General Athletic Build Thread

[GraphicNovelty]

hey, So, athletic, and especially short and athletic guys (an 8 inch drop means a lot more to someone who's 5'6" than 6'1") have a bunch of style concerns in and of themselves. After watching a bunch of threads pop up, get yelled at by regulars, and then die, I figured we could just put all of the "athletic build" resources in one thread. T shirts for an Athletic build: http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=157038 http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=60546 Sweaters http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=44544 General Clothing advice: http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?p=2765328 http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?p=2767560 (same as the above thread, but in SW&D) http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=28468 All threads about jeans for people with big thighs: http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=66726 So as not to let this thread die an ignominious death, anyone with general wisdom or specific knowledge they'd like to share about clothing for people with athletic builds, please post it here. In general, I haven't found much better advice than taking your clothing to a tailor, especially dress shirts. Make sure they fit in the shoulders and then get the waist tapered as needed. Works better with solid colors than patterns, though.

 

[TyCooN]

+1

 

[phxlawstudent]

Thank you!

I am 5'6" and have an 8" drop. Actually might be closer to 9" drop..... 38 (39 if I inhale) chest and 29.5 waist.... very annoying.

 

[GraphicNovelty]

Those are pretty much my measurements, plus 45 inch shoulders.

Things i've found that fit me well in the torso:
H&M Slim fit size medium button downs
Gap Fitted (available online) Size XS
Mossimo (yeah, from Target) athletic fit button down size Small (great flannels IMO)
Uniqlo Slim fit blazer (Size Small)

I'm currently in search of a good tee shirt actually--i'm somewhere between a small and a medium in SF-favorite AA. I'm going out tomorrow to try on BDG, Gap Athletic fit, Uniqlo Heattech, and H&M stretch fit shirts, as per thread suggestions.

 

[phxlawstudent]

I've settled on BR slim fits for t-shirts. T-shirts should be inexpensive, and these are under $20. The white is see through. J-Crew does an ok job, but the fabric leaves some to be desired.

Actually, the perfect slim fit t-shirt has been my obsession this winter. I know, bad time to go looking, but I decided to overhaul my entire wardrobe this semester.

CK fits okay, but leaves a little bagginess in the waist. I couldn't get size small at a price I could afford so I settled for a couple of mediums. They are ok.

J. Crew fits the best, but the fabric stinks. BR fits good and the fabric is ok so far. I've also found a CK "layering" shirt that fits perfectly. Almost skin tight, but not quite. The white is of course... see through and the fabric is thin.

Let me know what you find.


As for BD's.... I've resigned myself to MTM. I just buy OTR suits and take them to the tailor. The only MTM I would bother buying costs too much. Haven't had much trouble with pants, thankfully. Please don't get me started on pants... Don't show me how good I'll look with "slim fit" dress pants.

 

[Jonah]

I'll subscribe to an athletic build thread, I have major problems with rtw suits/casual blazers because of boulder shoulders and horse shoe triceps (I wish lol but they are quite big in terms on getting the proper fit) causing massive creases and dimples on suits (shoulder/hand area). Anyone have recommendations on rtw suits that cater for an athletic build?

 

[thekunk07]

i have a 14.5" drop. prada suits and rick owens casual **** is all that fits me.

 

[Nil]

What's the drop Prada suits?

 

[thekunk07]

8" to 10". the 2 techno fabric ones i have were altered but started with a 10" drop.

 

[ppllzz]

 

[Doctor]

Are people measuring their chest and their true waist (ie narrowest point on the torso) or their chest and their waist (below the navel, where your pants sit) to arrive at their "drop" measurement?

I have found Epaulet shirts are not too bad. They are flattering on an athletic build. Possibly a bit loose around the bottom, but some minor adjustments can fix that.

 

[ppllzz]

Originally Posted by Doctor

Are people measuring their chest and their true waist (ie narrowest point on the torso) or their chest and their waist (below the navel, where your pants sit) to arrive at their "drop" measurement?

I have found Epaulet shirts are not too bad. They are flattering on an athletic build. Possibly a bit loose around the bottom, but some minor adjustments can fix that.

im pretty sure the epaulet guy is ripped to shreds

 

[phxlawstudent]

Originally Posted by Doctor

Are people measuring their chest and their true waist (ie narrowest point on the torso) or their chest and their waist (below the navel, where your pants sit) to arrive at their "drop" measurement?

I have found Epaulet shirts are not too bad. They are flattering on an athletic build. Possibly a bit loose around the bottom, but some minor adjustments can fix that.

I don't know about any of the other muscular fellows, but the difference is half an inch. 29" to 29.5".

Now my hips measure 32 or 34 inches, but no one wants that measurement. Ok, moderntailor.com asked for it.

 

[Stylin-1]

Originally Posted by thekunk07

i have a 14.5" drop. prada suits and rick owens casual **** is all that fits me.

I was in that boat ten years ago at 44/30. I didn't care so much about clothes back then though. I remember buying a suit at Lord & Taylor and stupidly listening to the sales rep say it wasn't a problem taking in a 38" pant 7-8". You can imagine how close the back pockets ended up.

I'm ~40/31 now, so it's somewhat managable.

 

[GraphicNovelty]

The BR ones were too see through for my liking, and I agree, I didn't like the JCrews. No Uniqlo's really fit me right (I tried on regualr shirts, undershirts, and heattech in S and M--the heattech M was the nicest of all of them but it was really synthetic feeling and too long). I also checked out topman shirts, which were really awkward around the shoulders.

I couldn't find any gap athletic fit shirts in the store I went to, and I didn't end up going to Urban or H&M, but I'm going to soon and I'll let you know my finding.

Originally Posted by phxlawstudent

I've settled on BR slim fits for t-shirts. T-shirts should be inexpensive, and these are under $20. The white is see through. J-Crew does an ok job, but the fabric leaves some to be desired.

Actually, the perfect slim fit t-shirt has been my obsession this winter. I know, bad time to go looking, but I decided to overhaul my entire wardrobe this semester.

CK fits okay, but leaves a little bagginess in the waist. I couldn't get size small at a price I could afford so I settled for a couple of mediums. They are ok.

J. Crew fits the best, but the fabric stinks. BR fits good and the fabric is ok so far. I've also found a CK "layering" shirt that fits perfectly. Almost skin tight, but not quite. The white is of course... see through and the fabric is thin.