There’s more going on in men’s fashion than ever before, and it’s been a long time coming. Fashion houses are pumping out mens wear that’s fresh and innovative like never before, naturally leaving us with the conundrum of what looks best on us.
We all know tailoring all your clothes would be the obvious way to get everything to fit just right, but how many of us have the time for that? We need our clothes to fit and we need it to fit right out of the box (or bag, more likely).
There’s a lot of misinformation about this kind of thing all over the net, similar to information dicating your work out based on your body type. People used to swear by terms like endomorph, ectomorph and mesomorph, as it applied to food and body type (which I’ll write about another time) but we’re going to throw all that out the window and go simply by shape.
Below, I’ll breakdown what I’ve dug up what I’ve found out over time, and we’ll figure out what body shape you are. Once I’m through with you, you’ll never wear a trapezoid shirt of you’re a rectangle ever again.
Rhomboid
Odds are, you’re a rhomboid. Which is good! A lot of people have this body type, so a lot of clothes are already pre-tailored to fit you. You can get away with a lot, and don’t have to worry to much about patterns (from plaid or polka-dot). This article is not really for you, but you’re welcome to stick around with everyone else.
Upside Down Triangle
The V shape this makes usually means you have broad shoulders and a broad chest, but your hips and waist are narrow by comparison. This slight imbalance between the horizons of your body means you should really focus some work there.
For example, v-necks shirts would look great for this body type, the ‘V’ itself working visually with the shape of your silhoutte. You’re hoping to draw the eye down the body, with printed legwear, avoid jackets without a tight double-breast, and adding belts all to the same effect.
Don’t wear things like skinny cut pants or jeans, go for slim. Try to stay away from any shirt with a swoop neck, so as not to keep the eye up top.
The Rectangle
So your shoulders are about as wide as your hips with a few inches between the two. What you’ll want to do with this body type is work toward the appearance of widened shoulders, moving down to narrow the appearance of the torso.
“How can I buy garments that do both at the same time?” you shout at the screen. While not much clothing will kill two birds with one stone, you should work with multiple pieces. You mjight want to layer your clothing, like a v-neck and a light overshirt to veil the waist area emphasize the chest. Finding jackets that have a broad chest but come in under the arms is tough, so you may actually want to consider tailoring for this, if you’re not trying to spend hundreds on the best fitting option.
Ovoid wearing double breasted jackets and the like, it’ll emphasize the rectangle. Unless you’re going for that. Don’t wear gaudy prints if you don’t want to look like a walking canvas.
Triangle
Ah, the dreaded triangle. You know shape and you’re likely crossing your fingers that “triangle” doesn’t best describe you, but it’s not that bad.
It may seem contrary, but don’t wear stuff that’s too big for you, ever, if you can help it. Focus on clothes that are comfortable, but conform to the body. Wear a single breasted jacket to streamline the torso, hopefully one that gives more form to the shoulder. Choose darker colors on top, and you can get away with a lot of pants styles and shapes, just so long as they fit.
What you shouldn’t do, is do horizontal stripes across the body, or clothes that tighten up around the neck, like polo shirts that don’t emphasize the shoulder. Also Narrow crew necks should be avoided if possible.
Apply these simple tricks to your wardrobe, and you’ll be surprised what combinations you can get away with.
Image Credit: Helena Lopez
