If your height comes with substantial muscle mass, you face a different problem from a thinner tall man. Suits that add needed bulk to a thinner man’s body will make yours look like the “muscle” from an old gangster film. Choose a fit that showcases your own shape, instead. Let’s remember that tall and muscular men are pretty much the idealized body type for guys and that’s not something you want to hide or distract from. Simple clothes in dark or muted colors are the athlete’s friend. If you’re seriously tall and seriously muscled you’re going to draw every eye in the room anyway.
SHIRTS
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Fit
One of the worst looks for muscular men is the “overstuffed” appearance, and shirts tend to be the worst offenders. Watch out for collars that pinch — even if you aren’t tying a tie with them. Make sure that the fit’s comfortable and that the collar itself is large enough not to look undersized for your chin.
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Collar
A wider spread usually looks better on larger, more filled-out men.
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Length
Purchase shirts that are long but not too baggy. Excess fabric will billow around your waist or balloon out over it and hide your torso. Make sure the shirt can be tucked in all the way around. Most dress shirts are longer in the front and back with an inverted V-shape where the halves join; if the point of the V is too high it will creep out of your waistband and look silly as you move around.
SUITS & BLAZERS
It’s hard for an athletic man to look bad in a well-fitted suit. The modern suit jacket or sports coat is a powerful, masculine shape, and it drapes wonderfully over a powerful, muscular man.
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Colors & Patterns
If you’re really built along bigger lines than other men, your biggest fashion enemy is excessive color or patterning. You don’t need your clothes to draw anyone’s attention. You’ve already got it. Bright colors, high contrast, and any kind of vivid print or texture makes you a little too muscular for most people’s lives. Solid colors with subtle weaves are better-suited to your needs than more pronounced patterns because you make enough of an impression on your own. A fine-lined grid on the undershirt can help break your height up and any colored fabric can be spiced up with a textured weave. Just don’t overdo it.
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Fit
A close fit is still your friend, as long as you can button the jacket without straining it. Keep your clothing tight where your muscles are most developed, and allow a looser fit around your more slender areas to make everything seem proportional. For athletes focused on upper body strength, a longer jacket and even peaked lapels (usually a vertically-themed no-no for tall men) will help smooth out the transition from the torso to the legs.
FIND YOUR PERFECT FIT
We invite you to discover a new world of bespoke, where clients have the opportunity to design every detail of their garment. Select each element, from the fabric to the color of the stitching on your buttons, with a drink in hand – the way it was meant to be.
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TROUSERS
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Drop
The key to well-fitted trousers is the drop, or the space between the waistband and the crotch of the pants. If the drop is larger than it needs to be, you get a goofy-looking billow of loose fabric between your legs and the cloth around your butt and thighs looks droopy. Get a pair of trousers that gives you enough room in the crotch to move comfortable but doesn’t hang any lower.
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Thighs
Well-muscled men also need to make sure the thighs have enough cloth in them. If the fabric is pulling tight and bunching, or if the pants have pleats and the pleats are stretching open, there isn’t enough room in the thigh.
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Cuffs
Cuffs are your friends. Alton Lane stylists can aid you by making the design elements of your garment a little larger so that everything looks proportional. Wider cuffs help trousers look like they were made for you, not stretched awkwardly over a too-large frame.
COMPLETE THE LOOK
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Ties
Ties, if worn, should be long enough. A tie should never end with a gap between the tip and the belt because tall men in particular look like boys who’ve outgrown their hand-me-downs if they show one.
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Pocket Squares
A horizontally-folded pocket square in the left breast pocket catches the eye without seeming gaudy.
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Belts
Belts help to cut your height in half visually, which helps with the looming problem. You still want people to be noticing your body, though, and not your clothes, so stay away from huge, shiny rodeo buckles or anything else excessively eye-catching.
FINAL SUGGESTIONS FOR TALL AND MUSCULAR MEN
Choose a jacket with minimally padded shoulders, large peak lapels, and a slightly longer length. Your goal is to balance the proportions between a wide upper body and a narrow waist.
Men with Large Chests:
Wear trousers that have some flow and room to them. Avoid skinny jeans at all costs. Wear unstructured jackets and select lightweight fabrics that can layer but not bunch and create folds. Avoid the temptation to have too much waist suppression – which can be hard when you buy custom and have a 8-10 inch drop!
Men with Big Legs
A less fitted shirt will provide some balance and a jacket with structure and neckwear that draws the eye upwards. For a one-two punch, wear a shirt with a pattern that draw attention to your upper torso.
