Clothes for the Short Guy - Stores, Brands/Lines, Websites

[jcmeyer]



I just visited NYC and made my pilgrimage to Uniqlo. I know it's not 'fancy' stuff, but honestly every time I go, I walk out with a huge pile of stuff for a little pile of money and everything just fits perfectly. Their OCBD's, Sportscoat, pants, everything in XS and 28/29 waist and it's all just perfect. If you have one near you or can do internet orders with returns, I highly recommend trying their stuff.

Same here. I'm 5'5" 130lbs and XS from Uniqlo has caused me to fling large piles of cash in their direction. This fit is almost all Uniqlo: sweater, jeans, and blazer (I had the sleeves shortened, the sides taken in, and different buttons put on).

and size! How can you sell shoes down to the half size, but then for socks it's just like sorry, size 8-12 for everyone good luck. I've started buying womens socks since technically I'm a 10 in womens so at the upper end of their range. All the good ones like Gold Toe, or even Uniqlo are all way way too big (I'm a size 8)

AMEN. Socks are the worst. H&M almost always has a smaller size but the colors and options are generally limited. I've bought women's before, will probably need to do that again sometime soon.

Other stuff that works for me:

• Jcrew XS slim fit shirts, as many have said - I mostly buy button downs from them but I noticed the last time I was in there that they've started to carry the Ludlow in a 34S. The shoulders are 17" (I made them get a tape measure out which was met with surprise). I'm 16.5" in the shoulders so I don't think I'll sacrifice on that but the rest of the proportions were solid.
• In San Francisco, I get my dress shirts made at Spoon Tailor for $100 a pop - working on my first pair of flannel pants from them now for $280
• Ben Sherman shirts, sweaters, and jackets in XS
• For shorter ties I've been using ebay lately as you can choose to only see "short" ties which they classify as 57" or less, and I also don't like wearing ties that are more than 3.25" wide so I choose that search criteria too

Glad I found this thread - will start browsing some of the links!

 

[DayTripper]

Same here. I'm 5'5" 130lbs and XS from Uniqlo has caused me to fling large piles of cash in their direction. This fit is almost all Uniqlo: sweater, jeans, and blazer (I had the sleeves shortened, the sides taken in, and different buttons put on).

Great post! Is that the Uniqlo wool/cashmere blazer? I've been thinking about getting it.

 

[jcmeyer]



Great post! Is that the Uniqlo wool/cashmere blazer? I've been thinking about getting it.

Yes it is! Hard to beat at that price, but like I said I did need to do a bit of work to it before it was good to go.

If I remember correctly, the length on it is 28" down the back and the shoulders are 16.5" - so those two measurements were all that mattered before bringing it in to the tailor.

 

[DayTripper]

Yes it is! Hard to beat at that price, but like I said I did need to do a bit of work to it before it was good to go.

If I remember correctly, the length on it is 28" down the back and the shoulders are 16.5" - so those two measurements were all that mattered before bringing it in to the tailor.

I just bought their cordury blazer in XS (for reference, I am 5'4", ~130lbs) and it fit a little more snug than I'm used to, but not too bad at all and I'm pretty sure the corduroy will stretch anyway. I had to take in the sleeves a little bit, but that was it. If this one in wool/cashmere fits similarly, it should work pretty well for me.

By the way, for socks, I really like Argoz (www.argoz.com) - I'm a size US 7D and their "large" socks fit me perfectly. They're doing 50% off their entire inventory today.

And for ties, I know they're a little pricey, but I love Sam Hober ties (www.samhober.com).

 

[35Free]

Hey all. I am 5'5" and slim with a fit and semi-athletic build. I usually wear a size 29 or 30 waist trousers, depending on the brand and I like my clothes to look tailored and slim but not skin tight.

I've been experimenting a bit with casual shirts and oxfords and have had good results with the following:

J Crew Slim Fit (XS) - I believe these are designed for someone who is around 5’8” so they required some tailoring - sleeve length and shirt length. They fit very well after that. These are probably the slimmest of all of the shirts listed, so watch for this. The arm holes are higher than typical shirts so they work well for a short guy. The collar height on most of these shirts is sort of a medium height and seems to work well for me. A couple of others had a higher collar that I don’t like as much. My only beef with the J Crew shirts is that the button spacing down the front of the shirt is proportioned for a taller guy so, after shortening the shirt a bit, the bottom button lands closer to the bottom of the shirt. Though, this isn't a problem for shirts that I tuck in. www.jcrew.com

Peter Manning Slim (Size 2) - Bought online. I can’t imagine it getting much better than this, right off the bat, with the exception of Jimmy Au. These are almost perfect in length and overall fit but a slightly looser fit than what I prefer so I took mine in for some very minor tailoring around the torso to make them more slim. The collar height is a tad bit larger than the J Crew shirts which is okay. The spacing of the buttons down the front is perfect for a guy my height and just looks right. Arm holes, pocket placement, etc all great. Highly recommended. www.petermanningnyc.com

Brooks Brothers Black Fleece (XS) - Bought online. Similar to J Crew but baggier in the sleeves and torso. A couple of these were great after some minor tailoring (overall length, sleeve length and sleeve width) but others took quite a bit of darting in the back area to remove some billowy sack-like bagginess. This might be okay for someone who likes a looser fit but I had to spend quite a bit of money getting these to look as good as the other brands, which required much less tailoring. Collar height is higher than the J Crew and Peter Manning... probably the highest that I would ever want to go. The button spacing isn’t ideal for a short guy - once I shorten the length of these, the last button looks too close to the bottom of the shirt. When I’m not tucking in, I will usually leave the bottom button unbuttoned so it looks more natural. www.brooksbrothers.com

Jimmy Au's (XS) - Bought in-store. The closest to being perfect right off the rack. Very similar to Peter Manning in that the proportions are all designed with a short guy in mind. The button spacing, arm holes, and pocket placement are all great. Collar height seems perfectly proportional for me. They did some minor tailoring for me right on the spot - just a little bit of shortening and a tiny bit of slimming around the torso. These are probably my best fitting casual shirts at the moment. Again, highly recommended. www.jimmyaus.com

Hugh and Crye (Short Skinny) - Bought online. Out of the box, these probably would fit a slim 5’7” guy perfectly. The fit falls somewhere between the J Crew XS and the Black Fleece shirts. I needed to get the shirt length and sleeve length shortened a bit. The shoulder and torso fit is great. The collar height falls somewhere between Black Fleece and Jimmy Au - totally fine. Arm holes are in a good spot for a short guy and the button spacing isn’t perfect but, after some tailoring, the shirts look more natural than the Black Fleece and J Crew shirts. www.hughandcrye.com

Salt Valley - Urban Outfitters (XS) - Like the J Crew shirts, the Salt Valley shirts fit well and look very good after a tiny bit of tailoring on the sleeve length and overall length. I've taken some out of the sides on a few of these too. Arm holes, button spacing, pocket placement, collar height, etc are all very good. In fact, I think these shirts look more "right" than the J Crew or Brooks Brothers, similar to the Jimmy Au and Peter Manning, but Salt Valley's quality isn't quite there with the other brands I've listed and they offer flannel western shirts as well as patterned spring/summer casual lightweight shirts. I don't think they do basic oxfords, etc. www.urbanoutfitters.com


I hope this is helpful. I'll continue to post my findings.

This is some incredibly helpful stuff! Thank you!

Great info on the Hugh and Crye, I've been thinking about their short and skinny.

I'm a 5'3", 129lbs, fairly slim, not an athletic cut, slight bulge in the belly, LOL. For reference, I generally wear size 29/30 pants - I measure 32" in the waist and a 33" in the bulkiest part in the stomach, just below the nature waist).

My go-to dress shirts have so far been Banana Republic XS in their tailored slim fit line (I **think** the XS tailored slim fit is not available in-store, even in the US). (There is a tailored slim fit line and a slim fit line, which are NOT the same) Chest and waist are as good as it gets off the rack for me. I still need to have the sleeves shortened though. Collar is slightly higher than I would like, but I don't find it a deal breaker. I've always picked up the non-iron, no-pocket ones, so can't comment on the pocket proportions for BR.

I've recently ordered a few Ministry of Supply dress shirts as well -

So far, I've tried the Apollo in Slim-XS and Slim-S, and the Archive in Slim-XS.

The Apollo in XS is a bit tight in the waist area, but the four way stretch helps and is useable. Sleeves need to get shortened, just a tiny bit. My problem is that the collar seems out of proportion. The Apollo in S is better in the waist area (largely because of the way the material drapes, any other material and I think it would need to be taken in) sleeves are definitely way too long already, and for some reason, the collar on this one is much better than on the XS. (I have the white in S, and the light blue in XS) Be warned though - because of the material, the Apollo does not drape or look anything like most dress shirts. Think basketball jersey made into dress shirt form. Definitely not for everybody.

The Archive in XS is very tight in the waist area. Definitely for really slim guys only. Any form of beer belly, and it won't work. Unlike the 4-way on the Apollo, the 2-way stretch doesn't really help much here. Ok-ish, with some slight tightness, in the shoulders, definitely won't work for an athletic cut. Collar on the XS slim is definitely tight. If you wear ties, even if the torso fits, you might need to size up. I'll likely order a Slim - S in the future, and see how it works out. So far, material wise, this is actually one of my favorites, and climate-wise, it works well for the hot and humid tropical weather in my place.

These Ministry shirts are the very first shirts I have EVER purchased where the smallest available men's size were too tight/slim/small for me (save for sleeve length).

The Banana Republic shirts are also the only dress shirts I have which fit well in the torso off the rack.

I've been itching to try some of Peter Manning's stuff, but the prices have put me off a bit. For me, his pricing approaches 'tech wear' pricing already - the way I figure it, I'd rather get something with "better" material and get it tailored. But that's mostly because I live in the third world, and I can basically get pants hemmed for less than $3 USD, and 5 dress shirts taken in on the waist and sleeve, to include sleeve shortening for under $25 USD, so I would imagine my tailor tax is pretty low compared to most of you gents.

BTW, any short gents here wear some Red Wings? I've been eyeing either the Beckman Chukka or the Beckman boot, but am wary of the "infamous" bulbous toe. I have 8D feet.

Although I hear RW's are pretty popular in Japan, so I guess they work for short gents. I also have a pair of the Golden Fox Enzo chukka's, which have a slightly bulbous toe box, which I wear in 7.5D, and it looks pretty great on me. But I *think* the above Red Wings have more bulbous toes and are chunkier.

Cheers.

 

[devo666]

Just a comment re: Silas Jackson. Took a quick look at the size chart on your site and the height and weight measurements look nuts. 5'5"-5'6" and 195+lb?? Any 5'6" dude pushing two bills is either fat or on steroids.

For the actual garment measurements on the size chart, would be helpful if you listed traditional dress shirt sleeve measurements (i.e., measure from center of back/neck bottom to end of cuff). It's also always really helpful if you show a model wearing the shirt and list the shirt size and model's height and weight.

 

[chasro]

Silas,

I have to agree with the last poster. The sizing is no good for us who are shorter and skinnier. At 5'5" and 152, your sizing looks like it won't fit me.

 

[Roman_empire]

Hi guys,

I'm 5,5" and 127 lbs myself. I have a lot of nice stuff of brands like Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers, Hickey Freeman and the likes in large boys sizes 14/16/18 M/L/XL.
Suits, blazers, coats, some sweaters and shirts. Timeless quality pieces, which are basically part of every year's collections and are a smaller version of the item's that are sold at the men's dept.
Many of them are new or hardly worn as they are slightly too big or small for me. I want to sell, as I need to free up some closet space.
I know how hard it is to find proper clothes in small sizes, maybe I got something for you?

Feel free to PM me if you are interested or are looking for anything in particular.
I can of course send pictures and sizes/measurements on request!

 

[shortwear]

Silas,

I have to agree with the last poster. The sizing is no good for us who are shorter and skinnier. At 5'5" and 152, your sizing looks like it won't fit me.

Just a comment re: Silas Jackson. Took a quick look at the size chart on your site and the height and weight measurements look nuts. 5'5"-5'6" and 195+lb?? Any 5'6" dude pushing two bills is either fat or on steroids.

For the actual garment measurements on the size chart, would be helpful if you listed traditional dress shirt sleeve measurements (i.e., measure from center of back/neck bottom to end of cuff). It's also always really helpful if you show a model wearing the shirt and list the shirt size and model's height and weight.

Chasro & Devo - Thanks for the candid feedback, and sorry it took ridiculously long for a reply. First off, a lot of customers happen to have a few extra (like me...) and starting with a more "regular" line helped us stand out from other brands at the very beginning given that we couldn't do everything at once. It actually worked out really well. Still, you both make a very good point (and no, Devo, not going for the 'roid market ;-)) ...I surveyed a lot of shorter guys in the past few months, and all signs point so a slimmer fit. I completely redid the size chart to make it clearer...

-Ben @ Silas Jackson

 

[chasro]

Ben,

I appreciate the effort of coming out with slimmer sizing.

The neck sizes seem very large. I'm 5'5" and 152. Your sizing chart suggests I buy a shirt with a 16.25-17" neck. I buy shirts with a 15" neck. I also noticed that there is no difference in the neck sizing between the classic and the slim fit. Us thinner guys have smaller necks and need the shirts sized appropriately.

-Charles

 

[shortwear]

Ben,

I appreciate the effort of coming out with slimmer sizing.

The neck sizes seem very large. I'm 5'5" and 152. Your sizing chart suggests I buy a shirt with a 16.25-17" neck. I buy shirts with a 15" neck. I also noticed that there is no difference in the neck sizing between the classic and the slim fit. Us thinner guys have smaller necks and need the shirts sized appropriately.

-Charles

Hi Charles,

Good to hear back from you. It's a very good question. We didn't slim down the neck size for a couple of reasons. The first is that it's a somewhat casual button-down rather than a dress shirt, and most of our customers keep the top button open. The second is that, often times, men prefer a slimmer torso look but this doesn't necessarily correspond to a smaller neck or the desire for a smaller-necked shirt. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but I'm pretty sure this is the way to go for Silas Jackson, especially as we head into warmer weather and people want a little extra breathing room, literally. But maybe I'm wrong...

-Ben

 

[styleforumfan]

Do you agree with these advices from Mr P?

"At 1.69m, Canadian director Mr Xavier Dolan is not blessed with great height. But you wouldn’t necessarily spot that from afar, because his clothes work perfectly with his proportions. Shorter sleeves and trousers, as seen on his suit, will make you appear taller. Another nifty trick is wearing socks that are the same colour as your trousers – this serves to “lengthen” your legs. In terms of casualwear, Mr Dolan understands that cluttering your look accentuates a shorter frame. You want to draw the eye upwards. Monotone clothing will serve you well, as will a high waistband. Dark trousers worn with a light T-shirt add to the illusion of height."

https://www.mrporter.com/daily/how-to-dress-for-your-body-shape/1965

 

[mensimageconsultant]



Do you agree with these advices from Mr P? "At 1.69m, Canadian director Mr Xavier Dolan is not blessed with great height. But you wouldn’t necessarily spot that from afar, because his clothes work perfectly with his proportions. Shorter sleeves and trousers, as seen on his suit, will make you appear taller. Another nifty trick is wearing socks that are the same colour as your trousers – this serves to “lengthen” your legs. In terms of casualwear, Mr Dolan understands that cluttering your look accentuates a shorter frame. You want to draw the eye upwards. Monotone clothing will serve you well, as will a high waistband. Dark trousers worn with a light T-shirt add to the illusion of height." https://www.mrporter.com/daily/how-to-dress-for-your-body-shape/1965

That's a problem with much advice on the Internet: it's a mix of sensible and incorrect. The most incorrect part is light above, dark below. Even with an unfastened jacket covering some of the shirt, it still somewhat cuts the wearer in half. A medium color on top would be better. Also, going sockless (as in the picture on the right) violates the article's advice and unfortunately draws the eye downward. Shiny (or otherwise showy) footwear when not necessary also has that effect. The footwear, socks, and pants should blend together for a shorter man with the usual short legs. And the pants should not be as short as in the relatively good outfit on the left. The jacket sleeves on the right look a bit long, which is another issue that can make a man appear small.

 

[Master-Classter]

+1 to that. Generally right ideas, not quite the perfect execution though.