• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Help! Looking taller?

Jim04

New Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2006
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Hey guys I need some help.

I've read to wear v-neck, plain clothes to look taller and to avoid horizontal lines etc. When I where them though I think I look worse, because I'm already pretty skinny, and not wide sholders, and it makes me look even slimmer. So I can't win either way! arghh! What to do? And also another problem is my little legs. There either baggy or too tight and make them look little than they are. I have very few that are the perfect fit. Hope someone can give me advice and hope I posted in the right place. Cheers
 

itsstillmatt

The Liberator
Dubiously Honored
Joined
Mar 11, 2006
Messages
13,969
Reaction score
2,086
Originally Posted by Jim04
Hey guys I need some help.

I've read to wear v-neck, plain clothes to look taller and to avoid horizontal lines etc. When I where them though I think I look worse, because I'm already pretty skinny, and not wide sholders, and it makes me look even slimmer. So I can't win either way! arghh! What to do? And also another problem is my little legs. There either baggy or too tight and make them look little than they are. I have very few that are the perfect fit. Hope someone can give me advice and hope I posted in the right place. Cheers


Wear your pants a little too short. Same with your jackets. It will make you look like your legs are long.
 

whoopee

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2005
Messages
2,420
Reaction score
4
Vertical stripes are also elongating.
 

Connemara

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Mar 9, 2006
Messages
38,384
Reaction score
1,827
Pull a Duke of Windsor and have your jackets cut a bit shorter. It will elongate your frame.
 

Tck13

Distinguished Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2006
Messages
5,296
Reaction score
62
Originally Posted by Jim04
Hey guys I need some help.

I've read to wear v-neck, plain clothes to look taller and to avoid horizontal lines etc. When I where them though I think I look worse, because I'm already pretty skinny, and not wide sholders, and it makes me look even slimmer. So I can't win either way! arghh! What to do? And also another problem is my little legs. There either baggy or too tight and make them look little than they are. I have very few that are the perfect fit. Hope someone can give me advice and hope I posted in the right place. Cheers


What is your current height and weight? And, it sounds like you want to look taller?
 

seen

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2006
Messages
211
Reaction score
0
I think he wants to look taller, but he's skinny.
 

odoreater

Distinguished Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2005
Messages
8,587
Reaction score
45
Start eating about 3500 - 4000 calories a day and pick up the weights. In a few months you won't have the problem of not looking wide enough anymore. I went from being 6'2" 140 lbs and looking like my coat was hanging on a hanger after high school to 6'2" 200 lbs right now, and I fill up my coat quite nicely.
smile.gif
 

Tck13

Distinguished Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2006
Messages
5,296
Reaction score
62
To look less narrow or skinny:

Lighter colors on top and darker colors on the bottom make the top look bigger. Darker pants / shorts with lighter shirt / some horizontal stripes.

Baseball type t-shirts (darker sleeves / lighter shirt)

Thicker (fabric) sweaters / jackets / pants - not oversized!!

Slim fit / European style clothing

Don't buy anything oversized! Buy correct size (even if it is a small)

If you are already skinny, V-necks will make a narrow face look longer. Collared shirts will help fill out the face a bit.

The other info given in earlier posts will help with adding height. I'd be careful with vertical stripes if you are already thin, depending on what you get, it may make you look even thinner.
 

Jim04

New Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2006
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
I am 5'2 - 5'4, and something around 112lbs.
sneaky2.gif
Would wearing horizontal polo t sh irts make me look shorter, as that is what i wear now. they dont make me look as slim. if i wear plain colours they make me look more skinny.
 

Holdfast

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Mar 10, 2006
Messages
10,559
Reaction score
6,354
I'm about 5'5"/5'6" so have the same problem of needing to create the illusion of some height.

I find the following tricks work well:

* In terms of casual clothes - avoid cutting your body in half with very contrasting jacket and trousers. If you do, make sure the jacket is cut a little shorter.
* Wear tailored/fitted garments even casually... or if really casual, at least keep the items "clean" (structurally). Big and baggy doesn't add muscle, it just makes you look messy because you're not tall enough for the bagginess to "fade" in the background.
* Avoid completely flat shoes (like driving mocs); stay with loafers that have a slight heel to them. Avoid overly fussy shoes or ones with huge amounts of metalwork on them; clean and subtle works best.
* In terms of suits - vertical stripes will look great. Windowpanes won't unless the 'pane is subtle. Solids are fine but "height neutral"
* As long as the jacket shoulder has some shape and the waist some suppression you will not look too thin. Don't be tempted to go for a huge shoulder overhang! But very slightly beyond natural shoulder won't hurt.
* Always show some shirt sleeve cuff
* Single pleat, slightly tapered trousers help.
* Avoid excessive break on your trousers. I tend to prefer a 1/2 to 3/4 break rather than a completely full break. Certainly avoid double breaks! If you really want to wear cuffs, get them narrow - 1.25".
* Keep belts subtle or go for side fasteners.
* Relatively short hair works well and small glasses also help you cheat.

Hope this helps; they work reasonably for me.

The advice about trying to add a bit of muscle in the right places is also good; I'm thinking about working out a bit at some point to bulk up a little but fortunately my build doesn't look skinny.
 

dah328

Distinguished Member
Joined
Dec 6, 2003
Messages
4,581
Reaction score
114
Holdfast's advice is good, especially the second point. I would emphasize proper fit. When you're short and/or skinny, even small deviations in fit can significantly emphasize your size. For example, a dress shirt with shoulders that are too wide will definitely make your shoulders look narrower while a guy that's 6'2", 225lbs could do that with fewer consequences.
 

thinman

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2005
Messages
4,812
Reaction score
43
The advice you've gotten so far is good. I would add that layering clothes will also add bulk. For example I've started wearing sweaters under my jackets, etc. (I'm 6'3" 160 lbs.). Don't automatically dismiss windowpane patterns, as some have the windowpanes longer than they are wide, so they can also create an illusion of height.
 

Rome

Mr. Chocolates Godiva
Joined
Mar 10, 2006
Messages
754
Reaction score
1
I've got the number to Kim Jong Il's stylist around here somewhere...
 

mensimageconsultant

Distinguished Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2006
Messages
4,600
Reaction score
145
You've received many good tips. Here are a few more you might like.

Regular fit pants. (But that varies by the brand, and you haven't named the brands you own or shown pictures of yourself.)

When not layering, button-front or shirts with medium- or small-scaled patterns. A chevron pattern is good, if you can find it. There are checks and all sorts of other non-stripe patterns. (Stripes will work better if paired with some of the other tips, like vertical on a bulky sweater.)
 

Despos

Distinguished Member
Dubiously Honored
Joined
Mar 16, 2006
Messages
8,767
Reaction score
5,775
Monochromatic color combinations help. High contrast cuts you in two.
The baggy trouser can be altered by tapering. This helps more than you might think. If the trouser is very very long and needs to a lot of cloth cut off when hemming, the knee position is too low and the proportion and shape are off. This can be adjusted and corrected by tapering, but use a tailor with a good sense of proportion. Shouldn't break the bank.
Your size can be your advantage. Fred Astaire and the Duke of Windsor were under 5'7" and 36 or 38 chest.
Developing your eye for proportion is the thing.
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 36.2%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 59 38.8%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 11.2%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 26 17.1%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 26 17.1%

Staff online

Forum statistics

Threads
505,158
Messages
10,578,897
Members
223,882
Latest member
anykadaimeni
Top