general advice on dressing to hide flaws

Maybe someone has a good idea or two: I am trying to (a) look slightly skinnier (who isn't), but I also want to (and this might not be possible) (b) look slightly shorter. Not that I don't mind looking like a professional wrestler (unfortunately not one of the well-cut ones) generally, but sometimes it gets annoying being so visible. Come on, any ideas?

Looking shorter is not going to help you look thinner, but here is a relevant link: http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/H...dy%20Types.htm My general feeling would be wear solid, darker colors.

My advice - wait to go shopping. dressing won't really hide flaws.

join a gym. also try working your way up to running 15-20 miles per week over the next year. if you laugh at that I have no further advice

you'll be a new man and will look better in everything you wear.

Wear well tailored clothing.

Originally Posted by withstyle

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My advice - wait to go shopping. dressing won't really hide flaws.

join a gym. also try working your way up to running 15-20 miles per week over the next year. if you laugh at that I have no further advice

you'll be a new man and will look better in everything you wear.
This. Although dark colors and tailored clothing may help, there's nothing more flattering than being in great shape, IMO.

Originally Posted by AC7

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Maybe someone has a good idea or two: I am trying to (a) look slightly skinnier (who isn't), but I also want to (and this might not be possible) (b) look slightly shorter. Not that I don't mind looking like a professional wrestler (unfortunately not one of the well-cut ones) generally, but sometimes it gets annoying being so visible. Come on, any ideas?
Part of being 'visible' can come also from personality. If you are extroverted (boisterous or outspoken, etc) you could try the 'strong silent' approach. This may aid in others perceiving you as the 'gentle giant' instead of the 'wrestler'. As far as physical height, some ideas... -muted and/or darker colors (as already suggested) -low heeled shoes -cuff the pants -wider belts & ties -bengal striped shirts -a cardigan sweater anything that can de-acentuate your size or 're-proportion' you to give the illusion of slim. I agree also with the earlier suggestion of an excersize routine. Excellent advice.

You're in the unenviable position of trying to draw the eye in two, usually opposite, directions, in (slimmer) and down (shorter), so you'll likely need to play around a bit with patterns. While things like large patterns will make you look shorter, they'll also broaden you a bit too. The advice here seems pretty good and I'd add using medium width stripe shirts along with things that break that vertical pattern like pocket squares, flap pockets or cuffs (as has been suggested) will help. The cut of a jacket can go a long way to slimming you too. If there's a store that caters to big guys in your city, try there. They'd have lots of experience with making big folks feel like they're less on display. e.g. http://www.mrbigandtall.ca and http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/H...Body Types.htm As an aside, when people ask questions like this, there's often a lot of responses like "go to the gym". I know lots of big guys who work our regularly and are still big guys and look out of shape. That's just their physiognomy and for some folks, it doesn't change much regardless of their fitness level. I'm sure the advice is well intentioned, but it's not always as simple as gym=slim.

I think the biggest mistake made by men trying to look slimmer is they wear clothes that are too baggy. I assume they feel the extra fabric hides their size. Ultimately, it makes them look even larger.

Instead, look for clothes that fit a little more snug. Not tight, but more structured. Even if you are a little on the heavy side, wearing close that fit close will make you look much better.

Originally Posted by zenith

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I think the biggest mistake made by men trying to look slimmer is they wear clothes that are too baggy. I assume they feel the extra fabric hides their size. Ultimately, it makes them look even larger.

Instead, look for clothes that fit a little more snug. Not tight, but more structured. Even if you are a little on the heavy side, wearing close that fit close will make you look much better.

Thanks for the advice; I actually am a member of a gym, the bulkiness is, admittedly fat, but there's some muscle there too. I also have a weird body type where I never lose the stomach; even when I get to the point where my ribs start showing, I still have the stomach.

trying to draw the eye in two, usually opposite, directions, in (slimmer) and down (shorter),

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Can you take a step back and explain the rationale behind these? (in vs. out.....up vs. down)
What does a too short guy want to do with the eyes?
What does a too fat guy want to do?
What does a too thin guy want to do?

-low heeled shoes
-cuff the pants
-wider belts

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Those are all good ideas. (Along with better fit, for weight. Narrower generally lengthens, to address the previous poster; the dimension made relatively larger will be emphasized.) Other methods for breaking up the vertical line include pockets (or type of pockets, say, button-down vs. not) and contrast (involving color or patterned vs. virtually solid). Shorter hair, too. Thinner fabrics don't add as much weight as heavier ones, obviously Specific tips on patterns, color, and fit are not worth giving without pictures on which to base them.

Originally Posted by AC7

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Thanks for the advice; I actually am a member of a gym, the bulkiness is, admittedly fat, but there's some muscle there too. I also have a weird body type where I never lose the stomach; even when I get to the point where my ribs start showing, I still have the stomach.

Have you ever considered doing a cleanse, or detox? I know a couple people that lost a couple inches in their belly from cleansing. The human intenstines have a nasty habit of holding on to things if you don't eat perfect all the time. Also, if you take alot of salt & caffeine in your diet, that can cause you to retain water and bloat.

Caffeine is a mild diuretic and will not cause bloating.

For some of the best recommendations, I'd pick up The Suit, that Manton wrote, it has a great deal of useful knowledge, and I believe it costs less than $25.

The more you try to hide, the more uneasy you will be and the more the flaws will be apparent.

Get comfortable with well tailored clothes in plain dark shades, charcoal or navy and some occasional stripes. Definitely no bold patterns or outrageous designs, you want to look like you blend in. Fit should be neither too loose or too tight. If you are tall, opt for a three button single breasted suit instead of one or two. You could go for double breasted suits, I personally think that is a priviledge of being tall and bigger.

Aim for a natural soft construction with minimal or no padding. If you feel like you could lose some weight, then wait til you are in the maintenance phase or have stabilized in weight before investing in clothes. If you say you have a bulging stomach even when your ribs are visible, you may have a hormonal and/ or diet problem, or simply that you are doing too damn many pullovers.

I don't see the problem with being abit too big and stout. Few people will dare to mock you if you are say, the size of Big Show and can grab a person by the neck and lift him off the ground with a single arm.

Originally Posted by withstyle

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My advice - wait to go shopping. dressing won't really hide flaws.

join a gym. also try working your way up to running 15-20 miles per week over the next year. if you laugh at that I have no further advice

you'll be a new man and will look better in everything you wear.

This is largely correct, except for the part about running 15-20 miles per week, which I feel could be too specific a suggestion and disregards the size of the individual and any pre-existing condition that might aggravate his condition, e.g. knees, hip misalignment and ankle issues, optimal gait cycle etc. In the long run, one has to be fit to run, not run to be fit.