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Clothes to fit tall, skinny type
splash
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Heeeeeeeeeello!
I'm 25 and am tired of looking like a shlump. A huge problem, as it has been throughout my life, is that clothes made here never seem to be intended for people like me. I am 6'4" and 160lbs skinny and very Swedish genetically. To get this out of the way, I've done strength training and increased food intake to gain weight but genetically it doesn't work. Whether I'm really active or not my body stays the same.
I'd like to ask for some help from you guys. I don't know how or where to shop for clothes that will fit a body type like mine. I've heard stores like GAP have a special size called long on many of their clothes. Is this true? Are other popular stores like this? In general just having that option would probably make things a lot better. As you can guess what I need is usually about the width of medium clothes but the length of large. I tend not to see this. For example, how common is a jean size to be 32-36?
More formal shirts I wore for the office was size 15 1/2 x 34/35 medium. I found this to be pretty acceptable as clothes usually go for me. Do I need to start looking for more fitted clothes like this and avoid generic medium/large sizes because they just won't work?
Lastly to keep it pretty short, is there a type of fit for jeans that looks better on skinnier men? I'm still confused about the straight-leg, boot-cut, whatever whatever. I have relaxed fit, which is too bulky, but straight-leg seems to go to far and makes me look and feel like toothpicks. What is a big & tall store? Do they have brand-name clothes? Does it mean big & tall or big OR tall? Where do you find just tall?
I'm 25 and am tired of looking like a shlump. A huge problem, as it has been throughout my life, is that clothes made here never seem to be intended for people like me. I am 6'4" and 160lbs skinny and very Swedish genetically. To get this out of the way, I've done strength training and increased food intake to gain weight but genetically it doesn't work. Whether I'm really active or not my body stays the same.
I'd like to ask for some help from you guys. I don't know how or where to shop for clothes that will fit a body type like mine. I've heard stores like GAP have a special size called long on many of their clothes. Is this true? Are other popular stores like this? In general just having that option would probably make things a lot better. As you can guess what I need is usually about the width of medium clothes but the length of large. I tend not to see this. For example, how common is a jean size to be 32-36?
More formal shirts I wore for the office was size 15 1/2 x 34/35 medium. I found this to be pretty acceptable as clothes usually go for me. Do I need to start looking for more fitted clothes like this and avoid generic medium/large sizes because they just won't work?
Lastly to keep it pretty short, is there a type of fit for jeans that looks better on skinnier men? I'm still confused about the straight-leg, boot-cut, whatever whatever. I have relaxed fit, which is too bulky, but straight-leg seems to go to far and makes me look and feel like toothpicks. What is a big & tall store? Do they have brand-name clothes? Does it mean big & tall or big OR tall? Where do you find just tall?
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I will say that I don't shop at the Gap as their shirts and whatnot seem more geared towards bulkier dudes ("meatheads") and I like things to be more form-fitting. Of the WASP retailers, I spend most of my dollars at Banana Republic, but they can get hella expensive. In my experience, a girlfriend can be a great tool for finding good deals on classy clothes.
I wear 32-34 for pants, though ideally I would be able to find 32-35 depending on the cut. Relaxed fit is definitely not the way to go. I like a good boot-cut, but I don't especially mind looking like toothpick, as I basically am a toothpick. No need for illusions.
I think big & tall stores are not generally geared to our shape, being more for giants (professional athletes and the like) rather than slightly abnormal humans. Their apparel is also usually very boring unless you have access to one of the primo variety in well-to-do metropolitan areas.
You won't really find the tall sizes in most stores, but almost every clothing store with mail order has tall sizes that are just longer and won't be baggy on you.
Going with fitted shirts is probably your best bet for dress shirts. As for casual clothes, European brands tend to fit a bit slimmer, so you might want to check into some of those.
Husband says for Jeans, online shopping works well if you know your measurements. Places like old navy have sizes online they don't carry in stores. In general I think he looks pretty good in carpenters or painters style jeans. They're loose but not gigantic in my opinion.
I second these. I have one and it fits me very nicely. Worth the money!
You've all been helpful, thanks. I'm going to spend time looking online. At this point even if I don't get to try something on first I'm willing to try a purchase and see how it is. I probably just need to overlook any regular sizes, they just never ever do me enough justice. I'm glad there are some in-store options as well. Not that I love Gap or such stores but it helps to know specific brands that will work.
That might be the explanation as to why my super skinny Japanese roomate liked American Apparel so much.
I'm checking out the Levi's thing right now because I really need some new jeans. I have 32-34 that aren't long enough plus they are too baggy on the top half due to the relaxed fit.
Maybe sounds weird but finally getting a few things that will fit correctly is a drastic improvement in my life..
Edit: On the Levi's website the only size I can find close enough on the slim fit jeans is 32-34. Do you know if they ever have 35 or 36L?
dream a little dream or you could live a little dream
sleep forever if you wish to be a dreamer
I'm 6'4" and used to weight 160lbs when I was younger!
try eating more. I didn't start putting on real weight till I hit 29 years old.
For jeans, I ussually try 32/34 (waist) with Belt and try to get 36 or 38 inseam!
Nudie jeans are made for you man. Try the thin finn cut, they look awesome on tall thin people like you.
Not to mention chicks dig guys in nudie jeans. I don't think their big in the states yet but their huge in Europe, Japan and Australia.
Anyways.
First, wear mediums. I used to wear large/xl, give my and your size, mediums should look good and fit well without being too tight.
As for jeans/pants
American Eagle, Old Navy, Gap, and Lucky Brand Jeans, amongst others all make extra long pants. Most of the time I get by on 32w34L but I would prefer 32x35. But I digress, you can find 32/36 from most of these retailers although your best bet is online. If it doesnt fit, bring it back to the store. You'll be out postage, but fuck it, if it fits you'll also have saved the gas to drive to the store. As for dress shirts I'm not sure.
i thoroughly dislike the slim skintight jeans. your legs will look like twigs and all your jeans and pictures will look horrible outdated in a few years time...
I get my 32-36 jeans at Levi's. The 512 model, with the slight bootcut, doesn't emphesize the skinnyness of your legs as much. Don't get them too loose (looks sloppy). If you have acces to a levi's outlet store you can even get these great jeans very cheaply. also, these last a really long time.
shirtwise, make sure the body part of the shirt isn't too wide. ESPRIT makes the best "slim fit" shirts i've fitted. Mind you, slim fit doesn't mean skin-tight (which, according to me, just doesn't work for skinny people). In esprit, it means the shirt is slightly centered. eg. the body part doesn't look like a huge cloth square, but it tapers gently towards your stomach line.
tapered shirt + bootcut looks great.
I know what you mean about the shirts. I could have also mentioned I'm quite broad shouldered so add that into the mix of medium/large shirts and it really is a mess. I hate some of the shirts I used to have that are like square-shaped. Tons of material loose at the bottom 1/3rd! That's another reason why my work shirts worked so well, because I tucked them in.
Have you guys ever used a tailor to fit clothes you've already bought? They can't exactly lengthen clothes right? But they can shrink their width? Does that work for casual clothes?
i had the same problem, there is an undergarment that you can wear to look bulked up. its on ebay uk as paded slim fitted t shirt. you can wear that under your clothes, and magicly all the clothes fit tight, and you start to look not thin.
have a look.
worked for me
Shogun Streams Vidya
Good luck though. I'm pretty lean too, and I've discovered over the years that I have to shop at places that are deemed more trendy or fashionable (and therefore more expensive) if I want to find anything that fits my body type. I've had luck with places like Guess and French Connection, but those are a bit less conservative than say, Banana Republic or J. Crew if that's what you're going for.
I'll also second Lucky Brand for jeans. I've owned a couple of those and liked them very much.
For shirts I'd suggest getting some custom made, you can get them from a tailor for the same price or less then mid range brand name stuff, or cheaper online if you're confident in your measuring skills. Getting shirts taken in at a tailor shouldn't be a problem either. I've done that a few times and it'd a definite improvement, but not as nice as custom tailored stuff.
Seconded. I'm a similar build to you, Splash, and in the past year my closet has been increasingly made up of H&M, American Apparel, Threadless, and Levis 511s for jeans.
I think it is unlikely that the OP is still checking up on it.
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
By large coincidence someone posted in the thread and I'm here to read it.
This is giving me a chance to re-read new and old suggestions getting ready for summer. At the time I was working on the winter wardrobe. Now, the summer challenge.
I've found some success with Levi jeans (the brand I prefer most), but Banana Republic/Old Navy tall-sized shirts of various kinds are one thing I can't recommend. I followed the washing instructions completely but they shrink too much. GAP is the better of those three mainstream stores for sure. I've been hit or miss with places like Macy's (online they carry a good selection of Levi jeans though) and JCPenney (they carry some tall sizes online), and I need to try around more. Initially I did online orders only because it was the easiest to find the right size, so American Eagle, Nudie Jeans, etc I haven't even tried out yet because their websites I had a hard time with.
Yeah, I've since grabbed a pair of extra slim fit jeans from H&M that are pretty excellent, not to mention shirts and other whatnot that fit quite well. I need to get an American Apparel hoodie for next winter at some point...
dream a little dream or you could live a little dream
sleep forever if you wish to be a dreamer
Hang dry. Better for your clothes, and keeps em the proper size. Or you can ask before you buy if they are pre-shrunk clothes.
Urban fit (it's a style, short short sleeves, and a lot tighter in the shoulders are the most noticeable things for us skinny guys) clothes are what I buy, a lot tighter, although, they are usually more expensive, at least what I've seen.
This straight up isn't true. It may make things more difficult, but you're probably simply not eating enough. I was always the same (except four inches taller and damn near as light at points), but it turned out I just needed to seriously up my intake and push myself harder. You are the same unless you somehow defy the laws of physics.
Anyway, I’m going to back all the people who’ve suggested H&M. They have a good range of slim fit clothes.
dream a little dream or you could live a little dream
sleep forever if you wish to be a dreamer