Fashion To Flatter Your Figure

Clothing retailers most often prefer to display their wares on either mannequins or professional fashion models. But you have got to face facts: you are not necessarily blessed with perfect genes and you likely dont have the vital stats of a plastic mannequin. Every fashionable male knows that looking good is not really about wearing what is in or popular but about dressing yourself to hide the flaws and emphasize the assets.

A Shorter Perspective
Many guys wish they were taller than they are. Hey, not everybody can be a 6 foot 2 inch runway model. But with a couple of dress rules, even the most vertically challenged guy can make himself look like the big man about town.

If you are a shorter guy, you want to play around with proportion and how long certain articles of clothing will make your body look. For example, items like cuffed jeans and trousers should be avoided at all costs because they interrupt the visual line of your body. In short, they make you look shorter. As much as possible, aim for clothing that will give you long, continuous lines that run along the length of your body.

Cliche as it might already be, vertical stripes are still a sure way to make yourself look leaner and taller than you actually are. Pinstripes and chalk stripes preferably in monochrome and other similarly subtle patterns work best; too-thick or too-loud stripes will just make you look like wallpaper. And if you have to wear a suit, a dark-colored two-button suit will make you look elegant and better proportioned.

When Height Just Isnt Mighty
On the flipside, it is also possible to look too tall. This is a problem for most North Americans and Europeans, as there is just a fine line between gracefully long-limbed and awkwardly lanky. If this sounds like you, you should also dress to modify your visual proportions, this time to widen your body.

Do not, even under the threat of bodily harm, wear anything with vertical stripes. It is true what they say about vertical stripes making you look longer, and you want to achieve just the opposite. Simple, solid colors will work best for your body. If you really want patterns, though, look for horizontally striped shirts or plaids, as they will help increase the visual width of your torso and legs, if you have the moxie to wear plaid pants.

Unless you have muscles to show off or you want to look like a stringbean, fitted or clingy clothes should also be avoided. Slim or vintage fits should work best because they dont have too much extra fabric, yet should have enough space to fall away from your body when worn. Go for simpler fits, especially with jeans and trousers. Straightforward or simply straight cuts will keep from emphasizing that you are a little taller than most.

Dressing stylishly doesnt just mean donning clothes straight from designers runway shows. In fact, simply dressing to complement your body will make you look almost as good as any picture-perfect runway model. You might not make it down any catwalks but you will definitely look a lot better walking down the street.