Fashion tips for skinny man please!

Balman

Hi,

I'm 5'11''.

I'm skinny. I have never weighed more than 10stone.
I can't put on weight.

I'm getting fed up with my clothes/stlye but am very conscious that certain clothes/styles just look stoopid on me!

What I currently do is go to M&S once a year and buy 3-4 trousers, polo shirts and maybe a few jumpers. I need to wear business/casual for work so this is fine.

In my work I will probably have to start travelling more and meeting more people so I need to bring it up a notch, but don't know what to do!

- If I wear very thin cotton shirts (the kind that are nearly see through), then then tend to poof out around the waist, and then completely flatten against my chest in any kind of light breeze!!!
- If I wear baggier trousers and stand still they look fine. But if I walk you can see my skinny legs forcing their shape!!
- I am not broad shouldered, so I look narrow from the front too!!
- I actually have a very small waist... I can wear a 32'' waist and not need a belt... my hips keep it up!!


So how do I smarten up without looking odd!. I dont' really care that I'm skinny, I don't have a complex... I just need tips on styles of clothes that might help me look smart without people thinking "my gawd he's thin" the first time they see me!


The only smart-business-casual thing I have done so far is

- wear my M&S cords/chinos
- wear a short sleeve polo shirt
- put a jumper on over it
- wear a casual suit jacket over it.

I find that the suit jacket has padding in the shoulders, and has stiffer material in general, which makes me look bigger on top..... and it keeps it's shape in the wind.

Any advice gratefully accepted.
I guess I am overly self conscious on this point and have become very conservative in what clothes I buy.

I'm primarily looking for clothes that can be "business casual" but any tips welcome.

Endurance Man

Fashion Forum .

Balman

Hi,

I'm 5'11''.

I'm skinny. I have never weighed more than 10stone.
I can't put on weight.

I'm getting fed up with my clothes/stlye but am very conscious that certain clothes/styles just look stoopid on me!

What I currently do is go to M&S once a year and buy 3-4 trousers, polo shirts and maybe a few jumpers. I need to wear business/casual for work so this is fine.

In my work I will probably have to start travelling more and meeting more people so I need to bring it up a notch, but don't know what to do!

- If I wear very thin cotton shirts (the kind that are nearly see through), then then tend to poof out around the waist, and then completely flatten against my chest in any kind of light breeze!!!
- If I wear baggier trousers and stand still they look fine. But if I walk you can see my skinny legs forcing their shape!!
- I am not broad shouldered, so I look narrow from the front too!!
- I actually have a very small waist... I can wear a 32'' waist and not need a belt... my hips keep it up!!


So how do I smarten up without looking odd!. I dont' really care that I'm skinny, I don't have a complex... I just need tips on styles of clothes that might help me look smart without people thinking "my gawd he's thin" the first time they see me!


The only smart-business-casual thing I have done so far is

- wear my M&S cords/chinos
- wear a short sleeve polo shirt
- put a jumper on over it
- wear a casual suit jacket over it.

I find that the suit jacket has padding in the shoulders, and has stiffer material in general, which makes me look bigger on top..... and it keeps it's shape in the wind.

Any advice gratefully accepted.
I guess I am overly self conscious on this point and have become very conservative in what clothes I buy.

I'm primarily looking for clothes that can be "business casual" but any tips welcome.

Sangre

32" waist isn't hella skinny...at all.

I know this is obvious but try the gym? You'll look and feel great!

For fashion wise just get well fitting clothes i.e jumper, shirts,straight pants preferably plain coloured for the tops e.g. black, beige.
You can't hide the fact you're skinny but show off the fact you're not fat.

Idbatterim

how old are you? and by the way of course you can put on weight if you want, you are an ectomorphy basicly meaning you have a fast metabolism, as you age it will slow down and you will start gaining weight easier. But thats like a fat person saying they CANT lose weight, you want to put on weight start eating more and higher calorie food, christ take weight gain formula if needs be, believe me your body wont get a say in the matter of you gaining weight, take in more calories than you burn and you gain weight... its more healthy to be a little overweight than underweight! FACT!

chump

Try different shops... you're sticking with the same ones too much...

I know for a fact you can get shirts that are much slimer than the basic cotton ones they flog in M&S... they'll cost more but worth it

Also consider get clothes tailored...

Basically you have an odd shape, so it will take more time and money for you than most people when you go shopping...

I'm a similar size, well 6footish and a stone or 2 heavier but I manage grand... and shure there's loads of slim 6footors... just shop around a bit more

Civilian_Target

Balman wrote:

Hi,

I'm 5'11''.

I'm skinny. I have never weighed more than 10stone.
I can't put on weight.

I feel your pain. I'm 6'5" - narrow shoulders, etc. I weigh less than 12 stone and while I could probably build a belly, why would I? I also have a 32" waist. And yes, for the record, I take plenty of exercise.

For business clothes, trousers and decent shirts, etc. I'd recommend going to a menswear shop - they'll adjust things for you if necessary, but generally will have stuff that fits you perfectly and looks fine. Obviously though, this isn't cheap...

For other "business casual" stuff, I dunno, I just look around and see what I can find...

simu

Endurance Man wrote:

Fashion Forum .

No - the same thread is there already!

jrey1981

I am about the same height and a bit skinny too with a fast metabolism.

Unless you shop around for slim fitting trousers and shirts or get them tailored I am not sure what to suggest.

I also go for chinos and M&S shirts...I think it is quite difficult not to be self-conscious about this sort of thing in our advertising/body/image obsessed world, so I know where you are coming from

Squirrel

I'm 5'11 and 9 stone, and I rarely have problems with the shape of my legs showing through my trousers unless it's ver windy. It also helps that I'm an athlete so have a fair amount of muscle on my legs so that fills them out a bit. Try other shops for clothes

whiskeyman

Here's a good tip.
Wear a polo shirt / jumper etc.. with a horizontal stripe(s) ... never wear clothing with vertical stripes.
Why?
Horizontal stripes give the impression you are actually wider / bulkier than you really are....
Same could be said for "wider" people.... they should never wear horizonal stripes.
It's a simple trick of illusion and works very well.

simu

Threads merged

-simu

shakaman

Wear suit/cord jackets with a fitted shirt/t-shirt on underneath. That way the jacket adjusts for the lack of shoulder width and it will also hide the belly hang on the t-shirt. Also instead of a jacket wear a fitted wooly jumper RL/Gant or something like that over the shirt will help beef up your appearance a bit.

As for trousers get yourself down to Jack jones for some cords, casual trousers they have a skinny fitting thigh and baggy bottom to the leg so shouldn't flag to much in the wind.

In general just shop around more.

skywalker

Skinny blokes can look very well in a well tailored suit. Id advise you spend the bit extra on getting your suits tailored.

Also would cords be acceptable in your job? they may hold their shape a bit better than slacks.

Also Roches do some nice fitted shirts on the 1st floor, they may look a lot better on than normal m&s ones.

Balman

Thanks for all the replies.

I guess I do need to go out and just try alot of stuff on... but shopping wrecks my head. I'm also a bit of a scrooge and hate spending large amounts of money on clothing... I'm not vain.

I would have thought that tight fitting clothes would make be look even more like a lamp-post!


I'm 30... and when I was 18 I eight 10stone and now I weigh 10 stone. I don't get too much exercise at all.

Yes Cords are fine.

Another problem is that I think I sweat in the armpits more than average! so I can't sit i nwork all day wearing a suit jacket.... so what I wear underneath has to look good on it's own. The thoughts of wearing a tight fitting t-shirt are a big NO NO in my mind. I would look like a straw!

Can anyone suggest some decent shops I should try that wouldn't be too expensive? I'd be more inclined to to go the malls in the burbs than the city centre.

Do any of the shops have decent assitants who can advise on this sort of thing rather than somebody who just wants to make a sale?

Thanks.

chump

Balman... I've found that it's the baggier clothes that make skinny people look skinnier...

Better fitting stuff is much better ...

You'll have to get over your fiscal tightness if you want to get good stuff though

I think dublin CC is better than the burbs.

Start on the north side, henry st, do jervis, then the new roaches (loads there now)... then head to arnotts, then head over to boyers , then downstairs across the road from there (forget the name) ...

You'll prob have to spend 60+ euros on your shirts, pants, tops, jackets and the like... but shure thats why you earn a wage...

BrianD3

Even though you said in the first post that you don't have a complex about your weight it actually sounds like you do. I have a bit of this myself too, and my primary criteria when choosing clothes is "am I going to look too skinny in this". I am 5'9" and 11.5 stone so I'm a bit heavier than you. I still feel too skinny but am better than I used to be - used to be only 9.5 stone.

My suggestion is to get up off your skinny ass, take up weight training and eat a *lot*more. It is not true to say you can't gain weight. If you eat plenty and train well with heavy weights you are guaranteed to gain muscle. After 6 months, you will notice the difference in your physique and it should give you a) more choice in clothes b) more confidence in how you look

mysterious

I feel your pain too,
I am also skinny with a fast metobolisms and 6"2 and never seem to put on weight and i do sits ups and pushs up regurlary eat the right foods and do regular exerices like walking and cycling, Its the shape and height thats makes things more difficult and frustrating.


I also have problems when it comes to clothes to, i can never get the right jeans as its hangs down the leg i have to get belts to get it right even then the waist looks all tucked in makes the jeans look tucked out and make me look skinnier,
when it comes to fashion everything thing thats in , is made to look tall and thin, showing more of your posture....

also good thats a good tip on horizontal lines T-shirts, there are great
also Polo shirts with a decent colours is good too
and wear whites rather than black as black fools the persons eye into thinking your skinnier than you actually are!

I also noticed jeans that are in fashion at the moment annoyes me because the bootcut jeans make you look taller the way they are tapered down etc,

Enii

Balman wrote:

Another problem is that I think I sweat in the armpits more than average! so I can't sit i nwork all day wearing a suit jacket.... so what I wear underneath has to look good on it's own. The thoughts of wearing a tight fitting t-shirt are a big NO NO in my mind. I would look like a straw!


Thanks.

In relation to you sweating if it is a real problem, go to your doctor, I think you can get a gland under your arm sniped to prevent excessive sweating. That is if you are that concerned about it.

Balman

Thanks for the comments.

I'm not sure about tight fitting tops.

On a girl, yes, they make you look skinnier, which is good (right?).

On a man.... umm. no... Anything tight fitting on top is seriously going to make me look like a straw.. I have no chest! I'm not muscular.

As for putting on weight.... this is just the way I am. I don't particularly want to go to loads of effort just to bulk myself up. For 4 years I ate 2 dinners every evening and never put on an ounce... and didn't get much exercise either.

I did have a quick look in some menswear shops at the weekend and, sure, I saw stuff I liked and yes, it was expensive, but didn't get a chance to try stuff on.

It's no problem picking out clothes that look nice.... what I need is some help on advising on what style of shirt/jumper/trouser looks nice on my particular body shape.

I could otherwise spend weeks looking and trying on stuff and I just don't have the time or patience.

noby

"I'm not sure about tight fitting tops.

On a girl, yes, they make you look skinnier, which is good (right?).

On a man.... umm. no... Anything tight fitting on top is seriously going to make me look like a straw.. I have no chest! I'm not muscular."


I think the point is wearing clothes too big for you makes you look worse.
You're only 2-3 inches taller than me, and I'm about 10/5 stone. I comfortabally fit into a 32" waist.
For shirts, it's pointless buying a standard size one, like in one of those shirt & tie sets. There's way too much material there. Buy a fitted-style shirt.
Other shirts (I guess 'fashion' shirts) come in sizes (s,m,l etc.) rather than measurements. I find most small sizes fit me well. These can be casual enough, but a good checked shirt or something can give enough of a smart/casual balance for work. You should easily pick up small/medium jumpers aswell, whether v-neck or round.

It's not like you're 6'10" with a size 20 foot. You're average, or slightly above average height, and slim, but not falling away. It shouldn't be too difficult to find clothes to fit your body shape.