We got ourselves a lanky professor here! Read on, pardners!
I do not serve in an ordained capacity – I teach undergrad religion courses at a denominational liberal arts college while I am completing my dissertation at [X] Divinity – but I do consider the vocation of such teaching to be an important reflection of both the church which as called me and the God whom we serve. So, I really appreciate the advice on your blog.
I have a question about finding
age-approriate, professional-looking clothing in small (but NOT petite) sizes on a grad-student/adjunct professor salary. I am not tall, but I guess taller than average at 5’6″, and I can sometimes hold up a size 4. But sometimes not. Clothing manufacturers seem to assume that to be my size means to be either pre-pubescent or geriatric. I rarely have the liberty of being particular about the style of clothes – I struggle to just find something that will stay on.I have learned that skirts work better than pants. But I’d love suggestions on places that sell nice clothes in small sizes at regular lengths.
Thanks for all you do. You are not only helpful but an absolute delight to read.
Well, thanks, doll. You’re a delight to write for.
Here’s what I said to her,
Hi D,
Hey, first of all, did you check the petite section archives on the blog? I know you’re not a petite gal in height, but there might be some good conversations there that address your fitting challenges.
The trick, which I assume you have figured out already, is to know which manufacturers cut clothes really slim. Top Shop in the UK is one store but you’re in the U.S. so that’s not very helpful. Have you tried H&M? They seem to cut clothes for slim figures. Let me post this on the blog and see what the readers come up with. What you want is body-conscious designers at a good retail rate that you can find at TJ Maxx or Filene’s (or whatever discount stores you have in XcityX) so you can go in and not waste time trying on garments that are cut more generously. You can zip through the racks and go, “Ah, yes, Calvin Klein cuts things really close to the bod, let me yank this sucker and try it on.”
Fabrics and material are super important for you, too. Look for a bit of spandex in everything you wear so that garments don’t go all floppy. Belts are also great for super slim gals; look into a kind of heavy cowboy-ish belt to wear with pants and skirts, they look amazing on really lanky bods.
Work toward a long, lean look. The lean, you already got. The long means that you don’t chop your body up with heavy tweedy blazers or chunky sweaters. Go for long, lean and elegant but not boring. Make sure you’ve got some volume in your hair. Wear it up and messy if that’s possible. And girl, send me a photo!!
Skirts are indeed a good idea, and I would think you could totally rock out the maxi skirt look. The trick is to find simple clothes that fit well on your willowy frame and ground them with heftier pieces like belts, boots and bold jewelry.
Let me know if this helps. Smooches, Vicki
So what do you say, extra slimmy pigeons? Who makes the best clothes for your figure?
I’m a skinny pear, a different set of fit problems all together. No help, except to say, I love Calvin Klein and Anne Klien at my discount chains and I buy Long jeans at the Gap. I am also cheap as all get out, and I find that to dress on the cheap you must shop often and sparingly. I am lucky to have an outlet near me that although I could be frighteningly matronly without much effort has provided me with lots of good solid classics for cheap. Finding a really nice thrift store is a plus, but at mine, I have never bought a pair of pants that I could wear with heels. They must have a whole slew of short size 8’s that consign there.
Feel free to ignore this if the locations are not for you: I’ve had really good luck with Mexx – which has stores in Canada and one in NYC. My girlfriend’s a short size two and does well in their pants (hemmed, of course). And I’ve grabbed their largest sizes (I’m a 14 or 16 depending) and found them long enough that I need to see the tailor — which when you’re 5’10” is a miracle. Their regular pricing is a little high for grad student budgets, but their sales can be awesome. So maybe not helpful to the original poster, but perhaps for you NYC and Canadian folk…
Does RW&Co. have US shops or are they actually Canadian? I get a lot of my professorial clothes there. Prices are similar to the Gap, perhaps a bit less, but the sale rack is golden. Their sizes can be cut a bit large but go down to at least a 00.
I have a similar build. Black pants from The Gap are my staple in the fall in winter. J. Crew pants are good too but more expensive.
I’m a fan of the Esprit and Mexx sale racks. There are some beautiful suits and separates that go on great sales.
Express generally has nice clothes that are cut slim. And don’t forget, you can always get a piece tailored.
I’m 5’7″ with an athletic build (not skinny), but I find that for tops and sweaters, the petite section does me well. I also sometimes find dresses and skirts in petites that work well- just watch the hemline! The problem with being tall is that we can still be very short waisted- and this is what makes clothes look weird on us. Our natural waist is literally in our ribs! So go to that petite section and see what works out for you!
Echo the recommendation for thrift stores. You will find lots of teensy sizes because people tend to grow bigger rather than smaller as a rule. And because clothing tends to shrink rather than stretch in the wash, you may try on some 4s or 6s, because some poor lass had her heart broken by the washing machine.
Talbots used to run big, but it seems that they’re smaller these days — I normally wear a 6 jacket, and my husband just bought me a 10 there that fits perfectly (NOT a happy moment, but that’s beside the point). IF you live near one of their outlets they usually have TERRIFIC real deals.
Ann Taylor is great for lanky gals. I’m 5’6″ with long arms and I can get shirts/sweaters that are slim enough and long enough, and pants and skirts fit me well too. More pricey than I like, but I try to buy their clothes on sale at the end of the season.
Chico’s stores usually have a clearance corner in the back that is sorted by size. Online they sell size zeros and twos.
J Crew is my go-to for pants. I’m 5’6″ so not petite, but I’m a size 0 or 00. J Crew is expensive but worth the investment. I have four pairs of elegant light-weight wool (3 season) trousers from them and have worn them for at least 5 years.
If you need dark denim, you might want to check out Wrangler jeans. They come in a wide range of sizes and with inseam lengths. I am not a petite, but I can get pants with legs long enough. I order on-line from Western wear places. My favorite are the Ultimate Riding Jeans, but you might also want to check out Aura, that comes in 2 different rises. (I’m assuming that the ultra low rise is out of the question.)
Thanks for everyone’s help! I’ll head out again this weekend in search of pants. A number of the stores mentioned aren’t available where I live, but trying the thrift stores and the GAP seems a great place to start. I haven’t tried the GAP because I assumed they were more juniorish than appropriate, but maybe not.
Check out J. Jill. I think their sizes could work for you. They have amazing sales fairly regularly and their clothes last quite a long time. I am a huge fan of their Wearever collection. If you’re able to find a store in a major city go in and try everything on. Then watch their site for mid-season and then end of season sales. Once you know your size in the various style lines you can order away at 60% off and free shipping. Hope this helps!
Theory, Tahari, and Arthur Levine are elegant professional brands, found at Nordstrom as well as discount stores, and cut *very* narrow – unfortunately too narrow for me size 8, but ‘athletic’ hips and thighs. I’m always sad that I can’t fit into Theory, especially, because that stuff is gorgeous for work.
I’m about 5’10”, usually a size 10ish, and need at least a 34 1/4 inseam… any suggestions?