Welcome to this chapter of Diary of a Tall Women Wanting (Beautiful) Pants (and slacks) That Fit.
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
In a nutshell - if in doubt, size down in your selection of Miss G & Me clothing- here's why.
A long conversation with our patternmaker was had to discuss our sizing and why many of you are able to 'size down' in Miss G & Me garments.
But first, a note - it is widely accepted worldwide, there is no 'standard' in sizing, each label is dressing its own unique market - ours happens to be taller women, who are uniquely different to the taller lass beside them, and it's worth noting Witchery (82cm) and Veronika Maine (83cm) both have a larger waist circumference for a size 14, than Miss G & Me (81cm).
Our patternmakers have confirmed, that not only can our legs be longer, but as our rise and torso are generally longer, too - the waistband of mainstream store clothes sits lower on our hips, or in the instance of shirts, jumpers and dresses, higher on our waist than the body they were designed for (in 2011-12, the average Australian woman was 161.8 cm tall and weighed 71.1 kg), hence the need for extra circumference and a bigger size than when dressing in Miss G & Me.
Other than us being taller than the general population, this is where our similarities often cease; gees, even our heads can be longer - Tall women want the cherry on top, too!
I only have XS and size 10 pants from pre-2019 Long Tall Sally days and in my label, I am wearing a size 14 (full blame going to the COVID 19kgs that found me for the increase), but when I shop in mainstream stores a size 14 is too small because the waistband is sitting on my hips - cue muffin top scenario, and not my waist, so I need to purchase a larger size. And most likely, if you're taller than the 'avg', this will be the case for you - and the back will gap...
Photo by Ludovic Avice on Unsplash
And as the plot thickens, many of us are so unfamiliar with pants sitting on or above our waist, that it is not our preferred length. I know I appreciate pants sitting on my hips, not at my waist, mainly to visually elongate my waist or avoid the gapping back that a larger size pant provides.
A little bit of the Stockholm phenomenon sneaking in, maybe? Have we developed a coping mechanism for wearing clothes that don't fit and accepted that's where pants and dresses are going to sit? Or identify with a subjective number on a garment?
"I've never been a 12"..." I'm a firm XL"
When I designed the Marilyn Italian Cotton Shirt, I shared with you that the original cuff was supposed to be contemporarily longer, but wearing the sample shirt triggered me - the cuff & sleeve seam sat where mainstream shirts usually finish on my arms and I quite literally freaked out - the design was changed immediately to what we have, today.
Tall Women's Pants and Stockholm Phenomenon, hmmm. To counter that, some healthy curiosity is required from us all as Miss G & Me continues to make a positive impact on Australian Women and their pant-wearing journey, and let's not forget those epic overseas lasses enjoying our garments - here's waving at you Beth in Germany Tall Fashion Adventures.
We have garment specs listed for each garment - inside leg length, pant rise, relaxed waist circumference, underarm length (oh, how important is this baby!!), so you can measure yourself and compare.
Here's a download you can write your details down on
We have created fit badges - how you could expect the garment to fit on you, listed for each garment - you could, and I do, wear two different sizes of Maddie Chillax depending on your mood and activity. Size 12 is my active size and 14 is when I am in full winter on the couch mode.
We offer you a buy 1, try 2 offer - you can read more about that here in the Fit & Sizing section.
And lastly, give me a call or email to discuss.
Those who have called, and provided feedback and notes on their return slips have already contributed to a change in design - Una Italian Wool Pant has a 90cm of straight leg inside leg length, and a 3 cm lower rise than 'Jil' - which are perfect for lasses taller than 6'2!
Meg who wears a size AU22-24 finds a size 20 Maddie perfect for her - she called and trusted the process.
Livia used the Buy 1, Try 2 and kept both pairs of Alva
Hanney returned Jil, and was open to fitting on Una - and now adores the Navy and Black.
Louise found Alva Slim Leg too short, so opted for Monique Straight Leg - and LOVES them
The 'systems' we have created work, tall women can now have the luxury of choice, which is proven to significantly contribute to an individual's wellbeing.
And you can too.
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