Dresses for tall women, cut to your own lengths

01

Where bought dresses fall short on a tall frame

Height is rarely spread evenly. One tall woman carries most of hers in her legs, another in her body, another in her arms, and a size chart drafted for a middle height cannot follow any of them. A shop’s tall range usually adds a set amount of length, which only helps if your extra height sits where theirs does.

• The hem: a maxi lands at the ankle and a midi at the knee, so the dress looks like a different style from the one in the picture.
• The sleeves: long sleeves end above the wrist bone and climb further when you bend your arm.
• The waist: on a fitted bodice, such as the Wisteria Fit-and-Flare or the black frock with red roses, the waist seam rises above your natural waist and the skirt starts too high.
• The bodice and armholes: a short bodice pulls across the bust and under the arms when you lift them.
• Side slits: on a long straight dress like the Shirt Dress, a slit placed for a shorter woman opens higher up your leg.

02

The measurements a tall woman should send

Your height alone does not tell us where the length goes, so send these along with your bust, waist and hips. Measure in the shoes you mean to wear, or tell us if you will switch between flats and heels.

• Shoulder to waist: from the shoulder beside your neck, over the bust, to a ribbon tied round your natural waist. This places the waist seam and the end of the bodice.
• Shoulder to hem: from the same point to where the hem should stop, whether that is the floor, the ankle bone or a spot on the calf.
• Sleeve length, twice: from the outer point of the shoulder to the wrist bone with your arm hanging, then again with the elbow bent, so the sleeve still covers the wrist when you reach.
• Armhole depth: from the top of the shoulder down to the level of your armpit, so the sleeve does not drag when you raise your arm.

03

Maxi dresses for tall women

A tall maxi dress should reach the floor in your shoes or stop just clear of it, and four designs here are drawn to the floor: the Tiered Maxi, the Wildflower Maxi, the Royal Blue Yoke Dress and the Emerald Rose Anarkali. The Sage Arch Kaftan runs straight and relaxed to the ankle, and the Ginkgo Wrap can be made ankle length if you ask.

Extra length changes the proportions, so it helps to know where it will go. On the Tiered Maxi the length is shared between the yoke and three tiers, and the chiffon is slightly sheer, so ask in your quote request how a longer dress will be split and whether you want a lining. The deep embroidered borders on the Wildflower Maxi and the Emerald Rose Anarkali stay at the hem, and the anarkali’s close bodice needs your shoulder to waist measurement to sit in the right place.

04

Midi and dressy dresses for tall women

A midi is the length most often lost on a tall frame. A hem meant for mid-calf lands at the knee, and the dress turns into a knee-length style. Decide where on the calf you want it, measure from the shoulder to that point, and it is cut there. The Lilac Tiered Dress, the Wisteria Fit-and-Flare, the Shirt Dress and the black frock with red roses are the midis here; knee and midi lengths in inches helps you choose a point.

For dress clothes, an event or a dinner, the Royal Blue Yoke Dress and the Emerald Rose Anarkali are the formal pair, and the Wisteria and the rose frock are the party pieces. All four have long sleeves cut from your own arm length, and the anarkali, the Wisteria and the rose frock are shaped at the waist, so the shoulder to waist number matters most on those three.