How your clothes may help you to appear slimmer

If you want to appear slim, wear black. Right?

We’ve all heard that before, but let’s face it, who wants a closet full of black clothes? Instead, I’ve put together a handful of easy men’s style tips to help you shed a few virtual pounds and appear slimmer.

1. Try shopping for some dark blues, burgundy and even dark browns.

For example, whether you prefer denim or dress slacks for your go to office wear, consider opting for one of these darker hues. Besides projecting a sophisticated look, these shades will also help to create the impression of length.

2. Patterns – Stick with smaller and slimmer

Vertical stripes may just become your new best friend. But stick with thin stripes. Imagine that you drew on the stripes yourself with a pen or pencil instead of a marker. As you may imagine, these stripes bring the eye up and down creating the perception of a longer silhouette. Or, aim for smaller gingham or tattersall patterns versus great big checks or plaid patterns.

3. Fit – Baggier is not better

Try this: Walk into your closet and take a look at your dress shirts. Specifically, look at the sleeves and the size of the arm hole. I’m guessing there is a lot of fabric there. Right? Perhaps even enough to look like you have ‘bat wings.’ While those may be great if you are going skydiving and want to cover some serious ground, in a professional setting you can do without these.

More importantly, all that fabric is going to create the feeling that you are heavier than you really are. Solution? Have your shirts altered such that they fit your arm more closely or have a shirt built for you from scratch.

A shirt that fits your body shape more closely will help you appear smaller. Even if you’re a big guy, you’ll be amazed at the difference a simple tailored dress shirt can make when it just plain fits.

So there you have it. A few easy tips to help make your clothes work for you. Give them a try and let us know what you think.

By Ryan Wagner