Despite what Thomas Jefferson said, all men are not created equal. A man who is conscious of his own body type, and dresses to enhance it, is a man who walks with confidence, knowing the clothing he has chosen looks great on him. Working with a professional clothier will minimize your shopping time, because they will know exactly which patterns, colours and styles will help you look your best. This knowledge will lead to fewer orphaned items hanging in the back of your wardrobe, and your wardrobe will be filled with items that will prove useful and look great on you for years to come.

The first step is to determine what styles of clothes are best for your body type. The litmus test for the usefulness of a piece of clothing is always going to be proper fit. An expensive piece of clothing is worthless if it is not comfortable and does not fit you properly. Here are some basic guidelines for finding clothing that will fit and flatter your body type.

The Taller, Heavier Gentleman

A common mistake is to buy clothing that is too large or baggy in an attempt to hide excess weight. Bigger clothing on larger men makes you look even larger. Another is to fit clothing too tightly; it just makes you look like you gained weight and draws attention to areas to which you may not

want to draw attention. The trick is to buy clothing that fits well and is comfortable to wear. This will make you look leaner and provide you with many more compliments.

Tips for the larger gentleman:

• Avoid jackets with a lot of shoulder padding (that 80s “American footballer look”). Instead, opt for more natural shouldered jackets. Remember that most models in fashion magazines are 40 longs. Anything looks great on them. Natural shouldered clothing will enhance your broad shoulders without making you look bigger.
• Jackets should fit properly at your waist. A basic tailor’s test is to look straight on in the mirror. When unbuttoned, the fronts of your jacket should kiss each other where it buttons. If you can’t button it without it pulling or causing the vent to separate in the back, you will look like you have gained weight and will appear larger than you are.
• Trousers should be worn at the top of your hips. Be careful not to let your belly hang over your trousers, as this will only draw attention to it. You may consider braces as they allow you to wear your trousers parallel to the floor and cover a portion of it. This will allow for a cleaner trouser fit and produce a slimmer look.

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• Choose lighter coloured shirts. Pastels such as light blues, creams, light greys will help you visually beef up, since you are less defined from your surroundings.
• Choose higher collared shirts, as they will help hide a long neck.
• Wear pleated trousers that are easier fitting than trimmer, plain front trousers. When wearing sport outfits, having the trouser colour lighter than the jacket or top will make you seem a little shorter & heavier, because it pulls the eyes down.
• Keep away from the skinny jean. The 80’s rocker look is never flattering for a man. You will look like a flagpole. Choose one with a boot cut where the bottom is slightly larger than the knee.

The Shorter Gentleman

Choose clothing that is not too long or too baggy. It will make you look stumpy

and shorter than you are. Learning how to use patterns to your advantage will help you look longer and leaner.

Tips for the short man:

• Make sure your coat length falls right below your buttocks. Any longer and it will make you look shorter than you are.
• Dress monochromatically for a seamless look. Try all black…it looks great on almost anyone and it is easy to wear. You can vary the shades slightly such as a black suit with a charcoal or mid-grey shirt but avoid sharp contrasts in colour when going from top to bottom as much as possible... Maintain continuity of colour (or, at least, tone) from top to bottom. Suits should be darker, and harder finishes are better. In sport outfits, both top and bottom should have the same tonal gradient, or the lighter tones should be on top, to pull the eye up.
• Make sure sleeve length is always right. Longer, unfitted sleeves will make you look even shorter (like you’re wearing your big brother’s jacket).
• Make sure the shoulder seams of your shirts don’t extend past your shoulders. This will also make you look even shorter.

• Wear one or two button, rather than three button coats. The lower opening and sweep of the lapel pull the eye from your waist to your shoulders, maximizing your height. Wearing a properly-fitted waistcoat is an additional way to appear taller.
• If you wear a shirt un-tucked, make sure the tail length falls just at the bottom of your seat. Any further and you will look like you are all torso with short legs.
• Avoid larger prints/ patterns or large features such as pockets on your shirts. They will overwhelm you.
• Wear striped suits and shirts when ever possible. They will give you a longer, leaner look. Narrow-grounded, rather than wider, stripes will be the most flattering.
• Don’t wear ties past the bottom of your belt. Have your tailor shorten them or cheat and tuck the back skinnier part of your tie in your trousers so you can tie the proper length.
• Wear something that draws attention to your face such as a great tie or a white collar on your coloured dress shirts.

A Timeless Classic

Instead of cloaking yourself in your usual black, lighten up a bit with classic camel. Here is how to do it correctly.

The Coat

The camel overcoat that falls between the knee and calf is an old Hollywood classic – consider James Stewart or Gregory Peck – in line with the classic grey flannel suit. Use it to add an aura of grandeur and timeless elegance to your usual dark suit.

The Blazer

Whether worn with charcoal flannels, shirt and necktie, or with jeans and an open collared sport shirt or knit. The camel hair jacket is perfect for a dressy Friday in the office with an easy switch for a fun night out.

The Fine Gauge Knit

A camel knit is so versatile that it will go with almost any colour of trousers from black to brown. Try it under a dark blazer for contrasted, timelessly elegant appearance or simply wear it with a grey cashmere scarf and jeans for a theatrical casual look.

The Camel Cashmere Sweater

A richly coloured camel cashmere sweater will become one of your go to items this autumn. A camel sweater is perfect for darker earth-toned trousers such as brown or olive; additionally it looks great with any darker blue or grey trouser. Whether you don it in a v-neck, crew neck or a zip mock you will feel relaxed, elegant and debonair.

A lot of great content goes unread simply because it doesn’t grab the attention of the reader. The great American poet, Maya Angelou, wrote that “content is of great importance, but we must not under-estimate the value of style.” While she was referring to the written word, the principle applies equally well to personal style. Substance without style may be too ordinary, just not that interesting, thus too easy to overlook.

When developing personal style, a natural tension exists between the motivation to fit in and the desire to stand apart from the crowd, to strike some sort of balance between affiliation and recognition, association and self-identity, conformity and individuality. Fitting in is generally the easy part. To both fit in and appropriately stand out requires a different level of thought and effort.

Making such an effort more complex, the lines of conformity have been blurred over the past several years while the tools available for self-expression have never been more abundant and diverse. To simplify the process, some people choose to adopt the look of one designer or another. For example the Ralph Lauren look or the Armani look. Still others get their cues from a designer and then adapt the basic look to fit their own style. When pulling together a variety of elements to create a look, the trick is to make it all work without it looking like you spent too much time thinking about it.

In the final analysis, the icons of style who are known for their signature look are those who grabbed hold of a single fashion item or a singular look early in their lives and allowed it to become synonymous with their identity.

Some of the best examples of signature style created by a single item are:

• The aggressive horn rimmed glasses of fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. Woody Allen and Michael Cane are two others who adopted this look.



• The distinctive white suit of noted author Tom Wolfe



• The colourful shirts, ties and braces (suspenders) of Larry King

Some of the best examples of signature style created by a singular look are:

• The subtle, simple, and preppy look of the Kennedys.



• 007 - The understated elegance of each James Bond character, incuding the simple white pocket

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square, white Double cuff shirts, subtle shirt and tie.

• The effortless elegance and truly timeless style of Cary Grant. Clooney and DiCaprio are modern actors who approach this style.



• The bold striped suit and striped shirt with white collar look of the character Denny Crane on the hit TV show Boston Legal.



• The sober, respectable look of the dark, narrow lapel suit, skinny black tie, and spare rimmed black fedora of Malcolm X.



• The All-American essence of Robert Redford and Ralph Lauren, including lots of denim, tweeds… classic in every regard.

Guidelines for developing your own signature style:

Consider your personality.According to Giorgio Armani, “Wearing clothing that is inappropriate to your inner character is

the biggest mistake a man can make in terms of fashion.” What are a few adjectives that you or others would most readily use to describe your personality? Does your clothing and overall “look” successfully frame and support the “real you”? As Christopher Bailey of Burberry wrote, “It’s OK to be a little adventurous, but you have to listen to your soul and have good instincts.”

Consider your industry and your organization and your role within each. Many industries have a certain culture code and range within that code depending on your role and the level at which you’re playing the game. This consideration is partly about how far you can push the boundaries while remaining appropriate.

Consider your geography and environment. The big cities are generally more formal and conservative than the smaller towns and regional centres. Those who travel abroad might be influenced by styles that are dominant in different regions and countries.

To get started, pick either the single item or the singular style approach and give it

a try. For the single item approach you might try something as simple as always wearing a crisp white pocket square (or a variety of colourful ones) in the breast pocket of your tailored jackets. Double cuff shirts, shirts with contrasting (usually white) collars and cuffs, and/or interesting cufflinks are other simple alternatives. Further ideas might include a monogrammed belt buckle, a particular favorite colour that is always present in your outfit, or …

The singular look approach can begin by deciding whether you identify more with a traditional and understated classic style, a more contemporary and artistic Italian style, or a sophisticated, elegant, and distinguished British style. This approach is generally marked by being very consistent with the elements that make up the look. In other words, if the look is classic, then all of the elements are classic.

If any or all of this just sounds like too much effort than it’s worth, then consider just building a comfortable rotation of quality, comfortable clothes that fit great and make you feel like a million.