How to Dress Taller and Leaner

The Guiding Rule Of Looking Taller

Basically, you always need to have a streamlined outfit. The idea behind it is that you always want the viewer’s eyes to go up on you, towards your face because an upward motion makes you appear taller. So with that being said, let’s start with a few general tips:

Ideally, you go with darker looks or monochromatic looks from the outside in because it creates the appearance of height. When I say monochronic outfits, I mean monochromatically inspired because you don’t just want to have an all-black outfit or an all gray because it lacks contrast and it just looks like a blob. At the same time, wearing colors in the same spectrum from the outside in creates a slimmer silhouette that implies height.

When it comes to patterns, if you want to look taller, stripes are your friend; specifically vertical stripes, not horizontal ones. Ideally, you want a slimmer stripe especially if you’re a smaller build because a wider stripe makes you look wider and it may seem disproportionate. The same is true for shirts or socks; always keep in mind vertical stripes will look best on you and make you look your tallest. Sometimes, ties are striped diagonally, that works in your favor as well because it has an uplifting element.

What To Wear To Appear Taller

Jackets & Sport coats

• As I mentioned countless times before, fit is essential to look your best. For a shorter man, specifically, I suggest that you get things that are more trimly fitted because if things are baggy, they look like they’re too big making you look small. Even though traditional rule suggests that the length of the jacket should match the length from the pants hem to the bottom of the jacket, if you’re a shorter man, it pays to have a slightly shorter jacket rather than a longer jacket because it creates the visual effect of height.

• You want slightly angled pockets in the front because they have that uplifting moment making you look taller. Ideally, you have no vents in the back because that jacket will hug you more snugly, however, it’s a very vintage look so in this day and age, I suggest you go with side vents, avoid center vents.

• You want to choose a suit jacket or sport coat with a higher buttoning point slightly above your natural waist, that way, your upper torso will look a little shorter and your legs longer thus making you look taller.

• A jacket sleeve that is cut too full can make you look odd, therefore, pay attention to have a relatively narrow bottom part of your sleeve but leave the top part of your sleeve rather roomy because otherwise, it constricts your movement.

• Generally speaking, if you wear a suit, you already have that monochromatically inspired look of matching pants and jacket which is always favorable if you are short. As I mentioned before, stripes whether they are pinstripes, chalk stripes, or rope stripes, or maybe even finer stripes in a seersucker suit, they will all help to make you look your tallest. Why? Simply because it has that vertical line that allows people to look all the way up on you towards your face that’s making them think you’re really tall. For example, look at Aaron Marino from alpha M, he is a shorter guy but at Menfluential conference, he wore a striped navy jacket with a white chalk stripe matching pants which was a suit and he combined it with a slightly lighter shade of a navy turtleneck sweater thus making him look the tallest he can possibly be. Now sometimes, you may want to wear a solid suit and that is okay, you could even have a small pattern such as a barleycorn or maybe a small houndstooth but definitely stay clear of any kind of windowpane because it makes you look wider and shorter and the same is true for the most part for Glenn checks or plaids, in general.

Pants & Trousers

• A very minimal or no break at all creates a longer leg line that’s helping you to look taller. On the flip side, if you have pants that are too long and your fabric puddles around your shoe, people will look down on you that’s making them think you’re actually shorter than you are.

• On a similar note, make sure you wear socks that are very close in color to your pants thus providing a minimum amount of contrast and therefore, creating a longer leg line. You could even accentuate that by choosing shoes that have a very similar color to your suit and therefore, looks like you have a very long singular leg line. Solid socks or solid socks with clocks are your friends. Alternatively, you can have shadow stripes that are very close to your pants, therefore, creating a minimum amount of contrast all the while being interesting and helping you to look tall.

• Moving up, let’s take a look at the crotch. You want a drop that is not too saggy. Also, you want your pants to be rather higher up in your waist because it creates the illusion of a longer leg line. Even though they’re a popular fashion at the moment, low-rise trousers should be avoided for short guys at all costs because they make your torso look longer, your legs shorter thus creating an awkward disproportionate look.

• If you have bigger thighs, pleats can be your friends. Just make sure they’re inward-facing pleats not outward-facing pleats.

• In terms of keeping your pants up, I strongly suggest you skip belts because they divide your torso and your lower body distinctly thus destroying the streamline. Instead opt for side adjusters if you’re a slimmer guy or even better, suspenders because they will keep your pants at the same height all day long so you can make sure you have that minimal break or no break that you want so you look your tallest.

Shirts & Sweaters

• Just like with jackets, you want to have a high armhole so you have a greater range of movement. Your standard long-sleeved shirt should end exactly at the wrist no matter if you stand straight or of you bend your elbow. Generally, we recommend showing between a half and three-quarters of an inch of shirt cuff that matches the back of your collar that’s about one centimeter to one and a half centimeters. However, for shorter guys, you can even go a little less because otherwise, it may look like your jacket is too short for you and it just looks odd.

• If you’re ever in a position where you roll up your shirt sleeves, make sure to just roll them up towards ¾ of your arm or like halfway underarm otherwise, it may look weird and you may look shorter than you actually are. If you wear short sleeve things like a polo shirt, make sure they end about two, maybe three or four inches above your elbow otherwise, it looks odd, your shirt looks too long, therefore making you look very small.

• As a shorter guy, you always want to tuck in your shirt because not tucking it in gives you the appearance of having this really awkwardly long torso. When it comes to layering pieces such as sweaters, either opt for a v-neck if you wear ties or a crew neck if you don’t but the secret weapon for shorter men is the turtleneck sweater because it accentuates your height on your face, makes people look at you, and create a clean streamlined look. No matter what sweater you choose, make sure it ends slightly below the pants waistband so it’s totally covered but your sweater should never be so long that it creates an awkwardly long torso. Just take a look at the mirror, if your sweater peeks out hugely underneath your buttoning point, it’s likely too long.

• If you’re a friend of layers, I suggest you skip the waistcoat with a suit because it makes you look wider. Keep it to a two-piece suit, it’s just a cleaner more streamlined silhouette. The waistcoat or vest will just create a very busy middle section that doesn’t help you look your best.

• When layering in general, always make sure that you have darker colors on the outside and lighters on the inside. Let’s say navy suit with a white shirt is better than a white jacket with a denim shirt. During cold months of the year, you definitely want to wear an overcoat or a top coat such as a trench coat, just make sure it is rather short meaning it ends somewhere above the knee, I suggest two inches or so above the knee. It should under no circumstances be longer than your knee because otherwise, you look more like Columbo which is rather short and wide and as a shorter guy, you want to make your legs appear as long as possible.

• Finally, if you can minimize the individual bulk of each garment, you should go for it. That means go with a slimmer sweater if you can, maybe a thinner fabric rather than something really thick on your overcoat and something that reduces bulk in your outfit.

Footwear

I know it may seem obvious but wearing boots with a higher heel will definitely help you to gain an extra inch or three centimeters. As you may know, there are companies specializing in insoles giving you an extra two inches or about five centimeters or even more. Now, the problem is that once you get really high up, you have a hard time with staying inside of your shoe hence a boot is a better option.

At the same time, I think if you wear shoes that make you look really tall and then you have other shoes that make you look shorter, people will notice that change and see that you’re trying to compensate for your height which is never an ideal scenario. Yes, you want to look your tallest but you always want to look the same height and you don’t want to be perceived as someone who’s trying to fake it and then get taller the next day.

As I briefly mentioned before, choose a shoe color that is similar to your socks and your pants, therefore, giving you a longer leg line. In the same vein, if you wear shorts in the summer or if you go with no-show socks, opt for shoes are very close to your skin color thus giving you a longer leg line. Also, pay attention to the silhouette of the shoe, a clean silhouette maybe with a classic rounded toe or a soft chisel are much better than these thick rubber soled chunky square-toed shoes that you see a lot of men out there wear.

Accessories

In general, I suggest two to three accessories are best for shorter men. When it comes to accessories, it pays to rather have them up in your body and should always be proportional to your body size. Remember, you always want to draw the viewer’s look to your eye.

• A stylish hat can instantly add a perceived 4 or 5 inches of height to you.

• Alternatively, you can wear a tie, I would stay clear of bowties because they don’t have that vertical line but a horizontal line. Most ties are too long and too wide for shorter guys so if you tie a regular tie knot, they will just be way too long and accentuate your crotch and make your torso look longer which is disadvantageous. The only way to make long ties work is to tie a bigger tie knot but that makes your head look smaller and you end up looking like a cartoon figure that can’t be taken seriously, therefore, it’s essential that you get shorter ties that are made just for you that are also slimmer and more proportional. That way, you can tie the most ideal tie knots for you which are small ones such as the four in hand or the Oriental.

• If you wear a jacket, definitely opt for a pocket square. It’s an easy way to round out that look and it makes you stand out from the crowd.

• You can also go with let’s say a lapel pin or maybe a boutonniere, just make sure it’s all harmonious and not over-the-top.

• When it comes to wristwatches, the common trend right now is to have really big ones, however, you, as a shorter guy should always opt for smaller watches because you likely have a smaller wrist and having that huge watch will make you look smaller which is not what you want to be.

Brands That Cater To Shorter Men

In the US, there are very few brands who specialize in smaller and shorter men. On the flip side, if you buy from a brand from Japan, Italy, or France, men in general, are shorter there. Therefore, their lines are designed to fit you much better. If you’re shopping online, try to go with stores that actually provide you with measurements and measure things that you have at home that already fit you or try to find someone with a very lenient return policy. Of course, traveling to Japan yourself is the ideal solution but that takes quite a bit of money and time but it’s likely well worth it.

Of course, the ultimate solution to looking your tallest is to go with a bespoke garment, however, for most men, that is out of reach. Fortunately, there are companies now that focus on made-to-measure, especially online made to measure garments, they can be a good option for you especially if they understand how to tweak patterns so they work best for shorter guys. That being said, not all tailors are created equal and just because someone tells you this is a custom suit might not be the same thing as a custom suit from another tailor, so do your homework, double-check everything, and you’ll find all the knowledge on our website to find a good tailor that will make you look your tallest.

On a final note, as with everything in life, adding confidence to the way you wear things and the way you present yourself just makes you automatically walk taller and therefore, giving you the extra height that you otherwise would not have.

Which tips we laid out today were you most surprised by? Please share in the comments below!