If you’re building a tall wardrobe on a budget, Old Navy is where you start. It carries tall in more styles than any other mall retailer (we track 1,300+ tall style-colors in a given week), at prices where a sizing mistake doesn’t hurt. The trade-off is that the program is huge but uneven, and buying it well means knowing its quirks. This guide is everything we’ve learned tracking the catalog weekly and wearing the clothes at 6’2”.
Who Old Navy tall is cut for
Old Navy designs its tall line for women around 5’9” and up. Tall is a true pattern change, not a longer hem on the same cut: the inseam, the sleeve, the torso and the rise all get length. That matters because it means a tall top stays tucked when you raise your arms and a tall jean’s knee break actually lands at your knee.
There’s no published ceiling on the range, but proportionally the line is happiest between 5’9” and about 6’3”. At the top of that range, pants generally still work while fitted sleeves become the constraint.
How the size runs work
- Letter sizes dominate. Most tall tops, dresses, fleece and loungewear run S to XXL in tall. The run is real but shallow: there is less depth per size than regular, so ends of the run (S, XXL) sell through first.
- Numeric sizing lives in the structured stuff. Jeans and tailored pants run roughly 2 to 18 in tall, with the occasional style reaching 20.
- Not every color comes in tall. This is the number one Old Navy trap. A style can offer tall in two of its five colorways. If the color you want isn’t showing tall sizes, check the other colors before assuming tall is gone.
Old Navy tall vs regular: what actually changes
Comparing Old Navy tall vs regular comes down to one idea: same width, more length, in four places. Old Navy publishes size charts per product, but these are the working numbers we see across the catalog:
| What changes | Regular cut | Tall cut | What you gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jean and pant inseam | about 30 to 31 inches | about 33.5 to 34 inches | roughly 3 inches, landing right at the full-length floor |
| Top body and sleeves | standard torso | about 1.5 to 2 inches longer | tuckable length, wrist-length sleeves |
| Dress and skirt hems | standard | about 2 inches longer | hems land where designed |
| Outerwear and fleece | standard | longer body and sleeves | coverage over long torsos |
What does not change: width grading or price. Tall uses the same width as regular, so take your normal Old Navy size, and the tall version costs the same as the regular one. There is no tall tax here.
Who each fit is for: regular is cut for roughly 5’4” to 5’8”. Tall is cut for 5’9” and up, and stays proportional to about 6’3”, where sleeves become the limit.
The difference that catches people out is not fit at all, it is availability. Regular is in every store; tall is effectively online only, and a style may offer tall in only some of its colorways. If the color you want shows no tall sizes, check the other colors before assuming tall sold out.
Numbers vary by silhouette (wide-leg styles often run longer than the chart), so treat the product page as the final word and these as the pattern.
Category by category
Denim and pants are the volume play. Old Navy runs tall across most of its core silhouettes, and the tall version costs the same as regular. The fits skew casual and stretchy. One honest caveat: Old Navy tall hovers right at the 34 inch line, which is the minimum for a pant that ends at the top of the shoe, never more than that. If you’re after real length (a 36 inch inseam that lands past the ankle) or rigid, tailored denim, that’s Gap’s territory (see our Gap tall fit guide).
Tops, tees and fleece are the best value in the program. The added torso length is honest, and basics restock reliably every season. This is where we point anyone who has been wearing regular tees that read as crop tops.
Dresses are hit or miss. When a dress comes in tall the length is right, but the tall assortment is a fraction of the dress wall. Sort by tall first, then fall in love.
Activewear exists in tall but is thin. If leggings are the mission, Athleta’s tall program is the serious one (our Athleta tall fit guide covers it).
Fabric and shrinkage
Old Navy fabrics run soft and casual: more give, less structure than Gap or J.Crew. Two practical consequences:
- Protect the length. Cotton-heavy pieces can shrink in a hot dryer, and shrinkage eats exactly the inches you paid for. Wash cold, hang-dry the things you bought for length.
- Expect relaxing, not stretching out of shape. Knits and fleece loosen slightly with wear. Between sizes, size down in knits, stay true in wovens.
Returns: the lowest-risk tall program in the mall
Old Navy takes online orders back free in store, and since Old Navy, Gap and Athleta share Gap Inc return infrastructure, the register handles it even when the tall section itself never touches the sales floor. The return window is about 30 days; check your receipt for the current policy.
Practical play: order two sizes of anything you’re unsure about, try them at home, and return the loser in store the same week. At these prices the double-order is cheaper than a sizing mistake at any other store.
How to shop it
- Move fast on clearance. Tall size runs are shallow, and Old Navy discounts aggressively. Our working rule: 50% off or more, in your size, decide today. The weekly report flags the tall markdowns worth moving on.
- Check all colorways for tall. Worth repeating: tall availability is per color, not per style.
- Baseline your size once. Use the free-return double-order trick on one pair of jeans and one top. After that you can buy Old Navy tall on sight.
Still comparing stores? See how Old Navy’s numbers stack up against Gap, Athleta and J.Crew in our tall sizing comparison, or get the new arrivals in your inbox every week via the newsletter.
Frequently asked questions
What height is Old Navy tall designed for?
Old Navy cuts its tall line for women around 5'9" and up. There is no published upper bound, but in our experience the proportions work best between 5'9" and about 6'3"; above that, sleeves are the first thing to come up short.
What inseam are Old Navy tall jeans?
Most Old Navy tall jeans and pants run about a 34 inch inseam, roughly three inches longer than the same style in regular. Treat 34 as the bare minimum for a true full-length pant (it ends at the top of the shoe), not a bonus: if a style's chart shows less than 34, it's a cropped pant whatever the name says. Check the size chart every time.
Old Navy tall vs regular: what is the difference?
Old Navy tall vs regular changes length, not width. The tall pattern adds roughly 3 inches of inseam on jeans and pants, about 1.5 to 2 inches of body and sleeve on tops, and about 2 inches on dress and skirt hems, and it lengthens the rise and torso so tops stay tucked. Width grading is the same, so take your normal Old Navy size, and tall costs the same as regular. Regular is cut for about 5'4" to 5'8"; tall is cut for 5'9" and up. The practical difference is availability: tall is effectively online only and is not offered in every colorway.
Does Old Navy tall run big or small?
Tall uses the same width grading as regular, so take your normal Old Navy size. If you are between sizes, size down in knits and fleece (they relax with wear) and stay true to size in wovens and denim.
Can I buy Old Navy tall in stores?
Almost never. Old Navy tall is effectively an online-only program, which is why the free in-store return counter matters: order two sizes, keep one, hand the other back at the register.
Do Old Navy tall sizes shrink?
Cotton-heavy pieces can lose length in a hot dryer, and length is the whole point. Wash cold and hang-dry anything you bought for the extra inches, especially jeans and cotton tees.