Dress to Look Taller and Leaner
While clothes can’t make you grow an additional 6 inches, with the right styling, it is possible for the right clothes to make you appear a bit taller and leaner than what you really are.
On the flip side, we will also be looking at how the wrong clothes can make a man appear shorter and heavier than he is.
It’s time to make sure that your clothes are working for you, and not against you!
Men, Wear Fitted Clothing
Let’s jump right in, tip number one. Wear fitted clothing. Clothing is too big, meaning too long and too wide on your frame will make you look shorter and smaller than you are. Think of an 8-year-old child wearing his daddy’s work dress shirts. The larger dress shirt highlights the fact that the child is smaller in every way. The same applies here, except it’s grown men wearing even larger clothing!
The opposite effect would be a larger man, wearing smaller and tighter fitting clothes. Think along the lines of a bodybuilder or a well-built man wearing skinny jeans. His size is emphasized by the tight, form-fitting clothes.
Tailor-Made
While your clothes don’t have to be as extreme as skinny jeans, you should strive to wear slim-fit or tailor-fitted pieces. Wearing tapered jeans and tapered shirts will accentuate your physique and create the illusion of a taller and leaner body, which is the aim. The goal is to ‘trim the fat’ from your clothing.
Slim fitted pieces are going to be more flattering on your body rather than straight or relaxed fits. If you are all in and going for this look, we recommend finding a local tailor that can work with and trust, it will be money well spent.
Wear Darker Solid Colors
We’ve all heard that ‘black is slimming’. Well, it’s true! It is also true that darker colors make you look taller. Every wonder why? While we are not scientific experts, we do know that dark colors eliminate shadows.
For example, a white dress shirt will show all wrinkles and creases more easily than a black shirt with the exact same wrinkles and creases will. This is because shadows will blend in seamlessly with the dark color of the shirt. The result? A clean streamlined silhouette of your body.
Darker colors also eliminate contrast. As humans, our eyes have evolved to distinguish shapes very well, and as we all know, shapes are created by contrast around the edges of an object. Darker colors absorb light and blend well into their background. Contrary to this, lighter colors reflect light and pop out against their background. Because of this effect, darker colors naturally have a slimming effect.
While black is slimming, we are not suggesting wearing all black. There are plenty of other options to choose from! Burgundy, dark brown, dark grey, and navy are all excellent choices and more versatile thank brow. These colors are a great way to mix up your wardrobe.
Wear Low Contrast Outfits
While on the topic of wearing dark colors, another great tip to look taller and slimmer is to wear the same color contrast outfit. For example, whether you choose to wear dark or light colors, we recommend your outfit is all dark, or all light at the same time!
If looking taller and leaner is the goal, you want to avoid pairing an outfit that includes a light top and dark bottoms (or vice versa). The reason? You want to avoid putting together an outfit that will visually cut you in half.
For example, let’s take a look at a white t-shirt and dark denim jeans pairing. This creates a very stark contrast between your upper and lower halves. This contrast will also accentuate any problems regarding fit and proportions. Instead, opt to pair the white t-shirt with a lighter denim wash!
Pair Appropriately
The goal here is to minimize visually unappealing stark contrasts, and pair like colors together. For example, a light pink t-shirt and khaki shorts, or a charcoal-colored shirt with dark denim jeans or slacks. Another great color pairing would be white and tan, or burgundy and black. Play around with colors, don’t be afraid to mix and match. Simply remember, light with light, and dark with dark, you can’t go wrong!
Just Go for It
After you start practicing some of these tips, you will realize that it is quite easy to put together an outfit that will make you look as tall and as lean as possible. At the very least, you will avoid looking shorter and/or heavier. The best thing? We bet you already have many of these options in your wardrobe. Cheers!
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