Shop Owner Tries to Make Sure Tall Women Don’t Get Caught Short
To hear Marion Houseman tell it, tall women are getting the short end of the fashion stick.
As the owner of Talls by Above & Beyond and the mother of two daughters who stand 6 feet, Houseman knows that tall women suffer from a critical clothing shortage.
She has heard them complain that they can’t find a thing to wear because stores don’t carry clothes in their sizes. She has seen tall teen-age girls “well up” with tears when they can’t find the trendy styles sported by their peers. She has fought with clothing manufacturers who don’t like making clothes in tall sizes because it means smaller profits.
One only need spend time in her shop to hear the horror stories:
Vi Kaselionis, a 6-foot businesswoman, has struggled all her life to maintain a smart wardrobe. Because of her height, it’s especially important to Kaselionis that she look her best.
“I cannot hide in the crowd. When I walk into a room, all of the heads turn,” she says. “Whatever I wear will be noticed from head to toe.”
Because clothes to fit her statuesque figure are expensive and difficult to come by, each purchase is calculated to last many seasons. On this day, she’s wearing a dress she bought in the 1960s. With its drop waist and simple lines, the dress is a classic and looks right in style.
“I can’t just buy something on a whim. Everything I wear is investment dressing,” Kaselionis says. “By the time I find (an outfit) and put it all together, a major financial investment has been made. I try to buy clothes I can dress down or dress up to the nth degree.”
She recently bought a white suit at Houseman’s shop that has bows adorning the front of the jacket and can be worn for day or evening with a change of accessories.
“If I can’t find it here, I can either make it myself or buy it from a couturier, which is extremely expensive,” she says. “The tailor I use charges $500 for a suit, and that’s just for the labor.”
Kaselionis tries to make do with regular-size clothes, although these usually require alterations. She has worn everything from “Size 5 to Size 18.” Often she ventures into men’s departments for pants with longer legs.
“I bought a man’s wool gabardine suit and wore it with a camisole. Everyone asked me where I got it, and I didn’t tell them.”
Evelyn Mitchell of Tustin also stands 6 feet and alters clothes she buys off the racks.
“In summer I get real excited because I don’t have to worry about short sleeves,” Mitchell says.
Still, she wishes stores offered special departments for tall women.
“Every store has a petite department, but we’re left out in the cold.”
For Houseman, who at 5 foot 10 can fully understand her customers’ frustrations, running a shop for tall women has become a kind of mission.
Talls by Above & Beyond, in a plain shopping center in Tustin, is far from the shine and glitz of South Coast Plaza. With its orange carpeting and nondescript decor, it nevertheless attracts people from all over--even customers who fly in from out of state.
They come for garments that are especially hard to find in tall sizes: women’s jeans cut long enough through the leg, bathing suits designed to accommodate long waists, jumpsuits made in proportion to the entire body and nightgowns that don’t show their ankles.
“Before when I bought jeans, I’d have to go to the men’s department,” Mitchell says. “Here, I bought a pair of white jeans.”
Houseman admits there is little high fashion in her store. She pulls out leopard leggings with a black oversize T-shirt.
“This is sort of unheard of because it’s trendy. Our styles are a little behind,” she says.
When it comes to stocking her store, Houseman is at the manufacturers’ mercy. She must take whatever they’re willing to make.
“Demand is so little they feel it isn’t worth their time,” she says. “It’s a very hard market. Everything is made because I said so. It has to be ordered, and if they run out of material, I won’t get it.”
When she finds something sophisticated, she snaps it up. One such find: an elegant white suit that has a jacket belted at the side with a large gold buckle and a straight skirt, available for $285. She has three buyers in New York who help her search for clothes.
“There are so many things I’d love to get for my people,” she says. “I just can’t find it.”
Houseman had no retail experience before opening her tall shop eight years ago. At first, money was so tight that, to cut her electrical bills, she turned out the lights whenever customers weren’t in the store. Today she still sees little profit but reaps great rewards.
“People almost treat me like a missionary, they’re so grateful--and desperate. I can always count on a couple of hugs and kisses a day,” she says.
Many don’t realize that tall women face a fashion shortage.
“People go around saying, ‘Well, models are tall,’ but they’re wearing a sample. Actual production will be cut in proportion to a regular-size woman,” Houseman says.
A tall woman is loosely defined as 5 foot 9 and over, but it’s when a woman approaches 6 feet that finding clothes becomes frustrating. Some people assume tall also means big. Actually, many of Houseman’s customers, including Mitchell and Kaselionis, are slender.
“Most people are surprised to find I carry a Size 3,” Houseman says.
Tall women learn how to break up the body line so their height is not so conspicuous. Houseman carries a wide assortment of belts and sashes for this purpose.
Mitchell has learned to stay away from stripes because they make her look taller, and she favors black because “it makes you look shorter.”
Yet these women are not ashamed of their height. Mitchell favors shoes with heels instead of flats. Kaselionis sees her height as an advantage in the business world.
“I love being tall,” Kaselionis says. “I’m a unique entity. I strut my stuff.”
