Dressing Short Body Type [0:00:00]
All right, gentlemen.
Today’s video is about dressing sharp for the short men.
If you’re 5’9” or shorter, this video is for you.
And if you’re taller, well, you’re still going to find some awesome tips in today’s
video.
[Music] Let’s start this video off by talking about
proportions.
If you’ve ever studied art you know that proportions are very important when it comes
to art, it comes to designs, it comes to things looking great.
So, let’s talk about the idealistic body shape.
The body shape celebrated throughout time and history through sculptures through art.
What we see and using the head as the measurement is that he is eight heads high and he is two-and-a-third
heads wide.
The reality is the average human being is only seven-and-a-half heads in height.
And the reality is that shorter men, he’s more like six-and-a-half heads in height.
The issue here for the short men is that as his proportions skew away from the ideal,
all of a sudden it can make him look childlike.
Okay.
So, we got the basic lesson on proportions out of the way, let’s talk about the goal
of today’s video.
For you to understand fit as a shorter individual, so that you can wear clothing that makes you
look great, not clothing that makes you look shorter than what you actually are.
Now, gentlemen, you may be wondering, Antonio, where did you get that great looking polo?
What about all those other ones right there on the rack?
Guys, over at Otero Menswear, the paid sponsor of today’s video.
And, what I love about this company, they focus in on the men between 5’4” and 5’9”
with their three dimensional proportional sizing system.
What this means basically is if you’re between those sizes, usually you have two options
– small and medium.
Over in Otero you’ve got almost twenty different sizes.
They do this because they first focus in on your height.
Then, they go in and they focus in on your body type, then they add a third dimension
to the sizing by going in are you a small, medium, large, or extra large within those
dimensions.
I can tell you guys, this is going to be one of the most accurate fitting that you will
find out there.
Now, another thing I want to talk about is the fabrics.
You guys know I owned a clothier, I geek out on quality fabrics that actually retain their
shape when you wash them again and again.
That’s what they said.
I talked to Stephen, the founder.
We went back and forth, I’m like, okay, send me this clothing, I’m going to wash
it a whole bunch of times and it did exactly what he said it would do.
It retained it shape.
It actually fit a lot better and it felt better actually having go – gone through the wash.
So, little things like this just I love it when a company pays attention to the small
details.
And, speaking of small details, they actually went through and they added they made sure
the proportions are all correct.
Right here, the pocket size details, having different fabrics, the stitching and the quality
of the buttons right here on the sleeve, the small detail like this.
And not a polo guy?
Don’t worry.
They’ve got great looking t-shirt as well.
Gentlemen, I’m linking Otero Menswear down in the description of this video with the
discount code.
The best you’re going to find.
Guys, use it or lose it.
Awesome company that focuses on the fit for the guy under 5’9”.
Highly recommended.
Check them out.
I’m linking to them down in the description.
So, first up let’s talk about shirt fit.
Well, what we’re initially looking at is going to be the overall length of the shirt.
You don’t want the shirt to extend past your hipbones.
Yes, you can actually get that adjusted, but I would say find a brand find a particular
style that works for your body type versus having to spend that extra money on the tailor
tax.
Next, you want to go out and look at the shoulder points.
If the shoulder points go way beyond your shoulders, then don’t buy the shirt.
You want to make sure it fits you here.
This is key if you are a bigger guy you’re a muscular guy, but you want a slimmer fit.
So, look for something that has a particular type of V cut basically accommodates your
drop.
Your drop is the difference between your chest measurement and your stomach or your waist
measurement.
So, depending on your drop, you’re looking for a t-shirt that actually fits that style.
Now, let’s say you have almost no drop, you’ve got about a 42-inch midsection and
you’ve got about a 42-inch chest.
In that case, you’re going to look for a style of t-shirt that is more of a rectangle
and there are some that just drape straight down.
Other ones, again, they’re going to have more of an athletic cut and so they’re going
to come in more in the stomach area.
Now, let’s talk about shirt sleeves.
So, instead of looking at the top of the shirt sleeves, look at the bottom of the shirt sleeve
and in general you want something that’s going to be a bit shorter.
I know you may be worried, oh, I’m going to look really thin.
Well, guess what?
You can’t hide it anyway and it’s better to look thin than to have stubby short arms
because that’s a longer sleeve does for a shorter individual.
So, go for a little bit short of a sleeve, it’s usually going to look better on a short
individual.
Now, let’s talk about dress shirts and button-downs.
Very similar to the t-shirt, we want to make sure it fits perfectly in the shoulder point.
If you’re buying it off the rack and it doesn’t fit you in the shoulder point, then
don’t even buy it.
Now, when it comes to the chest when it comes to the rest of the stomach and the torso area,
this can be brought in.
For me, with a closer fit with my size and my proportions, I like to have about two to
an inch-and-a-half of extra material in and around the chest and the stomach area.
Some of you guys may prefer to have a little bit more have a little bit less, but once
you get below an inch, it’s a very form fit and doesn’t give you too much.
You got to have room to breathe there.
[0:04:59] Now, let’s talk about the sleeve length.
So, this is off the rack where I see most the mistakes made is that they do not get
the sleeves adjusted.
And, if you’re thinner, you can also get the sleeves slimmed up as well.
That’s going to look a lot better.
Now, with the length of the shirt, because dress shirts are meant to be tucked in, this
is something that if it’s a little bit longer, let’s say you want to wear a shirt untucked
that’s going to be a casual button-down.
Then, in that case, you may want to get it tailored at the bottom to be shorter, so that
when you wear it, again, you’re only having it about – go about three inches past the
waistline.
Now, the fit of polo is very similar to t-shirts, but, again, you want to make sure that the
length is right.
Now, another thing to pay attention to that kind of goes beyond fit is the proportion.
So, you want to make sure that the collar, look at it in proportion to your face or actually
go get a size that’s about four sizes larger.
And if the collar size is the same on the medium or the small as it is on the extra,
extra large, you know that this brand is just reusing collars.
Do not buy from them.
You want to find something that is proportionally made for your built.
All right, gentlemen.
Now, let’s talk about the perfect fit for the short man when it comes to jeans, shorts,
chinos, khakis.
Any type of trousers, guys, it all starts in the crotch area.
And what I’m talking about is your rise.
So, the rise is actually if you want to take a tape measure, you would start right up here
at the top here, go all the way down up and around behind in the buttocks area.
Measure that right there and you are looking for a shorter rise.
Why is this beneficial?
Because it’s going to make your legs look longer.
Wearing jeans that actually have a very nice rise they fit you well in the crotch area,
it’s just going to make your legs look longer, it’s going to make you look better.
And that’s what you’re shooting for.
Now, on the exact opposite are going to be khakis that have a very low rise.
And khakis are some of the biggest offenders here.
And what this does is it basically it cuts your leg line, it makes your legs look shorter
than what they already are and it is something you want to avoid.
Also, avoid this in shorts.
When it comes to shorts, you want to make sure not only do you got that really good
rise fit, but you want to also make sure right here on the hips that they hug you that they
fit you close.
But, when it comes down to tropical weight trousers, again, make sure they’ve got really
nice slim fit right here in on the hip area because it’s going to be that whole crotch
area that we want to get an excellent fit.
Next up, let’s talk about trousers taper.
And this is basically going to be the leg line and how closely it follows your actual
legs.
Now, notice right here I’ve got these chinos right here with these jeans.
I don’t know if you can see this, but the chinos are just slightly wider than the jeans
and that’s a good sign because when you’re looking for a pair of chinos or for a pair
of khakis whatever you’re going to wear, you want it to be a slimmer cut if you can.
But, what you don’t want to wear is if you have a thin or you got just a regular body
built and you’re wearing something that really makes your legs look wider.
Now, let’s talk about hemming your trousers.
And what we’re doing here is we’re going to shorten the overall length of the trousers
and by shortening them half an inch, this can make a big difference.
Now, I can’t talk about hemming without talking about trouser break.
In general, I think short men are best served by no break or a quarter break.
No break is basically with the trouser hang and they hang straight.
I think this looks best on most men.
If you want to go for a little bit of a break, well, maybe you’re 5’6” you’re 5’7”
you’re 5’9”, okay, you can make it work.
But, if you’re 5’2”, go for no break and go ahead and show off those shoes.
Next up, let’s talk about shorts.
And I want to give shorts special attention because shorts if worn incorrectly can really
mess up your look.
They can make you look shorter they make your legs look stubby.
Now, you don’t want to exaggerate this, you don’t want to make your legs look shorter
than what they are.
So, you want to make sure to wear a pair of shorts which is going to do its best to accentuate
the length of your legs.
Avoid baggy shorts.
Avoid shorts that have a very low rise.
Those are going to do you no favors and, worse than pants, they’re going to – they just
really can mess up the whole silhouette and the look of the outfit.
Now, let’s talk about what to look for when it particularly comes to the length of the
shorts.
So, if you are 5’7” you’re 5’8”, nine inches perfectly fine.
If you’re 5’5” you’re 5’4”, look more for seven inches.
If you’re 5’4”, 5’3”, 5’2’, five inches on the inseam of your shorts is
perfectly fine.
Now, let’s talk jacket fit.
We’re talking sports jackets, suit jackets, blazer jackets.
First up, start with the shoulders, like anyone else, if it doesn’t fit you in the shoulders
do not buy the jacket, put it back find something first that fits you in the shoulders.
Then, look in the torso area.
Basically, first the chest, then the stomach.
But here is where as a shorter man you’ve got to be careful and that’s the length
of the jacket.
And that’s why you want to make sure, you know, does that jacket just barely cover the
back curvature of your buttocks.
That’s a good sign, that’s exactly the length it should be.
So when you put your arms down, where does the jacket end?
Does it end at about your wrist bone or does it go a little bit longer?
If it goes about an inch beyond your wrist bone, you may want to be careful.
Again, you’re looking for a little bit shorter of a length than average because that proportionally
is going to look best on your body.
[0:10:03] Sports jacket is not your thing?
Maybe you like leather jackets, maybe jean jackets.
In any case, a jacket is going to be build up the shoulders, it’s going to make you
look taller, but make sure you choose the right style for your body type.
The trucker jacket, another one that the overall length is going to be shorter, this is the
right style for you.
All right, gentlemen, now it’s your turn.
I want to hear from you down in the comments.
What are your tips and tricks for dressing sharp for improving the fit of your clothing?
I want to hear your tips down in the comments.
And, guys, if you like this video, if you think it was useful, please share it, give
it a thumbs-up, pass it around.
And, guys, go check out Otero Menswear.
I’m going to link to them down in the description, an awesome company.
Go check them out.
I’ve got a discount code down there.
It’s the best you’re going to find and they’re a new up-and-coming company.
That’s it, guys.
Take care.
I will see you in the next video.
So, could you guys tell?
It is hotter than heck here in my office.
My A/C apparently just went out and, yeah, I’m sweating here trying to film this video.
I delete every few minutes, go wipe sweat off of my face.
So, hopefully in the video, I’m not too shiny, but I have a feeling I’m going to
be.
But, hey, what can I do, right?
See you guys on next video.
Take care.
[0:11:09] End of Audio