Short men can use techniques to appear taller when wearing suits.
Men of all shapes and sizes need to pay attention to their body type to ensure suits fit their best. Short men have their own set of challenges, mainly revolving around ways to minimize their perceived height disadvantage. However, many of the suit-wearing rules observed by shorter men are beneficial for males of all body types.
Proper Fit
Shorter men should do everything possible to ensure the cut of suits -- including shirts -- is as closely fitted as possible. Slouchy or boxy suits accentuate all the wrong things. Slim-fitting shirts and suits vertically streamline the appearance of the wearer, adding a look of confidence while minimizing the focus on physical stature. Shorter men may have to use tailors as frequently as tall men in order to strike the right balance between body fit, sleeve length and inseam.
Using Patterns Wisely
Suit patterns can alter the physical appearance of the wearer, making him look shorter, wider or taller than he actually is. Shorter men should take advantage of vertical stripes, known for their slimming effect and ability to draw the eye up instead of across. The slimmer the stripe, the better. It's a good move for these men to avoid checked patterns that square off their appearance. Shirts with downward-facing collar points have a similar effect when contrasted with a spread collar.
Keep It Simple
Monochromatic color schemes streamline a shorter man's look, eliminating the dividing effect that a bright contrasting shirt, for example, has under a suit jacket. Navy suits with a complementary blue or blue pinstripe work well. Other darker colors have a similar effect, like charcoal or black for evening wear. In scenarios where lighter and darker colors are worn together, wearing the lighter trouser as opposed to jacket draws the eye up instead of down the wearer. Similarly, shorter men can wear attention-grabbing details such as pocket squares and brighter ties, causing people to continue this upward-oriented look.
All About Proportion
In addition to wearing slim-fitting suits, other details and accessories should be similarly proportioned. Slimmer ties, showing less cuff beneath a jacket sleeve and smaller lapels are all wise choices for shorter men. In general, matching the width of the tie to the lapel is a smart fashion move regardless, but for shorter men the look shows confidence by purposefully choosing articles that match body type. Trousers should have only one break -- at the top of the shoe. By the way, shoes should never have squared toes or other clunky features.
Tags: appearance wearer, body type, darker colors, ensure suits, have similar, have similar effect
