posted
Okay. I have short legs and a long torso. I figured this out when my sister and I stood next to each other. I'm an inch taller than her, but her legs are longer than mine.
Which explains the problems I have buying shirts that fit properly.
Oh, and there's a matter of my shoulders. They're...broad and muscled and very defined (jexx spent much time admiring my shoulders, weirdo).
Now, apparently most women have tiny shoulders.
I can't wear button up shirts. If if I get my size (that fits all but my shoulders), my shoulders threaten to rip out the arm seams. If I get a size bigger, then the rest of the shirt is billowy and covers my shape.
With other shirts, sometimes it's too...SHORT. It stops just above my hips, which means if I'm not careful when I sit down, I can show skin. I have shirts that I REALLY LIKE that I can't wear because they're just TOO short. Above the top of my pants (low waisted), but still way too short.
What makes me say this? Well, I needed new tshirts to work out in. The women's shirts are too short. The men's shirts only went down to a medium, which was still too big. So I went and got children's XLs.
Like woman, children apparently have short torsos as well. I washed the shirts. They're comfortable and fit correctly in the shoulders and sleeves (not too long. Ever notice how short sleeved tshirt sleeves can be too long?).
But they stop at the top of my shorts.
Anyone else have problems matching clothing to your body type? Tell me I'm not the only one.
Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
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posted
mac, you have no idea. I am short-waisted and have very, very narrow shoulders. My waist is small for my build and my hips are curvy. I have no butt. I am also a 34D and I'm only 5'4''.
The blouses and shirts that fit my chest are HUGE everywhere else. Nothing hits me where it's supposed to and I am in constant danger of looking bulky.
Keep in mind that most clothing is factory made to fit sizes that are determined by averages. Most of us are above or below the average and are going to have issues.
I just have everything altered. Since I only buy clothes that I intend to keep for at least 5 years, it's well worth it.
Posts: 3037 | Registered: Jan 2002
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Dammit! I was all set to chortle, too! I'll get the finger yet. I know it's a itchin' to be used.
Posts: 13123 | Registered: Feb 2002
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Mack, I know it's a bit more complicated for women with this kind of thing due to the fact that men don't have breasts, but I know exactly how you feel. I also have a long torso with shorter legs. I have very broad shoulders.
In fact, my girlfriend got frustrated with me once because she bought be a brand new Nautica blue collared button-up shirt and I ripped it that day reaching for something. Posts: 4229 | Registered: Dec 2002
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What, you've never heard of man-breasts? Yeah, that's right, I got 'em, so what!?!?!
Anyway, I know how it is. I am shaped like an egg or spoon. I have a waist that's larger than my torso or my legs. So I end up with shirts that fit my torso but are tight at the waist, or just really massive shirts.
Needless to say, I'm trying to lose weight...
Posts: 3852 | Registered: Feb 2002
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posted
I grew up in a town with very limited shopping options available. I am only 5' tall and I ended up hemming almost every everything I bought. Most things ended up fitting poorly and I got used to liking clothing to be long and baggy. It wasn't until I turned 23 and went away to medical school that I realized if I persisted in looking at the petite clothing, I could eventually find things that fit better and many times didn't even need hemming. Wow. I had had no idea. I still like things rather long and loose fitting, however. My parents and friends still pick at me to buy better fitting clothing.
My aunt has a long torso. I know she can only buy swimsuits at Lands End because they have special suits designed for long torsos. I don't know where she does the rest of her shopping.
Posts: 1990 | Registered: Feb 2001
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My breast are too low on my torso. And my arms and legs are too long, so if I buy a jumper, all I have to do is to shake someone's hand and my arms will be half naked.
Posts: 3526 | Registered: Oct 2001
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I have the same exact problems with shirts as mack. I thought I was the only one who was looking for someone to start a Long size in tops.
Posts: 3636 | Registered: Oct 2001
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It's not our bodies that are the problem. It's mass produced clothing that's the problem. We should all go back to the days of custom-made clothing. Or wear long flowing robes, etc.
Or just go nekkid.
Oh well.
Repeat after me:
"We are all different!"
"We are all individuals!"
Posts: 22497 | Registered: Sep 2000
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Many shirts hang strangely on me because of my scoliosis, though many others will hide it easily. I always had more trouble with my shoes due to my long, narrow feet.
Posts: 1041 | Registered: Feb 2002
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Mack, I got childrens clothes for Christmas last year because no one could find me any that would fit. I'm looking forward to trying to find maternity clothes in childrens!
I have no shoulders and no hips to hold up any clothes. I'm not that short, but most jeans are made for 5'6" people in regular length and they believe that if you are small you can't possibly also be short. (5'3")
I think that t-shirts are just made to show the belly now, though. With low-rider jeans (which are just more comfortable) I can't find a shirt yet that doesn't show some skin if I were to hold my arms above my head. This also becomes more problematic as I will not want to be showing off my preggo belly.
I had been convinced, then, to make my own clothes. *giggle* My attempt at a dress was so pathetic that I quickly lost that idea.
Trouble is, I'm cheap! I don't want to have to go to a tailor, but I guess that is the better solution.
I know, most people tell me to go cry a river, but it is hard being little, too.
Posts: 1777 | Registered: Jan 2003
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I can understand the frustrations of being a "weird" body type. I have very broad shoulders and a very large rib cage (but alas, no large breasts, just big ribs). I can never fit into anything smaller than an xl, but it seems that most larger tops are geared towards women with larger racks, so something gets lost in translation when I try to wear them (or they end up being too long and bunch up on my hips, since I'm a pear shape and about a size bigger on bottom than on top). It's also frustrating to find a shirt that fits my torso, only to have the sleeves be too short (most long sleeve shirts end up being closer to 3/4 length on me). I also seem to have a short "rise" since most pants come up way too high (and end up being too short, since I have long legs), so I'm a fan of the lower rise pants. I'm not really tall enough to be considered "tall", but I'm taller than average at 5'8".
posted
I've got the relatively long torso and relatively short leg thing going on too; apparently it's a fairly common Irish body type. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not some bandy legged little freak or anything; just looking at me, you probably wouldn't realize that my legs were on the short end (or my torso on the long, depending on how you look at it). It's funny though--when C and I are sitting next to each other, I appear much taller than she does. When we're standing up, though, we're fairly close to being the same height.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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about problems with shirts fitting but not being long enogh- in Israel we kinda solved this problem by starting to wear a long tight shirt (that reaches a little lower than the hips ) under the shorter shirt so that no one sees your back/stomach. it started out as a comfertable thing to do so you wont have to pull down our shirts all the time. we usually it's verry popular now (I'm not surew if in all Israel but definitly in the area around us...)
try it... you may like how it lookes....
Posts: 109 | Registered: Nov 2003
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I'm tall and quite thin, with too-long legs. I look ridiculous when I tuck my shirt in, so I very rarely do. I wear neutral colored pants to de-emphasize my legs, and polo shirts that don't flap around when they hang loose. Actually, I think I'm a prime candidate for Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and am half hoping they spot me someday in my fuddy-duddy clothes and drab haircut.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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I'm short in the torso, but I have a relatively small waist, broader shoulders than you'd expect, and strangely large trapezious muscles. I look like Muscle Woman if I wear a turtleneck. I also have a slightly raised sternum (runs in the family), a large chest, and child-bearing hips (also runs in the family). I'm within the range of "normal" weight for my height for probably the first time in my life, but the fitting problems remain.
I can't wear button-down shirts and/or shirts with collars. My trapezius muscles hike the collar up until it brushes my ears, making me look like I have no neck, which is not a good thing when you're 5'3". Even if that weren't a problem, I'd have to get a shirt 2 sizes too big for my shoulders to avoid having the blouse pop open and/or stretch open enough so that the entire world can see my bra.
Moreover, having a larger-than average chest but a smaller-than average ribcage makes finding properly fitting bras almost impossible. And, every shirt and sweater I own falls long in the back, but short in the front. Or is just too long because I'm short in the torso.
Pants and dresses can be a nightmare, too.
Oh, and I don't have a car, so my shopping options are limited. My solutions? Mail order, and be willing to spend more. Eddie Bauer has almost everything in a wide range of sizes and lengths, and so does LLBean. Land's End seems to have less in petite, but has a lot in tall and extra-tall. Also, they sometimes have overstock sales. And, the majority of my formal clothes at the moment are lucky finds at vintage clothing stores or from my grandmother's closet.
Since I'm pretty sure I've reached my adult height, and I've started taking better care of my clothes, I'm willing to spend a little more on fewer articles of clothing that fit well, and will last a good while.
Posts: 188 | Registered: Dec 2002
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See Mrs. M I told you that women needed you as a public service! Though maybe you don't want to come that far out of retirement.
Mrs. M and I have been trying an online fashion experiment. If it works she might consider branching out as she has time and inclination though Anne Kate is next in line. I sent her a bunch of pictures of me, mostly the ones from foobonic, and she is working on a list of fashion guidelines.
For example, I have huge shoulders too from years of swimming. I've been trying to hide them for years, but she has reccommended styles (wide scoop neck shirts for one... no v-necks or if it is a v-neck a very high one) that will actually let them help the rest of my figure.
So far she's been much much better and far more practical than any of the TV shows!
posted
Yeah kat, I love Banana Republic too; their men's clothes are the same way. It's the one place I can consistently wear jeans that don't look odd on me, and don't need to be altered.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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In reality, my wife threatens to beat me when I walk into a store, pick up a suit, and it fits perfectly. Sorry, guess I'm just gloating. Ha-ha.
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Ooh!!! I want Mrs M's public service for women who don't know what to wear! She does need to come out of retirement.
Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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See, all I ever wear are pyjamas. There's nothing like baggy pants with an elastic waist to make shopping easy! And then there's the baggy t-shirts. Also easy. Of course, on the rare days that I do need clothes with actual measurements it's as simple as writing them down, finding something in the colour I'm looking for and wearing it out of the store. Heck, I hardly ever go. Someone else can just pick them up for me and they'll fit perfectly. Ahhh... there's nothing like being completely average.
Posts: 3243 | Registered: Apr 2002
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I'm on the long legs, short torso end. I look ridiculous with tucked-in shirts. I also appear to have arms about an inch longer than the average woman, so buying long-sleeved shirts can be frustrating. Nothing like an inch of bony wrist sticking out. Definitely sympathize with the shirts either too tight across the chest or billowy everywhere else.
Also, I've determined, through extensive market research and surveys (going shopping and talking to a friend who's gone shopping) that pants in the Czech Republic are designed for women who are a straight line from bottom to top. Looking around, I guess that's fair - most women here do seem to be the straight, slim type. But you know what? I'm not heavier than average, but I have hips. I have a waist. They're different sizes! I CURVE, dangit, and I demand to be accommodated! *grin* Basically this means I buy pants to fit my hips and wear a belt so they don't fall off.
posted
::retypes post that was lost when computer died::
quote: I can never fit into anything smaller than an xl, but it seems that most larger tops are geared towards women with larger racks
I have the opposite problem... most xl that isn't a T-shirt seem to bell on me - by that I mean they're too small in the shoulders/chest but too wide and short in the stomach area, so the shirt falls outward making me feel, in essense, like a bell.
quote: Moreover, having a larger-than average chest but a smaller-than average ribcage makes finding properly fitting bras almost impossible.
Yes! It's so annoying to have the underwire hover about an inch off of you because no one short of expensive specialty stores actually make a specific alphabetical size with a small enough numeric size.
quote: Basically this means I buy pants to fit my hips and wear a belt so they don't fall off.
I hear ya.
Man, I love this thread... I feel better knowing that not everyone is like my friends who can walk into a clothing store and get whatever they want.
Which is so not fair Posts: 3636 | Registered: Oct 2001
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Lissande, I hear you! My hips are 2 sizes different from my waist. I can never find jeans that fit.
Also, I have no cleavage (due to a protruding sternum) and small breasts. So V-necks look terrible - people stare, trying to figure out what is missing.
It's kindof awkward going clothes shopping, but I've learned what works for me - high necks, long skirts, lace-up jeans if I can find them.
Posts: 3141 | Registered: Apr 2000
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posted
I have a medium torso but really big shoulders and arms. Also, I have short legs.
Very bad for clothes shopping. The few times I've had something that fit really well was when I practically had it personally tailored, which is soooo expensive.
Posts: 767 | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
Stay away from the white Tux's with the shinies on it. I know one tiger that tried to grab one and he ended up losing his job.
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
The thing that bugs me is pants. (Or shorts.)
Clothing manufaturers don't seem to realize that some adult women have these things called "hips." So when I look for a pair of pants, I have to either deal with pants that fit over the hips, but have a huge waist, or pants that have the correct waist size and no room for my hips. So I end up buying pants with drawstring waists or I need a belt. I really hate that.
I also dislike how my shirts are a bit too short at the bottom. I'm taller than average (apparently), so I always seem to have this problem.
Oh, and my shoulders don't fit either. I seem to have larger shoulders than they expect, and so it doesn't fit.
I dislike shopping for clothes.
Posts: 2849 | Registered: Feb 2002
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posted
I didn't think of ordering shirts meant for tall women! (Since I am not, as you say, Tall).
Myrddin, I also have that "belling out" problem too. Drives me NUTS.
I also wear low rise jeans. They're multiple times more comfortable than other types of jeans. I'm having a problem with them now, though. I've got baggy bum (the bum of the jeans sag) and I constantly have to hitch them up. My belt is pretty much cinched most of the way (Any more and it'd be uncomfortable, I HATE tight fitting close. Form fitting is fine, but not tight. Ew.)
Any ideas why I've got saggy butt on my jeans?
Do any of the other women with broad shoulders also have problems with the sleeves being too short in "your" size?
[Edited to add that saggy bum jeans are a recent development (past few weeks). Very irritating.]
posted
No idea about the saggy-butt on your jeans, Mack.
My biggest problem is saggy-shirt. I'm really not at all that chesty but I'm thin and long-waisted so T-Shirts tend to just hang there - something which annoys me to no end. I'm also short so all the pants that manage to stay on my waist (anywhere between a 3 to the occasional 0), also manage to drag on the floor because somehow designers decided that the only thin people were tall. They also seem to have stopped making 1s and 2s, my best fits, because the most of the population doesn't fit into that. Well, I'm sorry, but I do and I just ripped the knees of my only pair of fitting jeans and I can't find anything below a size 5!
...::laughs:: Sorry, I'm just annoyed. I haven't found a single pair of just plain jeans (without the glitter or the slits up the sides or the low-low-riding, etc.) in my size in two years - which is probly why I've overworn this pair in the first place. Posts: 1548 | Registered: Aug 2002
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posted
Pixie, I have the exact same problem. I just found out that a girl's size 16 slim fits me pretty well. But decent-looking girls' jeans are hard to find as well. I used to rely on 5-7-9, but they've gone seriously skanky lately. Kohl's has small jeans, but I don't know if there is one in your area.
It's like they assume that those who are little want to flaunt it all. Blah.
Posts: 1903 | Registered: Sep 2003
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I've decided to illustrate my particular body type so you can sympathize with me when I try to buy pants.
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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I'm with Mrs M and Myr - I put on some weight in the last year and went from a 34C to a 34DD - given I'm only 5'5" this makes shopping for tops almost impossible.
Nothing that fits my arms and shoulders fits across my chest: and all t-shirts are turned into midriff tops. I don't want to show my stomach!
And underwire: gah. I can no longer buy cheap stuff, but have to go to a real underwear store, to the expense of my bank account
posted
Ladies (and gentlemen, to a lesser extent), if you want your clothes to fit you well, you are going to have to embrace the notion of tailoring. Almost no one can take something off the rack and have it fit them perfectly - whether you're a 2 or a 26.
I always get my clothes altered. It's worth it to me because I have a complicated figure and because I only buy clothing if I plan to wear it for at least 5 years. When it comes to clothes, I go for quality over quantity. One trick that stylish people have is that they wear the same thing over and over again. No one will notice that you're wearing the same outfit if you always look great. If you find something that works for you - buy it in several different colors. For example, I have 5 Eddie Bauer pinpoint Oxford blouses. Don't be afraid to have a uniform.
Also, look for vintage clothing. The way clothes are cut changes from year to year. Pixie, for example, might want to look for jeans made in the '70s. When I lived in New York, I used to shop at vintage shops all the time. The most famous is Cheap Jacks in Union Square. They also do any alterations while you wait. I also hear great things about the Denim Doctor in L.A.
Posts: 3037 | Registered: Jan 2002
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quote:And underwire: gah. I can no longer buy cheap stuff, but have to go to a real underwear store, to the expense of my bank account
See, now you're on the right track. If you don't have a good bra, you will not look good in tops. Period.
I don't wear t-shirts outside of my house. Ever. The ones that fit my bust are too big and the ones that fit everywhere else are obscene. In the summer, I wear linen and light cotton blouses. Actually, Jones New York makes something that is between a sweat shirt and a tee that is flattering. They had them in last year's spring Sport collection.
Posts: 3037 | Registered: Jan 2002
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posted
It's my workout tshirts that I worry about. I raise my arms when working out (pullups, overhead press, roman chair, you name it). The tshirts I have BARELY make it.
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