Given your height, balance and proportion are two aspects you must pay attention to. Unfortunately, many men don’t understand how to dress properly for their height. If you screw up either balance or proportion, you’re not going to maximize your aesthetic.
Most of us are not born with off-the-rack size bodies, so if you need to go to the tailor to adjust your clothing, do it. A few dollars will make an amazing difference in your aesthetic. Proper proportion of clothing is key whether you’re short, average height, or tall. Dress properly for your height.
As an image consultant, I understand clients’ bodies and heights so that they can look much better regardless of what they’re actually wearing. I want to share some of the do’s and don’ts of dressing your height, whether short, average, or tall.
It’s all about balance and proportion
- Suit jacket sleeve length. You need a half of an inch of cuff exposed. Also, when your arms are down at your side, you need to be able to cup and cuff the suit jacket.
- Suit button. The button should be right in the center from the bottom to the top.
- Suit pants. They should be worn at your natural waist. I recommend wearing no belt or side adjustment tabs because belts will chop your body in half. You want to create a visual line from your neck to your toe. Your pant legs should be tapered. If they’re wide at the bottom, you will look short. A lot of guys neglect tapering at the ankle with their alterations. Regarding the crotch of your pants, you should be able to reach down and grab your junk. If you’re grabbing a bunch of extra fabric, this is wrong. Your legs will look shorter. Also, don’t have fabric bunching at your ankles. Tall guys don’t want to have a lot of ankle exposure because it will make the pants look short. Reciprocally, your pants are too long if they touch your heel.
- Clothing color. By playing around with different colors, you can offset the disproportion of your body. Dark colors will make aspects look smaller, so if you have a bigger torso, go dark to offset it with a light pair of pants. On the flip side, if you have a longer or bigger torso with shorter legs, you go with a darker color below with a lighter color on top. Check out my examples.
- Monochromatic outfits. Everyone should try monochromatic outfits regardless of their height. Just make sure that if you’re a tall dude who’s thinner, opt for lighter colors to look bigger. Shorter guys will look taller, more muscular, and leaner.
- Solids. Pants with subtle pinstripes will make you look taller, while horizontal stripes will make you look shorter and wider. Regardless of your height, solid colors will always be a better option.
- The fit. Fit will always make a difference regardless of your height. Your pants need to fit you. You’ll look short and fat if they’re too big and baggy. Big and baggy oversized clothing will not accentuate anything. It’s a popular trend, but it looks best on younger dudes. If you’re a bit older than 25, maximize your aesthetic.
- Shirt length. This aspect can totally screw up your aesthetic. If you wear an untucked shirt, ensure it’s a proper length by making sure it does not come down any lower than midway of your crotch. If your shirt goes down too far, covering your crotch, your upper body will look too long, and your legs will look super short. Reciprocally, if your shirt is super short (when you reach up, you can see your midriff), your body will look short, and your legs will look long.
- Sleeve length. You do not want extra fabric bunching around your wrist when wearing long sleeves. Get your shirt altered, as you don’t want your arms looking short. Also, you do not want your entire biceps and triceps covered if you wear short sleeves. Accentuate your arms by exposing the bottom third of your triceps. Your short sleeves should basically cut your upper arm in half, going from your elbow to the top of your shoulder. If the sleeve is too high, your arm will look slightly off proportionately.
