Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette!
Today, we discuss brands that are made specifically for men 5'8" and under, what to look for when
you buy classic clothing, as well as do's and don'ts for shorter men.
So why does this matter?
Basically, 1/3 of the male population is 5'8" or under but the clothing available on the
market is usually tailored for men that are taller and so the proportions are off and
it's not flattering to the silhouette of a shorter man.
if you buy something off the rack, you will always have to tailor it; that's true for
short men, regular men, and tall men.
However, if you are taller or regular, sometimes all you need is to have a dart opened and
something tightened whereas if you are shorter and the jacket is too long, you can't just
cut it off at the bottom because otherwise, the positioning of the pockets are off and
it just looks weird.
So how do we define a shorter men?
Basically, it's about 5'8" to 5'1", or 5', or a 173 cm to 153.
Sometimes people suggest to start with a kids clothing department of brands like Brooks
Brothers because they have an extensive one and they're very classic.
The problem is, it's designed for kids and not for men and so the size is very different
and it's usually off and it's either too big, or too short, or something is off, so it's
not recommended to do that.
Also you have to consider that kids usually grow very quickly and they grow out of things
so you won't find the best materials in that range.
Since you are a grown man, you also don't want to look like a teenage boy anyways.
Therefore, we suggest to go with clothes that were specifically designed for shorter men
because they take into consideration the proper proportions, the right length, and anything
else that you need to look dapper.
A relatively new brand that't affordable and specifically tailored to men 5'8" or under
is Silas Jackson.
They have shirts starting at $30 and while the quality is not the highest, the fit will
be much better than other off the rack brands because they're designed with you in mind.
A contender that has been around for a little longer which is also more expensive is Peter
Manning.
They were one of the first companies that specifically focused on men 5'8" or under
and their jackets are specifically tailored for you.
That means, off the rack, the jacket has shorter sleeves, the collar is altered, the sleeves
are slimmer, and everything is made so it fits you well.
Their pants also have a lower rise so it's more proportional for your body and the inseams
are between 26 and 30 inches which you can see, is specifically made for shorter men.
On top of that, they also taper the leg, so it's slimmer and more flattering for shorter
gentlemen.
Another brand to look into is Jimmy Au's from Beverly Hills.
It originally started as a custom tailor and evolved into something that's specifically
focused on shorter men.
If you are specifically interested in shirts, check out Ash and Anvil which offer a good
selection for shorter men in a moderate price range.
One thing that we noticed at Fort Belvedere is that ties are usually made for guys of
regular height, or big and tall guys.Well, if you get a tie in a regular length and you
tie it with a small four in hand knot, the tie will always be too long, extend beyond
your waistband that makes you look like Donald Trump.
The only option to make the tie shorter is to use a bigger tie knot, that means you have
to go with a half Windsor or a full Windsor and automatically, your knot gets much bigger.
Generally, shorter men have also a smaller head so all of a sudden, the tie knot is not
proportional anymore and way too big for your head therefore, we decided to design ties
specifically for men that are 5'8" or under that are slimmer in the body, that are shorter,
so you can tie a tie knot that pleases your face and you don't have something that extends
way beyond your waistband.
Most stores out there have a very limited selection of short ties, if they offer them
at all.
We decided to offer all of our ties in the short length so you can really choose and
get something that flatters you and something that you like.
Please take a look here for our short ties selection.
But that's not all, Fort Belvedere also offers gloves for men with small hands.
They are made of quality leathers such as peccary, lamb nappa, and lamb suede, and you
can see the selection, number of colors that are versatile, here.
If you are sick and tired of socks that are too big and slide down, take a look at this
selection here which is available in small, made for men with small feet, nevertheless
they stay up and don't bunch up in your shoes.
Whenever you buy something, it is really crucial that you look at the length.
If something is too long and it will rarely be ever too short, but if it's too long, stay
clear of it because you cannot really alter it so it flatters you.
The only exception is that you can hem pants but if you hem it too much, the rise may be
too much and maybe cut too wide.
Ideally, you want to find something that's as close to your body measurements as possible.
One of the trickiest parts to alter is the shoulder.
If the shoulders extend past your natural shoulder by more than a quarter inch, I'd
stay clear of them because alterations cost would be really high and usually the garment
does not look very neat afterwards.
In terms of sleeves, you want to make sure that you have a high armhole so you have a
great range of movement.
You want to have trimmed sleeves but not too slim because otherwise, your range of movement
is limited.
You also want to make sure that your sleeves aren't too wide.
To learn more about the topic, please check out our sleeve length guide video here.
In terms of colors, there's basically no limit.
If you are in a business environment, it's best to go with dark colors, and also evolve
into browns and greens but when it comes to patterns, you want to stay clear of huge patterns
because they make you look small and short and you want to avoid that.
So rather than a bold stripe that is spaced with 2 inches, go for something that's spaced
at half an inch.
If you want to go with a check such as a Prince of Wales check, or another check, make sure
to get it small because it will make you look taller than you are.
Overall, small patterns are your friend because they emphasize your height.
When it comes to accessories, it's probably best to keep it simple and clean because as
a short man, you always want to stand out by looking dapper.
If you have a bold tie in pink and green, it just can look garish and it's not very
sophisticated anymore.
So I suggest to start out go with ties that are easy to combine and versatile and classic.
To learn more, please check out our 12 essential ties every man should have.
in terms of alterations, always be prepared to pay for them and make sure to have enough
money left over so you can afford proper alterations.
Alternatively, you can go with made to measure clothing because then, it's designed for you
from the get go however, there may be limitations because made to measure patterns are stock
patterns that are modified and scaled altogether.
To learn more about that, please check out our video, the difference between ready to
wear, bespoke, and made to measure.
Sometimes you may have the option to get a separate jacket size and a separate pant size,
that may really help if your body is not proportional.
Of course, holy grail is bespoke but it's quite expensive though if you can afford it
and you're a shorter man, it's definitely the way to go.
Sometimes, made to measure can be less expensive than off the rack plus alterations so consider
that an option.
If it's particularly important to you, I suggest you know your own measurements, you know whether
one shoulder is more sloped than the other, and the everything that can help you to achieve
the perfect fit.
Most people never do that but it's very important that you measure both of your arms and both
of your legs because most people just have a slightly different length and it's slightly
off and if you get the same measurement for either sleeve or pant leg, the fit will be
off.
My right arm is definitely a little shorter than my left one.
If you go with a made to measure outfit, especially online made to measure, make sure to send
them pictures of your posture, from all angles, front, back, side, half side, half back, that
way, they can get a much better idea of what you look like and how they have to compensate
for it when they make your garment.
Last but not the least, let's talk about short men's classic clothing do's and don'ts.
Don't see being short as a disadvantage in life, many great and famous men were short.
Winston Churchill, Pablo Picasso, Humphrey Bogart, Martin Luther King Jr., they were
all confident, they were all well dressed and they made an impact in life.
For modern day men, look at Aaron Marino from AlphaM, or Brock McGoff from the Modest Man,
they've had a huge impact on men around the world with their confidence and with their
style, and they keep helping them and their height does not matter at all.
Rule number 1: Do focus on fit.It's the most important element and even if you're shorter
and you're well dressed, you'll always stand out more than a tall guy or a regular guy
who's a slob.
Don't wear bold patterns because they make you look smaller and they're not flattering.
Instead, do wear streamlined outfits that elongate their height.
That also means that you want a proportional length of your jacket so the back of your
collar to the end of your jacket should be the same distance as the bottom of your jacket
to the hem of your trousers.
Don't wear horizontal stripes because they make you look wider than you are and when
you are a shorter guy, you don't want to look short and fat.
Instead, do wear slim vertical stripes with the spacing of up to a quarter inch, maybe
half an inch at the most but it will help you to look tall from the vertical lines and
also because of the spacing because it's closer together.
Don't wear large accessories such as super wide ties, big tie knots, huge watches, or
necklaces, and earrings that are just too big and bold because otherwise, they make
you look smaller and it's just an unfavorable look.
Instead, wear watches that are slimmed down, don't extend past your wrist, and for a good
selection, please check out this guide here.
Don't wear really bold shoes or elevator shoes because generally, they're not very versatile
especially with elevator shoes, the quality is usually not on par with other quality men's
shoes.
To learn more about shoes, please check out our shoe videos here.
if you want the little extra height, do wear classic regular shoes and add a little heel
lift that gives you some extra height.
last but not the least, when you wear something, do wear it with confidence.
It's very important, it doesn't impact on how you are perceived and if you wear a well
fitting suit, you'll always look much better.
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