Well, I would venture to guess that most of you reading my blog haven't met me in person. If you had, you would know that I'm 6' tall. Not 5'12" not 5'11" - just plain old 6 feet. I'm not what you would call small. I am half German and half Irish/English - big thighs and linebacker shoulders were a forgone conclusion. I don't say that with a value assigned to it or to be self deprecating. I'm just not little no matter how you slice it. Additionally, as if all of those 'make-fun-of-me' attributes weren't enough, I was cursed with very long legs. Seriously - I wear my shirts untucked to try to balance out my proportionately long legs which comprise a good 2/3's of my body.
As a child/youth, clothing did not fit me without a punchline being attached to it. Thankfully my mother had the same problem, and her mother taught her how to sew. Ironically, her mother (my beloved Grandma Shumann aka "Gerty") was NOT tall. I don't mean to say that she was a little shorter than my mom and I, or that she was vertically challenged - I mean to say that girlfriend was SHORT! Not petite - SHORT! On a very tall day, first thing in the morning, she was maybe 4'11". Seriously. She had what we affectionately referred to as 'The Runt Gene" Each generation, at least one family member benefits from The Runt Gene. I have a 35" inseam, so it wasn't me - the understatement of the year! I was hoping that my 4 year old would get it, but I just bought her size 12 kids shoes - and Shrek feet like that only mean one thing in my family - that she didn't get it either!
Anyway, my mom made skirts for me well into my teen years. Thankfully I lived in FL and could wear leggings with mini skirts even in the Winter, thus avoiding the high water pants situation which led to further tall girl jokes. And yes, it does get cold in January and February in FL. Seriously - it gets down into the teens. Mom taught me how to sew, and eventually, I took over my own clothing making. I'm well into my 30's, and the invention of "long" or "tall" pants did not arrive until the last 10 years. Even so, it usually meant that they lengthened the inseam 2 inches but didn't change the crotch - seriously - we are tall everywhere people! These days, more and more companies are carrying Tall clothing, and even more of them seem to understand that there is a difference between a longer inseam and tall size clothing. Hallelujah!
Unfortunately, this bit of information has not made it to the capri field yet where one size is still supposed to fit all. I know the rules - they are supposed to make short women look shorter and tall women look...well, shorter. Unfortunately, they usually come to just below our knees which isn't cute on any day. I like to buy inexpensive jeans and cut them off, re-hem them and voila - capri's. As I've stated in earlier posts, I am currently unable to sew at the moment, so my usual trick would not work this summer. I could wear last years pants if they fit - but a year of bed rest has not made me thinner!
As I was searching for my size and style jeans in one store, I realized that they are also making shorter inseams which they have cleverly marketed to petite women as "short". Really!? It's just an inseam change though. I tried them on - and "short" length pants actually fit me more like capri's! Finally! The Tall Girl gets her revenge!!! So I went back to said store tonight, who is having a sale right now, and bought two more pairs. Why oh why didn't I think of this earlier?
PS - I bought two long pairs too so I can wear them with flats - yes - flats! I wear them with heels too - but I have to pull them down a bit. Yes, I wear heels! I'm 6 feet barefoot, and you can add inches from there! Now, living in Seattle as I do, and being 6' tall with linebacker shoulders, it should really come as no surprise, that I am occasionally stopped by drag Queens who may not initially realize that I am a woman. They get distracted by my size 12 heels. Seriously. It's usually good for a laugh, and we trade secrets about where to shop. Thanks to one truly fantastic Queen - I learned where to buy my size 12 heels. Before that, I had been squeezing into tiny little size 11's! So I say, long live my Queens!
PPS - I know the grass is always greener and all, but I promise you, you really don't want to be this tall. A good 5'8" or 5'9' would be ideal. 6' has lots of issues - besides clothing, the average male in the United States is 5'10". This means at least 70% of the men in my country are shorter than I am! I'd like to tell you that it's different in European countries, but the last time I went, they all seemed even shorter than that. I don't exactly blend.
Also, people always want you to reach items for them on the next shelf. I'm used to it now, but being singled out as a kid was embarrassing.
People like to ask you two questions when you are tall #1 "How tall are you?' like you're a long lost relative of Andre the Giant. #2 "Do you play basketball?" - because you know, if we are going to use sweeping generalizations, all short people are jockeys and all of us tall peeps are b-ballers!
Oh, and from time to time, a man in the South (when I'm visiting) will make the unfortunate mistake of saying "Wow! You're really tall for a woman". To which I (equally rudely) reply "I know. You're kind of short for a man, aren't you?". It's strange, but the conversation always seems to end then ;)
One last tip you might want to know, we're sensitive about our shoe size. So unless you're a drag Queen, or equally Shrek footed, it's best to steer clear of this question. It's like asking any other woman what her pant's size is. lol
As a child/youth, clothing did not fit me without a punchline being attached to it. Thankfully my mother had the same problem, and her mother taught her how to sew. Ironically, her mother (my beloved Grandma Shumann aka "Gerty") was NOT tall. I don't mean to say that she was a little shorter than my mom and I, or that she was vertically challenged - I mean to say that girlfriend was SHORT! Not petite - SHORT! On a very tall day, first thing in the morning, she was maybe 4'11". Seriously. She had what we affectionately referred to as 'The Runt Gene" Each generation, at least one family member benefits from The Runt Gene. I have a 35" inseam, so it wasn't me - the understatement of the year! I was hoping that my 4 year old would get it, but I just bought her size 12 kids shoes - and Shrek feet like that only mean one thing in my family - that she didn't get it either!
Anyway, my mom made skirts for me well into my teen years. Thankfully I lived in FL and could wear leggings with mini skirts even in the Winter, thus avoiding the high water pants situation which led to further tall girl jokes. And yes, it does get cold in January and February in FL. Seriously - it gets down into the teens. Mom taught me how to sew, and eventually, I took over my own clothing making. I'm well into my 30's, and the invention of "long" or "tall" pants did not arrive until the last 10 years. Even so, it usually meant that they lengthened the inseam 2 inches but didn't change the crotch - seriously - we are tall everywhere people! These days, more and more companies are carrying Tall clothing, and even more of them seem to understand that there is a difference between a longer inseam and tall size clothing. Hallelujah!
Unfortunately, this bit of information has not made it to the capri field yet where one size is still supposed to fit all. I know the rules - they are supposed to make short women look shorter and tall women look...well, shorter. Unfortunately, they usually come to just below our knees which isn't cute on any day. I like to buy inexpensive jeans and cut them off, re-hem them and voila - capri's. As I've stated in earlier posts, I am currently unable to sew at the moment, so my usual trick would not work this summer. I could wear last years pants if they fit - but a year of bed rest has not made me thinner!
As I was searching for my size and style jeans in one store, I realized that they are also making shorter inseams which they have cleverly marketed to petite women as "short". Really!? It's just an inseam change though. I tried them on - and "short" length pants actually fit me more like capri's! Finally! The Tall Girl gets her revenge!!! So I went back to said store tonight, who is having a sale right now, and bought two more pairs. Why oh why didn't I think of this earlier?
PS - I bought two long pairs too so I can wear them with flats - yes - flats! I wear them with heels too - but I have to pull them down a bit. Yes, I wear heels! I'm 6 feet barefoot, and you can add inches from there! Now, living in Seattle as I do, and being 6' tall with linebacker shoulders, it should really come as no surprise, that I am occasionally stopped by drag Queens who may not initially realize that I am a woman. They get distracted by my size 12 heels. Seriously. It's usually good for a laugh, and we trade secrets about where to shop. Thanks to one truly fantastic Queen - I learned where to buy my size 12 heels. Before that, I had been squeezing into tiny little size 11's! So I say, long live my Queens!
PPS - I know the grass is always greener and all, but I promise you, you really don't want to be this tall. A good 5'8" or 5'9' would be ideal. 6' has lots of issues - besides clothing, the average male in the United States is 5'10". This means at least 70% of the men in my country are shorter than I am! I'd like to tell you that it's different in European countries, but the last time I went, they all seemed even shorter than that. I don't exactly blend.
Also, people always want you to reach items for them on the next shelf. I'm used to it now, but being singled out as a kid was embarrassing.
People like to ask you two questions when you are tall #1 "How tall are you?' like you're a long lost relative of Andre the Giant. #2 "Do you play basketball?" - because you know, if we are going to use sweeping generalizations, all short people are jockeys and all of us tall peeps are b-ballers!
Oh, and from time to time, a man in the South (when I'm visiting) will make the unfortunate mistake of saying "Wow! You're really tall for a woman". To which I (equally rudely) reply "I know. You're kind of short for a man, aren't you?". It's strange, but the conversation always seems to end then ;)
One last tip you might want to know, we're sensitive about our shoe size. So unless you're a drag Queen, or equally Shrek footed, it's best to steer clear of this question. It's like asking any other woman what her pant's size is. lol
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