At 5’7”, I am an official member of the sub 5’9” (short person) club and nothing annoys me, like a short dude who styles himself to look even shorter. I was on the subway the other day and saw the biggest violation when it comes to short man style; one suit, two sizes, TOO small. I mean, he was literally swimming in it, like it was his big brother’s suit. Maybe 2 steps shy of looking like my toddler when he plays dress up in my closet. In any case, the reality is that I can’t recommend a magic pill that will increase your height, but I at least hope to grow your confidence and your chances of avoiding the same mistake made by the guy on the subway.
“Why do I need to look taller anyway? I am who I am;” you might ask. Yes you should accept yourself the way you are, but never let that stop you from presenting your best self. And that goes for both taller and shorter gents.
Here's why:
Looking your best enables you to establish a large presence and exude confidence
Elongating your stature gives more for the eye to look at
women love it!
Oversized clothes are a definite violation, but there are some others that will shrink your stature just the same.
Large Clothing
This faux pas includes, oversized suits with long hems and shirts with long tails past your trouser zipper. The body is proportioned such that the eye is able to flow smoothly from top to bottom. Any unnecessary or awkwardly placed lines or breaks in an outfit can misrepresent your proportions. Short legs gives you that Yosemite Sam look.
Large suit jackets, blazers and shirts that are too long, lengthen your upper body and shorten your legs. Naturally our legs are longer, accounting for approximately 45% of our overall height.
The bottom of your jacket should just about cover your rear end, on the conservative side. Shirttails ought to be slightly shorter.
Sleeves should hit about three quarters of an inch above the break of your wrists. And as always shoulders snuggly fitted and waists tapered in.
Large Patterns
Even in cases where clothing fits fairly well, some gents wear patterns that make their frames look small or that ultimately create a shortening effect.
Wide stripes are a “No-No” for short guys. It doesn't matter if they're horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. Medium to skinny stripes only. That goes for shirts and suits and vests. Slimmer more frequent repetition of stripes within a pattern provides an appearance of abundance. It allows the eye to “travel” longer, creating an elongating effect.
Large checkered and polka dots are some additional patterns to be aware of when styling yourself. Similar to slimmer stripes, smaller patterns allow more room for the pattern to span across your clothing.
Pants Patrol
Be mindful of large cuffs and high hems. Both are in style now, but remember, all styles were not created for all body types. Large cuffs are anywhere from one and three quarters of an inch to two and a half inches in length. The problem is that the visual break provided by cuffs, cut the natural length of your leg. The higher the cuff, the sooner your eye breaks the sweeping motion. So short guys, you may have to sit this one out and stick with the normal cuffs, which usually range from three quarters of an inch to one inch. For best results, ditch the cuffs altogether!
When it comes to overall pants length, too long or too short can also form unnecessary breaks in your body length. Hem your pants with no break for a traditional style, or just at the ankle for the summer look. Finally, shorts should stop at the knee or slightly above. After all, that's why they're called SHORTS.
Large Accessories
By now, you realize that the best way to supersize your appearance is to shrink certain aspects within your ensemble. Accessories are no different. It’s bad enough when a Full Windsor knot is tied entirely too large. That effect magnifies on a shorter guy. Medium width ties will allow for a more appropriate sized knot. Tie a Windsor if a formal occasion calls for one, but the Half Windsor could serve as your go-to.
Gents (well, shorter gents), you may never dunk a basketball, you may not be easy to find if you get lost at the theme park. You may not be able to reach the top shelf in the kitchen cabinet and you may occasionally get blocked by some tall dude, sitting in front of you at the movie theater. But even if you don’t have towering height on your side, you’ve got the tools necessary to walk tall with confidence and look a little taller too!
Stay SUITABULL guys.