Fashion Tips for Short Men

It can be hard to apply fashion tips for short men when you're already trying to choose occasion-appropriate clothes. Not only are you doing your best to flatter your frame, but you're also trying to figure out what goes with what, how to impress your boss, and what will work for that board meeting later on. When suits, dress pants, and even jeans seem too long, here are some tips to get you back on track.

You might be glancing through some information for the first time and trying to maximize your height, but are you really considered "short?" The average height of an American man falls between the range of 5'9" and 5'10"; you'll technically be considered short if you measure in significantly below that.

The good news? Height (and the illusion of it) is partly a state of mind. There are plenty of men well under 5'9" who are never considered short or small, and that's because they know how to carry themselves—and how to dress to make themselves look taller.

You have plenty of fashion tricks at your disposal to make yourself appear taller. The first? Look at your pants, or more specifically, your hemline. If you purchase trousers straight off the rack and wear them right away, you might have found your biggest problem.

If your hemline touches the ground and "drags," you might find that the leg of your trousers gets wrinkled and rumpled. This is a tell-tale sign that your pants need to be hemmed, and a slight adjustment will make a huge change in your look. When you buy work or dress pants, inquire about tailoring services to get your pants to "break," or make a single fold, right above your shoes. This will create a smooth line from the waist down, and you won't look overwhelmed by your own clothes.

After the pants comes the shirt, the second most important part of your look-taller outfit. Even if you forget about the intricacies of neck measurements, which are best left to a professional in the suit department anyway, take a look at the length of your work shirts, t-shirts, and coats. Look for an athletic cut if you are small and trim, because this option lies much closer to the body. In general, your shirt selections should fall about where your crotch is when untucked, for a proper fit when tucked into trousers. Look for regular shirts in a slightly shorter style if they will remain untucked, showing a little more in the trouser region means that your legs will look longer.

Avoid dressing in oversized winter coats, windbreakers, blazers, or vests when you are topping your outfit off with outerwear. You'll find that smart coats like peacoats or asymmetrical zip jackets that hit at the hip are most flattering, and by all means do not select a full-length trench coat as your jacket of choice. No jacket hemlines should hit below the mid thigh when you are on the shorter side!

Are you pressed for time and feeling short? Here's how to make yourself look taller fast.

• Adjust the fit of your clothes just a little. Instead of wearing your trousers pulled up high, wear them slightly below your natural waist.
• V-neck shirts can make you look taller.
• Dress in varying shades of one color. For example, try a pair of khaki pants with a lighter tan dress shirt to add the illusion of height.
• Make sure your socks are not showing.
• Ditch baggy pieces, especially big t-shirts. Tucking a big shirt in will add width, but it won't add height.
• Don't treat fashion tips for short men as never-break rules. Use all tips as guidelines.
• Consider special guidelines for heavier men, if that describes you.
• Look confident! Anyone who feels taller has a better chance of looking taller, too.

Once you find a few pieces that work for you, you can build an entire wardrobe. Use the proportions of the pieces you like to guide the rest and you'll find that your new work and play pieces come together quickly.

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