More skinny dipping, please, and our tall women's clothing to arrive..

Hello there and welcome to this chapter of Diary of a Tall Women Wanting (Beautiful) Pants That Fit.

In this blog, as someone who is 6'1, with a background in health & wellbeing and a lifetime yearning for beautiful clothes to fit me, we'll explore many of the important issues that tall women face when it comes to fashion, from social norms and representation, the ego, cognitive distortions, and any unconscious behaviours you might have developed due to your height.

For a full back story of how I arrived here designing beautiful clothes for the tall, check out Where to begin: diary of a tall women wanting (beautiful) pants that fit

Here goes chapter 3..

Miss G & I took a summer walk to Crescent Bay, a beach famous for its towering sand dunes and hidden bodyboards, so everyone can enjoy propelling themselves a million miles an hour down from the nosebleed section into the surf.

The sun was high, we had snacks and supplies, and were ready for adventure. I promised Miss G the water would be sensational.

It’s a moderate walk, with some hills and a steep descent, making the first splash a well-deserved reward. Miss G launched straight in, enjoying the waves, while I stayed thigh-high, Akubra hat shielding me from sun and spray.

The first time I visited Crescent Bay a year before, I was tempted to go skinny dipping. I was there with my husband, the water was flat and glassy, and the beach secluded. My heart wanted to dive in, feeling the freedom of the moment - but coyness won, and I entered the water in shorts and a tee. Within moments, however, people appeared out of nowhere, applauding and wishing they’d brought bathers.

This time, though, the waves were higher and crashing more frequently. A rogue wave knocked Miss G completely under, hitting her head on the seabed and holding her there for several intense seconds. She emerged nursing a grazed leg and bumped forehead. And wanting out.

We left the beach after sharing cheese and biscuits and hydrating for the trek back up the hil, laughing at underprepared tourists in wool jumpers, with no sun hats or water bottles. Miss G remarked, “They’ll definitely have a dry head tonight, Mumma.”

At the top, looking back, she was struck by how the same place she had been tossed about was now the most beautiful thing she could remember seeing - the undulation of the water “like slow-moving lava,” she said. We stood silently, and I used the moment to talk about how things can feel dramatic and scary in the moment, yet with distance and reflection, perspective can shift completely.

I am constantly reminded of this.

The Miss G & Me label is the most challenging thing I have ever undertaken. Some days are calm, sun-on-the-water perfect, skinny-dipping moments. Other days, like Miss G in the surf, are relentless: wave after wave, knock after knock, leaving me battered and wanting to retreat.

Back in May 2022, the second batch of Alva Slim Leg Pant was due - the fabric ordered in Feb, but supply chain challenges of COVID were still real. The Ida mandarin Shirt were sent for grading, Maddie Chillax Pant  and Jen Long Sleeve Top were in production, and then a wave hit: one of our patternmakers contracted COVID, closing the studio, and future patterns’ ETA became unknown.

Fast forward to October 2024: our long-term manufacturer announced they were closing, their costs had risen, with productin volume reducing over the years, and they couldn’t pay the rent. Six months later, my “new” manufacturer decided to retire, his kids had finished university, and it was finally his time. Can we keep manufacturing in Australia, I wondered?Nearly a year later, I am finally getting back on track, and realised I had forgotten a vital lesson: the role of acceptance.

There's often tears of overwhelm as I drive into the studio. More skinny-dipping moments, fewer tumbling waves, I want to yell. Selfish? Maybe. But the reality of life is that both pleasant and unpleasant experiences are inevitable, and the wellbeing of everyone in our supply chain must always come first.

I stop my pity party with the memory of that day at Crescent Bay, the gentle rolling perspective of standing apart from the chaos of the waves, reminding me that distance, perspective, and acceptance are my allies.

Acceptance is not saying yes to everything or resigning to circumstance. It is acknowledging what has happened, letting go of how things “should be,” and creating space to choose how to respond constructively.

Penni & Miss G, Cresent bay - 2022

With acceptance, I can move forward, navigating the waves, knowing that flight or fight doesn’t serve me. I can continue to create beautiful clothes for tall Australian women, wave after wave, and sometimes, even in the chaos, find joy.

X

Penni

Miss G and Me is the only Australian-made tall women’s fashion label, which reflects a passion for beautiful and sustainable fashion that fits and lasts. See the range online at missgandme.com.au

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