For smaller women, Oregon's short on shopping no longer

Consider the plight of the short woman here in a marketplace that caters to tall. The long-limbed can buy length-enhanced pants, stretch beds, tall toilets and high desks. But compact women sometimes get the feeling that they never outgrow the children's table.

When height-challenged women escape from the shadows of their taller sisters, they take full advantage. And for short women, the increasing diversity of Oregon's population offers an unexpected bonus: Growing numbers of Asian and Latina women mean more stores offering sizes that actually fit short legs, of whatever origin.

On weekends at Tahu Fashion, a boutique in Southeast Portland's new Asian shopping center, FuBonn, customers paw through racks of small-sized jeans. "You should have seen this place at prom time," said Vy Do, standing in her family's shop. "Every short girl in Portland was here."

The mall opened slightly more than a year ago to serve the region's growing Asian community, which makes up 6 percent of the Portland area's population. The anchor of the mall is a supermarket, but Tahu opened last year to cater to those who struggle to find stylish clothing.

"I cannot find anything in Portland that fits me," said Anna Liu when she paused in her search for diminutive jeans. Liu is of Chinese origin, wears a size 0 and stands 5 feet tall. Petite clothing, available in some department and chain stores, she said, does not suit her style. Nor does it come in the correct proportions. "It's not for me," she said, brushing her hands over her delicate frame.

Aurora Dabi, a Filipina-American who is 5-foot-2, said she feels dwarfed in sweaters and jackets made for European Americans. She gestured to one of Tahu's sequined blouses, which she was thinking about buying. "I won't have to hem it," she said.

Some new retailers without obvious ethnic ties are catering to short women, too. Across town from FuBonn, Lindsay Jackson pulls waist-size 24 -- the same as size 0 -- designer jeans from a large stack in her Pearl District outlet boutique, Olivia Belle. In two years, Jackson's clientele has grown by word of mouth. Within months of opening, she had become a reliable spot for small women -- Caucasian, Asian, Latina and others -- to find stylish jeans and trousers.

Few contemporary designers and manufacturers cater to petite women, she added. "Models are tall, and clothing looks great on tall frames. The small woman is kind of out of the picture."

"One by one, I started getting small women in," she said, "They come in and say, 'Where have you been all my life?' "

The Amazon state

Small women may be even more out of the picture in Oregon. The median height for Oregon females listed on drivers' licenses is 5 feet 5 inches. The measured median height for all American women is 5 feet 3.9 inches, according to 2002 federal survey statistics.

That's not a strictly apples-to-apples comparison. Oregon drivers' license numbers, which are from 2005, are self-reported, and some women may fudge their proportions. Human beings exaggerate, concedes David House of the Department of Motor Vehicles. But he doubts the Oregon numbers are wildly off the mark. For one thing, DMV examiners do exercise some quality control over doubtful claims. "If they're ridiculous," he says, "we say something."

"Research tells us that in self-reported surveys," says Karen Hunter , a spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Men tend to overestimate their height, and both men and women tend to underreport their weight."

In recent decades, Americans in general have grown in height -- not to mention weight. Scientists say the spurt is a combination of diet and genetics. According to government statistics, white and black Americans, on average, are taller than Asians and Hispanics.

That suggests Oregon women are indeed taller. Oregon's population is 85 percent white. Its residents claim German ancestry most, census data show. A similar percentage of Washingtonians say they are of German heritage; many also said their forebears were Norwegian.

Germans, Swedes, and Norwegians, as well as the Dutch, are among the world's tallest people.

Tailored for tall

Specialty retailers know their demographic, and two of North America's 35 Tall Girl Shops are in Washington state. "We hop," says Dominique Biggs, manager of the Tacoma Mall store. Among other items, the Tall Girl shops sell pants with inseams beginning at 36 inches. Trousers to fit a 5-foot-4 woman have 29-inch inseams.

Skyliners, the Portland club for tall people, has 90 members and hosted its Miss Tall Portland pageant Saturday. To apply for membership, women must be 5-foot-10 and men must be 6-foot-2. Megan Lukens, a graphic designer, is 6 feet 4 inches tall, and is married to a 6-foot-8-inch man. According to 2005 DMV records, 93 Oregon female drivers listed their height as 6-foot-4.

The average American women's shoe size is 8. But locally owned shoe stores, such as Bad Girl and pedX, sell swiftly out of size 10 and 11 shoes, salespeople say. "And we get several calls a week for size 13," says Jenni Aleksich, of pedX. Martin & Ziegler, a custom desk manufacturer in Portland, sells an increasing number of height-adjustable desks, says owner Dan Ziegler.

Toilets that are taller-than-average, or "comfort height," account for a growing portion of flush ware sold at George Morlan, the statewide plumbing chain. The toilets, originally sold for the disabled, began "crossing over" to all home buyers about a year ago, says Mike Vaught, a George Morlan purchasing agent.

He estimates that they accounted for one-third of toilet sales in 2006. "They're not too comfortable if you're under a certain height," he says. "But we sell a lot of them."

Growth factors

Beyond the little bit of retail relief that has appeared on the scene, short women can take no solace in trends. People everywhere -- not just the Northwest -- seem to be getting taller. Contemporary Chinese are taller. A combination of genes, national prosperity and good health care have made the Dutch the world's tallest people, with an average woman's height of 5 feet 7 inches. Researchers say that similar forces have influenced other Northern European countries.

Lena Riker, a retired cellular physiologist from Oregon Health & Science University, says those forces probably apply in Oregon, too. Genes, a protein-rich diet, as well as physical activity -- common both in Northern Europe and the Northwest -- may also play a role. "Intuitively," she said, "it would make sense that activity would improve your bones, muscles and your growth."

Of all states, only Oregon does not have a rising obesity rate. Fish, a nutritious Northern European staple, is also popular here, she notes.

Biggs, the Tall Girl store manager, says her store fills a need. "There is definitely a market out there," she says.

At 5 feet 2 inches, Biggs herself does not need the products she peddles. "Customers look at me and wonder how I can identify," Biggs says. "They walk in and say, 'They let a short person work here?' "

She pauses. "My height has nothing to do with whether I can sell clothes," she says. "I never take offense at what they're saying, believe me. You don't have to have long legs. You just need eyes to know what looks good."

Gabrielle Glaser: 503-221-8271; gabrielleglaser@news.oregonian.com