I was wearing a scoop neck bodysuit on one of the most uncomfortable nights of my life. It was a last minute purchase for a party that I, in the error of my ways, neglected to try on first. Because what’s the worst that can happen in a banging new bodysuit?
Well, spoiler alert. When you’re 5ft 11 with a longer than average erm, everything, quite a bit can go wrong in a poorly proportioned low cut body, my friends. We're talking visible bra, prominent VPL, strap malfunction and the longest lasting self inflicted wedgie that the world has ever seen.
Until then I'd allowed myself to live in the ill fitted ignorance that shopping for tall clothes was just about trying to find one pair of jeans that weren’t skinny low-rise ankle grazers. But in reality, it’s actually really hard to find clothes that genuinely work with rather than against your body as a whole.
Thankfully though, some of our favourite shops on the high street do cater to the vertically gifted. So I took me, my beloved (read: scruffy) Nike SD trainers and my 33 inch (inside) leg for a walk in search of the best, tall friendly clothes out there right now. Snaps for me for fitting my whole body in each and every selfie.
The time (and life) saver
You know it's a good day when you can throw on one item of clothing and strut out the door knowing you've nailed it. That's where this baby from & Other Stories comes in.
Oversized is your friend, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I find that something big and lose on top tends to bring a nice balance to my otherwise leg heavy frame. And the material of the shirt-dress is an absolute dream, btw.
The ‘I’m definitely still wearing my pyjamas underneath’ one
God I love a wide leg trouser. It’s like you get to be unapologetically comfortable and trendy all at the same time. What’s great about & Other Stories is that although they don’t stock a ‘tall’ collection, per say, most of their items lend themselves to longer limbs anyway. Yep, those trousers go all the way to the floor, you guys.
I paired mine with a relaxed turtleneck jumper to keep it all quite laid back, but the trousers would work just as well with a pair of heels and a nice blouse if you wanted to smarten it up a bit.
The ‘I’m going to make this crop look intentional’ one
Ah the jumpsuit. What a luxury it’d be to find one that fit in all the right places, amirite? It’s a tall ask when your height is bordering on 6ft, so sometimes you just have to work with what you’ve got.
Luckily cropped wide leg trousers and culottes are still a thing people are into so if the leg length isn’t quite working for you but you’ve fallen in love with the outfit (dammit, Mango), you can totally make it look like they intentionally stop above the ankle. Anything with adjustable shoulder straps normally works a treat too.
The homage to your early teens
Denim miniskirts are pretty unforgiving because let’s face it, there’s nowhere to hide. Either it fits, or it doesn’t. But hellooooo Topshop Tall. Their collection tailored specifically for women 5ft 7’ and taller is a god send.
Oh, and what’s that? A leather jacket that’s actually long enough for your body? That falls nice and comfortably at the hips instead of floating somewhere near your belly button? Miracles do happen.
The bloody adorable and totally safe to wear in public look
I don’t know why, but I reckon it’s quite hard to feel cute when you’re tall. Cute is normally associated with all things small and cuddleable, not long, leggy and hard to get your arms around.
But I’m not gonna lie, I felt bloody adorable in this Topshop pinafore. Look at it! Especially when it passed the ‘will I flash strangers if I have to bend over and tie my shoe?’ test. Win, win.
A lesson in looking like you completely have your life together
The trench coat is a powerful thing. It’s like an instant grown-up-ifier. But, it only works if it fits properly. Over the years I’ve spent far too much of my time trying to find a trench with sleeves long enough for my arms and had pretty much given up hope until I stumbled across this one in River Island.
The sleeves reach my wrists and falling just below the knee, it’s a really nice length to add to your coat arsenal. The belt at the waist is also great on long coats for taller girls because it adds a bit of shape to your outfit and draws attention to your midsection rather than your legs for once.
The ‘I didn’t expect to like it but now I need it in my life’ one
I’m normally pretty intimidated by anything patterned or floral, especially on my bottom half. But this River Island skirt changed my world. Literally. I was surprised to find it was such a flattering fit and length for something that wasn’t actually labelled as ‘for tall women whose legs are a million miles long’.
The frilled hem makes it, once again mixing up the shape and adding some dimension to an otherwise very up and down outfit. And if you weren’t feeling the fitted top, it would look just as cool with an oversized sweater if you really wanted to.
The pinstripe and leather combo you didn’t see coming
Never have I ever found leather look leggings that fit. Ever. I’m just too long and they don’t like me. But then Next produced these and we became friends. They’re a gazillion times more comfortable that you’d imagine and I think I’d wear them so frequently out of the sheer joy at finding a pair that hide, yes, hide, my ankles.
Next is brill because they offer a tall fit that feels like it actually fits rather than just having an extra few inches thrown at the hem. Oh, and I’m a very big fan of the puffy sleeves on this pinstripe top.
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‘That’s A Lot Of Skin’: The Perils Of Being A Tall Girl In A Short Skirt
Follow Jazmin on Instagram @JazKopotsha
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.