This Shirt is Too Big! A Skinny Kids Guide to Dressing Well (Shirt)

Are you buying the smallest shirts you can find, and they're still going down to your knees?

- If so, you've come to the right place!

Are you frustrated when you're shopping for a new outfit and they have what you like in S,M,L,XL,XXL, and XXXL but not XS?

- I know the feeling, and I'm here to help.

Most Importantly! Is this you?
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There's not a lot of places that sell shirts that look nice on skinnier people, so shopping as one, can be quite difficult. There's a few key things you have to look for when shopping for clothing, and there's also a few key tips that can help make you look sharp. It's just as important to know the secrets to dressing well, as it is to know the misconceptions. So let's start out with those.

A lot of people think that tighter clothes are for homosexuals, this is NOT true. No woman will assume that you're gay if you're dressed well, and if other guys are making that assumption, it's because you're getting the attention and not them!

This is a good look! (I understand that the model is not that skinny, but the principle applies)​

This establishes Rule #1: Do NOT be afraid to wear tight clothing!

There are not a lot of stores that make nice clothes for skinny men, because that is not a terribly large market. These stores make significantly more selling their products to average sized men so it can be difficult to find the right places to shop. HOWEVER, there are also a few stores that specialize in these clothing, and although it can be costly at times, IT. IS. WORTH. IT. Spending $30 on a polo isn't much, and you can find them for that price at the right stores! By far the best store for you to shop at is Express, however, you can look at New York and Company, Guess, and occasionally American Eagle.

This establishes Rule #2: Express is your friend!

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As a branch off of Rule #2, we'll talk about what I'm going to call Rule #2.5. I understand that it's not easy to shop in these stores, or to change your fashion dramatically. These stores are expensive, and the people working in them are forced to sell aggressively. Do not let this intimidate you, they are your friend. Yes, they will tell you EVERYTHING looks nice, so take what they say with a grain of salt, bring a friend with you for some advice, and most importantly, shop at the end of season sales. All of these stores have end of season sales when their new lines come out, and you will get these amazing clothes at dirt cheap prices, you can't go wrong.

Perfect Example: http://www.express.com/sale-80/control/show/12/index.cat

This establishes Rule #2.5: Do not be afraid to shop in these stores!

The third and final rule is very important. You have to know what looks good, you can't just throw on a bunch of tight clothes and assume that it's going to look great. As a skinny male there are a few points on your upper body that are key. If your clothes are loose or wrinkly there, it will be very noticeable and ruin your look as a whole.

The first thing to know is that Layers are your friend. Wearing a button down shirt is a good look, but with such a prominent bone structure you have to be careful. Especially around the shoulders. Let me explain.

Pay attention closely to this picture:
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If you see box #1, you notice that his shoulder line (from his shoulder to his neck) is very smooth, and flat looking (apologizes, hard to describe). This look may be hard to achieve if you're skinny. You'll be able to see both your shoulder at the very tip, and your collar bone, which is not a good look. This can easily be eliminated by layering. If you have a shirt underneath, it can act as sort of a padding, covering up your bone structure, and giving the shirt a perfect fit.

Box #2 is the neck, in this particular models picture, you can see his neck muscles, almost strictly because he has his head turned. This effect is significantly increased in skinny men, however it isn't a huge problem. The problem comes when you have your shirt unbuttoned and you can see your bone structure down to your upper chest. This is ALSO eliminated by layering, go out and buy some Hanes V-Neck under shirts and wash them in hot water, and dry them on a high temperature, they will fit like an XS shirt after two or so washes.

There is a third key spot in your shirt that will make or break your outfit. This part only applies to long sleeved dress shirts, which are a necessity in any well dressed mans attire.

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A lot of the problem with being a skinny man is that when you're wearing a dress shirt, it gets incredibly loose around the wrists. If you buy the right clothing, this can be avoided. If it's still a problem, consider rolling both of your sleeves up (NEATLY) to your elbow, you will still look great and this effect will be gone.


Rule 3 is Very Important: Layers are your friend!



Hope this helped, more to come.

- Charlie



None of the comments regarding homosexual dress styles were intended to be offensive, they were simply to eliminate a stereotype in the eyes of other men.

 

Knowing that this is you're first guide, it's not terrible.
First off, you should add something about how to correctly shrink tee shirts in the dryer, as that's what I was honestly hoping for.
Secondly, remember to organize well. You've just got pictures and then large boxes of white text. It's not terrible, but you can do much better.
Thirdly, increase the length of your guide. Add more. I actually did not learn a single thing from the guide. Try to point out where the tightness and looseness should occur on the torso, which colors are best to be tight, which fabrics, etc. Just get creative and do some research.

 

For skinny guys I don't recommend Express, their manikin's and models may look like the clothes fit perfectly, but they pin them in the back for a tighter fit.

I'm 5'10 and weigh about 130, my entire wardrobe is full of clothes that are XS/S and although I stop at Express almost every time I go out shopping, I can hardly ever find anything that fits my size. I suggest H&M/Urban Outfitters, although it may be pricy, it's around the same cost as shopping at Express.

 

^Another place that I suggest for surfer cut tees would be Hollister if you're into that. They go to XXS as well I believe.
Online shopping also works wonders.

 

Yes they do pin the shirts in the back, but that's simply advertising, their clothes should fit you well. H&M's selection for XS is usually bland, small, and ugly. Urban Outfitters isn't bad either, rare that they have sales though. Or at least good sales.

 

Very, very nice guide.

 

Do you work for Express?

BC this thread made me spend $70 online shopping

 

I used to work for Express.
My wardrobe is full of Express clothing and I'm a 6'4" 210lb guy.
The clothes give a good tight fit around the chest area, then just a little loose around the stomach. I love Express, only place I ever shop, that's why I got a job there to get discounts xD

Very nice guide though.
Was expecting something along the lines of shrinking clothes in washer/dryer etc...
But it's good regardless.
Keep them coming!

Russian

 

I do not haha. I'm a thriving food service associate at a Sub Shop. Most of my paychecks go to Express, though. Just bought three items today.

EDIT: Russian, think of the guide as a reason why you DON'T have to shrink clothes!

 

Very nice guide,thanks!

 

Good guide, will help me in a way I guess

 

Can you make a guide about how to dress well but not look pretentious? This isn't a troll post, I want to know because the clothes at AE, H&M, and stores like those make me look like a complete douche bag for some reason.

 

Very nice guide with some good suggestions. Being about only 135Lb's myself i've always had a smaller body structure and smaller cloths were tough to find. Iv been shopping more at AE as they carry XS's. After reading this im going to take a peak at Express. Being skinny is not easy! LOL

 

It's probably because you're a douche...Or, you couid be white....white guys with no tans and tight clothes look lile douches..

I'll take a line from mad child
"All these faggots, dressing like its the 80's. Pink shirt, tight jeans, I am not participating"

 

Yeah, I am pale... But I hate wearing baggy clothes, because I hate the way white guys in baggy clothes walk around and act like they're from the hood... We don't even have a ghetto where I live, the closest thing to the ghetto is trailer park...

So I usually stick to skinny jeans and t-shirts.

Any tips?

 

Would like to know if you know some other good stores. Thanks

 

You don't need to wear pink shirts or tight jeans, those stores sell a wide variety of items, it's all about how you put the outfit together. Match your colors and don't go overboard with graphics or patterns and you'll be the best dressed man in the room 9 times out of 10.

Yeah. But light colored t-shirts, not neon colors. Neon comes off as "HEY YOU FUCK, LOOK AT ME AND MY SHIRT", however, light blue and a nice grey are very subtle, yet they look nice. Although I don't shop at hollister most of the time (I get sweatpants and occasionally jeans there) try this, go in (if you're embarassed, go alone) and go to the girls section, act like you're buying a gift if you need to. Buy a girls hoodie, a zip up, a pullover, whatever, no one can tell that they're for girls anyway. Make sure there's no hearts on it or anything, and try it on if you'd like. I wear an XS at any store, but I own two girls hoodies and they're both medium and fit extremely well. You'll look good and they'll fit nice and tight but not too tight.

There's a lot, and frankly, you can buy clothes anywhere, it's about the outfit as a whole, not the shirt (for example) as a single item. Something that you'd never think about is American Eagle's clearance section. It's a pretty preppy store, but they do carry very nice clothes, people just don't buy them. They end up on the clearance rack, or they end up being very cheap at the end of season sales. I've gotten a cardigan and a couple nice sweaters and button downs from American Eagle, and you can't really tell they're American Eagle. The same goes for Hollister and Abercrombie (sometimes).


Sorry for the insanely late response, I've been really busy.

 

Thank you for this. It was a nice read,
My main problem is actually that where I live, everyone goes to the same shop, and in school it's pretty awkward to see guys with the same clothes.
I am thinkinh about switching style, because that would fit me more. I would like to start wearing elegant clothes, but I don't know how would that work out with me, because I am very tall, and skinny.

 

Ok this is the funniest thread i ever seen, in my opinion you just go to gym and gain some weight so S,M are fitting well.

 

Regardless of what people think of the quality of the posting... well done for broaching a subject which is all too forgotten by the fashion world.

I have a friend who started a company selling a muscle enhancing undershirt just to counter this very problem. The company is called Funkybod and the website is funkybod.com. There's a review of the garment on the undershirt guy's website and they ship worldwide.

A bit of a plug I know but it's a unique product and would be of help to most who find this thread hits the point.