Short Shrifted

The Sartorialist caught a nice snap of Robert Burke (Bergorf Goodman’s ex fashion veep) standing off a curb in midtown a week or two back. He looks casual but cool and totally put together. Even though he’s breaking a cardinal fashion rule for short men. The Sartorialist said:

“I find it is hard for a shorter guy, like both Robert and myself, to wear light colored pants. The fact that his pants are cut pretty slim (or at least more slim than most khakis) really helps keep a good overall balance for him.”

I’d never really though too much about light-colored pants before. But maybe I subconsciously knew they didn’t work well for a short build because I don’t really own any. In any case, there were a couple of comments on the post that offer good advice and help describe how he gets away with it:

butch said: “White is a difficult color for a short guy—especially when worn on the “bottom half,” as here. It tends to draw attention to shorter legs. But the line is kept so nicely here, top to bottom, that his relative shortness is actually camouflaged.”

Anonymous said: “Flat front pants on shirter chaps work great—they lengthen the leg and slim the torso creating the ‘taller’ illusion.”

Stefano g. said: “A shorter blazer, jacket, top, etc. can visually heighten a smaller person’s overall appearance, especially if the legs are shorter in proportion to the torso.”

Manhattan User’s Guide had a decent (though not exhaustive) round-up of NYC custom shirtmakers today. I see so many guys these days with ill-fitting dress shirts, almost all of them way too big and baggy. Even a lot of big, tall guys that I see are walking around with their shoulder seams hanging down to their biceps and the shirt balooning around them. It looks awful enough on them. And if you’re short, a too-big dress shirt looks even worse.

Remember: You can spend $100, $200, $300 on a beautifully made shirt off the rack, but if it doesn’t fit right, you’ve wasted your money. One of the best options for short men (and really, for just about anyone) is to have your shirts custom made. It can be expensive, but worth it. All shirtmakers are not created equal, however. Before you invest, it’s a good idea to find out if they can accommodate all of your needs: Talk to them about any specific requests you may have related to your body shape or size, and find out how involved their process is, what measurements they take, and how they actually make their shirts.

I always hated wearing ties growing up. It wasn’t so much that I hated “dressing up” when I was younger. I just knew that all the ties I owned looked awful on someone as small as I was. Needless to say, I’m a fan of the current trend of slimmer ties. And remember, these new, trimmer ties aren’t all flash-in-the-pan “skinny ties.” Many are just ever-so-slightly pared down: just enough to be noticeable but not enough to look dated next season. Check out this guy’s helpful tie-width style guide that breaks it down by the quarter inch.

Most of my older (or more conservative) ties range from about 3.5 to 4 inches. That’s just too wide for a short man (even if you are relatively hefty, you have to think in ratio: If I’m 15% shorter than the average portly man, my tie should be 15% less wide). It’s said that 3.25 inches is the timeless standard for the width of a tie blade. Anything too far in either direction may begin to look dated sooner than you may want. 3.25 is better than 3.5 or 4, but the rules of proportion say that short men have got to go narrower. I think I’ve found the width that’s perfect for me: 3 inches at the blade’s widest.

Theory has a great line of modern-classic ties that just break the 3-inch mark. Normally, they’re $100. I picked up a great navy check one for $35 at the Theory sample sale last weekend in the Garment District. Check New York magazine for future sales or lay down a Benjamin at any of the places that carry Theory: Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, Bergdorf, et al.

On the more playful (less timeless) end of the spectrum, I spotted an ultra-skinny tie at Den, the new offshoot of next-door Odin on 11th Street in the East Village. Den differs from its bigger, bearded bro in that it will offer one exclusive designer at a time, rotating every few months. Currently, they’re stocking Cheap Monday with their ultra-skinny jeans and whatnot. If Cheap Monday’s jeans are drainpipe thin, they really outdid themselves with this tie, though: at a single inch, it approaches shoelace proportions. They have a slightly punky, handmade look with overprinted designs, slightly off-center points, and a muted version of the Cheap Monday skull on the back of the blade. But at $15, you can afford to knot yourself up for this look’s 15 minutes.