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October 28, 2012

Best Clothing Stores For Short Men: Banana Republic

Best Clothing Stores for Short Men - Banana RepublicIf you read this blog at all, you know that I review products (like a specific pair of chinos) and companies (like online custom shirt makers) and tell you what I like and don’t like about various garments and manufacturers.

Recently, however, I’ve had a few requests to focus more on specific stores that are good for shorter men and, more importantly, which pieces of clothing from those stores are worth buying.

So, this will become a long (and probably never-ending) series of articles, and I’m going to start with one of my favorites – Banana Republic.

Banana Republic is one of my favorite clothing stores. They make several items that are great for gentlemen of short stature, whether you are skinny or less than svelte.

What NOT to Buy from Banana Republic

If you are under 5’6″ you will want to avoid BR polo shirts. While they fit great in the chest and arms, and they are very high quality, they are just too long. You shouldn’t wear polo shirts that are longer than 28″ (at the longest). They should go just past your belt or waist line. Unfortunately, BR polos are not made with the shorter man in mind.

Also, stay away from any BR pants that are “relaxed” or “boot cut”. These will be too baggy and will not flatter the short body type.

Similarly, I find their “modern” fit to be too loose and baggy. If you are on the slimmer side, avoid their “modern” fit pants. If you have large thighs or are generally a little bigger (wider), you can give this fit a shot, but I would go to the store and try it on before buying.

What to Buy from Banana Republic

Now that we covered what not to buy from Banana Republic, let’s talk about what works. First, I love their crew neck and v-neck sweaters, both in wool and cashmere. These are perfect for wearing over dress shirts during the cooler months of the year. The sleeves aren’t too long, and it’s okay if they bunch up a little bit.

BR also makes great pants for short men. Their “straight” fit and “vintage straight” fit (which is slimmer) are great. Here are my favorites:

In order, here are the names of the pants in the photos:

  • Straight-Fit Dark-Wash Five-Pocket Jean
  • Emerson Vintage Straight Chino (check out my detailed review of these)
  • Slim Fit Chino
  • Heritage Wool Suit Pant
  • Tailored Wool Suit Pant
  • Heritage Premium Slim-Fit Selvedge Jean

So, as you can see, I pretty much stick with pants and sweaters when it comes to Banana Republic. Their shirts tend to be too long, both in the arms (button downs) and torso (polos and tees). All things considered, Banana Republic is a great clothing store for men under 5’8″.

Do you shop at Banana Republic? Let me know what you think of their clothes or if I missed anything by leaving a comment below!

Short Man Style - How to Achieve the Perfect Fit

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September 26, 2012

Short Men and Low Rise Pants

[Editor's Note: This is a guest post written by Robert Reeve from Style Pilot. I've played around with Style Pilot, and it looks like an awesome tool for finding specific outfits and matching garments. There is more info about Robert and Style Pilot after the end of the article.]

Are Low Rise Trousers the Only Option for Shorter Guys?

For us shorter guys, the biggest problem we often face is in finding trousers that fit us nicely, without having to spend a fortune taking them to the tailors to be adjusted so that they don’t look ridiculous. While a trip to have your trousers altered may well turn out to be the inevitable endgame of a shopping trip, what other top tips will allow you to buy the best trousers to make the most of your modest height?

To Rise or Not to Rise?

Generally speaking, the advice given to shorter guys when it comes to trousers is to go for low rise options at all times. Why is it then, that so many short guys follow this advice yet still end up looking and feeling rather uncomfortable? The clue is to forget the legs for a moment, and take a look at your torso.

Getting Your Style in Proportion

Short Rise ChinosWhat does your upper body look like in relation to your legs – is it in proportion, smaller, or does it appear bigger? By understanding this, you will be able to choose trousers much easier and ensure that any alterations you need will be minimal.

If your legs are short in proportion to your body, then choose a trouser that will sit a little higher. We are not talking about pulling them up to the point of looking like Simon Cowell, and you want to avoid looking too computer-geek, but it will make you look better.

On the other hand, should your legs be in proportion or appear longer than your body, then low rise is definitely the way to go. However, choosing low rise is only a part of finding the perfect trousers for your short frame.

Finding Fits

Rolled ChinosAs well as the rise, you also need to carefully consider the fit of your trousers. Hopefully you already know that you should be avoiding skinny trousers and denims – if not, then heed the warning now.

To elongate your legs you are best going for straight leg and boot fit styles. Should you take your trousers to the tailor, ensure that they fit in such a way that your trouser leg breaks a little over the shoe, this will make you look taller.

Our final tip is vital when it comes to formal trousers. Avoid trousers with cuffs at the bottom, at all costs. Every inch that the trouser turns up is two inches off of your height in terms of perception, a style nightmare if ever there was one.

[Stylepilot is an online start-up designed specifically for men to navigate fashion online and also provides mens fashion tips.]

Short Man Style - How to Achieve the Perfect Fit

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July 30, 2012

Jeans for Short Men: Color, Fit and Cut

Best Jeans for Short Men

This is a guest post brought to you by Designer Menswear Store – Northern Threads, a designer clothing store specializing in branded clothing for every man.

Let’s face it, most men aren’t the 6 foot plus angular male models gracing catwalks – a lot of us are only reaching the not-so-dizzying heights of in and around 5’7”. This is considered short but really it’s more average, I mean it’s not like we can be mentioned in the same breath as Danny DeVito.

However this doesn’t make finding clothes that fit well any easier, that’s because most clothing you’ll find on the high street or from most brands is tailored towards an average height, weight and build.

One of the hardest pieces of apparel to get right is denim jeans; with shorter guys you find it can be notoriously difficult to track down a pair where the leg length correctly matches the waist size. It seems you can’t win – worry not, here’s a guide to help.

There are a few key things to keep in mind when shopping for a new pair of trusty old denims…

Rise > Length

Pay more attention to the rise, not so much the length, as this can be fixed by hemming the bottom but if the seat/thigh area is off kilter then you’re up the creek – no one wants a baggy butt to make it appear as though they’ve soiled themselves or have their own jeans threaten to castrate them. Make the fit count.

Stacking

Stacking Jeans We’ll discuss hemming in a minute but this isn’t your only option; some men opt for ‘stacking’ their jeans, this is perfect for jeans that fit on the waist but are a little longer than your natural inseam.

While wearing them, push the leg of the jeans up and let them slide naturally back into place as you walk around, this will create a nice stacked (or folded) effect at the bottom where the denim meets your shoes and at the back of the knee.

This works particularly well when worn with high tops, skate shoes, boots and any high or chunky footwear as it helps hold the bottom of the jeans in place.

Hemming/Chainstitching

Hemming JeansIf stacking isn’t your thing then we recommend opting for getting your jeans hemmed or “taken up” – this means they’ll now fit on both your waist and in length. Thankfully this is an easy and cheap option, (even cheaper if you know how to do it yourself) most tailors or dry cleaners will do it for you cheaply.

Make sure to ask them to keep the original hem, especially on jeans. This is the choice to go for if you want the leg of your jeans to be sleek and straight with minimal creases or folds.

Editor’s Note: Here are three great pairs of jeans for short men…

Fits & Cuts

Jeans Cuts & FitsSome people recommend a boot cut being good for shorter men but this is a trend that died for a reason – it’s awful. Whatever you do please don’t opt for the dreaded boot cut, or even worse the flare.

The only time a boot cut is mildly acceptable is when you’re wearing, surprise surprise, boots! Even then it’s not entirely necessary as you can turn your jeans up, stack them or have them hemmed to the correct length.

The way to go is the straight or slim fit because they match virtually anything you team it up with, they appear to elongate the leg and baggy jeans can make you look younger than you are.

Quick Tips

  • Turn-ups look great on jeans and mean you don’t have to go through the lengthy hemming process.
  • Get jeans to fit your form – baggy is generally bad and skin-tight is too tight.
  • Go for a dark wash, light washes are cool too but a darker wash will generally work in more situations.

Happy hunting! Leave your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below.

Short Man Style - How to Achieve the Perfect Fit

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May 29, 2012

5 Tips for Finding the Best Jeans for Short Men

The Style Blogger in Denim

The Style Blogger in Denim

Alright, gentlemen, let’s tackle jeans. This is probably the one question I see the most: “What are best brand/type of jeans for short men?” It’s an important question because jeans are so versatile.

They are such a crucial piece of our wardrobe. You can wear them in so many ways, with so many outfits and for so many different occasions, which is why it’s essential to have at least a couple of pairs that fit you perfectly and that you feel great in.

There are already a handful of helpful guides out there about buying jeans for different body types, like this one. And this one. Oh, and definitely check out this one.

So rather than reinventing the wheel, I’m going to dumb it down into five simple rules for buying jeans for short guys. Consider this the essential jean-buying guide for men of modest height:

  1. Stay away from baggy jeans. They won’t make you look bigger. In fact, they’ll make you look like a teenager who is trying to look bigger. If the word “relaxed” appears anywhere on the tags, walk away.
  2. Flare is your friend. A slight flare or boot cut can fill out your silhouette by adding width in the right places without looking baggy.
  3. Try straight leg. Many short men, especially those with average builds, look great in straight leg jeans. They’re not too tight, not too baggy. Just right.
  4. It’s all about the rise. While low rise jeans are trendy due to their modern, stylish look, they’re not for everyone. Rise is as important as length, but unlike length it’s not easily altered. Find a brand whose “low rise” works for you (my personal favorite is Lucky Brand).
  5. You can’t go wrong with dark wash. Light jeans are great for the casual affairs, but dark jeans can be worn anywhere. On casual Fridays, first dates, to the game, etc. Also, dark pants with a lighter shirt can have a heightening affect.

There you have it. Follow these five simple rules next time you are shopping for that perfect pair of jeans, and I guarantee you will be happy with your purchase. Make sure to buy a couple of pairs so you don’t have to hunt them down again next year.

Short Man Style - How to Achieve the Perfect Fit

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May 26, 2012

The #1 Most Important Fashion Tip for Short Men

Jonah Hill at the Oscars

What’s wrong with this suit?

There are a ton of little tricks, hacks and DIY solutions that you can use to make your clothes fit better, but BY FAR the most important one is this:

Get your pants hemmed.

It’s quick, easy and cheap, and there is no excuse not to do it. In fact, EVERY guy should be getting their pants hemmed. No matter how tall you are, it is rarely the case that clothes fit perfectly off the rack.

But we’re not talking about every guy…we’re talking about those of us on the shorter side. The problem we have is one of proportion. For example, say you are 5’6” and have a relatively athletic build. Not skinny, but definitely not fat. Not a bodybuilder, but fit. You might need a pair of pants with a 29” waist and a 28.5” inseam.

Good luck finding these at Banana Republic.

Instead, you will most likely have to settle on some 30×30 trousers, or maybe you will get lucky and snag a pair of 29×30.

Now, it’s not a big deal if the waist is an inch or so too big. Just wear a belt. But if the legs are too long, it will ruin your entire getup. When short men wear oversized clothes (like pants that are too long), it accentuates their shortness, which is obviously not what we want.

Just look at Jonah Hill’s red carpet photo above. He looks amazing in that black-on-black suit with a bow tie, but the pants are too long! I don’t know who overlooked this detail, but it ruins the whole outfit. It’s distracting and takes away from the overall look.

On the flip side, when your pants are hemmed to stop right past the top of your shoes, they actually compliment your figure and produce a heightening effect.

Adam Lampell

Adam keeps his pants and sleeves extra short to elongate his body. (Courtesy of The Style Blogger)

If you’re not yet convinced that you should have every pair of pants you own hemmed, pay attention next you go out in public. Look at random guys (try not to be creepy). Pay close attention to the length of their pants.

Are they bunched up around the shoe? Do they drag on the floor? Are there multiple breaks in the fabric running down the leg?

I guarantee you will notice how much better it looks to have that tailored, put together look that can only be accomplished with custom alteration.

Convinced? Good. Now let’s talk about how to get your pants hemmed.

You can go about this one of two ways.

  1. Pay someone else to do it
  2. Do it yourself

Most dry cleaners will do minor alterations (hemming pants is as basic as it gets) for a very reasonable fee. I wouldn’t pay more than $15-20 for this. If you have a really nice pair of dress pants, you can go to an actual tailor (found at any suit or tuxedo shop) and pay a little more to make sure the job is done right.

I recommend taking an old pair of jeans – like that pair you bought from American Eagle three years ago that never really fit right – and testing our your local dry cleaners alteration skills. Make sure they keep the original hem! This is important, so I’ll say it again:

When you get your pants altered, make sure they keep the original hem.

Otherwise, your pants will end abruptly, as if you folded them under to shorten them. Obviously, this doesn’t apply to pants with no hem (like many modern pairs of dress pants).

If you are crafty, want to learn a new skill or just like saving money, you can easily hem your pants at home. There are a ton of great “how-to” guides and videos out there that explain this process. Like this one:

*For all of you young gentlemen out there who are still growing, there is a way to alter pants that allows you to “let them out” later on. This means you can buy them long, have them shortened, then restore them to their original length when you get taller. If you are still growing, make sure to ask your tailor (or mom) to preserve your pants in this way.

For what’s it worth, I prefer to pay someone else to handle my alteration needs. I’m a “time is money” kind of guy, and I don’t own a sewing machine, so I’m always happy to pay my dry cleaner twenty bucks to take this task off my plate. It’s part of my routine now:

Whenever I buy a new pair of pants, I take them to the cleaners during my normal weekly dropoff, get measured (or, to save time, just bring a pair of similar pants that have already been shortened to an ideal length), and pick up my perfect-fitting pants a few days later.

Homework: Take one pair of pants to your local tailor or dry cleaner, get measured and have them shorten them to the appropriate length. Then, leave a comment below to share how much of a difference it made!

Short Man Style - How to Achieve the Perfect Fit

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