Shoe and Lolita Shopping for Tall Girls

[aimeekitty]

A tall lolita sent me a message today asking for some advice... But I ended up typing such a long response, that I thought I'd post it here so other girls might find it useful, too...? This post will be useful for girls who are taller, larger and/or have larger feet (regardless of whether they are into lolita fashion or not...)



THIS IS GOING TO BE LONG, and I'm going to try to go as much into detail as I can. Hopefully you'll find it useful.

Just being a tall girl in general... not even a lolita, it is hard. Being something other than the "average" makes you stand out and sometimes makes you a target for other people to be mean. Some people find me just inherently more intimidating, too, because I'm tall. By me dressing differently from the mainstream... and by putting my pictures out there, I expose myself to potential ridicule, right...? And I'm not the ideal bodytype, I may never be as cute as some girls. But I love fashion, it brings me a lot of joy and I really enjoy sharing with people. I dress in t-shirt and jeans plenty of the time,... but I'm having fun learning to express myself more and be braver with what I wear.

Sometimes, like today, I get a message from people who were encouraged by my journal, book and/or pictures, that encourages me, too, to keep trying, keep sharing and keep being strong.

As you can probably guess, for me, normal clothing doesn't always fit or look right and it's very hard for me to find shoes. When I was in highschool, it was almost unheard of to find "long" jeans. So all my jeans were too short for me. I'd have to buy guy sneakers, because they didn't even have a pair of sneakers in my size! To me, when I was younger,... this was hurtful and made me feel less feminine. But in the past ten years or so, it's become easier and easier with online shopping and more varied sizes. Now I have sneakers like this and this. and I have pretty shoes like this, this and this

NOTE: If you know of more places to buy large sized shoes, unusually sized clothing, etc... or you have some more advice for this post, please feel free to add it! :)

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SIDENOTE: SEWING YOUR OWN CUTE CLOTHING:
It is possible to make your own things, too, if you can sew.
Lately, I've been able to find some cute Japanese fabric prints. (I say Japanese specifically... because everyone knows where to get American fabrics online, and often, actually, I favor super-cute and/or border print stuff which usually ends up coming from Japan.)

The best way to look for cute Japanese fabric is on etsy.com or ebay.com . I usually try searching for "Japanese fabric" + some subject,... like, I'll search for "japanese cat fabric",... and then if you find a cute one, see what else that seller is selling, too.
There are also these fabric sites that I frequent:
http://aimeemajor.com/dolls/sdlinkfabric.html

But, "brand" lolita clothing often has cute prints that you can't really find in loose fabric, so that's why I can't resist it sometimes, even though I could sew something myself. (That and I rarely have time to sew for myself)

I've sewn a decent number of skirts though, because skirts, you can really make one in a couple hours, and it's just as cute as a brand skirt if you find a cute fabric and lace! some details on how I sew them here


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WHEN I BUY CLOTHING AND SHOES:
For comparison sake,... I'm 6 feet tall and have 27.5 cm long feet (typically USA size 11)
You should know that it's mainly my legs that are really long. My torso is not super long, though it is longer than a short person's. My arms are a little long, but most "average" clothing has long enough sleeves for me.

My bust is about 38 inches and my waist is about 32 inches, and I have HUGE HIPS. <3

Like calalillith said, know your measurements and know your brands. When you find a shoe or jacket or dress that fits you, write down the brand and size. Detail the type of item it was, like if it was a sleeveless dress, or a tightfitting jacket, etc. This is really important because a size USA 11 women's shoe at one brand can fit totally different from a same sized different brand. And L and L shirts at different brands can have totally different measurements. Obviously sizes vary even within brands, but this helps a lot when shopping online. This also helps when shopping at used clothing stores or ebay. If you know you wear X size, you can be pretty sure that item will fit you, even if the used seller doesn't list the measurements.

I keep a text file on my computer and ipod that has a list of my sizes, like I wear 9.5 mens in converse sneakers,... I wear size 12 for a sleeveless dress at http://jcrew.com, I wear L for a fitted longsleeve shirt at http://punkyfish.com, XL tshirt at http://hottopic.com, 14 at topshop, etc....

... I feel like I need to stop for a second before telling you where I buy my shoes. Many people think that a tall girl should not wear heels. I don't really agree with that. A shoe can look a lot cuter and the whole outfit can look cuter with a heel, and I just basically am of the attitude of "I'm going to be really tall anyway, I'm going to wear shoes that look cute on me." My husband, who is only about half an inch taller than me doesn't seem to mind if my heels make me a little taller than him, so I go for what I think looks cute. Nicole Kidman didn't wear heels for years while she was married to Tom Cruise (who probably also wore/wears lifts, btw...) but I don't want to do that.

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DECO and CELPHONE STRAPS, ETC

http://www.fancypocket.sg/

http://www.strapya-world.com/

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WIGS and HAIR EXTENIONS

These are some sites that I like to wear wigs from:
http://cyperous.com/english/
http://www.cosworx.com/
http://amphigory.com/wigs.html

Additionally, I wear half wigs and hair extensions for fancy days out (ie not cosplay). (There are more suggestions for loli-able and fancy wigs here Here's a few of the ones I wear often::

hime-style half wig
This has a comb in the front and the back, it leaves the top part of your head exposed. So I bought one that matched my hair color. It's not as hot as wearing a full wig and is easy to get a fancy style quickly.
bought from:
http://item.rakuten.co.jp/wigland/vm-04-m/
http://item.rakuten.co.jp/wigland/prvm-04/
Looks like this when not worn:
http://pupe.ameba.jp/item/G_Rw-NZry-zW/ujqIHquPqr85/
Looks like this when I wear them:
http://aimeemajor.com/images/photos/2010feb/anniesk.jpg
http://aimeemajor.com/images/photos/2009oct/teaparty07.jpg
http://aimeemajor.com/images/photos/2010jan/gothic01.jpg

long wavy hair clip-ons (I have two)
bought from: http://stores.ebay.com/BANG-UP-WIG
looks like this when not worn:
http://pupe.ameba.jp/item/khq5CEyIGhB2/ujqIHquPqr85/
Looks like this when I wear them:
http://aimeemajor.com/images/photos/2010jan/ala.jpg
http://aimeemajor.com/images/photos/2010jan/purikura201001.jpg

short curly hair clip-ons (I have two)
bought from here:
http://cosworx.com/product.php?productid=25032&cat=2403&page=1
Looks like this when not worn:
http://pupe.ameba.jp/item/CKOE2toz5BRz/ujqIHquPqr85/
worn:
http://aimeemajor.com/images/photos/2009sept/kabukid2.jpg
http://aimeemajor.com/images/photos/2010jan/ny201021.jpg
http://aimeemajor.com/images/photos/2010jan/ny201018.jpg
http://aimeemajor.com/images/photos/2009march/kimono06.jpg
http://aimeemajor.com/images/photos/2009july/carosel.jpg

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BUYING "NORMAL" CLOTHING ONLINE (AND SHOES LOLI and OTHERWISE)

http://piperlime.gap.com/
The Gap online store is partnered with Piperlime, Old Navy and Banana Republic.
All of which have tall-able clothes and shoes. What's extra cool about this is that if you order a pair of shoes from Piperlime, you get free shipping and you can combine with clothes from Gap and Banana Republic. Piperlime also has a similar return policy to Zappos.com (free returns!!)
Actually... I've found that for the past couple of years, during the summer, Gap has really cute basic dirndl skirts. They aren't loli, but they're still cute for everyday. Piperlime even had a pair of metallic silver flats in my size with flowers on them. HOW CUTE.
Sign up for their mailinglist(s) and you get aware of sales.

JEANS,
My problem is that my legs are really long and my butt is a lot bigger than my waist.
I find that GAPS' curvy jeans (in tall/long) fit me well, and http://www.express.com/ 's Eva/Curvy jeans in long fit me really well. EXPRESS also sometimes has really good "normal" white dress shirts and cute sweaters.

Also, thanks to missmonster, you can order custom jeans here:
http://www.makeyourownjeans.com

http://www.forever21.com/
http://www.hm.com
http://www.anthropologie.com
http://us.topshop.com/
http://delias.com
http://www.punkyfish.com/
I do some shopping at these stores, too, though often dresses and skirts are just too short. (many of these are best to try on in person in stores for dresses/skirts) I've gotten a ton of vests lately from F21, and their tshirts are actually pretty long. F21 also has an obscene amount of cute trendy jewelry for really low prices.
Anthropologie, while expensive has some GORGEOUS styles and often has larger sizes and/or longer designs. Especially, I love them for feminine sweaters and cutsew/knit tshirts with nice details. I never buy jewelry from them, you can find similarly styled stuff by original artists on http://etsy.com for cheaper.

http://jcpenney.com/
I like JCP for certain basic items. Usually their stuff is affordable and well made. Like, for instance, I got a basic solid cardigan with pearl buttons here for a really good price. It came in mint, white, pink, all kinds of colors.

http://www.jcrew.com
I find that their fitted shirts or non-stretchy shirts just don't work for me at all, I'm too busty. However, their sleeveless dresses I really like. And their knit/stretchy tshirts can have some beautiful embellishment details. I watch for their deep sales.

http://www.hottopic.com/
people make fun of Hot Topic, but if you know how to shop they can have some really cute stuff. They also carry some size 11 shoes and some great belts.

http://www.tukshoes.com/ - they carry some cute rockabilly, gothic and gothic lolita shoes, and yes, they come in size 11.

http://www.5thfloorproductions.com/ - they carry some cute shoes... most are more pleaser-stripper style, but some are definitely loliable. I've never ordered from them before.

http://target.com/
I also shop at Target. (mainly for accessories) But did you know that Target also has size 11 shoes (both online and in most of their stores). They're pretty cheap, but sometimes you can find really cute stuff, even loli-able boots.

http://payless.com
Though they are mostly a "miss" for me, Payless shoes sometimes has good stuff in size 11.

http://www.sasshoes.com/ - make really well-made comfortable sandals in my size for everyday.

some dance shoe shops do costume sizes and often they can be beautiful and very comfortable. (thanks to o0erinea0o) example:
http://www.petticoatjct.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=PJ&Category_Code=ALL-S

bordello also makes some larger sized boots that are loli-able:
http://www.beverlyheels.com/incEngine/?category=OFF&content=store&keyword=+whimsey

http://www.naturalizer.com/ - mostly for casual/normal shoes.

http://www.shiekhshoes.com/store/ - mostly for trendy shoes, but has a great variety of boots, pumps, etc.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/ - both their online and in person stores have size 11. It tends to be the larger flagship in person stores that have more size 11

you can also search ebay.com for shoes if you know what you're looking for.

http://www.aldoshoes.com/us/women/special-sizes/41 - <3

http://www.pleaserusa.com/ - (Pleaser and Demonia) - mostly fetish, gothic and sexy shoes, but there are occasional styles that do well for lolita.

http://zappos.com - great variety of shoes in size 11, etc. Free shipping returns! another similar site is http://endless.com . The great thing about a "free return" shoe store is that you can find out what size you are in various brands with almost no risk.

http://www.thefryecompany.com/ - very well made boots. Not really lolita style, but you can get engineer boots here and cowboy boots, etc...

http://www.irregularchoice.com/ - really amazing interesting shoes, some of them come in size 11! (this is a UK company, so make sure you find out what your size is in their size.) You can find their shoes for sale on other sites, too.

http://www.fluevog.com/ - another unique shoe store that does size 11. Sometimes their heels are too chunky for lolita, but they've got some cool stuff.

http://www.dansko.com/ - a comfort shoe maker that does size 11. Sometimes they do shoes that are cute, though!

http://www.drmartens.com/ - for chunky boots

http://www2.victoriassecret.com/ - Victoria's Secret and some other clothing companies have size 11 shoes, too. Victoria's Secret can have some nice clothes, sweaters and jackets, too. (And I pretty much exclusively wear their unders)

http://www.converse.com/ - Converse sneakers! They have ones with sequins sometimes, too... and you can even do a custom order with any color you want.

http://www.skechers.com - have size 11, sometimes have cute girly flats or unusual styles.

Both Adidas and Nike carry sneakers in my size in their WOMEN's sizes, mind. Some of them are cute!

and for something entirely different, here's some custom hand-made shoe places that do historical shoes:
http://andyburke.co.uk/
http://fugawee.com/Women%27s%20Colonial.htm

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KIMONO OR TRADITIONAL JAPANESE SHOES (tabi, geta and zori)

http://www.thesakebox.com/

http://www.karankoron.com/online_shop_geta.html - buyer beware, I haven't ordered from them before, so I can't vouch for them.

http://www.gendaiya.co.jp/s_fkLLgouhi.htm (you must use a shopping service like Rinkya.com to shop here) This is the ONLY store I've found that has zori in size 27.5

http://www.sousou.co.jp/ - tabi shoes (also can find at New People in San Fransisco)

you can also search Yahoo!Japan Auctions and ebay, just pay attention to the lengths. It's ok if your geta, okobo or zori are a little too short.

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SPECIFICALLY LOLITA SHOES

http://www.onedayinparadise.com.au/ - I don't know what the current situation is with this store because there was a big controversy a month back or so. But I had no problem ordering from them a couple months ago, so I guess do some research and see for yourself? I got these two pairs of boots from them:
http://pupe.ameba.jp/item/Apw64-XztIef/ujqIHquPqr85/
http://pupe.ameba.jp/item/FnwJnIo1OWns/ujqIHquPqr85/
I'm very happy with the style, my one complaint is that with the pink ones, on the first day of wearing them, they got a quite noticeable scuff where the pink just totally came off. I wasn't being rough with them, either. But for the price, I felt they were good.


My favorite lolita shoe place is: http://rosechocolat.com/
It takes several months to get shoes from them, and sometimes they halt large size shoe orders, but overall, I like their stuff better than any place I've tried, and I've tried lots of stuff. Their stuff is well made and fits me well. They are the ONLY place I've found that really does Rocking-Horse style shoes in size 11. They also have boots, cute lolita flats, etc. For me, it's worth the wait. Me wearing some shoes from them. You can even get a shorter heel if you want on some of their shoes (including rocking horse shoes.)

qcute also sometimes has larger sized shoes or can help you order from places like taobao. The trouble I find with shopping for custom larger shoes from taobao sellers is that even if I give them my exact foot measurement... they still manage to make the shoes too big or too small. One time I did 3 orders and still didn't get a shoe that fit me right. But maybe you will have better luck than me?

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LOLITA SOCKS -
I find that most brand lolita socks aren't long enough or big enough for me. There are some exceptions, but it takes a lot of trial and error to find out. One of my friends is the same height as me, but has thinner calfs, and she's able to wear some BTSSB and AP socks. I haven't had any luck there, yet.
-USUALLY- you're a better bet with what brands label as "OTK" or Over the Knee socks. You'll be wearing them as under the knee, though.
The main brand I've had the best luck with with socks is Metamorphose. A good portion of their OTKs fit me easily. some socks I bought from them that fit and the white and gold scallop socks you see in the background here also fit. These DIDN'T fit... for some reason. Go figure.

I often order socks and tights from Sock Dreams and WeLoveColors. ... and, believe it or not, http://target.com and Target inperson stores often have to-the-knee socks and great tights.
http://www.lookfromlondon.com/ also has cool patterned and floral tights and has a "queen" size.

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PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS WITH LOLITA CLOTHING,

The MOST IMPORTANT thing with buying lolita clothing is to know your personal measurements. You need to know what dresses and skirt lengths are right for you, and you need to know your bust and waist size. Just because one dress from a company fits you doesn't mean that another one will, even if the dress looks similar. Brand lolita dresses vary a great deal in length and size. ALWAYS, ALWAYS compare the measurements on a dress to your measurements,... and even then, it still might not work perfectly.

The main problem for a tall girl with lolita clothing is, it's best to be able to try it on. Because most dresses will not be worn the normal way on a tall girl, so when you try on stuff, you have to pull things down or modify to try and see if it will work for you.
It does help to look for construction details that hint that the dress might be able to accommodate you. This doesn't ALWAYS work though.

While some dresses will fit a tall girl just as they are... the main trick in wearing lolita for tall girl, is to be able to move the dress down your torso so that the bodice area hits your torso in a better spot and so that the dress's skirt hem isn't too short on your legs. The average lolita dress is designed for someone relatively short, so if it looks like it hits the natural waist on a short girl,... on a tall girl, it will look like empire waist. That's not always flattering, and further,... the dress will probably be too short on the legs, too.

SKIRTS -----
A skirt (SK) sometimes is easier than an onepiece (OP) or a jumperskirt (JSK), because the skirt will naturally sit at your natural waist. As long as you can find a blouse that is long enough, the skirt will be ok, even if it is a brand skirt, as long as your waist is small enough and the skirt isn't super short. So, basically, the average brand lolita skirt is kinda-sorta long enough for a tall lolita. Some skirts are longer and more flattering than others though.

With skirts, find out how short is too short for you. There are some things you can do to counteract a skirt or dress that just is too short if you're just totally in love with that skirt or dress. For me, I find that a 58 cm skirt hits me at the knee and is -plenty- long. (like this Metamorphose Swan Lake skirt) Anything shorter than 47 cm is just way too short for me. I prefer my skirts to be about 21-22 inches (53-55 cm) long. This may vary for you, we all have different bodytypes.


If you have a cute petticoat that's ok to show underneath, you can let it show.
You can try to add a second layer of longer lace to the skirt.
In all cases, it's pretty important to wear bloomers, ones that aren't too short, so that you can stay in the modest lolita style. I know people say "all lolita should wear bloomers at all times" but I think it's particularly important for a tall lolita wearing something that's a little short on her.

There are more things you can do to try and make your outfit more modest and not too sexy if you are a tall girl wearing something a little short. I don't always do this, due to traveling or running around,... but it's best to wear tights, panty hose or proper lolita socks. Your leg feels more covered and modest if you wear opaque or semi-opaque tights. (Kinda like people who wear leggings under a too-short skirt lately...) I find that sometimes, wearing a nice boot with a skirt can make my leg not feel so long and make the outfit balance better, too.

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There are some seamstresses and shops that offer custom sizes, the main one for me is http://sweetrococo.com/
Her stuff is really high quality and she has really cute prints. Here's me wearing a couple dresses from her:
http://aimeemajor.com/gothloli/sweetro.jpg

http://www.blaspheminascloset.com/ and http://www.meganmaude.com/ also have high quality custom size items with beautiful style.

There is also qcute and fanPlusFriend who do custom sizes. The quality varies on these,... qcute's KidsYoyo for example, I really like the quality of, but I didn't care for R-series. A big "tell" for me with these types of companies is to look at the lace. Badly done or cheap lace can really mess up an outfit and make it look shoddy. And then just watch for the overall style of the dress, that'll have to be up to you.

I also like http://www.inthestarlight.com/ for blouses.

BTSSB, Metamorphose and Innocent World all have larger sizes in blouses and clothing sometimes.

Some Angelic Pretty (AP) stuff has a good size or construction that you can cheat it for taller girls, even though they don't have multiple sizes, strictly. With Angelic Pretty, please note that they have an international/english website now. Their english website is tricky though, in that you basically have to stalk it for updates. They don't have that many of each item so they sell out very quickly. StarryCandyBox also has Angelic Pretty stuff.

You can also buy various lolita brands (new) from http://maruione.jp/en/gothic-lolita-punk-c-59.html

You can also find multiple brand lolita clothing items on Closet Child and you can use shopping services like Celga and Rinkya to shop on Yahoo Japan and Mbok. ( http://www.mbok.jp/ ). It's really easy to search for items on Rinkya, you just use the search and search for say, "Baby The Stars Shine Bright" (or whatever you are looking for).

With Baby the Stars Shine Bright (BTSSB or BABY), watch their reservation page for L sizes, and then check the measurements. Additionally, once an item comes out for direct sale, their blouse, dress and JSK pages list clothing by "size". like if you look at their JSK page you can see there's a S, M and L section. Again, make sure you check the measurements.

http://www.milky-ange.com/ - also does some larger and longer skirts and dresses

Certain styles and construction of dresses work better for tall girls than others.
Some examples of dresses you can cheat: Angelic Pretty Milky the Fawn. From the length measurements on AP's website, I had no idea that it would fit me. In fact, it fits me pretty well, better than some other dresses. (NOTE: a really good thing about this dress and similar ones for bustier girls, is that it has FULL back shirring... some dresses have partial back shirring... look for full back!) The trick here, is that instead of wearing the straps as intended, I wear them as a halter. You can just safety pin the straps at your neck for a quick fix, or you can add a button there.
You can even do this with dresses that have their straps secured in both the front and the back. You'll just have to carefully rip out the seams and resew them. That's what I had to do with this BTSSB Merry Sweet Castle JSK.
So you can see, getting a JSK can be a lot better for tall girls than getting a OP. Because the OP's sleeves usually restrict being able to pull the dress further down your torso. Neither of these dresses are "L" size.

Another example are dresses that have shirred or elasticized straps. This BTSSB She is Sleeping JSK. Both the bodice and the straps are elasticized making it very forgiving. Most people think about these for girls with larger bust... but it works for taller girls, too. Personally, I tend not to like front shirring (I just don't think it's that flattering) but I forgive this dress because I like the embroidery so much. Another two similar examples are BTSSB Sweet Check and BTSSB Corset-style. Both of these are almost OP in style... but the elastic sleeve edges (near the neck) allow you to pull the dress down on your torso. Please note that all three of these dresses are not "L" size. They just have good enough measurements and design to work well for me.

Some brand dresses fit just fine without any modification at all, mainly for me, that tends to be BTSSB's "L" size. An example would be Sweet's Time. This dress fits me easily, hits me the right place on my torso, and is plenty long enough without any changes. This Ribbon Scallop JSK (also L size) is the same way.
But,... there's a trick, because, not all BTSSB L sizes are the same size. You have to watch the measurements very very carefully. Like BTSSB Friend Usakumya Judy jumper skirt（L-size） didn't fit me -at all-.

If you don't have a long torso, sometimes Innocent World has dresses, skirts and blouses that can work. They have two things going on in their favor,... they have some larger sizes and additionally, they have some styles that are intentionally longer. The trouble for me, often, is the design of their dresses in the torso are meant for shorter girls, so they aren't always flattering on me (ie, they hit me at the bust instead of the waist) but I haven't tried them in a while, and they have more sizing now. So I think tall girls should look at their stuff, too.

Metamorphose also has some stuff that is larger sizing and frequently has longer skirts. The best way to get longer skirts from them is to watch their preorders.


When it comes to jackets, a lot of brand lolita stuff is fine, you'll have to try it on, because a lot of it depends on how long your arms are, how broad your shoulders are and how big your arms and boobs are. I find that most brand lolita coats/jackets just DON'T FIT ME AT ALL.
However, sometimes the MAN size in brand gothic stuff will work, like Atelier Boz. And their men's stuff is JUST as pretty as the girl's stuff. It's great.

Comments

[spiralstairs.livejournal.com]

Aldo Shoes has a size 11 section and some of my favorite shoe styles! :D

http://www.aldoshoes.com/us/women/special-sizes/41

Thanks for the info! I've got a cartoony hourglass body with big ol' steer hips, so any help with clothing stuff is always awesome. :D

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

thanks, added!

I know this post is MOSTLY lolita stuff for taller girls, but I hope you found it useful!

[spiralstairs.livejournal.com]

Oh immensely helpful! :) I don't own anything lolita for this reason, but I know Kinokuniya stocks some dresses, so it's great to hear from experience how to go about sizes. Cheers, love!

[brightling.livejournal.com]

You are such a sweetheart! This is a lovely post.

[calalillith.livejournal.com]

Very useful! Thank you <3

I would also add.. know your brands. I wear a size 12 shoe, but I can squeeze into some size 11 shoes with closed toes and heels, and into some size 11 shoes that have open toes and heels. Nordstrom has a decent selection for larger feet, and ebay is where I do a lot of my shoe shopping now -- it's possible to get new, or almost new, cute shoes in the right size for decent prices sometimes.

I *still* haven't been able to get to the BtSSB store yet, but I have a trip tentatively planned with sweet_lolitas in January o,0 I can't wait to go though! :3

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

good point! I updated it a bit. :) I actually keep a text file of my sizes from various companies, it makes it a lot easier.

[mmymoon.livejournal.com]

Old Navy is part of the Gap/Piperlime/etc. family, and they have a lot of great layering (and sometimes even loli-esque) options, particularly in the summer -- IN TALL SIZES. I'm the opposite of you: I actually have normal/short-ish legs, but a ridiculously long torso... and yet, I got some of the most useful puff-sleeved tops and scalloped eyelet-embroidered skirts (great for lengthing too-short loli skirts!) over this last summer, both in tall sizes.

Weirdly, only ON does this, not Gap or Banana Republic. But I love ON so much it's ridiculous.


I loveeeeeeee Zappos, etc. because of the free return shipping. I have wide 11s, so certain brands are awesome (Doc Martens mary janes = <3) but some run very narrow. I actually had the shopgirl at Fluevog tell me I should just never try to wear the women's shoes, but they had some nice men's styles...? SIGH. (I felt super-feminine at that moment!) I definitely agree it's gotten SO MUCH easier this last decade. My teen years were entirely full of (unisex) black Converse and nothing else. :P

[etherealtb.livejournal.com]

Do you know any stores in LA that specialize in 11's? My best friend is 5'10" with a size 11 foot, but refuses to buy ANYTHING online! (She has to physically touch thins and try them on first.)

BTW, I wear a size 10 and am always exasperated by the small amount of 10's at Payless (and am even more horrified to see how few 11's there are for my buddy.) But I was told by one of the assistants at Westside Pavillion that they there are a lot of big sizes in the stores in the Crenshaw area. Apparently the one's on La Brea & Rodeo & in the Baldwin Hills mall are the places for big hoofed girls like ourselves to go. I haven't made it yet, being broke from Christmas, but intend to go in mid January when I have more $$$. :)

At least you are tall and your shoe size fits your body. Try being just one size smaller and being only 5'6"!!! I feel like I'm a puppy with big feet who never grew into them and I (literally) trip over my own feet more often than I'd like to admit. LOL.

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

sheik shoes, target, sketchers, naturalizer, nordstrom, and some comfort shoe stores that carry stuff like SAS and Dansko would be just about her only choices for in person shopping.

[etherealtb.livejournal.com]

Ah, thanks. Never heard of Sheik Shoes before.

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

oops, spelled it wrong, shiek shoes, actually.
http://www.shiekhshoes.com/

[etherealtb.livejournal.com]

LOL. They are in the Baldwin Hills and Fox Hills malls too! I'll have more than one place to go on my big shoe search! :)

[missmonstermel.livejournal.com]

Thank you for writing this.

I don't dress Lolita but I get frustrated being a taller, "bigger" girl trying to find clothing, esp unusual stuff. I have started getting pieces custom made, i got so fed up, haha. I used this site once:

www.makeyourownjeans.com/

I like the jeans but i ordered the stretchy material and then lost a little weight or measured when i was bloated or something. So they fall off my butt, wah! It's pricey but not any more than a pair of fancy designer jeans.

You and i have pretty similar measurements (iam a little shorter though, a measly 5' 10") and like you most of my height is leg, haha :) I used to ask other tall women where they shop and yay i have some answers :)

I wish i had this kind of guidance ( and online resources) when i was a teen so i think what you are doing is great.

P.S.

[etherealtb.livejournal.com]

Good for you for not being afraid to wear heels and kudos to your hubby for being man enough to not be bothered by it! A girl I worked with is 5'11" and would wear 3-4 inch heels and she didn't give a hoot if she towered over people. She looked smashing too!

[o0erinea0o.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, your post is so huge! O_O Thanks for giving me this quick and useful reply. Personaly I didn't know a lot of tips you wrote here.
I was bored of wearing converse sneakers everyday -___- (cof, cof, shoes size 12, cof...) Recently I found classic mary janes in dance shops :) http://www.petticoatjct.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=PJ&Category_Code=ALL-S You can also choose the wide.
I bought a pair of velvet Bordello boots. They're amazing, comfortable an up to size 12. Perfect for elegant coords but not for rainy winter LoL http://www.beverlyheels.com/incEngine/?category=OFF&content=store&keyword=+whimsey
I haven't time enough to keep writting now but I'll post more things tomorrow.
Thank you one more time. Keep being so strong and encouraged.

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

thanks for the reminder about the bordello boots! I'd ordered some a couple months ago, but they were backordered! *___*

I'd forgotten about dance shoe stores, too! :)

[minuberry.livejournal.com]

Thanks for all the info! It was interesting reading them ^^

[hinoai.livejournal.com]

My favorite place to get jeans is www.alloy.com, or their sister site, delias.com. ^^ They have inseams up to 38" and if you can get them on clearance, it's great!! They even ship internationally (thank god), although they seriously overcharge for it.

I wished that the GAP shipped internationally. T-T They even have Gap here in Japan, but they don't carry tall sizes (and for me, normal tall isn't usually long enough anyways).

For those in Japan, in case there is any of you, you can get bigger shoes (usually ugly, but desperate is desperate and trust me, I've been desperate many times) from nissen.jp.

[yaso-khuul.livejournal.com]

Impressive list, that took some effort!

You'd probably finds things easier in Germany where most girls are quite tall (6 feet being very common)...I'm on the short side and I feel I really stand out over there. Almost impossible to find size 6 shoes ;_;

[lavenderlillies.livejournal.com]

I'm 5'8" and brand jsks and ops tend to be way too short on me. It's like everything I wear turns into ero-loli, and I can only imagine it must be worse for taller girls. I wear otk socks or leggings to cover my legs up more, but even so.

[supinternets.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for this post! I found it really helpful and appreciate the time you put into it. Being tallish and not the typical body type can make someone feel like an alien sometimes, it's nice to know that someone I admire is right there with me. Your confidence and sense of fun is inspiring.

[jenacorn.livejournal.com]

Torrid (http://www.torrid.com/torrid/index.jsp) is the plus size version of Hot Topic. Their shoes are generally available in larger sizes and tend to be wide width. They also carry some cute fashion pieces, but their fabric quality is generally a miss.

B & Lu (http://bandlu.com/) has some cute stuff too for big girls, but again the fabric is rarely good quality.

Thanks for the list. ^__^

[taperkat.livejournal.com]

i never thought to look at those places to buy jeans. I'm slightly smaller than you (5'8", 8.5-10.5 shoe) but I am a very traditional shape and i can't find pants that fit me for anything.

[singingraisin.livejournal.com]

<3

[quentin-watson.livejournal.com]

This is a great post! I always like finding new stores to shop at.

[larasgirl.livejournal.com]

This is really great! So thoughtful.

[spiderpiggle.livejournal.com]

you rock for posting this, and i'm a mini milk ;P

[(Anonymous)]

I've been reading your blog and enjoying your art and costumes for a long time now and I was glad to see that someone else as tall as myself (you're actually just half an inch taller than me!) can look adorable in lolita and even find brand clothing that fits and looks great!!!

However, despite all our other measurements meshing so well (same shoe size, waist size, and everything), this has made me realize that I'll never be able to fit into non-fully shirred brand items, since my bust exceeds 43inches. This post was kindof a wakeup call, and now I know I have to get up off my ass and finish all the loli dress projects I have begun and abandoned. I'll also save up to have something made by Sweet Rococo...they do indeed have lovely prints.

Thank you for this post. :3

[emilyshout]

Great list. I also love fancy clothing and lovely shoes. I've already checked out some of the links, specifically the Lolita shoes. You can check out mine too at soft sole baby shoes.