If models are all tall, why is everything too short on 5’10” me?

[Anonymous]

Are the models for regular clothes shorter? I feel like I’m buying large enough sizes but everything is always too short unless it comes in tall sizes. But the models always look right in the photos of the regular sizes. Aren’t they all tall? What am I doing wrong?

[Anonymous]

Most clothing is being made in Asia. Tall models are on catwalk and on TV, not in factories.

[Anonymous]

The average female height in US is currently 5 feet 4 inches.

[Anonymous]

Likely shorter world average.

[Anonymous]

Runway models are custom fitted. What you are buying is mass produced and made to fit the average person

Look for retailers with a tall option. I have a tailor lengthen my pants and sleeves if I like something, but it's too short.

[Anonymous]

It is really tough for teen girls who are tall!

[Anonymous]

5’10 is 6 inches above the US average and 8 inches above the world average. Why would you think that you wouldn’t need to wear a tall size? You are very tall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:5’10 is 6 inches above the US average and 8 inches above the world average. Why would you think that you wouldn’t need to wear a tall size? You are very tall.

This is the strangest thread.

[Anonymous]

Because everything is short and boxy right now and I hate it. I want the bottom half of the shirt!
I started buying things in the “tall” range on Old Navy and Gap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because everything is short and boxy right now and I hate it. I want the bottom half of the shirt!
I started buying things in the “tall” range on Old Navy and Gap.

I’m only a bit over 5’7” and have a long torso. I have had to do this for the last several years at Gap. Their Tall top sizes sell out quickly, so we’re definitely not alone in wanting the bottom half of the shirt

[Anonymous]

Clothes aren’t made for models; they’re made to fit the most women possible. I’m 5’10 and don’t shop in person, ever. I buy everything online from places that sell tall sizes: J Crew, Gap, Boden, etc.

[Anonymous]

On the flipside. I'm 5'3", and despite the average height being 5'4" in the US, I usually need to buy petite size clothing.

[Anonymous]

There are different kinds of models, and not all are tall. You are thinking of runway models, who are often 5'10" or even taller. Most print fashion models are also tall because of preferences for how designers and magazine editors want clothes to look in photographs.

However the clothes you buy in the store are actually made using a "fit model." A fit model is a model is like a human dress form -- it's a person who has whatever proportions the design house has deemed to be average, and she is used to fit the the prototypes and create the patterns that will be sent to the manufacturer.

The average fit model is between 5'4" and 5'9" tall, and they look for well-proportioned bodies in terms of bust-waist-hip ratios. A different model is used for petite or plus sizing. The model will often fall in the middle of a size range (say a 6 or 8 for non-plus size, a 14-16 for plus) and then adjustments are made up and down for smaller and larger sizes. This is why clothes off the rack don't fit a lot of bodies very well. I am small busted (AA cup) and have learned I cannot wear clothes that have darts usually because they are generally fitted to bodies with larger boobs. This includes bathing suits.

This is also why women who are top or bottom heavy (a Dolly Parton body or a Lena Dunham body) often struggle with sizing, especially in dresses, because they are using models with more proportional measurements. Same with long or short waisted women -- the waist on the average garment does not it them on their true waist.

And it's why you might see clothes on a 5'10" model in ads or on the runway, but then they will be a couple inches short on your 5'10" body when you buy them -- the garment you are buying was likely fitted to a 5'6" or 5'8" model. This is why tall sizing exists, just like petite sizing is for women for whom a garment fitted to a 5'10" body will always be too long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are different kinds of models, and not all are tall. You are thinking of runway models, who are often 5'10" or even taller. Most print fashion models are also tall because of preferences for how designers and magazine editors want clothes to look in photographs.

However the clothes you buy in the store are actually made using a "fit model." A fit model is a model is like a human dress form -- it's a person who has whatever proportions the design house has deemed to be average, and she is used to fit the the prototypes and create the patterns that will be sent to the manufacturer.

The average fit model is between 5'4" and 5'9" tall, and they look for well-proportioned bodies in terms of bust-waist-hip ratios. A different model is used for petite or plus sizing. The model will often fall in the middle of a size range (say a 6 or 8 for non-plus size, a 14-16 for plus) and then adjustments are made up and down for smaller and larger sizes. This is why clothes off the rack don't fit a lot of bodies very well. I am small busted (AA cup) and have learned I cannot wear clothes that have darts usually because they are generally fitted to bodies with larger boobs. This includes bathing suits.

This is also why women who are top or bottom heavy (a Dolly Parton body or a Lena Dunham body) often struggle with sizing, especially in dresses, because they are using models with more proportional measurements. Same with long or short waisted women -- the waist on the average garment does not it them on their true waist.

And it's why you might see clothes on a 5'10" model in ads or on the runway, but then they will be a couple inches short on your 5'10" body when you buy them -- the garment you are buying was likely fitted to a 5'6" or 5'8" model. This is why tall sizing exists, just like petite sizing is for women for whom a garment fitted to a 5'10" body will always be too long.

+1 excellent summary
Also, some of the online catalogs will say something like the model is 5' 10" and wearing a size small. I'm 5' 10" and fairly thin but could never wear a size small. Those models must be super thin in real life.

[Anonymous]

Isn’t the better question: why are models so tall when most women are much shorter?