WHY do most manufacturers' Women's Talls stop at a 10?

[lulubelle]

It's making me nuts!

It would seem that the taller a woman is, the more likely she is to wear a larger size. I was looking in one manufacturer's catalog today. The 10Tall will fit a woman 5'9" to 6' tall. The next size up, 12, which is not available in a tall, fits a women 5'6' to 5'9". And so on. What gives? I'm only 5'10" but am all leg, so I truly need a tall. My 3mm is a size 12 Henderson Hyperstretch which fits me like a Capri suit. But I just don't want to wear a 5mm short.

Meanwhile, the men's suits have tall sizes available in the entire size range. A male diver here who is 6'8" has a stock size XLT suit which fits. Yes, I have tried on many a man's suit. They do not fit at all, even in the Hyperstretch like fabrics. Too loose in places too tight in others.

Why aren't there XLTs for WOMEN?

I don't want to go custom quite yet. I am working out very rigorously and losing weight, slowly but surely. All I really need is longer legs and enough stretch in the chest. I just don't understand why the manufacturers cut the talls off at a 10. For my height, a 10 is slim, my fighting weight.

 

[300bar]

Simple, you're not a standard fit

AKA $$$ wise not interessting

 

[Thiad]

Blue Sparkle told me about the Capri suits in my quest to find something NON PINK. I was amazed at how many size combinations they have but you're right - they don't have an XLT. Well, good luck. And if you come across a front-zip non-pink 3mm, let me know.

 

[lulubelle]

Blue Sparkle told me about the Capri suits in my quest to find something NON PINK. I was amazed at how many size combinations they have but you're right - they don't have an XLT. Well, good luck. And if you come across a front-zip non-pink 3mm, let me know.

Oh, my 3mm is not a Capri suit. It is a Henderson Hyperstretch 12 regular. So on ME it is a Capri suit.

 

[lulubelle]

Simple, you're not a standard fit

AKA $$$ wise not interessting

This is where I beg to differ. I think manufacturers are missing the boat so to speak and I'd like to see the market research to support their sizing decisions. Most women my size are tall. I look them in the eye all day long. We are the same size within a narrow range.

It makes no sense that as you move into sizes which are normal for my well above average height, the suits get SHORTER. It makes no sense that a 10 can be sized for someone up to 6 feet, and a size 12 or 14 is only available to fit only heights up to 5'9". And $$$ wise, the average woman in the US, diver or not, is a 14. And lots of us are diving and not spending $$ on exposure suits because they are not being offered in appropriate size ranges as are the mens. If a 6'8" male diver who is 11 inches taller than average can find an off the rack XLT to fit, then certainly at 5'10" (5 inches taller than average) I should be able to buy a an off the rack 12/XLT myself.

$$$ to burn, nowhere to burn them.

 

[usascuba]

bare makes a 12 tall fits 5'9-5'11

 

[lulubelle]

bare makes a 12 tall fits 5'9-5'11

I'll have to find one to try! Thanks!

My legs are disproportionately long (36 inches) so that *might* work. Does anyone know which is the super stretch like fabric for Bare? The umm girls need a bit more than a 12, but a super stretch fabric usually gives enough to be comfortable and still fit the rest of me.

A shop today was sure than a man's Henderson Hyperstretch was going to be the ticket. Just to humor him, I tried it on. Legs were long enough. Torso and thighs fit alright. But there were 2 inches of extra fabric running up the arms, in the shoulders, and in the umm, front.

 

[MarineResearch]

First, take off the cowboy boots when trying on a wetsuit.

Second, this is really just a temporary problem. In another 20 years you will start shrinking and will be able to slide right into a 10 regular.

 

[Blue Sparkle]

Clearly, we're not supposed to be big and tall (where... *cough* ... "big" is anything over a size 10 ).

I don't have your exact size concerns, but I've gotten to the point where I pretty much refuse to buy anything that is either a men's size that I have to try to fit into, or a "unisex" --- which just means men's made smaller, as far as I can tell.

Can you imagine if we just made women's stuff larger, called that Unisex, and then made men just deal with having tight uncomfortable waists, flapping hip sections, and wrong-fitting chests? Ha, they would never go for it.

Of course this isn't exactly what you're writing about, as you are actually just not finding women's sizes that extend enough, but I guess it got my dander up, from years of trying to make men's sizes (especially in gear or clothing in which you might actually DO something besides chat at a cocktail party).

On the Capri: Waterproof (which does have an amazing range of women's sizes but which oddly do not extend into much in the way of tall even though they do have some talls) has a model of wetsuit called a Capri. But I think lulubelle is referring to the fact that her wetsuit(s) only go about halfway down from knee to ankle and are thus fitting her like "capri pants" (pedal pushers).

Blue Sparkle

 

[lulubelle]

Clearly, we're not supposed to be big and tall (where... *cough* ... "big" is anything over a size 10 ).

I don't have your exact size concerns, but I've gotten to the point where I pretty much refuse to buy anything that is either a men's size that I have to try to fit into, or a "unisex" --- which just means men's made smaller, as far as I can tell.

Can you imagine if we just made women's stuff larger, called that Unisex, and then made men just deal with having tight uncomfortable waists, flapping hip sections, and wrong-fitting chests? Ha, they would never go for it.

Of course this isn't exactly what you're writing about, as you are actually just not finding women's sizes that extend enough, but I guess it got my dander up, from years of trying to make men's sizes (especially in gear or clothing in which you might actually DO something besides chat at a cocktail party).

On the Capri: Waterproof (which does have an amazing range of women's sizes but which oddly do not extend into much in the way of tall even though they do have some talls) has a model of wetsuit called a Capri. But I think lulubelle is referring to the fact that her wetsuit(s) only go about halfway down from knee to ankle and are thus fitting her like "capri pants" (pedal pushers).

Blue Sparkle

Blue Sparkle, I'm right there with you. And yes, my "capri length" suit is not supposed to be that way, but it doesn't much matter in a 3mm. It does in a 5mm. I want my legs covered.

At my height, a size 10 is on the thin side. I was a little too thin at that size to be honest. It seems that the sizes/lengths offered would be a little bit more in line with what is average for that size/height. It defies all logic for the suits to get shorter as the sizes increase.

I'm right there with you on the state of the sportswear industry as a whole. Us girls are out there doing things and we come in a wider range of heights and sizes than what is available. Men have a huge range of sizes and lengths available. I refuse to wear unisex anything anymore, even a tshirt, because they do not fit and are unflattering. I am not, nor will I ever be, shaped like a man. More like an Amazonian fertility goddess.