Short men will almost always have it harder when it comes to shopping for clothes, or in just about anything. In fact, studies have shown that taller men are often regarded as the more powerful and better leaders than shorter men. Taller men are apparently more desirable and on average make more money than shorter people. In a world where perceptions are everything, all is not lost. There are several ways that the shorter man can dress up without necessarily calling attention to their height and all the other negatives that come from it.
SHOP: Shoes for Short Man
The Rule of Thumb
There are many tips floated around by fashion experts, from high heel shoes for men to different types of clothes. Perhaps the most important rule, though, is the streamlining of one’s look. Looking taller is basically down to one’s ability to get the viewer’s eyes to travel smoothly up their bodies. It is a matter of illusion; the more the viewer’s eyes sweep upwards, the easier it will be for their brains to register that it is looking for a tall person. The implication of this is that the shorter man will want to have the viewer looking upwards towards their face. Clutter like eye-catching stuff in the lower parts of the body breaks the height impression. This works even when wearing the common men’s shoes with heels inside.
Color Themes
This is consistent with the idea of the minimizing clutter and streamlines looks. To look taller, it is important to remove contrasting colors from one’s look and keep all clothes within a consistent color theme. Dark colors are especially useful indicators of the illusion of height. If colors have to be combined, then one must try as hard as possible to have the darker colors towards the bottom half of the body, meaning people’s attention will start near the feet and generally travel upwards.
SHOP: High Heel Boots
Vertical Orientation
Generally, vertically oriented clothes tend to give the slimming effect, while the horizontally oriented gives the opposite widening effect. Patterns that go outwards generally have the body seeming wider because the eyes will want to follow them naturally outwards. For the illusion of height, go for the unbroken vertical stripes. They should ideally be wide enough not to create broad empty spaces and narrow enough that they can be visible at first glance.
The Right Fit
This is an important tip for just about anyone, but perhaps most important for the shorter men. A loose fit emphasizes the small frame of the body, signaling the subconscious idea that he is too small to actually find clothes that fit him. When shopping for clothes, avoid clothes or jackets that are lose hanging, even if the sleeves are short enough. Also, avoid trousers that have a lot of loose cloth around the groin area. This will help avoid the classic look of a kid in their father’s suit.
Dressing taller is much more than looking for those size 10 high heels for men. One must take it a notch higher and dress well to complete the look.
