shop in Wimbledon. In 2005 the launch of the new website brought the Box 2 brand to its widest possible audience offering the full range of clothes and accessories to ladies across the world. The website now includes an easy to use and secure online payment facility to further simplify the shopping experience.

The two shops in Kings Langley and West Wimbledon and the new improved website provide the personal service, attention to detail and, of course, the highest quality collections that have become synonymous with Box 2 over the past 30 years.

Ladies of all sizes, from all over the world, are now able to enjoy the fabulous experience of shopping with Box 2.

Visit their website

Buckle

Women's jeans with up to 37 inch inseams

The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE: BKE) is a leading retailer of medium to better–priced casual apparel, footwear, and accessories for fashion–conscious young men and women. The Company currently operates over 450 stores in 43 states, under the names Buckle and The Buckle.

Buckle markets a wide selection of brand names and private label casual apparel, including denims, other casual bottoms, tops, sportswear, outerwear, accessories and footwear. The Company emphasizes personalized attention to its guests (customers) and provides individual customer services such as free alterations, layaways, and a frequent shopper program.

Visit their website

C4RW - Clothes for Real Women

6'0" Vivienne's Blog

Originally a Human Resources professional, Vivienne has always had a passion for fashion and fabric and is now the owner of Bespoke Personal Styling Concierge Service and an Executive Operations Director for TVLHC a creative global fashion platform that successfully delivered two shows at London Fashion Week. As an experienced fitting model for a top international lingerie label and a global retailer, Vivienne spent 4 years working part-time in the lingerie and women's department of a famous international department store.

Vivienne comes with over 20 years' experience of designing, making her own clothes and styling women. As a stylist who trained at the London College of Fashion, she has a unique perspective on the understanding of fabric and how clothes should fit to create the style that's right for your body.

Vivienne is not just your average woman. Standing at 6ft, a 'height goddess', she often says 5ft 12 to confuse people, and it is not unusual to see her wearing 4-inch heels, with such a presence that, once you have met her, it will be hard to forget her.

Like most women, she has struggled with self-confidence and image and has a unique understanding of the difficulties and dilemmas many women have about clothing. Having been though all the issues about understanding her proportions and finding clothes that fit, she has learned to love her uniqueness by maximising what she has. Passionate about empowering and inspiring women to change how they dress and feel about themselves. Change can be scary, but it's through change that great things happen.

A native of London, England, and a world traveller, 'have passport, will travel' is her motto. She loves shoes, cake and meeting new people.

You can find out more about Vivienne's Personal Styling Concierge Service by emailing her directly at viv[@]clothes4realwomen.com or via the contact form. She is also on Twitter as the GoddessofGlamour.

Visit the blog

Canada’s Kayla Alexander, who has stepped into the world of fashion, is trying to fill the gap

Being tall is one of the gifts of life for Keila Alexander.

It helped her educate, see the world, play the sport she loves to earn a living, and become an Olympic athlete.

Disadvantage?

Shopping for clothes.

The Canadian national team star is in a majestic 6’4 position, has set multiple career records at Syracuse University, and has eight WNBA seasons, but it’s a hassle to return to school and be empty. I still remember that.

“My mom looks like a low budget,” she recalls with a zoom call from Russia. So she is playing another season in the top leagues in the country. “And I was once very jealous [my sister], Keisha.

“She came back in cute clothes like cheap and fashionable jeans. I couldn’t really find the cute and fashionable clothes that suit me, so I came back with jewelry and a T-shirt. So I never enjoyed all the shopping in the new semester. “

Nicole Murphy is Alexander’s lifelong friend from Barry, Ontario. It was Murphy who saw a new tall girl in sixth grade class, invited her to the basketball team, and inadvertently started Alexander’s career.

Murphy grew to 6 feet and had her own challenges when it came to clothing and fashion.

“I was most dissatisfied with getting ready for the party or doing something with other girlfriends. They all wanted to go shopping and get their outfits. I’m Tag But I couldn’t find anything cute and flashy. I always wore basic clothes like jeans and T-shirts to suit me, “she says. “And I don’t know if I’ll be teased, but my friends will always say,’Oh, Nicole, you’re always very boring.’

“Or you could even share clothes or even shoes before you go out. I could never. I was a little calm while they were all preparing. Looking back, I was frustrated. “

The friendship between Alexander and Murphy and the annoyance of fashion shared with them prompted them to take action. The pair launched TallSize.com with Alexander’s sister Keisha, who topped the table at 5’10. This is a business in the retail industry for those who don’t, hoping to mitigate some of the challenges they and their peers face. Candidates likely to play the center of Canada’s Senior National Women’s Team at the Tokyo Olympics, as Alexander did this summer.

It happened in two stages. In March of this year, they launched a brand directory aimed at solving the shopping and fashion needs of tall women.

“We have found all the tall clothing brands possible around the world. Then we basically put in a filter. If you are in Canada and want to find jeans with an inseam 38 that ships to Canada You can basically filter it. Put all that information inside you and find a store where you can potentially shop to find those jeans you ship to you. You can, “says Alexander.

It was a quick and encouraging response. There seemed to be a need, and visitors to the site were pleased that their scavenger hunt was quickly simplified and more rewarding. Alexander didn’t have to go to test their ideas – she just asked her past and present teammates. The life of elite basketball played around the world has told her that her frustration is widely shared.

Murphy reached beyond Alexander’s basketball world and was even more convinced that they were working on something when she interviewed potential customers.

“that is, [frustrations] We all felt, but I’ve heard a lot that I wasn’t personally affected, “Murphy said. “But there is a lot of emotional weight tied to not being able to find clothes as a tall woman, especially when you are young.

“You are already taller than a boy, that is, it’s just not normal. In addition, you can’t find clothes that make your skin feel comfortable or confident, so the body associated with it. I think there are a lot of image problems … so it’s very reasonable and I’m thinking of it I was only able to point us in the right direction. “

As the brand directory gained momentum, they began to consider other opportunities and settled on an online marketplace that allowed buyers and sellers to meet online in one place.

“The next natural step for us was okay instead of kicking [users] Go shopping from all these different top brands [we identified], How do you create something that everyone can shop for in one place? Murphy, a veteran of multiple e-commerce ventures, quit his last job to commit to TallSize full-time this summer, says. “That’s where the market model partnered with various tall brands comes from. We put all our products in one place so that tall women don’t have to search the internet for hours. Fits.

“We wanted to create a space that women could trust. We could go there and know that it was a kind of scrutiny and become a really shopping item.”

The venture hopes to offer another way for 30-year-old Alexander after her playing career is over-a children’s book she publishes with Keisha, and in her art and public. In addition to talking.

But until then, nasty and frustrating trips to the mall no longer have to be that way, and with her sister and her oldest friend, they are actively doing so. I am happy to know that.

“I always liked the entrepreneurial spirit of trying to understand what I could do,” she says. “My big thing is to do what I’m passionate about. And this is what I’m passionate about. It’s about me and I’m creative. Because it enables me to continue learning [and] … I’m working now, so when it’s time to put on my shoes, I can smoothly move on to the next stage and my Tall Size… will grow. [we] You can continue for years to come. “

Read the original article

Frustrated by the lack of stylish options for tall women, pro basketball athlete and designer Diana Delva launched her own direct-to-consumer clothing label.

By Elizabeth Segran - 5 minute Read

When designer Diana Delva was in middle school, she was already more than six feet tall, towering over most of her classmates. On the upside, this meant that she was a shoo-in for the basketball team. But on the downside, it was hard finding cute clothes to wear. Many of the teen brands that other high school girls wore simply did not fit on her large frame.
 
Delva went on to play basketball at the University of Hartford, and later, professionally, as part of the European basketball league. That’s when it struck her that many of her fellow athletes had similar gripes: Fashion labels viewed tall women as an afterthought rather than a valued customer.

In college, while on a full athletic scholarship, Delva interned at DSquared2 to learn about the fashion industry. Then, last year she launched her own brand, Chèlbè, which focuses entirely on the needs of tall women. This means creating trousers with bigger inseams and blouses with longer arms, all in the season’s trends. She showed her fall 2017 collection at New York Fashion Week, where she was named a “designer to watch.” She now sells clothes directly to consumers through her website, where she is focused on ensuring that her garments are at an affordable price point of under $80.

As a black woman setting out into the fashion world, Delva doesn’t have very many role models that look like her. But she does take comfort in the fact that black communities have always been very scrappy when it comes to adapting fashion trends to suit their needs. She looks to someone like Dapper Dan, for instance, who realized back in the ’90s that the luxury European designers weren’t designing for the bodies and styles of black people. So, he went out and plastered the logos of Louis Vuitton and Gucci on expensive leather, turning them into bomber jackets and jumpsuits that were a hit with the hip-hop world.

It’s this sense of resourcefulness that inspires Delva not to accept her position as an underserved customer, but to do something about it, even if it means starting a clothing line of her own.

Fast Company: Tell me about your brand. 

Diana Delva: Chèlbè is a fashionably tall clothing line catering to women 5’9 and up. The name comes from a creole word that means elegant, chic, or luxurious in dress, style, or design. I’ve translated this concept into a versatile, comfortable, and fashion-forward collection.
 
Pieces are made to accentuate and accommodate lengthier features with longer inseam, torso, and arm lengths. Some of our best sellers include the three-way jumpsuit, which is a twist on a classic black jumpsuit with asymmetrical cuts and front zipper that you can adjust to wear three ways. Others include the Illusion Palazzo Pant, high-waist flowing pants that have the illusion of shifting shades as you walk, or the simple T-shirt dress that makes a statement “Fashionably Tall.”

FC: What made you decide to launch it?

DD: I reached 6’1 by the age of 14 and quickly realized the struggle of shopping tall. I found it even more impossible as I grew older and adopted my own sense of fashion and style. Most tall options available were very basic styles that often didn’t fit my budget.

And as a basketball player, I ran into lots of women who had the same issues. It was even harder for us to show our feminine side because we couldn’t find clothing to reflect that. We would often exchange styling tips and share where we could find clothes. While shopping in mainstream stores, we opted for the men’s section, plus-sized clothing, or the cropped look. We would also pull up our sleeves and wear ankle and high boots that gave the illusion of clothing that fit.

I decided to launch Chèlbè out of pure need. I was tired of endless shopping trips trying on everything that didn’t fit. I wanted on-trend styles that regular-height women could find without the added cost.

FC: Do you feel like black consumers are underserved in your product category? If so, then why and how?
 
DD: I like to think that black consumers are at the forefront of style and setting trends since you often see those same styles mimicked in mainstream fashion. One of the bigger examples is of Gucci replicating a design by Dapper Dan, which after backlash led to a collaboration. Or the variations of cornrows you see in today’s fashion. The selection of tall clothing is very limited and, in some sense, limiting to individual style and expression. But it goes to show the resourcefulness of the black consumer. Whatever the product or budget, black consumers find a way to make it a style of their own.

FC: Are black entrepreneurs underrepresented in your industry? Why do you think this is? 

DD: I think black entrepreneurs are underrepresented in most industries, not just in the fashion world. I think that has to do with the social disparities that black entrepreneurs have to overcome. We are not starting on the same playing field. Statistically black people are less privileged when it comes to basic needs like income and education. It’s a lot harder to break into the fashion world without the proper resources and connections that black entrepreneurs often lack.

FC: Have you faced any obstacles as a person of color trying to launch a business? What are they? How did you overcome them?

DD: I haven’t noticed any obvious obstacles as a person of color launching Chèlbè, not to say they don’t exist.

I have had to build relationships with all types of people, going into every situation color-blind, letting my work and work ethic speak for itself. As in any growing business, there will be lots to overcome and there is always a solution for everything.

In sourcing my fabric from Greece and Lebanon, I’ve gone into situations where there was a distinct cultural and language barrier, but when it came down to it we had two things in common–the fabric and the price. Regardless of color or even language, there is always a common ground in business. You just have to find a way to make it work for everyone involved.

FC: Have you deliberately tried to be a visible face of your brand? 

DD: I’ve actually tried the opposite. I want to build Chèlbè itself as a brand having the designs and meaning speak for themselves: chic, elegant, graceful, and luxurious. Chèlbè is a lifestyle and can be translated into everything you do. I just help dress the part.

FC: What is your advice to other black people who are passionate about fashion/apparel and want to make an impact in this industry?

DD: Stay true to your vision. A lot of times we look for outside approval and conform our vision to be more “acceptable.” I always pass my designs by my sister and friends, even from the early stages when it’s just a drawing and fabric. Sometimes they love it and sometimes they don’t. Most of the time, they can’t really judge until there’s a finished product. Constructive criticism is a great tool to aid you along your journey, but sometimes only you can fully see or understand your ideas, and that’s okay.

About the author

Elizabeth Segran, Ph.D., is a staff writer at Fast Company. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
More

Read the original article

Here's an international selection of stores that sell clothing for tall women. Most of them offer pants with at least a 34" inseam and shirts with extra long sleeves. I'm always looking to add new stores to the link list.

If you find any links here that don't satisfy you as a tall woman please let me know so I can check again. (I haven't got a clue when it comes to women's sizes so I need your help!)

By the way... I have discontinued the "Lingerie Sections". I don't think lingerie is what the tall woman is mainly looking for in this day and age. Feel free to correct me in case I'm wrong.

Please select the country of your choice from the Clothing menu above or right here:

• Featured Clothing Companies
• Clothing Australia
• Clothing Austria
• Clothing Canada
• Clothing Finland
• Clothing France
• Clothing Germany
• Clothing Ireland
• Clothing Netherlands
• Clothing New Zealand
• Clothing Spain
• Clothing Sweden
• Clothing Switzerland
• Clothing UK
• Clothing USA

Die Auswahl an Überlängenbekleidung in Österreich als bescheiden zu bezeichnen wäre eine Untertreibung. Tatsächlich gibt es offensichtlich keine Überlängengeschäfte für große Frauen. Deswegen liste ich hier zwei empfehlenswerte Anbieter, die in Deutschland bzw. der Schweiz beheimatet sind.

Falls diese Website auch Besucherinnen auch Österreich hat, die mir Hinweise geben können - bitte einfach eine kurze This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. schreiben. Ich wäre Euch sehr dankbar.

Here is a - sadly - rather short list of Australian companies that cater to tall(er) ladies. I know that there are quite a few of you out there (in Australia and New Zealand), but I guess the number is not big enough after all. Hopefully there will be more choice in the future. Having said that, it's not all bad (see below). Please remember that a lot of American companies ship globally these days.