‘Tall Orders’ Are No Problem for Bellezze Alte

Tricia Barbarick Steffes had little luck finding fashionable clothes to fit her 6-foot-tall frame. Even a shopping trip to the Big Apple proved fruitless.

“I literally walked 69 New York City blocks in heels and was overcome with frustration at not being able to find clothes that fit,” she said. “I had the realization that this was not just a deficiency in Kansas City—this was everywhere. And I decided to take on that need for tall women.”

So in 2012, Barbarick Steffes started Bellezze Alte—which means “tall beauties” in Italian—her online clothing and footwear store for women 5 feet 8 to 6 feet 4 in height and with shoe sizes 8 to 15.

Before launching, she made a connection with investor and “Shark Tank” reality TV personality Daymond John, who advised her to overcome her perfectionism.

“I want to perfect everything before moving forward,” Barbarick Steffes said. “And one thing Daymond told me was: ‘You can’t possibly have everything perfect to launch. What you have to do is launch—even if you have only two styles of clothing—to get your brand out there and start growing.’”

In September, Bellezze Alte will introduce its “sexy and stylish” clothing line, the Madeline Lubrano Collection.

bellezze-alte.myshopify.com