A reader recently wrote and asked:
We are traveling to the USA this summer and were hoping to visit any specialty stores for short men in NY – can you recommend any? — Gill
Is it too late to change you tickets to Malvern, PA, Gill? Because they have a specialty store for short men. So does LA. And Chicago, Toronto, and Cleveland. OK, I’m kind of kidding. Yes, it’s true: NYC doesn’t have a single specialty store for short men. But even without any specialty stores, NYC is a short-shopping destination. By dint of having so many men’s clothing stores in such a concentrated area, it’s not hard to stumble over some real gems when it comes to short and small sizes.
If you’re under 5-foot-8 and are visiting NYC with limited time to spend, I’d hit these standouts (by price):
BUDGET
H&M: Slim Fit XS dress shirts are the best off-the-rack fit I’ve come across; their el cheapo Slim Fit suits run down to a size 36; occasionally, some shorter shorts; otherwise, lots of different looks and styles here so some things are too big, but there’s always some short/small stuff, too.
Uniqlo: Somewhere between The Gap and Banana Republic, but cool and Japanese. Great choices for work and casual wear. Pants and jeans have short rises; tops (blazers, dress shirts, hoodies, T-shirts) come in XS and tend to be trim and have higher hems and pockets.
MIDDLIN’
Club Monaco: Suits and jackets available in 36 (I find the sleeves and hems a bit too long but they have some summery suits right now that have much higher hemlines and pockets); shirts are fitted and hems are a bit higher than average; Ethan dress pants are slim fit and work pretty well; some of their shorts actually come above the knee (thanks to Sheikh and Jason for help on this one).
Rugby: Ralph Lauren’s younger brother got sent to prep school, introduced to punk rock, and rebelled. Well, not quite, but this RL spin-off has a preppy-but-hip look that I dig. They’ve got a great line of classic American suits (starting with size 36R, with Shorts available 38S and up); Vintage Shirt (Small) is fitted and has a high pocket (sleeves a bit long); they also have scads of cool neckties that generally run 54-57 inches long, well below the average (for more abbreviated ties, check out my Comparative Necktie Length Chart).
Zara: Dress shirts are slim cut and have super-high hems and small breast pockets that sit pretty high (one downer is the sleeves may be a bit long; suits and blazers down to a 36; 689 Fifth Ave. location seems to stock more small sizes.
UP THERE
Barneys Co-Op: First and foremost, designer brands tend to be skinnier than mainstream brands, and when they’re not super tall, a lot of them are also shorter. If you have limited time, the Co-Op is your best bet for a one-stop shopping experience where scores of hip, designer brands are all under one roof: Band of Outsiders, Marc Jacobs, Theory, Miu Miu, Parke & Ronen, the list goes on (there are several scattered throughout NYC, but if you hit the Co-Op inside the Barneys flagship store on Madison, you can check out the other men’s floors); check out my short-sleeve round-up from last summer.
Opening Ceremony: OK, this one’s for the real up-to-the-minute style hounds out there: some of the designers at this Soho space are out there a minute, as Sun-Ra might have said; OC curate a revolving gallery of artisanal, contemporary international designers, some of whose duds happen to run short and/or small: Band of Outsiders, Cheap Monday, United Bamboo, Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair; if nothing else, it’s a neat, semi-Old NY space steps away from Chinatown, which you should explore anyway, Tourist.
Parke & Ronen: In the heart of Chelsea, this boutique specializes in a super-fitted, tailored look for their upscale-casual line that’s very flattering to smaller men; shirts have short hemlines; short-sleeve shirts fall mid-bicep; jackets come in XS; and shorts and swimtrunks are available in gradations of average-to-practically-nonexistent inseams.
Paul Stuart: Yes, they have Shorts in their suiting section, but the real draw here is their huge array of beautiful 56-inch ties; the staff is super helpful, too.
STRATOSPHERIC
Thom Browne: OK, you’re not gonna actually buy anything — but visiting shortsters should make a pilgrimage to this Tribecan highwater-suit atelier (although, with the abysmal USD exchange rate, the $4000 suits may actually be in your price range); all you need to know: when I tried on a Thom Browne suit for the first time, I nearly cried.
Readers, I want your advice: What stores would you recommend? What’s your shopping advice for short visitors to NYC? Please e-mail me or comment on this post.
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June 16th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
under “Budget” i would probably add esprit at the time warner center. yes, i know.. the brand is still apparently around. i think they just added the mens dept there recently. plenty of XS sizes, with the polo shirts similar to uniqlo’s in fit.
h&m actually has size 34 suits. really.
sisley & benetton: their sizes tend to be on the small side.
charles tyrwhitt (slim fit): jermyn st-quality shirts for smaller guys.
levi’s of course has all sorts of fits and sizes. the 514s in particular tend to be flattering to shorter men.
cool list. i defintely agree on every single one.
June 17th, 2008 at 10:09 am
In addition to the above, I’d add Kenneth Cole–some linen shirts I just picked up are nicely fitted, but probably not a true “slim fit.” But a pair of glen plaid shorts hit just at the knee and fit perfectly.
And I’d throw in the Monogram line from Banana Republic (there’s a full store on Bleeker at 6th). Nearly all suit pants are slim fit. And one I wore to an interview landed me a job offer.
I’ll second the motion on H&M & Zara, where I’ve picked up shorts (above the knee) and wovens recently. And a good call on Sisley and Club Monaco as well.
June 17th, 2008 at 10:54 am
I think the places you mention tend to cater to skinny guys moreso than short guys, or even short, skinny guys. It is still virtually impossible to find pants that are shorter than 32; at Uniqlo, the standard inseam appears to be 34, although I hear they will do free alterations. Still… it’s such a pain in the behind to deal with alterations.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Mui Mui and Band of Outsiders are now on the third floor (designer floor) rather than the Co-op floor at Barneys.
That is all.
June 17th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Hey Ed, I agree with you in some respects, but want to clarify a little bit. The advice on this site is intended for ALL short men, whatever their body shape or build. But as you rightly point out, a lot of it may seem skewed towards short, skinny guys. I guess that’s because I’m the fit model for this blog and I’m 5-foot-5, 120 pounds. It’s something I’m aware of, and I’ll keep trying to be broader in my fit descriptions and clothing finds.
That said, there is a fair amount of material on this site already that applies to short men that are heavier or bulkier than I am — including this post. For instance: it’s true, H&M might be out, as well as the shirts at Uniqlo, but the pants (my faves are the flat-front chinos) at Uniqlo have a nice short rise (great for many short men), with waist sizes that run the gamut. Yeah, you have to hem but they do it in-store pretty quickly if needs be. Club Monaco’s summer blazers have a really short hemline (and they have the usual range of chest sizes); Same with Rugby — they have Shorts in their suiting which is great for a small, kinda trendy designer — and actually, they favor the less skinny among us since their 36s only come in Regular length, while 38s and up come in Shorts). Anyway, I could go on, but I hope this goes a little way toward showing that much of this does, indeed, apply to different short body types. Thanks again for the feedback — much appreciated.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
just to give people a visual of what i look like: 5′8 140 lbs, 32waist, 36S jacket, lean, long torso, thick thighs (volleyball thighs they’re called), ok bum – not too much junk but sufficient
.. .. . …… … .. . . .. . .. . . . . ……. . . …. . .. . . . . . . ….. .. . .. …. ….
uniqlo is great for someone like me. button down dress shirts fit great however i do find the pants not that great fitting – mostly in the bum region. i did buy some uniqlo jeans from london once and they definately fit alot better than the ones i got in new york but the bum region was still an issue – no apple bum for me. tshirts aren’t that bad either – XS was good after i put it in the dryer. have yet to see a nice pair of short shorts that are short even to call short but yet conceal my thick thighs. i wish i had nice legs/thighs to pull that look off. i find just a couple of inches above my knee works – anything higher they reveal too much.
also a random question, the whole roll up ur botton of ur pants look don’t work too well on short guys. u can’t roll them too high or else ur making ur legs look really short. how far is everyone rolling their’s up? just anough to see some skin? thoughts?
keep up the good work on this site!
June 18th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
btw…as i sit here typing…i’m wearnig this great topman suit (bought in london). 36S jacket and 32 short slim pants and skinny tie from zara. can’t wait for topman to open in nyc soon!
oooh, that’s another good find in nyc…skinny tie from zara in rich regal colours.
June 20th, 2008 at 12:24 am
Theory also carries shirts in xs and suits/blazers in 36S.
June 20th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Anyone have any luck with the “slim fit” stuff at Banana Republic? I have a couple of shirts and although they still run long in the sleeve and hem, they do fit me nice across the chest and torso (I’m 5′6″, 140lbs). Actually, a lot of my shirt problems went away when I found Maxwell’s Clothiers, one of a number of Hong Kong tailors that travel the US. $40 for handmade shirts that fit like a dream. Changed my fashion life. Now if I can only figure out where to get some decent slacks. I’m right between the 29″-30″ waist at Banana Republic (BTW, they stopped carrying the 29″ inch waists in stores about a year ago — sigh — you can only order online).
June 21st, 2008 at 11:08 am
I’d suggest Muji (http://www.muji.com/mujisoho/info.html) in SoHo, too.
I’d also suggest Diesel at Union Square. They’ve got 30″ inseam jeans and they fit me best. They’ll hem them for cheap, too. They suggest you wash them and air dry them before you bring them back in.
June 21st, 2008 at 12:06 pm
speaking of banana republic, i found that the fit of their chinos tend to be quite inconsistent. it seems that anything made after “sp’07″ (check in the inside label) has a noticeably slimmer fit. i have about 5 pairs of gavin chinos that i bought over the years, and i noticed that the older ones were cut wider all over. could be a good tip to keep in mind, since some BR stores still stock older inventory (for chinos, at least).
lukus- thanks for the heads up on topman. i’ve heard of the topshop opening in soho, but thought that it’s all women’s stuff. looks promising.
jimmy- good call on theory! i realized just now that i do have a lot of theory stuff, and they all fit me well, including my 36S jacket (btw, theory doesn’t make suits).
lukus- yeah i also think that rolled-up jeans/pants aren’t for short guys. better to get them hemmed (orchard tailor for $4!), although i understand it’s about the “look”, in which case i think a narrow roll would be okay.
June 22nd, 2008 at 10:07 am
Sonny – which Theory did you go to? They definitely make suits. I just bought four from their sample sale a couple weeks ago. :)
June 23rd, 2008 at 5:50 pm
I find the clothes at Banana Republic do not fit me at all. For the most part American brands in XS do not fit well (ie. Banana Republic, American Eagle, Abercrombie/Holister/Ruehl) . I mean I suppose I can tailor them but honestly that would be a last resort (heming not included).
Some XS’s at Club Monaco are pretty good. They still tend to make the arms and length rather long.
Zara is good but I am not a fan of the obvious tailoring on some of there shirts (basically u have a piece of extra fabric down the back of the shirt, somewhat forced tailoring; like they didn’t have a pair of scissors when they made the shirt- so not subtle!). Although some of the more “higher end” shirts are Zara good. I guess you get what you pay for.
Lacoste Kids polo (size 16 works for me) have a pretty good fit BUT be careful about drying them in the dryer. They will definately shrink!
Brooklyn Industries in NYC (www.brooklynindustries.com) have great XS that fit fairy well (mainly shirts and jackets).
I hope this helps!
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:29 pm
jimmy- the president of theory is an acquaintance of mine. if i remember correctly, he said that theory doesn’t make suits per se, but sell the jacket and pants separately, maybe like this:
http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod40530009
it could be that at the sample sale both items were priced together? anyway.. my info is from a few years back, and i’ll take your word for it.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:32 pm
oops make that EX-president. i just learned that he recently moved to kate spade. there goes the discount. tsk.
July 1st, 2008 at 4:36 pm
I was in NYC over the weekend and got to check out the much-vaunted UNIQLO store in SoHo. I came away with three size XS polo shirts! (I’d have bought more, but I would have run out of luggage space for the return trip, heh.) The shirts’ hems hit me at just the right point on the hip (yay) and fit great across the shoulders. I wish they’d open a store in Chicago. Anyway, thanks for the tip! :)
July 1st, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Hey Ronald — glad they worked out for you! Let’s hope that they expand their US retail operations soon (guess they’re having a pretty good fiscal year so far, that’s what I hear on the internet anyway).
Cheers,
Josh
July 28th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Based on this article, I went to check out The Short Shop in Malvern, PA. The shop carries Wrangler’s Tiber Creek pants and Who Says jeans, down to a 25″ inseam. The rise in the pants is proportional to the inseam. One interesting thing – before I tired on any pair, he double checked the measurements. He told me to never trust the labels. (Maybe I should carry a tape measure with me to the store?)
I got two pair of pants and 1 pair of jeans. He threw in a copy of his Elvis book, and even autographed it for me!
December 28th, 2008 at 12:57 am
Hey Guys-
Which H&M in the city has the XS dress shirts. I’m up in CT and the stamford location and the one in the Palisades didn’t have them and neither did the one at Rockefeller Center.
I def have to second or third Uniqlo, their dress shirts are perfect. I just wish they had more of a variety in patterns…
Thanks!
October 15th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
I didn’t see any XS in the West Farms H&M in central CT.
October 15th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Zack & Glenn – Good reason you’re not seeing any XS at H&M: I got confused. Their “S/P” is so skinny that I got it in my head it was an XS. Actually, I don’t think they make an XS in dress shirts. I guess I was referring to their S/P size, which seemed like a pretty good fit to me (regardless of what it’s called). Sorry for the confusion!
April 30th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Some great tips here guys…thanks! I’m 5′4, 125 lbs and am going crazy trying to find jeans. I fit perfectly in 29 waist 28 inseam jeans and used to always be able to find them….but no more! I’m desperate since all my jeans are wearing out and I hate having jeans altered…never look right…any suggestions?
April 30th, 2010 at 8:20 pm
The Gap Online has 29 waist 28 inseam jeans. They seem to run a lot of sales–I got a 20% off coupon that I was able to use with free shipping for an order.
May 10th, 2010 at 8:45 am
Thank You Zack!
July 6th, 2010 at 8:26 pm
H+M does have size 34 suits, but they are as good as impossible to find. I spent two weeks looking for one and all I found was one jacket with a huge hole in it. Cheap Monday makes extra small suits, although the material is cotton and the dimensions are hipster. Does anyone know anyone else, online or in the city, that carries 54 inch neckties? Rugby never seems to have them, and all the other websites and stores SHortshrifted mentioned seem to be unoperational or also not carrying them. I could really use the help. Thanks.