Shirt to hide spare tyre?

[epa]

A friend of mine has a problem with a groving "spare tyre" around his waist, and he has asked me whether striped shirts tend to emphasise it. What do you think? Are there any tricks to "hide" such tyres? Are plain shirts prererable for this purpose?

 

[stach]

Wear an open shirt over a knit pullover.

 

[Smooth Genes]

tell his fat lazy ass to go on a diet and hit the gym.

 

[whoopee]

I think striped shirts are useful in this case, and wearing a well-cut jacket as often as possible will do even more.

 

[NukeMeSlowly]

Originally Posted by Smooth Genes

tell his fat lazy ass to go on a diet and hit the gym.

Yeah, that's real helpful.


For what it's worth...

Vertical stripes will definitely help. Emphasizes the vertical and not the horizontal he wants to disguise.

Avoid heavy shirting fabrics, do not layer (e.g. shirt and sweater) - bulk is bad.

Make sure the shirt is fairly fitted (but not skin tight). This may seem counter-intuitive but for a big guy a big tent-like shirt makes him look even bigger.

Lighter, more subdued colors should help as well.

 

[j]

Be sure his pants are up where they should be instead of being hitched under the gut. If he wears suits, recommend suspenders so the pants can hang at the right level.

 

[trogdor]

Originally Posted by j

Be sure his pants are up where they should be instead of being hitched under the gut. If he wears suits, recommend suspenders so the pants can hang at the right level.

That will also help to keep the shirts properly tucked-in. When shirts start to blouse by slowly pulling upwards from the waist, it tends to emphasise a spare tyre.

 

[Jovan]

All of this help is pretty sound. Yes, even Smooth Genes'.

Meanwhile I have to do the opposite and avoid stripes if I can, which only make me look lankier.

 

[epa]

Thank you, I will forward the advice to my friend, who will be pleased to consider it (I already suggested the gym option to him, by the way).
Now, maybe I should have mentioned that he is not EXTREMELY fat, he is actually quite slim, it is just a bit of a spare tyre around his waist. Today he was wearing a striped shirt, and I think I noticed the spare tyre due to the fact that the stripes followed a rather curved path down the waist. Although I know that vertical stripes are supposed to make you look slimmer, aren't there cases when they might rather "emphasise" a spare tyre? That was the impression I had today. What do you think?
(This guy just started to work at my office and there are a lot of nice women around here, I think that is why he is so anxious about the spare tyre issue).

 

[grimslade]

That sounds to me more like a fit issue than a pattern issue. Is it possible you noticed because his buttons (say) were pulling?

 

[Jovan]

Yeah, it's a fit issue. Stripes are good for lengthening, and only recently has George Lucas realized plaid isn't very flattering on his beer belly physqiue.

 

[gdl203]

Not necessarily. It is common to say that stripes have a slimming effect and that's true for an overall large body. However, stripes have a different effect when it comes to body curves, such as breasts (good thing) or beer belly (bad thing). If the shirt is fitted, the stripe pattern will follow the curve and will instantly highlight it, whereas a plain shirt or a small check pattern would not.

So I understand epa's friend issue with stripes - it can indeed highlight a prominent "spare tyre" by creating curvy stripes

 

[j]

I agree - a small check might be a good choice to camouflage and confuse the eye. Better than an obvious stripe that highlights the problem.

 

[mensimageconsultant]

Speaking of patterns, checks work best. The ideal size of the check relates to the size of the wearer. For a tall, thin guy, stomach or not, vertical stripes might not flatter.

Color-block patterns can work well, too, if the brighter color emphasizes the upper torso and the playfulness of the pattern is appropriate for the situation.

Something as a simple as a contrast collar can lessen attention on a stomach.

Untucked usually works better than tucked in, but anything that signals sloppiness (such as a shirt that covers the entire behind) will raise suspicion of fat, because people equate the two.

Of all visual tricks, layering works best.

 

[Mr. Checks]

Originally Posted by mensimageconsultant

Speaking of patterns, checks work best. The ideal size of the check relates to the size of the wearer. For a tall, thin guy, stomach or not, vertical stripes might not flatter.

Color-block patterns can work well, too, if the brighter color emphasizes the upper torso and the playfulness of the pattern is appropriate for the situation.

Something as a simple as a contrast collar can lessen attention on a stomach.

Untucked usually works better than tucked in, but anything that signals sloppiness (such as a shirt that covers the entire behind) will raise suspicion of fat, because people equate the two.

Of all visual tricks, layering works best.