Buying clothes as a short-average height male

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ardour

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So why do clothing manufacturers hate short-to-average height men, do they just not want us wearing their brands?

This blog sums it up pretty well, the author's gone and documented what it's like to look for a simple untucked shirt at 5'6":

http://www.themodestman.com/clothing-industry-hates-short-men/

"“Small” and “medium” clothes don’t fit small and medium men. You know who they do fit? 6 foot 2 models" - so very true

-The clothing industry's idea of the average medium male body appears to be that of a toned 6'2" hipster male model

Consequently...

-Size mediums are mostly too long, even though 'medium' implies a fit for an average stature

-Small shirts/t-shirts are often still too long, or too tight around the chest for a light-medium build, giving you the 'moobs' appearance

-A lot of stores won't stock small sizes and quickly run out of mediums, then have clearance sales for all the leftover L/XL/XXL sizes - why not just buy more small/medium stock? Or would that involve acknowledging men who aren't 'ideal'?

-Having shirts tailored after sale is expensive since the entire garment needs to be adjusted

-Jeans in-store are always limited to the too-long leg lengths (34"-36"), so we have to go online without trying or get used to having them bunch around our ankles


I realize this isn't an important issue, I realize tall and/or overweight women find it very difficult also...
 
ardour said:
I realize this isn't an important issue, I realize tall and/or overweight women find it very difficult also...

Shorter women too. I've experienced dress swimming many times. It's not nearly as fun as regular swimming. But that's only the start of the problems. Sleeves, jeans, odd waistlines, hems at the wrong places etc and etc..

I can only say I completely understand where this is coming from. Anything that is not the industry ideal isn't convenient to work with apparently.
 
I think it really depends on your body type more than your height. I'm 6'4 and average build (not as lanky as most tall guys nor am I particularly muscular or heavy, people at my height tend to be one or the other) and I always have trouble finding shirts that fit me.
Larger sizes are made for overweight people, smaller sizes are made for short people, so everything I buy ends up too short or too wide. So, considering you mentioned that tall/overweight women have trouble finding clothes that fit them, and there's already comments mentioning how short women have trouble finding clothes to fit... that covers everyone. Short men, tall men, tall women, short women. So, sorry to say this but I think you're reading into it too much in this case.
 
MentatsGhoul said:
I think it really depends on your body type more than your height. Larger sizes are made for overweight people, smaller sizes are made for short people..
I'm sorry, but I have to disagree. Smaller sizes are certainly not always made for shorter people; you can be slender and tall as well. There are petite sizes specifically for shorter women, but most brands do not carry them. Body shapes/types and height are different things and this thread is focused only on clothing fit where it concerns height. And many manufacturers tend to not take that into consideration, just as readily as you've dismissed the issue.
 
Hmm, as a lanky and slightly malnourished guy with unusually long arms and legs on top I'll just say that I have the opposite problem. Buying pants or longsleeves especially will leave me with the choice of either too short or too baggy - instead of too long or too tight like you, ardour. But I also noticed that clearance sales only seem to happen for items of sizes L and above and none of them suit me.

I've settled with the mildly baggy look really...my job only requires casual attire, luckily. So at least I don't look like I washed all my clothing too hot, ending up with a range of shrunken attire. This is far from ideal, but in the end I am not ideal either.
 
MentatsGhoul said:
Larger sizes are made for overweight people, smaller sizes are made for short people, so everything I buy ends up too short or too wide.

I have to disagree with that also. ‘Small’ seems to mean ‘slight of build’ now, not short. Depends on the brand I guess, but speaking to my own experience here, the length starts longish to begin with, so as the size goes up they only get marginally longer. It’s quite ridiculous as a bang on average 5’9 ½” guy to find shirts sized small hanging below the crotch.

Methinks the industry would prefer every guy be within a 5'11" - 6'3" range.
 
That's why, when you do find a brand you like, stick with it as much as possible. I'm not that short, but I am fat. And it can be difficult to find clothes that fit me nicely. Which is probably why I hate shopping.
 
I buy my clothes at department stores like Walmart, I'm below average height. I buy all my clothes in medium and have never had that problem. The only time they are too big is if they get stretched out. If I buy small it ends up being too small for my liking especially after washed when it comes to t-shirts. The only problem I have are pants, can never find ones in the right length. If it's the right length they are either too long or short. I don't think it's finding the right size it's more the persons body type and personal preference where the problem can be. Or those who want to shop at name brand stores I've heard people having problems there finding the right size, some of them can cater to a certain body types more than others. It's all where you shop as well, I'd never go to a Banana Republic store or Abercrombie.
 
I wonder if there are any online brands that let you specify exactly what sizes you want, then sends you the perfect fit.
 
clothes tailor ?
I know that most people want off the rack cloths but alterations would add comfort
 
Aisha said:
MentatsGhoul said:
I think it really depends on your body type more than your height. Larger sizes are made for overweight people, smaller sizes are made for short people..
I'm sorry, but I have to disagree. Smaller sizes are certainly not always made for shorter people; you can be slender and tall as well. There are petite sizes specifically for shorter women, but most brands do not carry them. Body shapes/types and height are different things and this thread is focused only on clothing fit where it concerns height. And many manufacturers tend to not take that into consideration, just as readily as you've dismissed the issue.

Jesus Christ, I'm not the devil here, I haven't "dismissed the issue". I'm just saying, finding the right size of clothing to wear isn't unique to average or shorter men, if anything I used your earlier comment about it also being a problem for short women to support it. It's clear to me it can apply to a range of different body types and heights, and I just find that people interpreting it as a conspiracy against all shorter people is a bit... too much. I really don't get where you read me dismissing other people's issues from.

ardour said:
I have to disagree with that also. ‘Small’ seems to mean ‘slight of build’ now, not short. Depends on the brand I guess, but speaking to my own experience here, the length starts longish to begin with, so as the size goes up they only get marginally longer. It’s quite ridiculous as a bang on average 5’9 ½” guy to find shirts sized small hanging below the crotch.

Methinks the industry would prefer every guy be within a 5'11" - 6'3" range.

Of course, I can't speak for everyone or their body, but it doesn't change the fact that most of the clothing I wear, even as someone of above average height, doesn't fit me, and as I said it's usually due to being too short or too wide (keep in mind, American sizes are way different than European. I've bought a few shirts from America, and I'd say European XL is equivalent to approximately American L or even M). Perhaps Americans have the exact opposite issues, but I wouldn't know, to be perfectly honest, and I'm not sure I could think of any real reason why it would be, as I think (though, I'm not sure) Europeans, at least in the parts of Europe I've lived in, are taller on average.

Personally, I think it's possible that the clothing inudstry focuses on certain (and extremely specific) body types more than others. But just rationally, think of it this way- if short men, average men, tall men, short women and tall women all have trouble finding clothes that fit them, then who does that leave? Men between 5'11 and 6'2 (as you said) and women between idk, 5'6-5'8? That's a small market, and clothing companies would surely, as businesses, want to maximise their profits. It doesn't make sense to me that this would be some intentional conspiracy of clothing companies promoting certain body types, because frankly, that would just be stupid on their part. The moment a big enough clothing company decided to cater to a wider range of body types, they'd pretty much chew out the competition.

I think it's more the universality and the confusion of what is meant by the "sizes" in the first place. I mean, what does medium sized mean? Because, in theory, it seems they think it should apply to average height average weight people, overweight short people, and skinny tall people. But obviously, those people will need different sizes. But, idk. Not my area of expertise, I could be talking bullshit
 
MentatsGhoul said:
I just find that people interpreting it as a conspiracy against all shorter people is a bit... too much.
Nobody is interpreting it as a 'conspiracy' against all shorter people. It's a public forum where people bring up topics to find out if others can relate to them too. The occasional harmless grumble isn't a problem, especially since it's not directed at anyone in particular, and we're only really empathizing in different ways. It certainly doesn't amount to a belief in some sort of conspiracy.
MentatsGhoul said:
I'm just saying, finding the right size of clothing to wear isn't unique to average or shorter men, if anything I used your earlier comment about it also being a problem for short women to support it. It's clear to me it can apply to a range of different body types and heights
As I said earlier,
Aisha said:
Anything that is not the industry ideal isn't convenient to work with apparently.
So yes, I know it can be applied to a range of body types; just about every woman will acknowledge that and will probably be more aware of that than men, since women generally have more clothing styles and options available, and that are designed for and targeted towards them. There is very definitely an industry ideal and the vast majority of women- and men- do not fit that ideal. The reason that height is being brought up here is that the industry ideal tends to be taller and leaner than the average- a model's body. Short people obviously do not fit into that mould, however else their bodies maybe shaped. It's odd, to say the least, for someone who can't hit 5'3" on a good day to wear clothes designed based on a 5'10" woman.
MentatsGhoul said:
I really don't get where you read me dismissing other people's issues from.
Perhaps from this sort of thing:
MentatsGhoul said:
So, sorry to say this but I think you're reading into it too much in this case.
Pretty sure those who have to deal with it are in a better position to say whether they are actually dealing with it or not. Again, no one's making this into a conspiracy. Try not to overreact. It's just a discussion about issues we all face in different ways. Right now it happens to be height related, that's all.
MentatsGhoul said:
Personally, I think it's possible that the clothing inudstry focuses on certain (and extremely specific) body types more than others. But just rationally, think of it this way- if short men, average men, tall men, short women and tall women all have trouble finding clothes that fit them, then who does that leave? Men between 5'11 and 6'2 (as you said) and women between idk, 5'6-5'8? That's a small market, and clothing companies would surely, as businesses, want to maximise their profits. It doesn't make sense to me that this would be some intentional conspiracy of clothing companies promoting certain body types, because frankly, that would just be stupid on their part. The moment a big enough clothing company decided to cater to a wider range of body types, they'd pretty much chew out the competition.
They aren't catering to a very specific market of slightly taller than average people. They are catering to everyone, with clothes modeled, as has been repeated many times, on an industry ideal. The ideal for men happens to be the height range ardour has mentioned. Realistically, it should be pretty obvious that there is a reason for an ideal and a standard. It would be extremely difficult to manufacture mass market clothes for everyone's body types. There is a reason there are shops that cater specifically for women who are plus sized and women who are very tall, but because every single person has a different size and shape it would be very difficult and expensive for one company to manufacture clothes to fit multiple different body types. And that's why this issue exists in the first place. Everyone's body type and shape is different. But most clothes are designed based on a very specific body type and height range.
 
Just figured I'd thrown in this conversation that I'm 6ft, wear 2XL (built like a lumberjack), and majority of clothing I purchase are infact, NOT long enough for me. I often get plumber butt unfortunately LOL.

So it's pretty much the opposite lol. I guess there's multiple factors to consider and sometimes things seemingly feel that way since it directly affects you if that makes any sense.
 
Siku said:
Just figured I'd thrown in this conversation that I'm 6ft, wear 2XL (built like a lumberjack), and majority of clothing I purchase are infact, NOT long enough for me. I often get plumber butt unfortunately LOL.
So it's pretty much the opposite lol. I guess there's multiple factors to consider and sometimes things seemingly feel that way since it directly affects you if that makes any sense.

Aisha said:
It's just a discussion about issues we all face in different ways. Right now it happens to be height related, that's all.
Yes there are multiple factors to consider and I believe I have said several times that many different body types experience this in different ways. It's just that in this thread emphasis is being put on one aspect in particular. No one is saying other people don't have clothing issues too. My body type alone is hard to dress for, but since body type is not the topic at hand and only clothing length, I'm only addressing that. Your point that the fit isn't long enough is definitely a valid contribution to the topic as well.

Clothing really shouldn't be too much of a concern- at least we can all afford the clothes on our backs. It's just that the thing that gets to me in threads like this, and the reason I keep replying is that everybody is actually saying exactly the same thing as each other and agree with one another but think they all disagree and refuse to understand that they're all saying the same thing in different ways. I should probably ease up on the need to explain myself repeatedly.
 
Yes there are multiple factors to consider and I believe I have said several times that many different body types experience this in different ways. It's just that in this thread emphasis is being put on one aspect in particular. No one is saying other people don't have clothing issues too. My body type alone is hard to dress for, but since body type is not the topic at hand and only clothing length, I'm only addressing that. Your point that the fit isn't long enough is definitely a valid contribution to the topic as well.
That was my underline reason for my contribution, in it's own way, it's a contradiction to OP's statement. The latter was a generalized statement. Although redundant, it wasn't meant to take away from or come off as inconsiderate (intentionally) of others' replies.

Clothing really shouldn't be too much of a concern- at least we can all afford the clothes on our backs. It's just that the thing that gets to me in threads like this, and the reason I keep replying is that everybody is actually saying exactly the same thing as each other and agree with one another but think they all disagree and refuse to understand that they're all saying the same thing in different ways. I should probably ease up on the need to explain myself repeatedly.

Here's another possibility in my opinion, people can sometimes skim through replies when they become more than one page. They'll directly reply to OP's statement while being ignorant to the rest, not even realizing someone said the same thing in their own way already. Or... maybe they just want to ramble regardless if it's been said or not lol. Naturally because of where we all are, it's more likely some of us will be defensive about something, feel like we were ignored, or generally hate being misunderstood. We just have to try to take everything with a grain of salt. :)
 
Siku said:
Here's another possibility in my opinion, people can sometimes skim through replies when they become more than one page. They'll directly reply to OP's statement while being ignorant to the rest, not even realizing someone said the same thing in their own way already. Or... maybe they just want to ramble regardless if it's been said or not lol. Naturally because of where we all are, it's more likely some of us will be defensive about something, feel like we were ignored, or generally hate being misunderstood. We just have to try to take everything with a grain of salt. :)

Lol yes, that's true. I was wrong and yes, I dislike being misunderstood. But thank you for reminding me it's not my place to try to explain everything the way I was doing, everyone has a right to their opinions and sometimes we all need a reminder. :D
 
I'm like 5'11 and pretty slim. Everything seems to fit me like a glove, haha.
 
Paraiyar said:
I'm like 5'11 and pretty slim. Everything seems to fit me like a glove, haha.

That's not surprising at 5'11". Still a good bit taller than average.

I like to look at the surf/skate/High Street stores. Not about to feel ashamed about spending a bit more than necessary. NZ$110 (US$70) for a shirt seems within a normal price range. If people want to save on clothes, fine, but it's not outlandish money.

But I notice the more upmarket, the narrower the size range, the tighter under the arms and the longer the fit. The staff seem to fit that physical ideal closely too.
 
I'm just under 5-7 and find it hard to find pants that aren't too long. It was even worse when I was heavier. The higher the waist length, the longer the pants it seems.
 

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