I ordered two dresses the other day for an upcoming summer ball. The colour. Perfect. The fit. Perfect. The length. Don't go there.
This is a regular occurrence - I will seek out a beautiful floor-length gown, only for it to look like it has been hemmed half a foot too short. At 5'9 and a bit, my height is - ironically - the minimum requirement the modelling industry demands for the catwalk. (Catalogue modelling comes in a little shorter, at 5'8). But whilst the length of my body may be a forte in some professions, when it comes to everyday dressing it's often another matter. For all those lovely ladies out there who are also tall, I'm sure you can relate....
Take tights, for example. You want a 'small', but retailers seem to equate small in
size with small in
height. So you settle for a medium or large and just have to deal with the incessant pulling up of tights as they slip down your legs. This is not what they show in the movies.
Or crop tops. You hope they will neatly skim your mid-driff, showing just a subtle hint of skin. Instead, they fall right under your bust and you end up showing so much stomach the delivery man wonders if you got dressed up for a Spice Girls re-union party. Each to their own.
I'm a massive fan of rolling up the bottom of my jeans. But (unless you've shopped in the tall section), most jeans will already graze your ankle, which means rolling them up even slightly will result in a
Are those cropped or are those just rolled up? look. First world struggles just got a whole lot real.
And THEN there's heels. Oh, the bain of my life. I've known women (often nearer the 6ft mark) actively refuse to wear them because they think they will look abnormally tall. I say heck to that and will continue wearing heels at events. (Block boots are my favourite).
But I cannot tell you the number of times a drunk person (often, a guy who falls minutely shorter, thanks to the extra height) will make some banal comment enquiring why I wear heels - as if all tall girls should all be banned.
To said guy, a) they make your legs look longer, b) they look bloody great, c) you should try them.
Rant over, there are some positives of being tall. If your outfit is killer, you'll stand out. The extra inches are ideal for seeking out that lost friend in the club. And you will always pass the minimum height range when it comes to rides at Alton Towers (hey, priorities). Most importantly, more and more retailers are starting a
Tall range, so we really shouldn't complain.
Well, not till that perfect dress has been found.
