Talbots

Talbots is a leading retailer and direct marketer of women's classic apparel, shoes and accessories. We're known for providing gracious service and a quality selection of timeless wardrobe essentials in a broad range of sizes.

Our Heritage

In 1947, our founders Nancy and Rudolph Talbot opened their first shop in Hingham, Mass. a quaint New England town not far from Boston. Their business quickly became known as "the store with the red door" and a go-to destination for classic style, great color, impeccable tailoring and personalized service. In 1948, Nancy and Rudy launched their direct mail business by distributing 3,000 black-and-white fliers to names obtained from The New Yorker magazine. Today, there are nearly 500 Talbots stores throughout the U.S. (45 states) and Canada with catalogs and an e-commerce site reaching a vast audience of customers around the world.

They have a "Long / Tall Lengths" section

Visit their website

Tall and terrific by Rikke Andersen

5'11" Kerstin writes: "There is a fashion-book called Tall and terrific. It is from 1985 or -86 but I think it can be useful. I think you can buy it from www.abebooks.com or www.biblio.com

Buy it from amazon.com

Tall by Design New Zealand

Tall Womens Clothing

Searching for extra long pants and extra long jeans, then Tall by Design is a specialist tall women's clothing store for you. Our Tall womens clothes are created long in length - whether you are a size 8 or 20. Our Tall Clothes for women are carefully proportioned and styled to flatter your tall silhouette. Manufactured by Tall by Design and a mix of local and international designers, we have created a fashionable range of long tall garments for tall women in New Zealand, including long jeans and long pants, longer length skirts, dresses, tops and many more tall essential pieces.

If you are visiting our site from Australia, check out www.tallbydesign.com.au.

Visit their website

Tall Is about More Than Height, Says Local Clothing Company

Two sisters set out to create a fashion line, Amalli Talli, that caters to tall women, building a community of body positivity locally and online

By Anne Kopas, Published: November 2017

Local clothing company Amalli Talli describes its mission with a provocative tagline: “We strongly believe that tall isn’t solely defined by height and comes in a variety of shapes and sizes.”

Wait, tall isn’t defined by height?

It’s a piece of the larger fashion trend of body positivity, of accepting that we’re not all built like supermodels and that every body is different. Amy Rosenthal and Alli Black, two sisters who stand 6’ 3.5” and 5’10.5” respectively, understand this on a personal level. Despite both being tall, each sister found different challenges in shopping the “tall” sections of women’s clothing. Some women carry their height in long torsos; others with long legs. Because of this, one tall size doesn’t always fit all.

The sisters opened Amalli Talli in an Eden Prairie mall in 2014 to provide clothing that met both their own needs and those of other tall women. “We needed a solution that represented the full spectrum of women,” Rosenthal says. They borrowed concepts from men’s clothing sizing, labeling their selection by inseam length and other measures of proportion instead of the ambiguous numbers that plague most women’s clothing. The sisters describe the store’s style as “approachable,” offering both staple pieces (jeans, black dresses, activewear) and trendier clothing (the type of thing you’d see on Pinterest, Rosenthal says).

During their time as a brick-and-mortar shop before going exclusively online last year, Rosenthal and Black say the emotional response to their clothing was unexpected. Women would laugh or cry with relief at finding clothing that made them feel at home in their own body after feeling self-conscious about their height for so long. They describe a long-legged woman who was still too short to shop most “tall” shops, and her excitement over finally finding jeans that fit. “We want to create a community where women feel comfortable,” Black says.

In order to expand this community, Amalli Talli closed their physical store and went online-only. It's a sign of the times, not a sign of defeat: it's simply easier to reach a wider audience if your customers can shop from their homes. So far, the sisters say they’ve received messages of thanks from women as far away as Australia. “It speaks to the time that we’re in,” Black says. It also allows them to grow their private label, in addition to their curated selection of clothing from other designers.

As the business grows, the sisters hope to make a positive contribution to the self-esteem of tall women everywhere. As Black writes on Amalli Talli’s website, “Nothing is more rewarding than giving people the opportunity to feel good about themselves.” 

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Alyssa Vermell is the answer to every tall woman's fashion question... where can I buy fashionable apparel that will fit my frame?

Alyssa Vermell will be the new Fashion Destination for Tall Women. The place where every woman who shops here will finally know, that Tall is Beautiful. First, let's meet Ashley! The Founder/CEO of Alyssa Vermell Apparel!

At 5'11.5'' (ok ok I'm 6 feet tall) I have always struggled to find clothes that fit my tall frame. I played sports throughout high school and college so I was able to skirt through life wearing work out clothes and a basketball uniform. But when it came to clothes for work, special occasions, or even a date night I usually came up short. Literally. Jacket/shirt sleeves were never long enough, tops usually never fit my torso, and my pants always made it seem like I was preparing for a flood! At one point, I actually started wearing Men's jeans because there were no Women's jeans that offered a 36in inseam! I did what I had to do, but I never quite felt beautiful in what I was wearing.

Fast forward a few years when I graduated from college (Georgia Tech, ISyE '08) and started working in Corporate America. I was still faced with very few clothing options. I went to some of the big box retailers like the Gap and New York and Co but their selections for tall woman were quite basic. Boxy black and grey pants and jackets and cardigans that made me look quite dowdy! (a top 5 fear of 22 year old) This had to change! I just couldn't believe that this was my fashion fate! Tall women should have the same opportunity to love what they wear just as much as anyone else! So as I spent my days developing medical devices and innovating new products at my corporate job, I spent my nights attending Fashion Design school and thinking about how to turn my dream of creating a Tall Woman's fashion empire into a reality.

Fast forward a few more years to 2015. After four years and tens of thousands of dollars of my own savings, I am finally ready to launch my first line for Alyssa Vermell!!! I started with some wardrobe staples that all tall women need but as the business grows I will develop more designs.

Visit her kickstarter campaign

Tall Maternity Store

My name is Gillian and I am the founder of Mummy Long Legz, a brand of tall maternity clothes sold exclusively through Tall Maternity Store. That’s me in the photo with my son Harrison. Harrison is there as he is the entire reason that Mummy Long Legz was created and he continues to be my ray of sunshine through the particularly frantic days!

In 2007 whilst expecting Harrison I suddenly encountered a problem. My bump was getting bigger, I was popping out of my clothes and I could literally find nothing to wear.  Now I’m not particularly tall, I’m 5ft 9” which is pretty short compared to some of our customers. However I have a 36” inside leg. There was nothing available and after trawling the shops and internet I realised that my choices were limited to skirts, dresses or chilly ankles! It soon became clear that lots of ladies were in the same position and it seemed that retailers weren’t catering for pregnant ladies with height.

I decided that I would make it my mission to design a pair of tall maternity trousers that ticked all the boxes. They had to be comfortable, flattering, reasonably priced and most importantly long! I spent hours researching fabrics, sizing, manufacturing processes and spent my pregnant months obsessing over my mission! We found a great manufacturer in sunny Manchester and we were set to go. I built myself a basic website and we were in business.

The feedback was great and all of a sudden we were receiving emails thanking us and praising us on the fit. Now bearing in mind we had one style of trousers this was all very encouraging. Things have come on a long way since then but our core values have remained the same. We are still dedicated to designing comfortable flattering styles that are reasonably priced and look great on the taller frame. These days we work with a dedicated team of professionals who are as committed  to our values as we are including pattern makers, manufacturers, web designers, and photographers, all striving to perfect the Mummy Long Legz experience.

We are a family business and we never want to lose the personal touch. I oversee the entire design and manufacturing process, answer all emails personally and I’m the one packaging your order up in pretty tissue!

Our customers are our friends, we appreciate every order and sincerely thank you all for helping us to get where we are today.

We hope you love the collection and if you have any ideas for future additions to the range please get in touch. We love hearing from mum to be’s so whatever your question or even if you just fancy a chat drop us a line.

Visit their website

Tall Size

We want to start by saying that not all tall people play basketball. But for us, that is where our story starts. Kayla and Kesia had just moved to Barrie, ON and Nicole invited Kayla to try out for a basketball team. Even though the basketball didn't stick for all of us, the friendship did!

Through relocations, school, and career changes, we continued to stay in touch, and to relate on the many issues that only tall girls face: people commenting on how tall you are, the lack of leg room, standing out in a crowd and the dreaded issue of finding clothes that fit! That issue in particular was the one that persisted. From the disappointment of going into a store and realizing they don't carry your size to the frustration of having to sacrifice style or fit just to get the right length.

So together we created the vision for #TallSize. Similar to Plus Size, we want Tall Size clothing to be normalized among retailers. Our goal is to make shopping accessible and fun for tall women so that they can feel beautiful and confident in their own skin.

Visit the Tall Size website

From wide-fit shoes and maternity ranges to plus-size accessories, there's something for everyone in UK shops. The question is, why do they bother where others don't?

Read the full article on the Guardian website

Tall Vibes

Vi erbjuder både egentillverkade och köpta kläder specialgjorda för långa kvinnor. Yttre ärm på överdelar är nästan alltid 70cm och benlängden 38 tum. Ett fåtal plagg är något kortare. Vi har även mindre och större storlekar och är man över 2 meter så finns det plagg för den längden också. Välkommen med mejl om ni undrar över något! Alla priser är i svenska kronor.

Vi kommer nu till Danmark så passa på att prova kläderna live. 24/4 Scandic Hvidovre, Kettevej 4, 2650 Hvidovre, öppet 14.00-21.00. 25/4 Scandic Kolding, Kokholm 2, DK 6000 Kolding, öppet 9.00-14.00. Välkomna!

Website

Taller Than Your Average

Well-fitting staple pieces are the foundation to effortless style, whatever your height or size. That's why London-based fashion stylist Irene Agbontaen has created Taller Than Your Average: an apparel brand offering simple but high-quality pieces that are specifically cut for women who are 5'9" or taller.

Not based on trend or seasonal collections, TTYA provides tall women with a range of staple jersey pieces and key wardrobe essentials, to fit in with any woman's existing wardrobe and style.

Taller Than Your Average is not just a brand but a lifestyle for the taller woman

As the founder of TALLER THAN YOUR AVERAGE, and former fashion stylist, Irene Agbontaen knows first hand the frustration many tall females experience when looking for suitable and stylish basics.

Standing at 5'11" herself, Irene decided to start her own brand dedicated to tall women; no more would she have to roll up sleeves on her tops or wear men's sizes.

All Irene ever wanted was staple jersey pieces she could grab and thrown on quickly, as her job required her to be constantly on the move or travelling; Items she could pair up with her existing wardrobe that were light and practical - unable to find this, she decided to make her own.

Visit their website

Just added them to the Clothing UKsection: Taller Than Your Average.

Target

Tall women's jeans and pants with up to 38 inch inseams

Target Corporation is an American retailer that operates large retail stores primarily across North America that offer a multitude of goods. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart, and is a component of the S&P 500 Index. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the company was founded as Goodfellow Dry Goods in 1902. The first Target store was opened in 1962; it became the largest division of the Dayton-Hudson Corporation, and was consequently renamed the Target Corporation in 2000.

As of 2015, Target operates 1,801 locations throughout the United States. Their retail formats include the discount store Target, the hypermarket SuperTarget, and small-format stores previously named CityTarget and TargetExpress before being consolidated under the Target branding.

Visit the Target website

Teni the Label

Teni The Label launched December 2021 with a mission to focus on simple and classic designs specifically for tall women.

With our founder being a tall woman herself, we understand the pain points experienced by tall women, which we further validated through market research. So we don’t just add inches, we develop pieces factoring in the measurements of a tall woman’s overall frame.

We aim to offer trousers that cover ankles, tops that cover wrists, and dresses with the right hemline for a taller woman.

From the whole team, thank you for your support and we welcome you to explore the collection.

The Elevated Closet (formerly RG Maternity)

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

The Elevated Closet’s mission is to provide more clothing options for TALL women. We know you have experienced all of the frustrations trying to find clothing that actually fitsin the general market. Tired of waistlines hitting you at the ribs? Sleeves and pant legs that are too short? We’ve got you covered. In addition to extra length, our clothes have adjusted waists, busts, and joint-lines to fit your taller frame.

History: We started in 2007 as RG Maternity, a clothing shop for tall pregnant women. After eleven years of business and countless requests to add “regular” tall clothing, we relaunched in 2018 as The Elevated Closet and added clothing for every stage of life.

The Elevated Closet is owned and operated by two friends. Thank you for supporting a family-operated business!

Visit the Elevated Closet website

Today Style - The long and short of it: Spring trends for petite and tall girls alike!

We're dreaming of spring and with a new season, comes fun new fashion. But don't go thinking you're too tall or too short to try a certain trend! Mary Kate McGrath, the editor-in-chief of lifestyle site PureWow, visited TODAY Friday to share the hottest spring looks and how to pull them off no matter your height.

Read the full article on the Today website (includes the video)

The Debrief: Apparently most retailers think if you're a tall women you also drive lorries for a living

Having long legs is one of the many things people say they really want but actually don’t. Like a Magimix – too heavy. Or to not live in London – no Ubers. Deep down we know we’re lucky not to have thick curly hair as it would always be knotty and we know being very tall is a thankless, hopeless task tempered only marginally by the fact we apparently have the shape to 'wear ponchos' or over-the-knee-boots or any other useless items of clothing we never want to wear.

Don’t believe me? I’ve lived with this six foot frame for ten years and know the highs and lows of having long legs. The highs are as follows:

People always let you sit in the front of the car and you always gracefully accept, knowing it doesn’t really make that much difference at all. Sometimes people compliment you on your long legs. That’s all.

And here are the lows:

Tall sections in clothing shops

If you walk through the petite section of a women’s shop, here’s what you’ll find: little blouses, floaty tea dresses, skimpy skirts, crop tops, fitted jackets, cute culottes and playsuits. They offer a selection of feminine clothing, ranging from looking like a member of Little Mix, to a Snow White costume. 

However, no such thing can be found in the dreaded tall section. For some reason all retail buyers think that if you’re a tall woman you also drive lorries for a living. The highstreet’s tall ranges offer the following: big grey jumpers, big black trousers, khaki jackets and cargo pants. Good luck finding anything to wear to a party that doesn’t make you look like a cameraman. 

There’s also a famous, very large shop in central London where one must walk through the petites section to get to the tall section. This is a particularly humiliating experience for any long-legged, broad-shouldered, big-footed she-man as every cute-as-a-button Polly Pocket sized woman looks at you while you stomp thunderously through their section, the floor shaking, Hall Of The Mountain King basically playing as you go. 

I am jealous of all of them. I hate women who talk about how tiny they are, knowing it makes them as adorable as a Beatrix Potter mouse. I hate the petite section. I hate the word 'petite.'

Ankle grazing trousers

When you have an outer leg measurement over 40 inches, you learn to just accept that trousers will never look exactly how they’re meant to look and rejoiced when the newly popular 'rolled-up boyfriend style' jean recently had its day. The hem of every pair of jeans you own sit just above your ankles and you can’t remember a time when it was any different.

Camel toe

Camel toe is de riguer for the long-legged lady and is why she will avoid jumpsuits or rompers unless they are very loose fitting. For the long-legged lady is more often than not also the long-bodied lady and there are few all in one ensembles that accommodate the length of a tall woman from crotch to shoulders without the gusset being hungrily eaten by her boofer, resulting in the aforementioned camel toe.

Writing this section has made me want to die.

Extra leg room on Easyjet

For many years I tried to cram my long and cumbersome pins into the shoe box space that is the seat of a budget flight resulting in cramp, tears and mood-swings that continued hours if not days into the holiday.

But - no more. We do not have to suffer in silence. For a measly 10-15 pounds, we can BUY extra legroom. I’ve done it twice so far – there’s no looking back.

Bottom flashing

All short skirts are a little too short when you have long legs. A 'midi' falls above the knee and a 'mini' should be renamed 'a bottom grazer.' Bottom grazers can look fantastic but are wildly impractical as you cannot bend, stretch, touch your hair or hug anyone without flashing your bottom. Basically you can walk slowly and stand and that’s about it.

Personally, I don't mind this, because having long legs is often the only thing I am pleased about. Although I am aware I look like one of those women who only wears inappropriately short skirts and is never seen in trousers because she was once told by a drunk insurance broker in an All Bar One that she has the best legs he had ever seen and has held onto this token compliment ever since.

Pretending to sit on a man’s knee

This is a particularly strenuous exercise. Tall girls weigh more – they just do. We pretend we’re in the same ball park as you, but we’re really not. Your fat weight is our skinny weight – there is simply more of us.

But people don’t seem to get that. When you tell them how much you weigh – they’re shocked. When they drunkenly throw you over their shoulder in a fireman’s lift, you can feel them huffing and puffing, surprised that you are basically a very large shelving unit. Only a very gangly woman knows the embarrassment of when a boyfriend boisterously pulls you to sit on his knee in a pub and the subsequent quad muscle tremor that comes from squatting very subtly above his thighs and pretending it’s your whole weight.

So next time you say you wish you were a leggy six foot thing, remember all the downsides and be grateful for what you have. And also really don’t buy a Magimix, get married instead and you might get one for free.

Follow Dolly on Twitter @dollyalderton

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Clothes that don't fit and beds that aren't long enough - it's not all easy

Mark Mason

Why don't tall people get the same sympathy as short people? Everyone feels sorry for minnows, cutting them slack when they talk loudly in meetings or get themselves elected Speaker of the House of Commons. But tall people are seen as life's victors; the ones you want to be, the ones who get everything their own way. It just isn't the case.

I'm not actually that tall — 6ft 1in — but even I encounter problems. Cashpoints are too low, hotel beds are too short, train seats don't have enough leg room. In the days of phone boxes, I spent every call hunched over (not enough lead). I regularly have to bend at the knees to use mirrors, and am sometimes forced to take showers kneeling down, because the head hasn't been fixed high enough up the wall. What's that you say? Have a bath instead? I would — if that wasn't too short as well. It's a choice between sitting bolt upright or resting my feet against the tiles somewhere near the ceiling.

And if I'm struggling, what's it like for the 6ft 4-and-above brigade? The other day I used a walkway in the Barbican where I only had three inches clearance — anyone that much taller than me would have had to stoop. I know, the whole Barbican is a design-free zone, but it's far from the only place. Much of modern Britain is structurally tallist.

It was only when talking to a friend who's 6ft 6 that I realised just how troublesome clothing can be. All I've ever had to do is buy shirts with extra-long sleeves, but Rob has an extra problem with casual shirts. 'They all expose my navel when I stretch. And not in a winsome, sexy way.' Trousers are a nightmare. My inside leg is 34 inches, Rob's is 36, and apparently those extra two inches make all the difference. 'They dramatically limit your options,' he says. 'I can buy suits from T.M. Lewin and jeans from Gap — and that's it.' Rob once walked into a tailor's on Jermyn Street and asked if they had anything to fit him. 'The bloke held up a tie.'

It's even worse for women. 'There's a shop called Long Tall Sally that every tall woman goes to once,' says my friend Emma (6ft). 'You're desperately hoping you'll find a pair of trousers that go all the way down to your shoes. The customers lurk between the rails of polyester stretch, taking furtive glances at each other, all thinking: "Well at least I'm not that tall."' Emma's amazed at people's attitudes when they meet her. 'They think it's perfectly fine to say, "God you're tall, do you find it difficult to get shoes?" Imagine if I said to a fat stranger, "Do you find it difficult to get clothes?"'

Then there's the matter of relationships. How often do you see a woman with a man shorter than her? There's the odd exception — the ex-Mrs Bernie Ecclestone, for instance — but for whatever reason it seems to be a no-no. Germaine Greer (6ft) says she never learned to dance backwards because she always had to take the male role. Some tall women (and indeed men) hunch their shoulders in an attempt to hide their height. The habit never goes away, no matter how successful you become.

Tall poppy syndrome, of course, that's what they call it. Rosamund Beattie (6ft 4), a member of the Tall Persons Club — not a joke, they really do find life difficult — says it's like being famous but without the money. The club's website relates that tall children are 'disproportionately likely to be bullied at school, something that most adults do not appreciate. The tall child has to be the aggressor, right? Wrong.'

There can also be health problems. Louise Ross (6ft 3, another TPC member), has had 'dodgy knees since I was ten'. Her loose ligaments have necessitated 12 operations. OK, such troubles will only be common for out-liers like her. But even if the 'averagely tall' like me don't suffer health issues, we do encounter regular irritations. The glass shelves that stand above bars in many pubs — I can only order my round by squatting slightly. Someone my height could never work behind that bar: they'd be in agony after the first shift.

Yes, I know all this is going to sound rich to someone of below average height. 'I'll swap places with you,' they'll be saying. Fair enough. On balance I'd rather be 6ft 1 than 5ft 5. But it's still true that, as so often, a supposedly desirable outcome in life is slightly less desirable than you might think. Before you look at a tall person and say you wish you were them, walk a mile in their shoes. Assuming they've been able to find any.

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The Tall Girl's Guide To Denim Shopping

Ray Lowe
‎October‎ ‎4‎, ‎2017

If you're any size that deviates from what brand's consider to be "standard," finding a decent pair of jeans for a decent price can feel like a frustrating experience. For tall girls specifically, the solution isn't as simple as heading to a tailor — especially when there's not enough material to work with in the first place. A standard inseam runs around 32" to 33", which is just enough for 5' 6" woman... in flats. But a successful find for above average heights isn't just about the length of the inseams. Most brands offering "longer" bottoms don't properly adjust for different fits and sizes (not everyone over 5' 7" has a Karlie Kloss figure, you know).

With that in mind, more brands are starting to offer "tall" specific pieces. Loft, Old Navy, the ever trusty throwback Abercrombie & Fitch - they all sell a steady selection of denim tailored towards the longer-limbs. To make things even easier, we've pulled out the the most flattering cuts and fits from brands that know a tall girl's pain.

No more unintentional high water jeans for this crew. For pants that will finally fit, click ahead.

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Jul 7, 2016 6:30 PM
Alice Casely-Hayford

"Go high or go home" has been my shoe mantra since I finally accepted my height — all six feet of it — about eight years ago. Throughout my teen years, I was crippled with insecurity about my BFG-esque stature: I towered above the boys I fancied, was over half-a-foot taller than all of my friends, and my gym teachers always assumed I would be the best in my class (I hate sports and breaking a sweat, have minimal to no athletic abilities, and subsequently disappointed a lot of people).

Shopping, too, was a constant struggle. Fits were never quite right: jeans were ankle-swinging, and sleeves showed too much wrist for my liking. On nights out, I was always the one in flats while my friends showed off their new heels. And with my broad shoulders, too, sometimes the cut of a top was so tight, I'd be hunched over like Quasimodo. It was not a good look.

But hold the violins: This story ends quite happily. Thankfully, by the time I went to college, the boys grew, I discovered some of the advantages of being tall (no ID for me!), and I finally found the right pieces to not just cover, but flatter, my long limbs. For those who feel the same, here's what I've learned: Don't feel like a kitten heel is your only option. Don't feel limited by your wardrobe, feel liberated. And ignore anyone who remarks on your height.

I've also figured out how to wear just about anything thrown my way. Ahead, are six fail-safe outfit options and items that will help all the (tall) ladies in the place embrace their inches.

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This D.C. Fashion Designer Ditched Her Law Career To Make Clothes For Tall Women

by Staff in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 14, 2017 10:48 am

By DCist contributor Mimi Montgomery

At 5 feet 10 inches, Meghan Evans has always struggled to find clothes that fit her tall frame well. She’d buy mediums and larges for extra length, but the clothing would hang boxy and loose. Once she moved to D.C. in 2015 to work as a lawyer, that problem was only amplified.

“The biggest problem mass marketers face is that tall is not simply adding two inches to your hemline and calling it ‘tall build,’” Evans says. Many retailers like J. Crew and Ann Taylor market to taller women, but don’t always take into consideration that things like bust darts, waist lines, pocket placements and armpit holes are all affected by height.

So Evans decided to take matters into her own hands, and her eponymous clothing line was born.

For its debut this month, she sticks to the business-casual classics: A pink tweed blazer, a blue peplum top, and a textured knit dress are all available on her website, and Evans has plans in the works for pop-up shops, as well.

“I realized how hard it was to find clothes you could wear during the week and on the weekend,” Evans says, especially as a woman requiring specifically tailored clothing. “When I moved to D.C., I obviously didn’t have a full-size closet in my condo, and I don’t want a work wardrobe or a weekend wardrobe or an evening wardrobe. I want stuff that can go from my job to drinks with friends to brunch on the weekends.”

Evans has always loved fashion, purchasing dresses on-sale that would be too short for her and having them tailored into custom tops. But she never thought her style savvy could translate into anything other than a hobby. That is until she realized she had a unique insight into what constituted well-made, frame-fitting clothing for professional women of taller height.

Still, she was a lawyer, not a fashion designer.

So Evans purchased a few books on sketching fashion designs, found a local seamstress in D.C. and began consulting with her, bringing in pieces from her own wardrobe to provide examples and instruction. Trips to trade shows and fabric stores in New York’s Garment District followed, and Evans polled fellow tall friends and scoured online clothing reviews for market research.

Her law background came in handy for the business side of things, too, such as selecting her corporate structure, registering her line and completing the paperwork for it to be incorporated. Plus, it helped her be more judicious in her business planning. “It just makes you very aware and forward-looking,” she says. “Before I take one step, I’m always thinking ten steps beyond…It’s not that you don’t take risks, but they’re calculated and informed.”

Of course, starting one’s own business is a risk itself. Earlier this year, Evans quit her job at a D.C. law firm to pursue her fashion line full-time, a career shift that came with its own struggles.

“It can be lonely,” she says of being an entrepreneur. “Especially if you’re venturing into an area that you’re not trained in formally or have a degree in, and therefore don’t have friends from school as a built-in network.”

But Evans is thankful to have started her line here in D.C., citing its design culture as more open-armed and much less intimidating than that of New York or L.A.

“D.C. has a vibrant community for small and local business, so it’s fun to get to know that community,” she says. She cites local designers such as Rebekah Murray of Virginia Dare Dress Co. and Mimi Miller of Mimi Miller Womenswear as inspiration, guiding Evans throughout the design process with advice and mentorship. “They’re very welcoming, supportive and helpful. It’s been amazing to see how friendly people are.”

And with her plans for future expansion, it’s safe to say Evans could soon be giving out advice to a mentee of her own. Her winter line is currently in the works and will debut later this year, which Evans says will be filled with darker colors and more patterns.

Designing a clothing line while managing a business can be a stretch, but luckily Evans is tall enough to reach it.

Contact the author of this article or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with further questions, comments or tips.

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