SUIT YOUR SHAPE: GQ primer for the hard-to-fit

[medwards]

Originally Posted by Manton

wear anything you want.

 

[Manton]

Originally Posted by medwards

Actually, what I said was, "Wear anything you want as long as it does not run afoul of the iron laws discussed in the rest of this book, which are binding on all mankind in perpetuity and violations of which are punishable by ostracization or death."

 

[NoVaguy]

Originally Posted by DGP

Think about who's coming to America now, it's no longer Brits, Germans, and Swedes. I bet if you looked at the more traditional American populations, mainly caucasians and African Americans, you wouldn't see them shrinking.

actually, not true. white americans are short than white europeans, even though the genetics are substantially the same.

 

[a tailor]

industry standards for american brands.

5'4" short
5'8" regular
6' long
6'3" extra long

 

[tiecollector]

Originally Posted by LA Guy

Liddell is a beast. His drop is really quite high (Something like 14, iirc), 44 chest and 30 waist. That is very high compared to the average (6-7 inches) drop. People with a higher drop than that are probably really juiced up.

I've always wondered what the term "drop" meant. I am 6' and have a 40 chest and 32 waist. I find stuff hard to fit in the chest OTR. Chuck looks good though, maybe D&G is a good brand for that.

Originally Posted by Jared

Pre-WW2 they were the shortest. It's all about the socialism!

Walking down the street in the Netherlands is a trip: the old people are little dwarfs scurrying around the legs of the giant young people. (I'm 6', I felt short for the first time in my life.)

If different countries have different height distributions, are S, R, and L jackets from each country designed for the same height range?


I was in Nederlands last year and while I didn't feel tall, I didn't feel all that short either. Maybe it is because the Dutch are so skinny. Now, on the Dalmatian coast in Croatia, I felt like a friggin midget. I get off the boat and there are giants walking around drinking beer with breakfast.

 

[Jared]

Originally Posted by Manton

I had to struggle with exactly this issue. What to say about the man who has no issues? I did write a short chapter about such men, and the advice -- while not groundbreaking -- is at least not false. The fact is, there is not much to say except, You are lucky, wear anything you want.
I think what I came to understand from your book is that everyone has something they'd like to accentuate or hide. In a business or dating situation I might wish I were more muscular. (I don't have my copy of The Suit with me, but I believe the advice for that was windowpanes, DBs, etc.) And I have no need to look taller or thinner, so I should avoid things that might go too far in that direction (stripes, etc.).

 

[RJman]

Originally Posted by Manton

Actually, what I said was, "Wear anything you want as long as it does not run afoul of the iron laws discussed in the rest of this book, which are binding on all mankind in perpetuity and violations of which are punishable by ostracization or death."

That's very Aleister Crowley of you... And if it harm not Manton, wear what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Rules.

 

[LabelKing]

A minor quibble, but GQ says that short men shouldn't wear wide lapels. I find slim suits with a wide peak lapel look excellent for men with reedy proportions.

 

[medwards]

Originally Posted by Manton

Actually, what I said was, "Wear anything you want as long as it does not run afoul of the iron laws discussed in the rest of this book, which are binding on all mankind in perpetuity and violations of which are punishable by ostracization or death."

That's what I thought you meant!

 

[mensimageconsultant]

GQ's "Short Man" would be better described as a "Short, Slim Man." Also, "short" is often more a reflection of being less than an ideal than less than the average. By the way, in the United States, Germany, and elsewhere, Caucasian men are taller in some part of the country than they are in others. Ethnic distribution, perhaps.

Some of the slideshow's After pictures don't fit properly. Plus, while they are correct in pocket styles, the descriptions only discuss pocket squares. And if Chuck Lidell has a big drop, it's because his upper torso is huge.

Worst advice: "A lower button stance creates long lines, and that essentially stretches you out. " It is hard to describe how the buttons best work for a short man, but that isn't it.

To correct an oversight, What Not to Wear contains a depiction of a tall, heavy man. Fit books are limited in how many body types they can show.

 

[texas_jack]

Originally Posted by mensimageconsultant

. By the way, in the United States, Germany, and elsewhere, Caucasian men are taller in some part of the country than they are in others. Ethnic distribution, perhaps.

.

Yes, I've noticed this since I moved away from Texas. In Texas the white people are all really tall. Up north I've noticed this is not the case.

 

[lpwb32]

Originally Posted by texas_jack

Yes, I've noticed this since I moved away from Texas. In Texas the white people are all really tall. Up north I've noticed this is not the case.

its all the beef. does a body good.

 

[texas_jack]

Originally Posted by lpwb32

its all the beef. does a body good.

Actually, I think it all the Germans and none of the Italians.

 

[untilted]

Nice article, I enjoyed it.

 

[texas_jack]

Originally Posted by a tailor

industry standards for american brands.

5'4" short
5'8" regular
6' long
6'3" extra long

I'm 6'4" and have a 34inseam but I wear a L. Does that seem right? Am I wearing my jackets too short?