Comments on: Clothing for the Shorter, Wider Male

Question: Clothing for the Shorter, Wider Male

fermata — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 16:32:06 -0800

Where should a really short guy, especially a short fat one, look for clothes?

Embarrassing personal details up front: I'm an extremely short man (5' 4") and heavy for my size (about 195 lbs.). Even without the excess weight, I have a stocky build; to give you some idea, my neck size has always been around 16 1/2" to 17", now probably more like 18". That's wildly out of proportion to my torso and arms: for dress shirts I usually try to find a 32" sleeve and then get them shortened. I wear jeans in a 34" waist and a 28" inseam.

As you can imagine, it's very difficult to find clothes that fit. I've got the jeans size sorted out, at least, but even t-shirts are tricky: a large sometimes fits me, but often if they shrink just a little I can't wear them anymore, and XL is almost always much too big. Shirt lengths are a constant problem: a polo shirt that fits otherwise is usually 2-4 inches too long for me to wear untucked.

There are very, very few retailers, online or off, that specialize in shorter men's clothes, and I've found that even those tend to cater to a small build. Clothes shopping is a miserable experience. My wardrobe is dwindling and I need to rebuild it; I'm going to need some more presentable outfits than I'm accustomed to, too. I'm at a loss. Does anyone in MeFi-land have experience or strategies to share?

I've seen one or two similar questions on here, but as I tend towards the shorter, heavier quadrant even among short guys, I thought it was worth another post. (See this one, for instance: useful but, as usual, catering toward the slimmer build.)

(Dress shirts are only one part of the problem, but I'd consider having a few custom-made, if that can be done for a reasonable cost. I'm interested in hearing suggestions about how to go about that, as well. And, in general, how do you find a good tailor?)

Thanks...

By: kmennie

kmennie — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 17:10:38 -0800

Women's plus sizes, perhaps in the petite range (I'm your height and "petite" is always too short; your torso may vary), from stodgier retailers like LL Bean and Lands' End that'll offer fairly non-gendered t-shirt cuts...?

How to find a good tailor/seamstress = relentless asking around. Pre-social-media in new locations, I went to better clothing stores and asked for a recommendation; they usually have cards for somebody they like.

By: susanvance

susanvance — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 17:30:59 -0800

Honestly, you may want to look into learning a few sewing skills, especially if the big issue is simply shirt length. Hemming a shirt is a really simple, quick job (under 10 minutes) and machines actually aren't very expensive or difficult to use. There are often perfectly good vintage machines at thrift stores, and basic new ones start around $75.

To find a tailor, you can just ask your dry cleaner for a recommendation. Many even offer simple jobs (like hemming) in-house.

By: invisible ink

invisible ink — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 18:45:04 -0800

I'm petite, and found my seamstress by reading Yelp reviews. After you find one that sounds good, I would do a test-run with a cheap set of clothes. Go go to Marshalls or Ross, or sign up for Kohls.com email specials - they are always having a sale. Also, try to plan most of your outfits with the same pair of shoes, and have your pants hemmed accordingly to that shoes' heel height.

LandsEnd.com seems to offer custom hemming for mens' pants.

By: fieldtrip

fieldtrip — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 20:34:07 -0800

Seconding Lands' End. I always recommend Lands' End for everything clothing related - only because I have purchased almost all my work clothes there and they are relatively cheap, look nice, and are durable. It doesn't look like they quite have your size so a not too expensive option may be to buy when they have a sale (wait for 30% off on at least one item and free shipping) then have it tailored. (And 2nding Yelp to find a good tailor). Also, if you have a Sears in your town - you can return Lands' End stuff there. I often order a bunch of stuff to see what it looks like in person and how it fits then return most of it. Easy.

By: whitneyarner

whitneyarner — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 23:29:46 -0800

Check out chubstr.com for some fashion tips for big guys.

By: Ruthless Bunny

Ruthless Bunny — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 06:48:57 -0800

Big and Tall Men's Stores should be your first stop. Not cheap, but the knowledge and expertise is worth paying for.

Guys are big in different ways.

Stout and Portly are two different things, and the cuts of clothing need to reflect that.

Tailoring will be your friend.

By: fermata

fermata — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 13:39:47 -0800

Lotta good advice here, thank you everybody! Susanvance, excellent idea on learning to do the easier alterations myself. I'll look into it. Fieldtrip, I didn't know you could return Lands End clothes at Sears — that's great to know.