Short Shrifted

Kanye West is 5′8″ — and he just busted out a great tweet about the change of season. And what it means for his wardrobe.

I’ve always felt the same way about autumn. Just never been able to put it so eloquently.

Check out my secondary blog — A Concise Men’s Lookbook — for the quote. And the furs, black watch, argyle…

A very good friend of mine got married this summer. The event took place on an absolutely gorgeous day on the Connecticut coast, at a beautiful old home with a lawn rolling out to the edge of the Long Island Sound. Given the setting and my friend’s excellent and refined personal taste, I wanted to look my best. The wedding invitation read “garden party formal” — a bit cryptic, but I had something in mind. Unfortunately, I didn’t own any dress shirts that were remotely summery.

Enter a nice marketing intern at Tailor4Less, who offered me a free shirt if I would consider reviewing their custom-made clothing service.

So how did it turn out? In the end, I think I was able to pull off the look I was going for. I even received some unsolicited compliments on my shirt that day. The ease of ordering and the speed of the turnaround were both first rate. And for such a low price ($59/shirt), I was mostly happy with the result — though I do have some criticisms, including one aspect of the fit.

Let me break it down in detail.

THEIR WEBSITE:
Their landing page was super simple, offering just a few choices and minimal clutter. I loved that they have a message in the corner that tells you the date you can expect your clothes if you order today. If you’re in a rush (like I was), that date really helps you decide whether or not to pull the trigger.

Otherwise, the fabric selection and customization process was both simple and typical, both of which are good qualities. One area where Tailor4Less surpasses other online custom places I’ve tried is in their measurement section. The How-To videos for each measurement were direct and easy to understand. But even better than that, each time you entered in a measurement (neck size, sleeve length, waist size, etc.), they gave you a “range of normal” for your height and weight. Not to say that that’s always going to be 100% correct, but it was for my body. I found it really comforting to be getting that feedback as I went along. Helped me feel like I wasn’t totally off base with my measurements — which is always the hardest part of the process.

The one downside was there was absolutely no space or form in the whole process where you could leave a personal note or request. I, for instance, would like to have asked for a slightly shorter cuff length.

DELIVERY:
When I placed my order on July 13, the welcome screen said: “Order today and receive your order on 29/July.” As it was, that would have been plenty fast enough. I received my package from Shanghai nine days after ordering it, on July 22. A full week before they promised it. Lightening quick.

COST:
Shirts starting at $59 with free shipping for orders over $100. If you can make this work for you, you’ve got MTM shirts that fit you perfectly for about what you’d pay for something off-the-rack. Pretty hard to argue with.

FIT & CONSTRUCTION:
I’ve done the online custom-shirt thing where you have to measure yourself, well, a bunch of times now. So I feel like I have a fairly good handle on it. And like I said, the video instrux and suggested range of normals on Tailor4Less confirmed what I already knew. As a result, almost every aspect of the shirt’s fit was dead on. Except across the chest right through to under the arms. Much too snug for comfort or for looks. And not a damn thing can be done about it. It’s possible that it’s my fault: I put down that my chest was 36.5, but I measured again, and it’s really more like 37 minimum. Maybe 37.5.

Besides the actual measurements they ask you for, you also have to enter a few general fit descriptors. I got away just fine saying my stomach was “average.” But for a chest description, I chose their “slender” option. This may have been my undoing. But it’s so hard to tell on that kind of stuff — especially when it comes to the internet. If you’re talking to a tailor in person and he’s looking at your body, you’re much better of. But as much as these online custom places have made great strides in idiot-proofing the measurement process, these nebulous body and fit descriptions still remain tough for them to pin down.

So, even though the chest isn’t off by all that much, it’s basically unwearable for the long haul. It’s not comfortable and the fabric pulls a bit at the buttons when I make any significant motion with my arms. Bummer, but like I said., it could have been partly my mismeasurement and/or mischarecterization of my pecs.

As far as the quality and construction goes, it was totally fine. Neither of the complaints I’ll raise here can legitimately be leveled against something I paid less than $60 for. Just be aware that you can expect the following. A fused collar (which I don’t like the look or feel of — though it’s pretty standard these days). And no pattern-matching, which bothers me (though the patterns are a mirror image on both wings of the collar). If you care about the latter, I’d suggest solids or very small patterns.

BOTTOM LINE:
I needed (A) a fun, summery shirt (B) that wasn’t too big or blousy, and (C) I needed it immediately for this important event — and Tailor4Less came through. The fit issue was minimal (in terms of inches), but critical (in terms of it being a shirt I can wear in future). Of course, now that I know that, I feel confident I could tweak the measurement numbers and chest description successfully if I ever decided to place another order.

Apologies for the ridiculously cropped pic. Had to cut the family out of it, and this was about the only one we took.

OK. That was a cruel teaser. There ain’t any besides yours truly. I don’t know of a single blogger out there that does what I do. So you’re stuck with me for now. But I have come across a few blogs over the years written by guys:

Hey, it’s slim pickins out there in the wilds of the web. I feel lucky to have stumbled over these few great voices. For such a tiny cohort, it’s a pretty diverse mix in terms of height, body type, age, background, and style. So be happy that these well-dressed shorter guys are sharp and on the scene.

LeDANDY (Alan, 5′5″)
His Bio: A unique fashion/lifestyle guide from a forty-something dandy residing in the SF Bay Area. LeDandy is the founder and self-appointed leader of the Reform Dandyism movement. Unlike other sites, LeDandy stresses affordability, individuality and a lighthearted approach.
My Take: He pretty much laid it all out there. And he posts on clothing and style regularly. This 42-Short dandy truly embodies the notion of ‘personal style’: opera pumps, pince nez, fountain pens… but suits be damned. His fashion sensibility doesn’t always resonate with me, but that’s not the point. Alan inspires me mainly as a guy who is hacking his own stylistic swath through the fashion jungle. Not many true trailblazers like him around.

LOVESHIP (Michael, 5′5″)
His Bio: Chronicles of a couple building our wardrobes, making a home, and growing into adult babies in the upper midwest. Herewith, our musings on style.
My Take: The rare co-blog. Mostly his wife, Susie. And mostly high fashion. But every once in awhile Michael surfaces and does a post. And it’s almost always inspirational and applicable. Fearless man that he is, he couldn’t care less about tha rulez. I’ve posted on him twice, here and here.

SHACK ATTACK (David, 5′3″)
His Bio: A site composed of dated entries, chronologically arranged.
My Take: Well, yeah. It really is a weblog at its most basic, vital best. He doesn’t write about clothing often, but then, bam, he’ll bust something out. His blog tangentially relates to short guys and personal appearance when he focuses on exercise, diet, and footwear. He’s also a regular commenter here, and as My Man in Tokyo, guest blogged a guide to Shopping in Japan.

THE SQUIRRELOLOGIST (Seth, 5′5″)
His Bio: This site is a work in progress. Evolving from its initial concept as a consumer action portal to its current focus on multiple topics. It’s also a medium to convey the story of my other business, Shortees, which manufactures and sells clothing designed specifically to fit men under 5’8″. There are over 34 million men under 5’8″ and now there is an easy-to-find resource for great fitting clothes.
My Take: Definitely a work in progress. Seth just started this up and he’s still finding his way. A general-interest blog at this point (if such a thing exists). Hopefully he’ll share more of his own thoughts on fashion and the behind-the-scenes travails of growing Shortees, his short-man’s apparel business.

STRANGE TRAVELERS (Robert, 5′5″)
His Bio: I was born in rural Maine. I came to Pittsburgh, PA, to attend Carnegie Mellon and graduated with a degree in Psychology. I play electronic music, but with the goal of creating organic-sounding music, and recorded a soundtrack for one of my favorite books, City of Saints and Madmen, by Jeff VanderMeer. Besides music, I am also an amateur photographer and a hobbyist cordwainer (shoemaker).
My Take: I’m a fellow Mainer. Grew up about half an hour from Robert. In a mill town that was one of the nation’s chief shoe-manufacturing centers during the industrial revolution. And I also make my own music, electronic and otherwise. So I sense a kindred spirit here. Robert’s blog is rarely updated and hews closely to his personal interests. But for short men (or really anyone with hard-to-fit feet), it’s interesting whenever he recounts his attempts at the above-mentioned cordwaining. Check out his DIY ’shoes’ archive. I’ve also tapped him to do an upcoming guest post on Brown’s in Toronto.

THIS FITS (Anon, 5′7″)
His Bio: Here’s the TLDR version: this site started as, and remains primarily, a very personal endeavor, chronicling one man’s efforts to identify, document, and emulate classic and affordable men’s style, especially for brown-skinned fellows like myself. I am by no means a style expert, but I like to help people, so to the degree I can, I’ll help anyone who has questions, or I’ll direct you to someone who can help.
My Take: He did, indeed, direct somebody to me — that’s how This Fits blipped onto my radar. The Tumblr platform really is a perfect fit for what he’s doing: a pastiche of images, lookbook tearsheets, notes to self, wishlist items, questions & answers. It’s illuminating to witness this process — a shorter guy striving to dress better and figure out his own personal style — and to watch it unfold in real time.

THE TRAD (John, 5′8″)
His Bio: Not as good as it was. Better than it will be. … Anyone can tell me I shouldn’t wear it. No one can tell me I can’t.
My Take: What can I say? My daily go-to blog for a couple years running now. It’s more than just the subject matter (trad/ivy league/American clothing) which I’m honestly, but only casually, interested in. It’s his overall tone, turn of phrase, life experience — the stories. I always come away feeling like I read about something truly idiosyncratic and cool. That I gleaned something of real value, something lasting and true that transcended whatever he was overtly talking about. You’d think that would regularly happen with ye olde internette, awash in blogs as it is, but it so rarely does. Hugely influential, he’s finally started getting his due, recently featured in places like the NY Times, Esquire, the New Yorker, and Vanity Fair. Check out the guest post he did for Short Shrifted here.

TWEED IN THE CITY (Matt, 5′4″)
His Bio: Classic tailored clothing is rarely worn with pleasure today–almost never with elegance. However, it’s not all bad news. Now that the old rules and standards have lapsed, there’s more opportunity than ever to exploit the rich language of classic style. Tweed in the City is dedicated to exploring the vocabulary of that language and adapting it to modern living.
My Take: This blog went dark back in January. So I was happily startled when his RSS feed bolded up out of the blue one day this August with a new post. On cigarillos… And he hasn’t let up since. Matt’s back — with a vengeance (on Twitter, too). The man exists on a higher plane of menswear than most of us. Stratospheric. Kind of like the blog A Suitable Wardrobe, except not even remotely so joyless, prescriptive, terse, and ungenerous. In short, a pleasure to read. Even if I don’t have clue how — or the pocketbook — to emulate him. Welcome back, Matt.

When Seth Levinsky first contacted me back in May to let me know that he’d launched Shortees — the world’s first-ever T-shirt company by and for short men — I was floored. I broke the news to you in this post (which is worth a read if you haven’t already). And I was excited when Seth sent me some actual tees. With two choices of hem lengths (Short and Extra Short) in sizes ranging from Small to XXL, I figured: What more could you ask for?

Well, some good designs, mainly. But I’m getting ahead of myself… There’s so much they get right.

When it comes to fit, Shortees nails it.

I can’t emphasize enough just how huge that is. Fit is by far the toughest thing for us short guys when it comes to clothes. In some ways, your typical off-the-rack T-shirt is even a lot worse than other articles of clothing. The average industry length ranges from about 28 to 32 inches long. But unlike, say, dress shirts, T-shirts are notoriously difficult to have tailored. They just never look right.

Not a problem with Shortees. Every size (from Small to XXL) comes in two different lengths, both of them significantly shorter than average: 25 inches and 26.5. That’s the thing that I love about Shortees. Not just that the shirts are short, which is great, but that they’re offering us options — something smaller guys are sorely lacking.

These options are an absolute godsend for guys struggling with nightshirt-length tees. Especially heavier men, because as they know all too well, as a shirt’s chest size increases, length usually goes up accordingly. As Seth told me: “If you happen to be more muscular or have some extra pounds there is no way you can go with a typical Small or Medium, so you are always stuck with a 29.5-31″ shirt.” Have you ever seen an XXL shirt that’s 25 inches long? All I can say is: these guys are for f—ing real.

So how does the advertised length stack up against the actual?

Dead on. At least, for the shirts that I tried: a Small in each of the different lengths and a Large in the shorter size. In my experience, actual measurements usually differ a bit (sometimes even greatly) from what’s listed on a company’s size chart. So I really appreciated that these were more exact. That’s the whole point, eh?

How well did they fit me?

At 5-foot-5, 130 lbs, both Smalls fit me great. The shorter one probably better, which squares with what Seth told me originally: “I recommend that people under 5′6″ try the 25-inch length, and those between 5′6″ and 5′8″ go with the 26.5.”

Chest size was 20.5/21-inches across on the Smalls, 22.5 on the Large. And after my usual laundry cycle (cold wash, tumble dry low) they seemed to shrink about half and inch to an inch across and about the same in length. Not bad. Sleeve length was good on the Smalls (about mid-bicep), but a bit longer on the Large. It wasn’t down to my elbow or anything, but my guess is it could stand to be shortened up a tick. Granted, I’m not a Large and was just testing one out to cover all the bases, so take my sleeve critique with a grain of salt; it might be perfect for someone who actually is that size. I also think they could stand to add an XS size. But I’m splitting hairs.

And costwise?

These pass muster. At $20 a pop, that’s a decent price for a graphic tee. The fact that these will actually fit you is almost priceless.

So what’s rub?

In my opinion, the designs are lame. Besides fit, graphics are the next biggest selling point… or potential turn-off. The four designs Shortees currently offers don’t happen to be to my personal taste. But I see other people wearing stuff that looks similar to this, so my criticism isn’t so much that I just don’t like the looks of them. My real problem is that they’re generic-looking. This is, unfortunately, a real bummer.

Luckily, they also come in white and black. OK, twenty bucks is a little pricey for a plain tee, but the material is nice and the fit is unmatched. And every guy needs at least one of each color in his wardrobe — I’m glad mine come from Shortees.

I don’t do much cheerleading on this site. Especially when it comes to official product reviews. As always, I think I’ve been fair with this review, laying out the positives, but not shying away from criticism.

That said, this is a brand that I really want to succeed. You guys probably do too.

Shortees is off to a great start. The length options are unprecedented, the fits are good and will hopefully get even better, and the price is moderate. The only major problem area — lackluster design — is something Seth is fully aware of and wants to improve. At 5-foot-5-and-a-half, he’s one of us.

There is so much potential here. So let’s make sure it happens:

Yeah, so my only computer died. Oh, the soul-crushing pain. Actually, it was kinda nice to have no internet at home. Didn’t miss it. But a barely-2-year-old/$2k piece of machinery crapping out after the slightest of dings to its brushed-aluminum shell (pretty, but about as protective as tinfoil), thereby voiding the AppleCare warranty? That hurt. A lot.

Anyway, it’s reeeally hard to blog at the library. So if you’ve noticed a drop-off in the churn of posts here lately, that’s why. But a new laptop has finally been procured. And regular posts should return in the next week or so.

Meanwhile, this tragedy is a great opportunity to remind you to please SUBSCRIBE to Short Shrifted. If you haven’t done so already, you can do it now (RSS or e-mail). Then you’ll know the minute posting starts back up again.

To whet your appetite, here’s a few of the things I’m working on for Short Shrifted’s return:

My Official Reviews Of:

Guest Bloggers Covering:

More Pix on ACML:

Personal Stories:

Advice and Theoretical Flights of Fancy:

Feel free to send me your gripes for that last one so I have some good quotes to use.

The NY Times just did a summer trend piece on guys rolling their trouser bottoms. Although not targeted to a shorter audience, I thought this quote brought it home to guys like us, who have to hem everything:

This is an easy way to get around shortening your pants,” said Josh Peskowitz, the style editor of Esquire.com, who had rolled up his pants that very morning. “It’s noncommittal.”

Especially when I take it out of context and let it stand alone like that.

Anyway, I beat the Times to the punch by a full week. As the pic above proves. (I’m just barely holding onto my coolness here, in the face of fatherhood)

That’s me on vacation up in Portland, ME, around the 4th of July. I’m chasing my 16-month-old daughter up a hill at Fort Preble. Awesome, wild, crazy seaside-stormy half-baking-sun/half-angry-clouds-and-pelting-rain weather that day.

Anyway, forgive the rear view. But it does show off my lillywhite ankles. That’s how I roll.

The NY TIMES on HOW TO ROLL:

“Getting the roll right is harder than it looks, and the experts differ on technique. Tom Julian, [a fashion consultant and the author of two men’s style books with Nordstrom] suggests rolling one inch of cuff three times for cotton canvas trousers, and a single two-inch cuff for dark jeans.

“For slightly looser pants, like chinos, Mr. Peskowitz advises creating a peg by pinching the fabric slightly at the front during the rolling process. Starting from the bottom, you flip once, making as small a fold as possible, then twist the front of the pants leg by about an inch, then roll twice more while holding the pinch tightly. The pleats should stay in place.

“‘You want to make sure that both are pointing inward — for the left side, fold it to the right. For the right, fold it to the left — to stay symmetrical,’ he said. ‘I just figured that out a couple of weeks ago.’”

–NYT

Last month we received a Reader Question from a 5-foot-4 guy who’d been burned ordering a Made-to-Measure suit. He said:

I recently made the mistake of ordering an MTM suit at a major NY store. Off the rack, I wear an Extra Short. Although I had discussed the issue with the MTM director, when the suit came in, the jacket was too long because it was cut as a Short. The store is going to do the suit over from scratch, but I’m afraid that they will simply shorten the jacket. What should I look out for?

Well, he just checked in to let us know how things went:

The store got it right the second time. I now have a suit that fits just right. Thanks to everyone for their input on my original question.

Lessons he learned:

1. I would say the most important thing is that YOU must know how your suit should fit. If you’re not in Jimmy Au’s, you’re on your own.

2. Know what size you would take off the rack. If it’s an Extra Short, discuss with the salesperson whether their custom manufacturer has an actual Extra Short pattern. (It’s important to remember that MTM is not bespoke.) If you wear an Extra Short, have the salesperson include that info on the receipt.

3. Order the suit well before you need it. Leave time for a do-over.

I never cut and past anything on this site, but this is an exception. Jimmy Au’s, a specialty clothing shop for shorter men in Beverly Hills, is coming to NYC for a few days later this month. (see my review) Since NYC — shockingly — doesn’t have any retail options exclusively for short men, this is a great opportunity for those of us in the metro area to check out their options. If you’d like to attend Jimmy Au’s NYC Trunk & Road Show, please note that it’s appointment only. So give Jimmy and Alan a call — and tell ‘em Short Shrifted sent you. Read on for the press release:

For those of you who have never been to our Beverly Hills store, this is a chance to experience a little taste of the selection and fit of a garment that is specifically designed for men of shorter stature. Multiple sizes and styles will be available for you to try on in order for you to get a feel for what our collection is about.

The Road Show will feature items from our Ready-to-Wear collection including suits, sport coats, dress slacks, leather jackets, casual pants, casual jackets, premium jeans, sport shirts, and dress shirts.

The Trunk Show will feature, for the first time, our Made-to-Measure program; including all Jimmy Au suit types in both Short and Extra Short sizes. The program will include hundreds of swatch options, many imported from the finest mills of Italy, like Loro Piana, Ermenegildo Zegna, Barberis, Reda, E. Thomas, Angelico, Trabaldo Togna, Zignone, Amaretta, Fintes, Puro, and Garlanda. All are made with Bemberg linings.

Order three items or more from our NYC Trunk Show and receive a 20% discount; making it a made-to-measure garment at an off-the-rack price. All MTM orders placed after the trunk show will only be available at the regular price.

The Private Trunk and Road Show is BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. Call us at 310-888-8708 during regular business hours (listed below) and set up an appointment. There are limited appointment slots for fittings and viewings. We’d request that you make an appointment only if you are committed to attending.

JIMMY AU’S FOR MEN 5’8” AND UNDER
Beverly Hills, CA
310-888-8708
www.jimmyaus.com
11am–7:30pm Monday – Friday
10am–7pm Saturday
12pm–5pm Sunday

Geeks and rock-n-roll. They’re like the two sides of the same LP. Record collectors, audiophiles, fanboys, roadies, guitar techs, studio wizards, RollingStone scribes, and at the top of the heap: your Buddy Holly types. Nerds, the lot of ‘em.

So here’s how this tune goes: I was nerding out on an industry insidery T-shirt forum. Trying to figure out just what goes into getting a T-shirt sourced, sized, and made. And as always, I was on the lookout for shorter-fitting shirts.

All that obsessing and geeking out paid off. I found an obscure string on the subject that lead me to this uber-hip font of cool: Young Lovers.

Rock-n-roll.

They’re not cheap, but this Australian T-shirt label boasts limited editions — and they ship to the US. Their fitted silhouettes and rocker designs looked pretty cool to me. And the pix on the site matched the description in the forum: short hemlines. So I tried a few pairs to see for myself (Full disclosure: Young Lovers provided me several garments for the purpose of this review).

THE FIT: YL’s instrux say to “Tumble dry low. The tees are 100% cotton tee shirts so expect a little shrinkage. To lessen this, try hang drying your tees.” I generally dispense with this kind of advice when it comes to T-shirts. I mean, it’s a T-shirt. No muss, no fuss: it goes in the dryer. Plus, as a short guy, I want them to shrink.

I wasn’t disappointed. Size Small arrived with an 18-inch chest and 27-inch hem. After washing and tumble drying, it was 17.5/26. The Medium started at 19/27 and ended up 19/25.5 after drying. Not an exact science — every shirt’s gonna be different. But I was happy with the results: somewhere between a Threadless length and the even shorter shirts that Graniph produces. And, of course, waaay shorter than the overlong and ubiquitous American Apparel…

So I was surprised and confused when I took a look at their FAQs and saw this: “All of our T-shirts are unisex, based on Men’s sizing. They are some of the softest, best fitting T-shirts you’ll find anywhere. If you’re familiar with American Apparel 2001 tees, you’ll already know the fit.”

What the?? I could tell by the length and the quality of the fabric that my Young Lovers tees were not AAs. So I asked Luke Nuto, a designer at Young Lovers what gives. He told me:

“Some of our tees are printed on a cut that is a longer AA style cut and some on our custom made shorter tees. (There were 2 different production runs.) Your readers can send me an email before they order. I will personally reply to let each of them know which cut they will be getting to make sure it’s the perfect fit for them!”

Lesson learned. If I had nerded out too much before approaching them (and actually read their FAQ), I probably would have just given up. This is actually a great reminder:

Always ask.

If you walk into a store or are shopping online and don’t see something in your size, ask. Sure, you might be disappointed. But you never know what they have in the back room.