How To Dress For Your Body Type
Ever see a picture of an amazing outfit and then try to replicate it?
You carefully buy the clothes, piece by piece. You take care to copy the colors and style. And after all that effort, you try your new outfit and realize you look nothing like the guy in the picture.
The chances are, that you overlooked a small but important factor – body type. You probably don’t have the same body type as the guy in the photo. The result? What works for him doesn’t work for you.
In this article, we’ll teach you how to avoid this mistake in the future by showing you how to dress for your body type.
Body Shape #1 For Men – Triangle
Most men are predisposed to being larger around the waist and hips in relation to the top part of their bodies, especially as they get older. This creates a natural triangular shape with the base at the waist and the tip at the face.
Having a triangular body shape does not mean you are in bad shape, but it presents a challenge in finding clothes that make your entire body appear proportional. Most men’s clothing is designed with the opposite effect in mind – broad on top and narrower at the waist.
Creating balance and shape with your clothes is a key consideration for you.
Clothing For Men With Triangle Body Shape
- Tailored patterned blazers: Wear checked blazers and fitted waistcoats with solid trousers. The mix of prints and solid colors will create the illusion of shape and take the focus away from the larger waist.
- Vertical stripes: This pattern creates a streamlined effect that elongates and slims down the upper body. Horizontal stripes are preferred only if they are visible from the chest upward.
- Jackets with structured shoulders: Slouchy shoulders on jackets (bomber jackets, for instance) will exaggerate your already sloping shoulder line. Structured shoulders (on a topcoat, for instance) square off your frame.
- Single-breasted suits: Instead of going for double-breasted jackets which bulk to the waist, opt for a single-breasted jacket to allow for a more relaxed and slimming fit. Get your jackets tailored for a structured fit on the top but with extra room around the waist.
- Brighter color panels: Patterns and detailing across the chest and shoulders help broaden the narrow upper torso. Wear jumpers and crew neck tees with color panels across the chest but a slimming darker color like gray, navy, or black around the mid-section.
Body Shape #2 For Men – Inverted Triangle
The shape of this body type is a big triangle with the base at the shoulders and the point at the belly button.
Your well-developed chest and shoulders are significantly broader in comparison to your waist and hips. You probably spend hours at the gym every week working up an enviable muscle pump. Hectic training sessions in the gym result in accentuated shoulders and thighs and a narrow waist.
Clothing For Men With Inverted Triangle Body Shape
- Horizontal stripes: Especially from the chest down, to broaden your comparatively narrow waist.
- Slim-fit shirts: You can wear shirts to show off your incredibly fit body but remember to size up. You want to hint subtly at your fitness, not scream it by wearing figure-hugging costumes.
- Slim cotton polo shirt: A spandex mix will allow stretch across a broad set of shoulders and chest while creating a tailored look around the waist.
- Regular V-neck T-shirts: The collar shape has a narrowing influence on your chest and draws the eye down and away from the broadest part of your torso. Stay away from plunging V-neck t-shirts.
- Straight-leg trousers and jeans: men’s skinny jeans will accentuate your chicken legs. Slim-fit pants will do just fine. Wearing patterned pants, camo shorts, or checked trousers distracts from your comparatively broad upper body.
- Trousers with larger seat drop: Athletes have the common problem of finding pants that are roomy around the groin area. Look for a larger drop measurement between the waistband and the crotch seam.
- Jackets: Slim-fit jackets that follow the natural line of your silhouette, with a bigger difference between the width of the torso and the width of the waist.
Body Shape #3 For Men – Rectangle
Men with a rectangular body shape usually have a tall and thin frame. Their shoulders are roughly the same width as their waist and hips.
Clothing For Men With Rectangle Body Shape
Use clothing to widen the shoulders and add the effect of a subtle taper from your top-down. You’ll need to create an illusion of structure.
Creating a nipped-in silhouette across the middle of the body is both key and easy to achieve.
- Horizontal stripes: Especially across your upper torso (short and long-sleeved Breton tees), as they’ll add width to your slight frame.
- Structured tailoring: Once you’ve found structured blazers and suit jackets that add size to your shoulders, have your tailor take them in slightly at the back to emphasize your waist.
- Layered looks: A button-down shirt and fine-gauge crew neck jumper is a no-fail pairing that’ll add instant bulk to your frame.
- Scarves: A neatly tied or draped scarf is an easy way to add a point of difference to your look, as well as flesh out your upper torso.
- Prints, color pops, and detailing: Pops of brighter colors up top or details like epaulets will expand the dimensions of your otherwise slim frame.