How to dress a man, depending on the type of figure?

Your wardrobe can be full of season trends, labels of fashion designers, be well thought out in terms of color layout, but if things do not match the type of your figure – they will not look harmonious. There is a cliché that Italians are the most stylish men in the world and there are reasons for that. To be more exact one – our European friends more often meet with tailors who sew them custom clothes that fit perfectly on them.

We are not saying that you should throw away everything you have at the moment (although if you have time, money and desire, why not). It’s just that there are certain key concepts that you need to know about in order to make sure that when you refill your wardrobe – whether you’re shopping at a ready-to-wear store or visiting a tailor – you’re wearing things that fit well on you. And if there is a need to work on your physical form – this opportunity to improve your appearance, too, do not neglect.

Previously, we have done short reviews on how to dress a skinny man, and a tall man. In this article we present you a brief selection of basic principles that should be used when choosing clothes depending on one of the 5 types of body.

The contents of

Compact

Tall

Sporty

Skinny

Large

Compact

Problem

There’s only one key problem. It’s very difficult to pick up things without individual tailoring. The sleeves of the shirts hang, any trousers look baggy.

Solution

The most important thing to remember when buying or ordering clothes – you need to collect a combination of things that will eventually visually lengthen your body and will attract the eye to the upper body.

Recommendations

Wear slim or tight pants and use the same tones as the pants, all of which will help to lengthen your legs visually. Corduroy pants or stripy pants can have a similar effect.

Since it is difficult to find trousers of your ideal size (they will almost always be too long), it is worth investing in one pair of trousers you like a lot. Next, this pair of pants will be tweaked, narrowed, changed to your taste and used as a benchmark when next time you order sewing new pants or transformation of bought ones.

For the upper body, try to invest in a tight jacket – this will help to highlight the shoulders and visually lengthen the torso a little.

Make sure that the top button on the jacket (in a two-button jacket) is above your navel. Your jacket neckline should be as short as possible.

Use narrow lapels and slim shirt collars.

Try to look for clothes among Japanese brands. Since on average men of their nationality are quite compact, they may have a lot of suitable things that do not require a hike in the studio.

Shoes are another item where you can add a few centimeters. Choose a pair of shoes with a built-in sole or size sneakers (this option is even more comfortable).

Nature has not given Canadian director Xavier Dolan a high height (1.69 m). But, thanks to the fact that his clothes competently work with the proportions of his body, it is not so striking.

A slightly shortened length of sleeves and trousers, successfully implemented on the example of his costume, will help you seem higher. Another elegant trick is socks of the same color as your pants – they will visually lengthen your legs.

As for everyday wear, Xavier Dolan realizes that the chaotic heap of colours and textures will only accentuate his compactness. As can be seen in the photo, the emphasis is on the torso, so that your eyes want to lift up. For the bottom it is better to choose monotonous clothes with a high waist. Dark pants, worn with a light T-shirt, visually extend the silhouette.

Tall

Problem

The problem here is the same as for men with compact physiques, but with a different sign. Most things in stores are sewn for men of medium height. That’s why the pants will mostly end up on boats, jacket sleeves on elbows and so on. But there is a solution for this case as well.

The solution is

You need to add some “mass” to your image and dilute it with objects, fabrics or patterns that emphasize the horizontal axis. It could be a baggy fabric, horizontal stripes in your clothes.

Recommendations

Try horizontal stripes in the patterns of individual things (football, sweater).

Try on jackets with lots of pockets (e.g. field jackets in military style) and wide trousers.

Look at yourself in a coat of trench. A tie at the waist will visually expand the volume around your body and legs.

Look for something among Italian clothing brands. They have many wide things (cardigans, sweaters, single-breasted long coats).

It is desirable to choose shoes on a flat sole.

Avoid radical patterns and prints – they look much brighter on tall men. It is better to try neutral shades and dark blue.

Example

Being tall is certainly very convenient in many cases. As long as you choose the right clothes, otherwise you will look very clumsy and long. Avoid this by breaking the vertical line of your silhouette and creating a clear distinction between the upper and lower parts of your body.

A jacket that fits more tightly around your waist – like the denim jacket of actor Paul Bettany in the photo – will help to ensure this effect. This advice is very useful for men who have longer legs than the length of the body.

As for clothing for official events, it will work perfectly double-breasted jacket, it will visually expand the upper body. It’s better to use the services of a tailor, who will fit the jacket to your tall and slender figure.

Adjoining (not tight) pants, which Bettany chose in both photos, help to balance the upper and lower body. Make sure that the fit in your jeans or pants is medium or low, this is to avoid the effect of leg lengthening and the pant leg should end just below the ankle.

Sports

Problem

A heavily muscular body is also not a standard body. And then he has his risks. Pants may fit at your waist, but they’re too tight on your hips. A leather jacket or bombshell will fit perfectly on your chest, but they’ll fit too tightly around your bicep. You might end up looking “square” and ridiculous.

Solution

The basic idea is to find and save things in a light and unstructured way. What you mean is that you shouldn’t have shoulder pads, lining and everything else that will only increase your unwieldiness. The ideal that you can look up to is linen things.

Sync and corrections by

Try a medium-length coat

Avoid double-breasted jackets – they expand your chest (which is probably wide enough). Better choose a jacket that doesn’t sit too tight on your shoulders and hangs slightly (like suede).

Avoid skinny pants, the standard width is perfect.

Oxford-type shoes that are too formal have a thin silhouette for this build. So look for something a little more luscious among loafers and brogues.

Example

Even if you did your best to make your hands, abs and feet look like Daniel Craig’s, it doesn’t mean you have to show them in public every second now. Especially those around you would be grateful if you saved them from observing your nipples protruding from under a too tight T-shirt. But you shouldn’t hide your advantages from everybody either; it would be most logical if your clothes would accentuate them favorably.

Choose for yourself a few jackets without a clear silhouette, as well as a couple of knitted sweaters, they will help you highlight all the necessary reliefs. Perfect fit a slightly elongated jacket that will pull you out and you will not look like a barrel. Avoid double-breasted jackets and jackets, they visually expand the body and look better on slim men.

If you have a lot of muscles on top, you are likely to have problems buying suits, as it is difficult to find one that will sit perfectly on you. The easiest way is to find a jacket that will be comfortable in your shoulders, and all other parameters will help to fit a tailor.

Skinny

Problem

The main problem is that your clothes are hanging off you too obviously. Roughly speaking, the huge volumes of fabric in your silhouette seem absolutely superfluous.

The solution is

In fact, that kind of build is a lot of luck. There’s a lot of room for combinations. The main task is similar to the task for tall men – you need to give a little more width in some places.

Recommendations

Narrow, tight-fitting jeans are allowed in this case, but they should not be very tight.

It’s a good idea to try pleated pants. They’ll give a good shape to your thin legs.

Try a double-breasted jacket, it’ll add width to your shoulders.

Try wearing outerwear over wool sweaters and cardigans. It will also add volume at the top and create a harmonious silhouette.

Example

Many men who were born skinny are shy about their physique (if you are a personal trainer, you can call this type of figure “ectomorphic”). To visually increase your volume – it’s enough for you to pick up a baggy top jumper of dense structural knitwear, for example, as shown in the photo of Dev Patel on the right.

For this type of figures skini jeans are quite suitable, even highly recommended, but they should not be so tight to protrude in all places. And if you have any doubts about it, it’s better to choose less tight jeans, which will help to hide narrow knees, if necessary.

Pants with pleats at the waist like the bottom of Patel’s suit in the photo on the left will give your feet more volume. Just pay attention to the type of fabric that was used in the sewing – woolen suit fabric, for example, will fit each crease, but the jeans (which is good) will not have this effect.

Big

Problem

There are few models in the stores that fit perfectly on your body. And so many men of this build are limited to just pants, a pair of T-shirts and generally stop trying to somehow interesting to diversify their style.

Solution

First you can try to lose weight. And when these futile attempts to quit, try to find something from a well-structured fabric.

Recommendations

Try the jacket that fastens at the waist, with wide and soft shoulders.

The wide lapels of jackets are ideal for big men, highlighting the powerful breasts.

Try to avoid vertical stripes in the patterns of clothing.

Example

Some big men believe that buying clothes that present all the controversial points of their bodies in a profitable way is a rather troublesome task and an almost impossible task. But if you approach this issue with due attention – nothing is impossible in this world. As you can see in the photo above, Hollywood star Jonah Feldstein successfully demonstrates it.

The only thing is not to go to extremes. Some rush to “drape” all the controversial moments of their bodies, thus completely destroying their silhouette, others display everything called “on display”, making a choice in favor of too tight things. If you are the owner of a large build – find a balance between these two options, and, of course, do not forget that in your clothes should be comfortable.

John Hill’s white T-shirt, in the photo on the right, is a great example of what we had in mind, as it is a little oversized, but still clearly proportional to his torso. When it comes to outdoor activities, he has mastered the art of finding a suit that really suits him. Whatever form you are in at the moment, the jacket should be comfortable fastened in front and create a correct, if possible, proportional silhouette. And in general, dark colors are best suited for this body shape, as they help smooth the overall impression.