20 Style Rules That Will Help Anyone Look Taller

20 Style Rules That Will Help Anyone Look Taller...  

Here are 20 style rules for anyone to add perceived height in the minds of other people. 

1. The easiest way to gain an inch? Stand up straight!


2. Go for a skinnier tie.


Skinnier ties draw the eye up and down the body, making you seem taller than you are.

3. Dress monochromatically.


Do what Martin Freeman (5’ 6”, for the record) does, and wear one pattern, or one color family all over. It’ll avoid breaking the body line.

4. But skip the Man In Black look.


Black weirdly has a habit of shrinking you down (hello, Zac Efron, 5’8”) and making you appear smaller than you actually are. Instead, opt for a charcoal grey or blue suit.

5. When buying a suit, consider these factors.


And go for a jacket that’s a little on the shorter side. It’ll give the illusion of a longer torso and leg.

6. Invest in tailoring.




This is a no-brainer, but tailoring can seriously transform a good outfit into a great outfit. When it comes to fooling the eye and transforming your silhouette, taking things in to make them fit your body is what will have the biggest impact. Yes, it can cost you, but it can make a huge difference between looking a bit sloppy and lazy to seeming totally put together and on top of it.

7. Keep your shirts shorter.


A shorter shirt will add more balance to your body and keep your proportions in check. A too long shirt will make it look as if you’re wearing the wrong size or someone else’s clothes.

8. And your hair, too.



SUPPOSEDLY short hair helps elongate your neck and chin. Here’s a direct comparison of Jason Schwartzman (5’6”) with long hair and short. It is pretty obvious where looks taller.

9. Horizontal stripes are your frenemy.


By all means, wear them if you’re feeling like a mime, or a prisoner, or you just want to appear extra wide. GO CRAZY! Generally though horizontal stripes are pretty unflattering and will make you appear much more squat than you actually are.

10. Go for a “no break” look in your pants.


Where taller men might want to go with a quarter or a half break (no one shouldever go for a full break), shorter guys should try a no break look. Creating a nice, continuous line, from the top of your trousers to the bottom will help elongate your legs. And if you pair your pants with a shoe of a similar shade, you’ll do wonders for creating a longer line.

11. Keep the waist button on your jacket above your navel.


Like so. It’ll give you the illusion of a longer torso and legs.

12. Keep all of your cool-ass accessories and fun flare on the top half of your outfit.


That’ll draw the eye to the upper part of your body, creating the illusion of more height. It’s like, EYES UP HERE, LADIES AND GENTS, EYES UP HERE!

13. Avoid vests.


Vests can make you look shorter by drawing attention to the middle section of your body, and away from the overall long lines of your frame. If you really want to wear one, stick with one that’s the same color or pattern as the rest of your outfit.

14. Also belts.


They break up the line and silhouette of your outfit and will make you appear shorter than you are. If you must wear a belt, try and match it to the color of your pants, or skip the belt all together and go for suspenders.

15. But do wear V-necks.






These dapper gents are all sporting cool as hell v-necks, which elongate the neck and give the illusion of length. The deeper the V, the better, but do NOT go crazy!!

16. Wear your pants at your waist.


Try wearing trousers at your natural waist, rather than at your hips. It’ll help lengthen your silhouette. Plus, pants that fit well at the waist are less likely to need a distracting or shortening belt to keep ‘em up.

17. Short and stout? Go for a no-vent jacket.


It’s a slimming, elongating option that won’t flare out and make your shape more square-ish.

18. Leave less sleeve room.


Where taller guys might want to leave up to an inch of shirt sleeve peeking out from under their jackets, shorter men will want to proportionally adjust and show around 3/4” of an inch. It’s a small thing that’ll make a huge difference in making you look good.

19. No cuffs are the best cuffs.


Again, it’s all about the silhouette, and cuffing your pants will just break up the long, lean silhouette you’re trying to create. If you can, get pants (or hem pants) so that there’s no cuff.

20. Skip short-sleeve shirts and instead roll up long-sleeves.

Short sleeve shirts have the effect of fore-shortening your limbs, and giving the overall appearance of shortness and smallness. For hot summer months, instead, why not simply get the perfect shirtsleeve cuff on? It’ll also save you from having to buy separate summer and winter shirts, too.

Tips taken from BuzzFeed by Julie Gerstein, posted on March 21, 2015. 

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