Short Shrifted

I’ve been bookmarking short-guy-fashion-related forum threads for a long time and thought it’d be nice to weave them all together into one big post. So here goes. There’s some real worthwhile info buried in some of these. And you can also potentially help someone out by answering their query and dropping some knowledge on them (login generally required to post replies). OK, a few of these threads are getting a bit long in the tooth, but all the info is still valid. And after you check these out, remember to come back and build the conversation right here on Short Shrifted by adding your comments on my posts, asking questions, and offering advice, stories, etc. Enjoy:

Where Can I Find a Tux that Fits?: “I’m a short guy who weighs 110lbs and has a 34″ chest. Where can I find a decent tuxedo that fits at a decent price? I’ve been to the local tux rental places – no one has anything to fit me. Nordstroms Rack put me in two Abboud 36S tuxes (one black label, one “Joe”) and both were too large in every measurement. The tailor said he would have to take several inches out of the shoulders and if he *just* did the shoulders, forgetting about the length (too long) of the jacket as well as the sleeves and buttons, it would add $80 to the $350 tux. Or should I just pay $50 for a way-too-big tux on ebay and then spend the other $200 getting it altered?” [MetaFilter]

Help Incorporating Blazers into Wardrobe for Work: “My biggest fit challenges: 99% of sportcoats are too big in the shoulders and baggy in the sleeves. I am a 36s, which I have trouble finding many of while I’m out shopping.” [Ask Andy About Clothes]

Clothes for the Short Guy – Stores, Brands/Lines, Websites: “A thread dedicated to stores/brands and websites that cater to the short guy (under 5′7 applies?) – I’m only 5′5. Anyone else tired of going to stores and spending more time looking for what’s available in your size and then if you like it, rather then clothes you like and then picking out your size? The slim fit thread and others have been pretty helpful but for mainstream stores i still find this a problem.” [Styleforum]

Clothes for the Short Blokes: “Guys, I am one of those short arses that can never find jeans or trousers that will fit off the peg leg length wise. Waist sizes are no problem but I can never find trousers/jeans that I can wear without having to have the leg length taken up and yes, I do mean those ones that are actually made for short guys. I think that my inside leg measurement is somewhere in the region of 28″. Does anyone know where I can get trousers/jeans that are slightly shorter than the standard short, if that makes sense?” [Men's Health UK]

Finding Suits for Short Portly Men is Hell I tell You Pure Hell: “Okay, for whatever reason, I cannot find this information to save my life: In men’s suits, what is the typical length for a “short” (as in not regular or long) suit jacket? For a regular jacket? Is there a range of typical lengths? I know, by the way, that some suits are made custom, but there are also plenty of suits that are bought off-the-rack, and that’s really what I’m interested in. Bonus points: Send me to a resource that has a veritable cornucopia of this information — arm length to jacket length to chest width . . . and I will send you cookies.” (Short Shrifted cannot verify the sunset date of the cookie offer) [MetaFilter]

Can a Short Man Wear a Double-Breasted Suit?: “I tend to think that anyone can wear a double-breasted suit, even the shorter of us, so long as you’ve got the right build. It seems that leaner is better in that regard. But how lean is lean enough? I’m not skinny, but far from fat, too. To be precise: 5′4″, 135 lbs, 38-inch chest, 18-inch shoulders, 29-inch waist, gigantic head. Too stocky, too short, plain unimaginable?” [Styleforum]

An Interesting Article from Today’s NY Times Styles Section: “Quote: ….shoulders tend to be scaled to linebacker dimensions on suits whose labels say 38 Small, where blazers have armholes the size of kiddie pools, where shirt pockets float just above the waistband and where belts often wrap around one’s waist like a lariat. ….shirttails hang so ridiculously long that short men are sometimes forced to tuck them beneath the crotch in the manner of onesies. Zippers on jeans are so long that waistbands ride above the navel, geek style. Inseams droop so that they leave a wearer with little choice but to roll and cuff like Howdy Doody or else to hack at the hems with the manic vigor of Edward Scissorhands. “Basically it has driven me into the whole bespoke category, as expensive as that may be,” said Robert Burke, the fashion director for Bergdorf Goodman, who stands 5-foot-6 and is given to wearing double-vent suits luxuriantly molded to his trim frame. In the industry Mr. Burke is known as a particularly natty dresser. He should be, considering that much of his wardrobe, shoes included, is custom made.” Is it my imagination that even the regular sizes are getting longer and longer?” [Styleforum]

Where Can I Find Details of the Latest UK “High-Street” Fashion for Men?: “I’m having trouble finding websites showing what’s hot in the high-street fashion world for “normal” men – not those 6′4″, emaciated, androgynous models designers always hire to make their clothes look good. I’m 5′8″, 85Kg, have fair skin, and a bit of a tummy. I know what kind of things to wear to make myself look slimmer but I don’t know what the current trend is. I know it was layers last year, but that’s about as much as I know. Are there any websites/blogs that follow the trends which I can bookmark/subscribe to and keep my style up-to-date?” [MetaFilter]

Remember my PDF guide to short neckties? Well, J. Raffiani specializes in crafting neckties for the shorter man. And though this isn’t exactly a forum, it’s interactive. Jason Rappoport, Raffiani’s honcho, is currently conducting a market-research poll on his LinkedIn page (registration required) that poses the following question: What would you pay for a handmade Italian silk tie just for shorter men?.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 17th, 2008 at 7:42 pm and is filed under Miscellaneous, Style Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.