How to shop for Men’s Suit, Jacket, Slacks or Shirt according to your Body Figure
Written on September 26, 2008 – 4:07 pm | by dodo
Before shopping for a suit, jacket, slacks or a shirt, you need to be aware of the overall proportions of your body. Are your arms short? Are you high-waisted? Are your shoulders and hips in proportion? Once you understand your body, you can make cut, style and fit work for you to disguise your flaws and create a balanced look.
Since few of us are perfectly proportioned, our goal is to create the illusion of perfection. Basic to the illusion is a key principle of design: the eye rests where a line stops. By modifying the lines of your clothes, you can, for example, visually lengthen short legs, diminish a prominent bottom or widen narrow shoulders. A good tailor can make your clothes fit, but only you — by choosing your apparel intelligently — can make line, style, and cut work to your best advantage.
DETERMINING YOUR PROPORTIONS
Stand in front of a full-length mirror so you can examine your overall body harmony. Look at yourself objectively. You may wish to have a tape measure handy and a friend to help you.
The following body checklist shows you the key areas of your body that affect your overall look. After you have read the short explanations that follow, measure and study yourself, then fill in the chart.
Height/weight
Everyone has a different personal ideal concerning height and weight. In general, 173 cm (5 ft 8 in) and under is short, 175 cm to 180 cm (5 ft 9 in to 5 ft 11 in) is average, and 182 cm (6 ft) and over is tall. In many cases, actual height and weight are less important than the relationship of the body parts to the whole. However, if you want to appear taller, shorter, heavier or thinner, there are ways of creating the illusion of a different body size.
Shoulder/hip proportion
Visually compare the width of your shoulders to that of your hips. A man’s shoulders are usually wider than his hips. If your shoulders extend unusually far beyond your hipline, however, you may appear top-heavy. You will also look unbalanced if your hips are equal to or wider than your shoulders.
Shoulder slope
Facing forward, look at the slope of your shoulders. The average person has a five- centimetre (two-inch) drop from the base of the neck to the outer edge of the shoulder. If you have less than this drop, you have square shoulders; more, and your shoulders are tapered. Check also to see if one shoulder is markedly higher than the other.
Leg/torso proportion
In a perfectly proportioned body, the legs make up half of the total height. Measure the length of your leg from hip joint to floor. (If you have trouble locating your hip joint, just lift your leg. Where your trouser breaks at the hip is the joint.) Compare the length of your leg to your overall height to determine if your legs are short, long, or in proportion. Two centimetres (about an inch) either way is still considered average.
Waist/body proportion
First look at your total height, then look at your waistline (when belted). Does your waist seem especially high or low, or does it strike a pleasing proportion to your height? Many people with long legs tend to be high-waisted; short legs often contribute to a low-waisted look.
Neck
See if your neck is very short or very long. Anything in between is not a problem. If you have a double chin, or if your chin or jowls rest against your collar, you need to compensate for your short neck. You can also camouflage a very long neck by making small adjustments in collar fit.
Arms
Your arms are of average length if, when they hang loosely at your sides, the bottom knuckle of your fist is parallel to your crotch. Check also to see if one arm is longer than the other.
Upper back
Stand sideways to the mirror and check the profile of your shoulders and upper back. Is your posture relatively straight or is your upper back rounded with your shoulders tilted forward?
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Tags: body, cm, ft, height, height and weight, hip, hips, leg, legs, neck, overall, people, personal, proportion, shopping, shoulder, shoulders, upper back, work
2 Responses to “How to shop for Men’s Suit, Jacket, Slacks or Shirt according to your Body Figure”
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