Short Shrifted

I recently watched Time After Time on Netflix streaming. It’s a late-70s sci-fi movie where H.G. Wells hunts down Jack the Ripper in present-day San Francisco… via time machine! It’s an absurdly goofy little flick. But it’s got heart. And terribly dated special FX. It stars Malcolm McDowell [5-foot-8] as Wells and David Warner [6-foot-2] as the Ripper. The height difference is extremely noticeable in their scenes together. That’s how I realized McDowell is pretty short for a leading man, and therefore a candidate for A Concise Men’s Lookbook.

I love the tweed… but the steam-punk-Victorian-man-in-1970s-SF look is so over. And while he wears some pretty fashion-forward threads in A Clockwork Orange… they’re still too, uh, fashion-forward today. So for this week’s entry, let’s travel back in time — to his big-screen debut:

Set the chronometer to 1968: Malcolm McDowell in If…

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I am 5′2″ and mostly wear boys Brooks Brothers shirts when I go to work. However, I live in NYC and like to go out. I feel like my clothes are too formal for clubs and bars. Do you have any suggestions on where I can get some trendy dress clothes for my size?

–I.S., NYC

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Now that I’m a papa, I don’t get out to the bars, let alone the clubs, all that much. OK, I never did. But I can cut a mean rug at a wedding; ask anybody.

So admittedly not being a huge nightclubber, these are the things that popped into my head: Zara, TopMan, A/X Armani Exchange, and H&M. Not every item at each of those stores, but I thought they might each have some stuff that might be up his alley.

I.S. got back to me on my suggestions and said: “I’ve never tried Zara or TopMan, but I’m not a huge fan of AX or H&M. AX shirts don’t wear me right and I find H&M shirts of poor quality.”

So with all that in mind, can you help this guy out? Where do you get your after-dark gear?

Seth Levinsky is 5-foot-5. And a half. If he stands with excellent posture. So he’s always had trouble with T-shirts that are too long for him. It’s a problem he shares with a small niche of the U.S. male population (the roughly 35 million men who are 5-foot-8 or under). So he decided to do something about it. The result of his efforts is Shortees.

As far as I know, this California-based company has created the world’s first T-shirt line exclusively designed for short men. How cool.

Their website explains:

“We didn’t just take a shirt and cut the bottom; we completely re-engineered the T-shirt. Every element has been redesigned. The length and width of the sleeves, the size and curve of the arm openings, the angle of the shoulders, the taper of the shirt… everything has been reinvented. We spent two years designing and then redesigning so it fits the way you really want a T-shirt to fit.”

As longtime readers of this blog know, even something as simple as wearing an untucked T-shirt can be a daunting task for a shorter guy. Most are cut way too long. And if you’re lucky enough to find one that’s short enough, chances are it’s a size Small or Extra-Small. Athletic or muscular builds — or guys who are at all hefty in any way — are simply out of luck. Because length always increase in proportion to chest size.

Totally unscientific, but I’d guess the average industry length ranges from about 28 to 32 inches. Not so Shortees. Seth told me:

“All shirts come in two lengths: 25 inches and 26.5 inches — and in sizes Small through XXL. 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. It’s ultimately a matter of personal preference, as the 26.5 will still fit much better on someone under 5′6″ then anything else out there. As for what size individuals should order, I recommend they go with the same size they normally wear. Regardless of what size someone selects, the length will remain either 25 or 26.5.”

I don’t do much cheerleading per se on this site. But this is a brand that I really want to succeed. You guys probably do too. Given the dearth of retailers paying attention to us, it’s notable to the point of being almost unique that a company exists by us, for us. Seth’s idea is almost stupidly simple: make shorter shirts — but therein lies its genius. And he has plans to expand his clothing line to other areas if he’s successful. Good luck to him!

So check out Shortees. Try a shirt if you’ve got 20 bucks to spare. And give Seth your feedback.

OK, cheerleading over. In a few weeks I’ll be posting a very thorough review of an actual Shortees T-shirt (en route as I type this). As always, I’ll do my best to maintain the usual objectivity you all know me for. Stay tuned.

Link: www.originalshortees.com

Maybe you’ve heard of this new short-guy supergroup: Atoms for Peace. It’s Thom Yorke [5'5"] and Flea [5'6"].

When some official tunes and good images become available, I’ll put them up on the Lookbook. Until then, we’re gonna settle for Thom by his lonesome. Here’s a pretty interesting shot.

No, I’m not gonna post it here. It’s just one pic. I gotta give you some reason to click over to ACML, right?

Readers have been asking me to do a shoe-advice post forever. The thing is, I don’t like to get all Thou Shalty on this blog. And I’ve never thought too much about my own shoes as they relate to my height. But since last week’s Reader Question on where to find very small men’s shoe sizes, I’ve been mulling it. And I realized I do have a few rules for myself that I’ve figured out over the years.

They work for me. But as always: All rules can be broken — and successfully, if you do it well. But these are some good basics rules of thumb big toe, if you don’t have a clue where to begin. The main thing: Embrace your true height.

5 TIPS FOR A FLATTERING PAIR OF SHOES:

1. Forget thick soles. Over-sized soles either look orthopedic or Frankensteinian. Don’t try to make anything up through your shoes. This goes for dress shoes and sneakers.
2. Avoid high-heeled shoes. Sure, cowboy boots are perfectly acceptable men’s shoes. And the boost those heels will give you may be tempting. But they’re not as great as you might think. Either you’re in cowboy country where a lot of guys wear these, thereby canceling out any comparative height gain. Or else you’re in Boston or Ann Arbor or London or one of the many non-Wild Western places where you run the risk of looking silly and affected.
3. Pass on blunt or shoveltoed styles. This look still remains fairly popular with some younger men. The boxy toe area makes for comfy wriggle room, but it’s not a flattering look for short men. If you have wide feet and fit is a problem, seek out E sizes instead.
4. Choose gently pointed silhouettes. Whatever type of shoe I buy, I now usually try to find a classic, ever-so-slightly tapered toe shape. Not too pointy and not too rounded. Even though plenty of shoes fit this description, it can actually be a bit tough to find them in sizes smaller than an 8. I wear a 7-7.5 and, starting at about that size, those nice toe shapes sometimes start to get more rounded, less well-shaped. It depends on the shoemaker and design, but I think this is more of a case of certain makers paying less attention to how well their patterns scale down through the entire size chart. To me, this is what makes shoe-hunting hard: because you can find a look that appears great from a picture on Zappos or the floor model in a store, but when you try them on in your size, they look like shapeless kid’s shoes. You just have to keep hunting; you’ll find something.
5. Tie your shoelaces: If your laces are untied and dragging on the ground or if your style is to wear them really loose, it will visually drag you down. Keep them tied and neat. You can even choose your own signature knot. Hmm. Wonder if Whimsy knows about this…

If all else fails, console yourself with this: Shoe’s aren’t natural. And they probably aren’t that good for your feet anyway.

Visit my new site — A Concise Men’s Lookbook — and see all the images by clicking on Leo’s eyebrows.

Leo Castelli [5'6"] had a rep for being a dapper dresser. He also had a rep for being the man who single-handedly “revolutionized the status of the artist in America and changed all the rules of the art market.” So says Leo and His Circle, a forthcoming bio by Annie Cohen-Solal.

A NY Observer review calls her book:

“a glowing tribute to Castelli, and portrays him not just as the steward of Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, James Rosenquist, Richard Serra and many other giants, but the single most dominant force behind the history of postwar American art.”

She takes note of his “darkened eyebrows, stormy eyes, and sensual lips” and at one point describes him as looking “seductive as ever in his English tweed suits, impeccable shirts, and refined ties.”

Check out the Castelli images I selected for your edification on my new photoblog: A Concise Men’s Lookbook.

What’s especially cool about this series is that it’s very apparent he’s dispensed with all the tricks on how to appear taller in photographs. The shot compositions actually call attention to his shortness. And he still looks good.

Finally, for those of you keeping track, I switched A Concise Men’s Lookbook from Tumblr to Blogger after the initial post last week. The Tumblr interface and layout just didn’t work for me. Bah.

Please check out the new layout/address and let me know what you think. Thanks!

Any thoughts on where to find stylish shoes for guys with small feet? I mean small. I can wear a kids’ size 4, men’s 4 or women’s 6.

By ’stylish’ I mean well-crafted and elegantly shaped at minimum: I have, for example, a pair of kids’ Topsiders that fit great but have a really blunt kids-shoe-style toe on them that don’t fit that bill. I’ve had good luck with Fluevog but am on the lookout for other options.

–Oli, 5-foot-2

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Hmmm…. I don’t have any personal experience to offer here. I think he should try plugging in his size(s) to Zappos, ShoeBuy etc. ShortMenStyle has a fairly comprehensive list of online shoe stores here. And I advised him to check out the children’s lines of hipper and probably more expensive adult brands.

Anyone out there with a similar shoe size? Or know of some good shoe brands that Oli should try out?