# Question for very tall men
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-very-tall-men/549523
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [August 7, 2010, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-very-tall-men/549523 "2010-08-07T16:13:42Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-very-tall-men/549523/1 "2010-08-07T16:13:42Z")
How hard is it to find clothes that fit if you’re well over 6’? Can you find jeans at JC Penney or Kohl’s or whatever, or do you have to go to specific stores that cater to you?
My dad is 6’3" and doesn’t seem to have a problem finding jeans that fit, but how hard is it if you’re like, 6’5" or taller?
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### Author:  [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fried_Dough_Ho)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-very-tall-men/549523/2 "2010-08-07T16:23:01Z")
My Ex-Husband was 6’6" and we shopped for him at Nordstrom.
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### Author:  [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-very-tall-men/549523/3 "2010-08-07T17:18:12Z")
My hubby is 6’-5" and Levis fit him perfectly. He wears Dickies jeans at work (uniforms) and although he doesn’t look his best in them, they fit okay enough to work in.
His problems isn’t pants/jeans, but shirts. He needs the long-tailed ones (long torso), and sometimes has issues with sleeves not being long enough. Western-styled stuff and “hunting clothes” seem to fit him better.
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### Author:  [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-very-tall-men/549523/4 "2010-08-07T17:30:09Z")
6’3" here (not “very tall” but close enough), and no problem whatsoever finding my 34x34 pants anywhere.
Shoes are the problem for me. I wear size 14, and almost all shoe stores top out at 13. I have to find a style I like at the store and then order it online. It kind of sucks not to be able to buy new shoes on a whim.
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### Author:  [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-very-tall-men/549523/5 "2010-08-07T17:49:10Z")
Mostly it depends on your proportions. Most tall and very tall men I know have all their extra length in the torso, not the legs, and wear regular pants in 30-34 inseams. Jackets and shirts are scaled up in length along with size, so it’s easy if you’re a tall bulky guy (as most are over a certain age). A slim tall guy will have to get his jackets/shirts tailored to fit his neck/chest/waist if he buys to fit his shoulders and arm length (or they will just be huge on you, I seldom see a tall thin man in anything but very baggy shirts).
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### Author:  [@Pseudocode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pseudocode)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-very-tall-men/549523/6 "2010-08-07T18:03:19Z")
I am 6’11" and it is impossible to find shirts and pants that fit me in brick and mortar stores. I have not had any problem ordering clothes online, although I imagine it would get difficult if I was any taller.
Finding shoes used to be a pain until Zappos came along, but their combination of selection and free return shipping has made me a satisfied customer.
I recently learned about a company called Indochino that makes custom suits at a reasonable price and I’m going to try them out soon.
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### Author:  [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-very-tall-men/549523/7 "2010-08-07T18:10:41Z")
I’m 6’8" with a 38" inseam. I get most of my shirts from Eddie Bauer, one of the only mainstream clothing stores to have just about everything they sell in tall sizes. Khakis I also get from Eddie Bauer, by ordering them unfinished online and having them hemmed myself. Levi’s makes crazy tall jeans, though you have to order online. For dress clothes, it’s either Nordstrom or Jos A Banks.
With the Internet and general tallening of America’s youth, life has gotten a lot easier, clothing-wise.
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### Author:  [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-very-tall-men/549523/8 "2010-08-07T18:34:51Z")
America’s youth are tallening, too? I thought they were just embiggening.
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### Author:  [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-very-tall-men/549523/9 "2010-08-07T19:05:39Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#):
>
> America’s youth are tallening, too? I thought they were just embiggening.
We live near a high school and the little bastards are definitely getting taller. The taller ones are generally not particularly embiggened, either – they probably have the tall skinny metabolism. America’s schools are definitely headed in a Jack Sprat direction.
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### Author:  [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-very-tall-men/549523/10 "2010-08-07T20:32:23Z")
In Seattle, the big and tall store frequented by football and basketball players is [Rochester’s](http://www.rochesterclothing.com/store/en_US/index.jsp). We’ve seen some giants in there.
Hubby (6’2") shops there for Levi’s now that he’s a bit thicker. It’s been very hard to find 44/36 501s until we tried there.
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-very-tall-men/549523/11 "2010-08-07T20:44:39Z")
6’4" here.
Pants are easy, since my inseam is 33". Shirts and jackets that I can wear after a washing is harder, as my torso is longer than most. Nothing says fun like buying a nice silk dress shirt, only to discover after the wash that it no longer covers my belly button, and/or the sleeves barely make it past my elbow. If 3/4 sleeve dress shirts ever come into vogue, I’ll be mad at how many I sent to Goodwill over the years.
Shoes are a pain too, but only as **minor** described. Mostly I just order from Zappos or New Balance or Keen direct now.
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### Author:  [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-very-tall-men/549523/12 "2010-08-07T22:23:10Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#):
>
> 6’3" here (not “very tall” but close enough), and no problem whatsoever finding my 34x34 pants anywhere.
>
> Shoes are the problem for me. I wear size 14, and almost all shoe stores top out at 13. I have to find a style I like at the store and then order it online. It kind of sucks not to be able to buy new shoes on a whim.
This, exactly. I’m about the same height, and wear size 15 shoes. Clothes are never a problem; shoes are _always_ a problem.
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### Author:  [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-very-tall-men/549523/13 "2010-08-07T22:46:41Z")
6’ 5" with 36" inseam and 38" sleeves.
It’s better than it used to be. When I was a teenager (in the '70s) I had to go to specialty mail-order outfits like the Big & Tall Company in Brockton, Mass. They had sizes to fit - but very, very limited (and not very good) styles and indifferent quality. Now, many retailers offer a much wider range of sizes, if only at their online operations. I shop Nordstroms, Lands End, L.L. Beans, etc, and they can usually fit me. I recently splurged, and had a Lands End shirt custom-sized for me, and it’s wonderful!
Shoes are also easier than they used to be, again, due to the rise of high-quality online operations (Rockport, etc.). Still, I do envy people who can walk into a store, try something on, and walk out with it. Sneakers are about the only things I can do this with, as most mall stores maintain athletic shoes in very large sizes.
My son’s feet have just outpaced mine by one size - to his not inconsiderable pleasure.
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### Author:  [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-very-tall-men/549523/14 "2010-08-07T22:51:45Z")
My brothers are both 6’6". The older one is normally proportioned, just bigger, and he seems to be able to get clothes OK, with just a bit of hassle. The younger one is very skinny, with extremely long legs, and he never has clothes that fit. He doesn’t shop online, though, maybe he should.
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### Author:  [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-very-tall-men/549523/15 "2010-08-07T23:07:07Z")
> [@Kyla](#):
>
> How hard is it to find clothes that fit if you’re well over 6’? Can you find jeans at JC Penney or Kohl’s or whatever, or do you have to go to specific stores that cater to you?
>
> My dad is 6’3" and doesn’t seem to have a problem finding jeans that fit, but how hard is it if you’re like, 6’5" or taller?
I am 6’4" and thinner than average. I can wear “large” t-shirts just fine at department stores, but it’s absolutely impossible to find a long sleeve shirt that is long enough in the arms outside of expensive brand lines. In my adult life I have not found a single long sleeve shirt at a big department store that fits. I have very long arms, and a relatively narrow chest/shoulders/stomach. A normal person can buy dress shirts for 20 bucks or less, but I can’t get away with less than 50. I was actually turned away from a “big and tall” clothing store because I didn’t fit the “big” criteria. The big and tall store seriously had nothing in stock that was long enough in the arms but would also fit correctly across the chest and shoulders. Those dress shirts that come pinned to the cardboard and packaged in that plastic bag? Forget about it. Either they’re short four inches on each wrist, or they’re a friggin’ zeppelin around my torso. This is the most frustrating thing about shopping for clothes, for me.
Also, department stores do not carry size 14 shoes. Places like foot locker have not carried size 14 the past few times I have checked. Most single-brand stores (like the Nike outlet or the Sketchers store) carry plenty of size 14, so it’s not THAT hard to find shoes. Pants are absolutely no problem, I’m guessing because the long baggy style is so popular. I can even find pant lengths longer than my size (36) sometimes.
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### Author:  [@Baron\_Skinley\_Von\_Clipper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Skinley_Von_Clipper)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-very-tall-men/549523/16 "2010-08-07T23:28:42Z")
My experience tells me that finding clothes for average sized men is quite difficult, I’m 5’10", it seems everyone else is too and they go shopping before me.
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### Author:  [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-very-tall-men/549523/17 "2010-08-07T23:35:54Z")
You think size 15 shoes are hard to find? My boyfriend, who is 6’4", wears size 23 shoes. Yeah, you read that right. He buys them online. Unfortunately, his feet are too skinny to wear Shaq’s castoffs. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)
#### Post date: [August 8, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-very-tall-men/549523/18 "2010-08-08T17:29:20Z")
> [@Pseudocode](#):
>
> I am 6’11"
> [@Giraffe](#):
>
> I’m 6’8"
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#):
>
> 6’4" here
> [@Mosier](#):
>
> I am 6’4"
So how’s the weather up there???
Well someone had to say it 😃
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### Author:  [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2010, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-very-tall-men/549523/19 "2010-08-09T19:21:48Z")
My stepdad is 6’10" (yes, he played basketball at one point), and most of his height is in his legs - his arms are also extra long. He mail orders most of his clothes, although short sleeved tshirts and sometimes polos aren’t too hard to find that fit him okay. He always gets a few nice shirts and maybe a pair of pants for birthdays, because finding something that fits him is sort of a special occasion. As for shoes, well, he got married in sneakers because he couldn’t find dress shoes that worked for him. As kids, my sisters and I pretended his flipflops were water skis.
(My mom is 5’4" - watching them steal a kiss is fairly hilarious.)
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### Author:  [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2010, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-very-tall-men/549523/20 "2010-08-09T20:10:07Z")
I’m not that tall (just under 6’), but my torso and arms are proportionately tall. Medium shirts fit my chest, but are too short in the arms and tail. Large shirts have long enough arms, but are too big around the chest. Pants have not been a problem.
JCPenney and L.L.Bean offer medium tall sizes which fit me.
The Big and Tall stores I’ve been to are for people who are both big and tall. Being skinny and tall I never had much luck with them.
Years ago I bought some Lee jeans in a store in Fort Worth. Their pants were ridiculously long (which is helpful for cowboys) and they had a seamstress onsite who adjusted the length while you waited – just took a few minutes. It was rather like dress suit slacks that come unfinished and are length-tailored to fit, but it’s the only time I’ve seen that with jeans. I don’t remember the store name, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s common in areas that have a (western-style) horse culture.
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