Style Guide for the Big & Tall Man – Outfit Advice for Muscular or Portly Men

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Many big and tall men can often find shopping an event to avoid. It’s pretty difficult, sometimes, to find a really good assortment of things in your size if you are in the big and tall category, and it’s our hope to help alleviate some of this frustration by giving you some great ways to help navigate your style.

For many years now, we’ve seen repeatedly how designers often miss the mark, failing to recognize that all people are not made in the exact same shape. Because of this lack of awareness of what their customer base actually looks like, their sales can actually suffer. These companies often have many men who would enjoy shopping from them, but are left with very few options. Thankfully, there are still a small handful of retailers who cater to big and tall men. Beyond stores themselves, there are also some great online destinations, including Kingsize.com, Destination XL, Brooks Brothers, Men’s Wearhouse and the Nordstrom big and tall section.

Finding The Right Fit for Big & Tall Men: Shirts

First of all, let’s look into shirts, which at first glance may seem like a simple task. However, there are a few key areas to make mention of when you’re trying to make sure your shirt fits appropriately.

Shoulders

One main area you’re going to want to focus on with your shirt is the shoulders. You want the shoulder seams to fall naturally, just off of the edge of your own shoulders. If the shoulder seams are falling too wide and sitting too long off of your shoulders, the entire shirt starts to look a little bit blousey.

The shoulder seam of this shirt falls just at the edge of the natural shoulder
The shoulder seam of this shirt falls just at the edge of the natural shoulder

If the shoulder seams are too short, it will affect the overall width of the shirt (and will look too small on you). If you happen to be someone with a larger back, or happen to be a little bit more muscular, this will feel quite uncomfortable. You might feel that there’s too much tension or pressure across the chest or in the armpit area.

Sleeves (and Their Length)

The next big area we’re going to pay attention to is sleeve length. Whether you’re shopping for a casual shirt or even a dress shirt, the same rule applies. It’s best to have your sleeve length fall about a half inch below the break in the wrist. Now, by doing this, this ensures that when wearing a blazer or even a sweater, you’re going to have about a quarter of an inch to maybe even ¾ of an inch of your shirt cuff exposed. By keeping this sleeve length, you will also ensure that the sleeve does not feel too taut.

incorrect sleeve length
incorrect sleeve length – the shirt sleeves are long and the jacket’s are short, with the end result of too much exposed cuff

Many times in my retail experience, I’ve seen high-quality garments being returned by customers who are frustrated by the fact that their shirts were ripping in the exact same spot; their problem was that they were buying their shirts with a too-short sleeve length. If a sleeve is too short, it causes excessive tension around the elbow area. If you’re someone who works at a desk, you might notice feeling this tension around the elbow as you’re working on your computer or writing at your desk. 

Sleeve Length Guide for Suits, Jackets, and Shirts

Chest

If you happen to be someone who is a more flat- or narrow-chested individual, you might find it a little bit easier to shop for different shirt options than a more muscular individual. However, there are times where it might be equally as frustrating for someone who is of a narrow chest to find an appropriately fitting shirt, as well. If you’re still not satisfied, consider speaking with the tailor about making minor adjustments to the garment to make it fit better for your frame.

Obviously, a shirt that is too tight is a faux pas
Obviously, a shirt that is too tight is a faux pas

Now, if you have a wide and more muscular chest, you will probably find that your issues stem from too little room in the overall chest circumference of the shirt. When this happens, this usually causes a lot of gapping between the buttons on the front of the shirt, and a lot of pull lines all over the shirt, as well. One way to resolve this is by selecting a larger neck size; this allows for broader shoulders and also more room in your chest. 

Shirt Dimensions

The next area we’re going to talk about is the shirt length. The average shirt length of your dress shirt is going to fall just at the base of your backside. This is because the designer will usually account for the fact that you’re probably going to be tucking your shirt in and to prevent it from being untucked to give a little extra length.

Striped shirt with wrinkly sleeve because they were not rotated - collar tips do not touch the body of the shirt
Sven Raphael Schneider in a dress shrit with a “traditional” fit (note the sleeves)

The next area we’re going to talk about is the shirt width. Now, this is something that you usually won’t be able to fine-tune too much off the rack, outside of the usual classic, slim, or athletic shirt width options. If you’re a gentleman whose waistline extends significantly beyond your shoulder width, custom or made-to-measure shirts might be an option you would like to consider. 

Jackets

It’s important to know your best jacket size and the exact fit you should be in. As with shirts, one area we want to pay attention to with a jacket is the shoulders. You’ll want to make sure that the shoulders are actually falling gracefully off of your own natural shoulders. We want to avoid extremely tight jackets (which create a lot of odd tension around the shoulder area). You’ll notice this is happening if you see your shoulder almost fully protruding out of the shoulder seam itself.

poor fitting shoulder
A poorly fitting jacket shoulder

We also want to make sure that we’re avoiding overly wide shoulders in the jacket. You’ll notice this is happening if the jacket seems to droop off of your natural shoulder, almost as if you are the coat hanger. This is also going to provide too much extra room in the chest, to the point where you’ll be able grab the fabric and ball it up–you don’t need all that excess material! Over the rest of the torso, you’ll want to avoid jackets that are too tight (causing a lot of horizontal pull lines across the front and back of the jacket), or too loose (looking like a tent).

Trousers

We want to make sure that you’re in the correct size of trousers. If you don’t know your size and you don’t want to figure it out yourself, you can always visit your local menswear store or local tailor and ask them to give you a simple measurement. The ideally fitting waist of a trouser will allow you to be able to stick about two fingers into your waistband comfortably.

If two fingers (and no more) can be comfortably inserted into the trouser waistband, the fit is correct
If two fingers (and no more) can be comfortably inserted into the trouser waistband, the fit is correct

This will ensure that when you put your belt on, there’s not so much fabric that it starts to resemble a trash bag–but at the same time, it’s not so tight that you feel uncomfortable sitting down or having your lunch. You also want to make sure that you’re in the correct length (inseam) of trousers; make sure that your trouser leg is falling just over the top of the shoe. Any shorter and it starts to look like a bit of a high-water trouser and any longer, it looks a little bit sloppy.

Where Should You Buy Classic Garments?

As mentioned earlier, there are great options for buying classic garments for your unique size and shape. Deciding whether or not you’re going to go completely off-the-rack for your wardrobe or include a few custom pieces will come down to a few factors: budget, time, and your overall build.

Off-The-Rack

Your first shopping option is the one that most men familiar with, off-the-rack. It’s a very easy way to shop; we can go into a store or go online and get our purchase fairly quickly, put it on, and go about our day. Off-the-rack is a very popular option, and it’s seen as quick and efficient.

Bespoke Tailoring

Custom or bespoke pieces are seen as something much more unique. They often involve more time and money but the quality of the end result can’t be beat. Although custom garments are usually much more expensive than off-the-rack items, I do recommend (if you have the disposable income) to try it out. Some men might find that having custom garments tailored is almost a necessity for their wardrobe because of their frame.

Tailoring a jacket
Tailoring a jacket

Made-To-Measure

If you’re finding that going custom is a little bit too expensive, there is one area between off-the-rack and custom that you can utilize: it’s called made-to-measure. This method is template-based (with the customer providing a few basic measrements on a standard form), and a bit more cost-effective than going full custom. You can choose different options to personalize the garment for yourself.

Styling Tips for The Big & Tall Man

Once you’ve got a great-fitting outfit put together, whether you bought it in-store or had it made for you, we’ve got to add some great details to make it stand out.

Ties

If you’re a man who already wears a tie, I’m sure you already know the importance of finding the correct length. Big and tall men, in particular, usually have a much more difficult time doing so, however. This difficulty can sometimes stem from having a large neck circumference and/or a very long torso. Some brands, like Fort Belvedere, carry ties in several lengths, to ensure that any man can find his proper fit.

Patterns

As a big and tall gentleman, you might be looking for some ways to appear leaner. One way to do this is by paying attention to the scale of the pattern in which you’re dressing yourself. The pattern you’re choosing to wear can make you look larger or smaller. Wide-scale patterns like a buffalo check tend to make the wearer look much broader.

Shepherd's check pattern
Shepherd’s check pattern – perhaps a bit small for a larger man

If this is not your goal, try wearing small- to medium-sized check patterns, for example, and avoid horizontal stripes. Having narrow pinstripes on a shirt or pants, or a chalk stripe on a jacket of a suit, are also great ways to make the wearer appear a little bit leaner. Our research has shown that exceptionally small patterns can also make a big and tall gentleman look bigger, because they accentuate how much “real estate” they’re actually covering, so medium-sized patterns are usually the best way to go.

Colors

Hand-in-hand with utilizing patterns is doing the same for color. A light and bright color like a white or pastel blue is more eye-catching and can add volume to the wearer. To avoid appearing larger than you are, try wearing darker colors over a light color. Colors like black and navy, for example, have the tendency to make things look a little bit smaller.

Spezzato Suit Jacket and Matching Vest with Contrasting Yellow Pants and Brown Oxfords
Raphael Employing Colorful Spezzato with a Suit Jacket and Matching Vest with Contrasting Yellow Pants and Brown Oxfords

Eyewear

Here, it’s important to understand what your face shape is. Many people who have an oval-shaped face find that they have a wider variety of options when shopping for eyewear. Meanwhile, those with diamond, heart, or square-shaped faces will need to find other choices that will help balance out their face shape. Take note, though, that not everyone will easily fall into one of these different face-shape categories.

Some people might have attributes of a multitude of different face shapes. Once you have found the correct face shape, it’s important to also find the correct width. For men with widers heads, it’s important to find eyewear that lands squarely over the ear as opposed to something that is too narrow. It’s also possible to find eyewear that looks too wide, so make sure the width of the glasses falls naturally just off the width of your temples.

The Eyeglasses Guide, Part II: The Right Pair for Your Face & How to Buy

CONCLUSION

Remember: fortunately, there are a number of places to shop for the big and tall gentleman. When it comes to shirts, make sure you’re in the right fit, you know your neck size, and you’re getting enough length in that sleeve. With pants, we want to be in the correct fit and have the right waist size and inseam. Also, don’t try to follow fads or different design trends that might not complement your physique. Instead, choose small- to medium-sized patterns and a color combination you enjoy. If you have the disposable income, you could always get one or two pieces from a custom clothier, as well.

Kyle in an outfit that flatters his body type
Kyle in an outfit that flatters his body type
A photo of a Pocket Square with Monogram Initial Classic White Irish Linen

Fort Belvedere

White Initial Pocket Square – Hand-Embroidered in Italy

Here, I’m wearing a wool-based made-to-measure jacket navy plaid with some really cool silver gray button hole detailing. I’ve got a light-gray made-to-measure trouser on and I have
black dress boots from Cole Haan.

If you’re a big and tall gentleman, how do you stay on top of your style game? Share with us in the comments below!

Reader Comments

  1. For big men, off the rack or even made to measure are exercises in futility. Finding a good tailor makes all of the difference. The really key point, in my opinion, is wearing braces instead of belts. Belts never work for heavy men.

  2. The tips are all well and good, except that if you have a muscular build, a garment will fit across the shoulders but will be loose around the remainder of the body. Jackets/Polo shirts are a similar problem as well as a ridge that appears across the top of the garment over the shoulder area. M2M or bespoke I’m afraid…….

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