Sebastian_Flyte
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I'm 6'1'', 140 lbs. I'm creating this niche thread as a sort of home base for the members of our forum who are around my height and weight. I see there are a good number of us from reading this thread. Some of this advice is spread around the forum, but it would be nice to have it all in one place, both for ourselves and future lanky freaks who join the forum in frustration. I have created threads for 38L and 36L suits (see my sig). But this thread is a place for more general style advice on clothing our emaciated bodies. Most of this applies to skinny dudes of any height, but these problems are more acute for the tall. Hopefully some of this helps-- please add any info you have for the good of your tall, skinny brothers
Rule #1: get custom shirts. Little will fit you off the rack. I, for one, have been extremely happy with Vmclothiers.com, but there are many other options. Search SF. Rule #2: pants can be tapered below the knee for $30 Funny how I didn't learn this till the age of 27. The beanpole man can usually find pants that fit passably in the waist and thighs-- it's his tiny calves that create his dilemma. Well, dilemma no more: your tailor can easily taper pants below the knee. Experiment with different hem (i.e. pant leg opening widths). I go with 7.75'' or 8'', myself. To go full GQ, go even smaller. Rule #3: 100% wool pants. Cotton is your sworn enemy! By cotton, I mean khakis, chinos, etc. Not jeans, which is a different topic. Since our legs are basically long sticks, most cottons and wool blend pants will branch off from our bodies and create odd angles on our legs, especially under the knee. Ever wonder why khakis look like utter **** on you? This is why. Even slim-cut and/or tapered. Since cotton and blend fabrics form edges easily and our legs are not filling them out, fabric pops away from the knee, the hem gets caught in shoelaces easily and starts bending and folding. 100% wool, however, drapes softly-- straight down-- and provides the most flattering look for us, especially in the lower leg and where the pants meet the shoes. 98% 2% Lycra is preeettty good still, but not as good as 100% wool; the fabric is decent but a bit too stiff. One exception I know to this general rule is 75% Tencel 25% cotton found in some brands (Marc by Marc Jacobs is one), which hangs more like wool. Needless to say, get slim-cut 100% wool pants. Rule #4: 100% wool jackets. Cotton is, again, your enemy! The same basic rule applies to suit and sport jackets. Cotton clothes are meant to be filled in by the body, and when not filled out, angle away from the body. So a cotton jacket, even in your size, will tend to flare out from your waist. 100% wool will fall down, not stick out. Rule #5: double-vented jackets work best Single vented on the ultra thin man is playing with fire-- if the jacket's unbuttoned or just normally sized on you, there's a danger that the single vent will flare out on you, creating an extremely bad silhouette. A double-vent will fall down no matter how little your pathetic chest is filling in the jacket
That said, if the jacket actually fits you properly, single vent is fine. What about Dior Homme, you ask? The reason single vent works on Dior is (I assume) because the jacket is sized/cut tighter in the chest and waist than most other brands and because the jacket is short (i.e. does not cover your entire rear), it has less tendency to flare. A ventless jacket has a similar problem to single vent-- the bottom of your jacket may bell out when unbuttoned if made from cotton. Nudie Slim Jims The best cut jeans for tall skinny man. Fits right in the upper thigh but isn't flamboyantly low-rise or tight in the crotch. Slim, but masculine. Fits right, but doesn't look like "skinny jeans." Sweaters: finally, some good news A medium sweater in almost every American brand is cut for what's considered the "average" male size: a 40R. The good news for us is that since sweater fabric is soft and drapes differently from a suit jacket, medium sweaters from most brands work well even for men who wear 38 and 36 chest suits. Some brands that work For pants: Theory, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Marks & Spencer (the tall skinny guy's best friend), H&M, Kenneth Cole, Ted Baker... Know any others? Other stuff: most Swedish brands (Nudie, Acne, H&M, etc) are cut for us, since Swedes are tall and not fat. German brands: Adidas, Puma, Hugo Boss... again, because we resemble German build more than American (which is shorter and wider). That's a start-- chime in, fellow Ichabod Cranes.