Despite women say that all men are equal, that is not true! Fortunately, I’d say! Therefore we cannot assume that every jacket suggested by the salesperson in a store will fit you perfectly. Same thing said with suits bought online.

The secret to make the right purchase is knowing your personal body characteristics. This way you will avoid you making too many trips back and forth to the store (or returns to your online store) and will make sure you choose the jacket that will highlight your body structure.

There are many jacket types to choose from, single or double breasted, number of buttons, pockets, vents, etc., which means it is not as simple as someone might think.

So let’s analyze some of the most common body structure and what looks best for them.

STYLE ADVICE FOR THE TALL AND THIN GENTLEMAN

Tall Gentlemen (above 6 ft 1 in. – 185 cm) look better with single breasted 3 button jackets, which will proportion better their height with being lean.

The sleeves shouldn’t be too long, ideally 1 inch of the shirt sleeve should stick out (this creates an optical illusion that will “shorten” the arm and moves the attention to your face). Side vents are also strongly advised as it creates a fuller silhouette.

For what concerns the length of the jacket, I suggest you pick a “Long” sized jacket to cover up the length of your legs and to be more proportioned with the rest of your body.

The lapels should not be the “skinny” type, but rather the larger ones to make your shoulders look wider. One last suggestion: pick solid colors or plaid (Prince of Wales patterns).

STYLE ADVICE FOR THE “NOT SO TALL” GENTLEMAN

Shorter Gentlemen (below 5 ft 8 in – 172 cm)  will obviously look better with a jacket that will maximize their height.

A single breasted one or two button jacket is in fact the best choice. Jackets with a longer “V”, will make the torso look slimmer. Side vents as well will help to attract the attention to the side figure and will create an “illusion” of height.

If you need a double breasted suit, then you should make sure the jacket has skinny and high lapels.

Avoid 3 buttons, they will make you look shorter. A third pocket should also be avoided.

STYLE ADVICE FOR THE ROBUST MAN

Gentlemen with a more “robust” physic should go for a look that minimizes their “horizontal” features and maximizes the “vertical” ones. Single breasted suits with one or two button will stretch the look of the torso and therefore make the figure look slimmer. Slim and high lapels are also suggested to stretch the overall look of your body.

Avoid the ticket pocket as it “fills” up your look and does no good to your attempt to slim your figure (at least in the way you look!).