Throughout your years, you are going to meet some men who love to play sport, others that play golf, some that smoke cigars, some who had their growth spurt at age thirteen. Others have never had a growth spurt at all. All in all, in your long and hopefully wonderful lifetime, you are going to encounter men of different lifestyles, genetics, and resultantly—body shapes. And with these body shapes come essential suiting tips every man must know for his body type in particular.
From George Street to Wall Street, there are several suiting crimes that these men can commit – amongst bad dress shoes, jeans at the gym, and the dreaded combination of a tie and a casual shirt, an ill-fitted suit is amongst the top of the list. Think of the suit as the ultimate tool to accentuate your assets – a custom, tailored, made to measure suit that highlights your best features is essential in standing out amongst the crowd, a feat that is not always easy to achieve given all the fish in the sea. The beauty of a custom, tailored, made to measure suit, however, is that you can create a suit that best accentuates your assets, no matter your size or body type – below are our suiting tips for finding the gear for your shape.
Suiting Tips Every Man Should Know
For The Shorter Man
If you’re on the shorter side, that’s not a worry, there are some tricks of the trade if you wish to work on the magic of optical illusion. We recommend sticking to a two-button jacket in order to elongate your torso, and wearing a single colour (matching jacket and pants) to help lengthen your body. Another tip – a tapered trouser with a neat cut and worn slightly higher on the hips can add length to the legs. Avoid belts, long jackets, drop crotches and wearing a suit as separates.
For The Taller Man
To avoid looking like you outgrew your suit, avoid cropped jackets and pants, we also recommend avoiding oversized, padded shoulders that will swallow you up and diminish your build. Lighter colours add width to a narrow frame, as does a double-breasted jacket. Avoid wearing extra slim ties—ties with width won’t appear to elongate an already long torso.
For The Slimmer Man
For the slimmer and more slender, stick with a narrow or standard lapel so that it’s in proportion with the rest of your frame. We also love the look of a double-breasted fit for the slimmer men – layering fabric adds bulk to your narrow frame.
For The Larger Man
One key rule – please avoid wearing an oversized suit, you need to look slimmer, and also sleek—roomy is not sleek. Instead, opt for a custom, tailored, made to measure, two-button suit that will highlight your shoulders and lengthen your torso, immediately helping you to look slimmer. Please also avoid wearing plaid or checkered shirts – simple, block colours are the way to go.
For The Athletic Man
For the men who have been hitting the gym, or have that naturally athletic build, please avoid wearing peak lapels – there is no need to accentuate an already broad chest and shoulder area. Aim to strike the right balance between a tapered waist and the correct fit across broader shoulders. Due to your already muscular and bulkier build, opt for a custom, tailored suit with soft, natural shoulders.
No matter if you wear a suit on the daily, or only bring them out of your wardrobe for weddings, a suit is there to highlight your best assets and positively accentuate all the features of your body that make you, you. Therefore, we know that you are smart enough to not even consider buying an off the rack suit – opt for a custom, tailored suit and shirt, that you can design down to the very detail to flaunt all the goodness that you were born with – your body deserves the best, and these suiting tips will make sure it gets it.
For some affordable yet quality inspiration, the likes of SuitSupply and REMY are great places to start.
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