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Welcome back to the Gentleman’s Gazette!
Today we discuss style tips for tall men because if you're tall you face some very unique style
challenges.
As you know off the rack clothing is usually designed for men six-foot and under which
is about 185 centimeters and under.
Yes, there are long sizes but oftentimes they're not quite proportional so it's not uncommon
for a tall men to have really long wrists that show out in a jacket that's just too
short.
You probably know it, a dress shirt off the rack probably easily comes untucked simply
because it's too short.
Shoes can be a big problem especially if your size 15 or up.
It's very hard to find shoes in general let alone quality shoes unless you go custom which
is very expensive.
Ultimately just like in architecture the goal for tall men is to look proportional because
that doesn't accentuate their height but it just makes them look normal or more like an
average man which neither emphasizes your height nor doesn't make them look short.
What I mean by that is everything has to be blown up.
Your ties have to be longer, your lapels have to be wider so stay away from skinny lapels,
go for something that's a little wider.
Patterns have to be oversized such as not a regular stripe but a much bigger wider stripe.
The cuffs or turn up on your pants have to be bigger.
Stay away from slim cuffs.
And rather than going with super skinny pants give a little extra room because it will just
look more proportional overall.
Apart from that what are the tall men style do’s?
One, add layers because it adds dimensions and depth to your outfit.
If you wear a combination or a suit, try to to wear a vest because it hides more of your
body and it shows less of the deep V that you can see on the shirt.
Alternatively you can wear double-breasted jackets that have a higher buttoning point
that way you also don't expose too much of the V which makes you look more like a person of
average height.
Don't get me wrong you will still look tall, you just won't stand
out too much.
On top of that do wear varying textures of the materials because they break things down
and it makes you look more harmonious.
Second, do embrace the odd combination.
What I mean about that?
A sport coat and a pair of pants that are non matching.
The suit on other hand matches and if you want to learn how a suit should fit definitely
check out our video series here.
Now you can buy a navy suit let's say a gray suit and combine each piece with each other
but bear in mind that you always want wear the combination so keep that in mind when
you buy a suit because a chalk stripe suit is harder to combine that let's say a solid
brown, blue or grey suit.
Visually, wearing a different color on your upper body and your lower body will break
it in half.
It will make you look proportional at the same time it will not emphasize your height
but just make you look more like an average stylish man.
Three, do choose belts over braces.
For the same reason as you should wear a combination a belt helps you to visually create a border
between your bottom half and your upper half.
While suspenders work well for bigger men because they hold your pants exactly in the
right position all day long, belts have a visual advantage.
At the same time if your braces or suspenders are very visible they have these vertical
lines and it just accentuates your height versus the horizontal line of the belt makes
you look a little shorter than you actually are.
Do embrace interesting shoes.
What do I mean by that?
When you have a combination go for a contrasting shoe.
Nothing that blends right in your pants.
And if you want to understand how to combine shoes with socks and pants I urge you to check
out this guide here.
Stay with classic models in shades of brown maybe if you want to add a spectator you can
do that but try to keep the colors very close to each other.
Otherwise it is too outlandish and it's too strong of a statement which in combination
with your outfit will just be over the top.
Five, do get everything you buy altered.
I mean seek out an alterations tailor and really have every single thing changed because
a regular off-the-rack jacket will never fit you.
When you buy a suit make sure there is enough fabric left and oftentimes on a cheaper garment
they really save on that so there's really no room to make anything bigger but you rely
on that.
So buy a quality made suit.
Make sure you have at least two and a half centimeters or an inch ideally more because
the more fabric you have the more play and room you have to get a fit and the look that
is proportional and right for you.
Six, do invest in made to measure or custom garments.
I know it sounds pricey but luckily these days you don't only have that pricey bespoke
option but you also have lots of made-to-measure options as well as online made-to-measure
which gets you a decent quality product starting at a few hundred dollars.
Not only can you choose the fabric in your style but if you get the measurements right
and they understand how they have to adapt a pattern for taller men you end up with a
product that you don't have to alter and it will fit you much better than anything off
the rack after an alterations tailor.
Seven, do invest in long or extra long ties.
Most men these days buy ties in just one simple length but because you're tall your upper
body is long and therefore you need to have a longer tie that covers your entire upper
torso so the tip should end right at the waistband of your pants especially if you wear a lower
rise pants you need an extra long tie.
Most companies only offer a few long ties however at Fort Belvedere we have every one
of our three fold ties in a long length that works much better for your body height so
please check out the selection here.
Do wear oversized patterns because you're taller and maybe also bigger you want a taller
pattern so your overall appearance is proportional.
If you go with a very small pattern houndstooth for example it accentuates your height.
On the other hand if you go with a larger houndstooth you look proportional and it makes
you look smaller and more average which is what you're going for.
For example the tie I'm wearing here right now is a very bold stripe and that's exactly
what you want because a very thin stripe would just accentuate your height and that's not
what you're going for.
Nine, do buy over the calf socks.
You never want to appear as if the skin peeks out underneath your pants because that would
mean your pants are too short and you're too tall.
So make sure never to expose any skin and the best way to ensure that is to get over
the calf socks in the size you need.
For a good selection please check out our shop here.
So what are the style don'ts?
You should definitely avoid wearing vertical stripes that includes suits or shirts.
Similarly because they accentuate your height and make you look even taller than you are.
Two, don’t wear single breasted three button jackets instead opt for two buttons because
they will make you less tall.
If you go with a double-breasted jacket make sure that the button configuration isn't too
slim but has enough width because otherwise it will just make you look even taller.
As I mentioned before, it's always a good idea to add a waistcoat either matching for
the suit or maybe an odd vest.
To learn more about odd vests and how you can combine them please check out our vest
guide here.
Three, don't wear short-sleeved shirts and shorts at the same time because you as a tall
man will expose more skin and will make you even look thinner and taller than you actually
are.
When you go with shorter sleeves make sure the sleeve comes down further on your arm
because that way less of your skin is exposed and you look again more proportional.
The same is true for shorts, avoid very short shorts and always go with a longer inseam.
Four, don't wear low-rise pants.
Over the past couple of decades the rise of the pants has become lower and lower.
Back in the day the rise used to be more on the natural waist or around the buttoning
point of your jacket and for you as a tall man it really helps to do that when you wear
a jacket because the jacket will cover it up and you will never see any shirt underneath
your buttoning point because if you're tall, that would make you look even taller.
Five, don't wear too many solids because they will allow to look at your height and focus
on that instead go with textured patterns.
There doesn't have to be a lot of a contrast but you can opt for a herringbone or a pinpoint
for example and then some other subtle textures of a larger scale.
From afar they may look more like a solid but they have a very nice color depth and
when people come closer they won't just think you're tall but they will look more at what
you're wearing and it looks like an elegant, harmonious outfit.
Six, don't wear anything that is too short because of that I suggest to either buy very
long pants with an inseam and then have it shortened to fit you or buy unhemmed ones
in the first place because they always come with more enough length so you'll always be
fine.
When you start out get a real cuff that means it's not cut but it's just folded up and then
fold down that will always give you extra fabric and if eventually you figure out that
you don't like the cuff you can always have it folded up on the inside that way you have
the extra length in case you'll ever need it.
When you have your pants altered it's important to wear the same pair of shoes you will wear
with it afterwards.
If it's a pair of dress shoes, wear some dress shoes.
Because if you show up with a pair of flip-flops, it's very hard for the alterations tailor
to get the length right and oftentimes it ends up being too short which makes you look
lankier and taller than you actually are.
I hope you found these tips helpful and at the end of the day it's important for you
to keep in mind that proportion for you is key.
Go with larger things and try to make things bigger than they would be on an average man
size’s outfit.
In today's video I am wearing a vintage 1930s jacket which I found at a shop in London.
It's actually a suit but I'm wearing it as a combination which is exactly what you should
do as a tall man.
I'm combining it with a pair of mustard colored pants they have some room because I have big
thighs.
They have large cuffs which is exactly what you should go for because you're a tall man.
I'm wearing boots with it.
My shirt has a subtle waffle texture.
It's white.
My tie is from Fort Belvedere with an oversized stripe.
This is diagonal and it makes me look a little shorter.
The tie is also a wool grenadine which gives my whole outfit more texture and it's combined
with a herringbone pattern in my jacket.
To round up the fall outfit, I'm going with a pocket square that picks up the purple tones
of the tie and it just harmoniously works together.
Again I'm going for a larger print pattern and not something very small.
Of course I'm also wearing a brown belt which separates my torso and my feet which makes
me look a little shorter.
And the socks I'm wearing are Fort Belvedere striped - shadow striped socks over the calf.
Because I’m wearing boots you're not gonna see them but if you wear regular shoes you
will definitely see the socks.
The cufflinks I'm wearing are Monkey Fist knots from Fort Belvedere.
They are gold and classic and you can wear them with basically anything in your wardrobe
no matter if it's a suit or a combination.
The ring I'm wearing has a dark green stone which goes well with my tie and it's just
overall harmonious with the rest of my outfit which consists of mustard tones, brown tones
and greens.
If you enjoyed this video, please check out our in-depth Tall Men Style Guide on the website
and make sure to subscribe so stuff like this comes right your inbox.