It’s September. Time to get serious again. Time to put away the casual stuff and suiting up for the Fall. How to pick a suit? Well, it depends on a couple factors, but we’ll start with basic body types and work it from there. Over the next several days, we’ll let you in on a few suit-picking secrets. To start, let’s take a look at the vertically-challenged guy.His mission, to look as tall as possible – without resorting to heel inserts. Here’s how:
1.) Keep it simple.-- The less visual clutter on your suit jackets the better. Two-button jackets with a deeper gorge and lots of space for ties and shirts work better on less-than-statuesque guys. Don’t believe us? We’ve got two words for you: Daniel Craig. He manages to make his 5 ft. 10 frame appears taller with help from 2-button jackets. And if it’s good enough for James Bond...
2.) Keep it small.-- Think streamlined and steer clear of extra pockets, flapped pockets or wider lapels. Again, the less visual traffic, the slimmer and taller you’ll look. Keep patterns on the quiet side so as not to overpower your outfit. This approach works well for 5 ft 5 in French President Sarkozy and hey, he bagged supermodel Carla Bruni so he must be doing something right.
3.) Go vertical.-- Pin stripes and the occasional, not-too-wide chalk stripe will help create a longer, leaner line, as will slimmer neckties in solid colors. Keep fabrics on the lighter, less bulky side to maintain a trimmer look. We’d suggest going with lightweight wools and twills instead of beefier tweeds.
4.) Ditch the cuffs.-- On your pants that is. Cuff-free bottoms will help create a leaner, unbroken line, which in turn, creates the illusion of height. Pants should cover the vamp of the shoe and be hemmed on a slight angle to help create a longer and sleeker-looking bottom half.
5.) Hold the hipsters.--The lower the waistband, the shorter your legs will look. If you’re 6’2 then by all means go low, but if your built more like Pete Wentz or Ben Stiller, then you need every inch of leg-length you can get.
