Five Big Mistakes to Avoid This Holiday Season When Shopping for Your Shorter Man

Beverly Hills, CA (PRWEB) December 12, 2006

It’s frustrating shopping for a shorter man because you can never find anything in their size. The selections available are baggy and oversized, yet during the holidays people are desperate and will make purchases anyway; even though they know they’ll need to be returned. Alan Au, client relations manager for Jimmy Au’s for Men 5’8” and Under (http://www.jimmyaus.com), the US’ only designer short men’s clothing store, gives his five tall tips to help you choose the best styles for your shorter man, speed you through this year’s holiday shopping season and help you avoid returns in the post-holiday rush.

“Our philosophy of designing accurately proportioned tailored clothing and sportswear in styles and patterns that flatter a shorter man goes into everything we make in our collection and should also be in your mind when shopping for your special guy,” advises Alan Au, client relations manager for Jimmy Au's For Men 5'8" and Under in Beverly Hills. “Fortunately, current fashion trends favor the shorter man, with many styles being shorter and trimmer than most conventional looks found in the last 15 years.”

1. Skinny Jeans and Pants that are Trim, Perfect for the shorter guy, Fat or Slim

Although some retailers and designers are still showing baggy jeans and full cut pants, avoid them at all costs. Trimmer styles are in and are only getting trimmer. That means more to choose from if your man is under 5’8”. Like women, men want jeans and casual pants that make their butts look great. The biggest challenge is finding a true short rise, which is meant to be worn at his natural waist and usually comes with a shorter inseam and trimmer leg. If you can’t find that, choose a regular low rise jean or pant in a trim fit. Although it is meant to be worn at the hip, the rise (distance from the top of the waistband to crotch) is about the same as a true short rise. That means your man can wear them at the waist and have it look pretty decent in the butt. And if your man has a little belly, an extra short rise would be even better because he can wear his jeans or pants below his midsection and still have it look right. Lastly, remind him to have the hem shortened to the right length. He won’t remember. This will help elongate the look of his legs. The bunching of fabric at his ankle is never flattering on a shorter man.

2. Cropped and Shrunken are Good for Somethin’

Another item getting trimmer and shorter in style are sportcoats and suit jackets. What’s known as a cropped or shrunken jacket in a regular size is as short as a conventional short size coat. The only thing that is still regular length is the sleeves. Fortunately, they tend to be made trimmer in these new styles and shortening the sleeves is a minor alteration. Make sure you have the sleeve buttons moved up, too. This will be the closest you will come to having him wear a true short size, which is more accurately proportioned to fit a shorter man. If your man is under 5’8” and wants to mimic the cropped or shrunken look of a 5’11” guy, I recommend buying sportcoats and suits in an extra short size, normally meant to fit men under 5’5”.

3. Sweaters are Swell… if they’re Slim and not Sloppy

Sweaters this season come in both chunky and trim styles. Naturally, you’ll want to avoid buying him chunky sweaters. You’ll also want to avoid large patterns and cable knits. There are a lot of trim styles out there and you’ll want to find those in solids or small patterns. Particularly popular this season is argyle patterns, which in the right sized pattern can be very flattering. Choose argyles that come in smaller diamonds. Some sweaters have also come in cropped looks which tend to be shorter in the body. Lastly look for ribbed styles. They tend to be trim and the vertical detail is flattering on a shorter body.

4. Narrow and Trim are the Neck Ties for Him

Skinny ties are in and if your man is very slight, now is an especially good time to buy ties. It may be decades before they come back. Narrow ties may go out of style, but proportion never will. While our neck ties at Jimmy Au’s may be narrower and shorter; it is just as easy now to shop for a narrow tie and having it shortened at the narrower end. Stick to stripes and small patterns. Even solids look great. Avoid wide ties, as they cover too much of the body and will look like a bib if you shorten them.

5. Lucky for Your Shorter Man, Slender Shirts are in High Demand

Ideally, a proportioned shirt for your shorter man will have the body and sleeves trimmer and shorter, with a raised pocket, higher armholes and shorter collar. When you can’t find that, you shop for slender shirts. The skinny look cannot be complete if all components are not trim. Sport shirts have entered a skinny phase, which benefit most short men. Skinny stripes and small patterns are everywhere. Trim cut shirts require the least amount of alterations when shopping for your shorter man. The armholes are already higher and the body and sleeves are already slender. You just have to have the body and sleeves shortened. Look for narrow stripes, small paisleys and florals, or small geometrics. Avoid wide or large patterns.

“Although we carry many items ideally proportioned for shorter men, there has never been a time with so many fashion options available in the market with so few alterations needed. While we will always carry the right fit for shorter men, it may be decades before the general market comes to a skinny phase again. Now is the time to shop if you intend to look better,” informs Au. “Fashion will change from skinny and trim to loose and baggy, but a proper fit will never go out of style.”

About Jimmy Au’s

Jimmy Au’s offers the following sizes: 34 Extra Short- 48 Extra Short for men under 5’5” including odd sizes to 43; 34 Short- 50 Short for men 5’5” to 5’8” including odd sizes to 43; 44 Portly Short- 52 Portly Short for men 5’5” to 5’8”; 42 Portly Extra Short- 48 Portly Extra Short; and Athletic Short and Extra Short sizes by special order.

Jimmy Au’s has outfitted stars for major film and television projects over the last 20 years, this 2006 Fall TV Season includes Heroes, Medium, Las Vegas, The Office, Crossing Jordan, ER, The Nine, What About Brian, Boston Legal, The Closer, House MD, Justice, The Riches, The Lost Room, 12 Miles of Bad Road, and more to come.

Jimmy Au’s has wardrobed numerous celebrities in many fields, including Danny DeVito (TV/film), Al Pacino (film/stage), Frankie Avalon (music/Film), Dick Clark (TV/radio), Jason Alexander (TV/film/stage), Paul Williams (music), Scott Hamilton (sports/TV), Bart Connor (sports/film), Gary Stevens (sports/TV), Jerry Bailey (sports/TV), David Cassidy (music/TV), Danny Bonaduce (radio/TV), Flava Flav (music/TV), D.L. Hughley (TV/film), Michael J. Fox (TV/film), Joel Grey (TV/stage), Mel Brooks (film/stage), Nathan Lane (film/stage), Martin Sheen (TV/film) and Mark Wahlberg (film).

Jimmy Au’s offers custom tailoring and alterations on all items purchased in the store including hard-to-find sizes in designer brands like Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, and Jack Victor which are made exclusively for Jimmy Au's For Men 5'8" and Under.

For more information on Jimmy Au’s For Men 5’8” and Under call toll-free 1-877-JIMMY-AU or visit http://www.jimmyaus.com.

For press inquiries and interviews please contact

Ali Duncan/Liam Collopy

P. 310 300 0950 x 234/232

# # #

Share: