If you’ve ever found yourself wishing for more room when walking through a narrow hallway, or for the ceiling to stop grazing the top of your head, you are most likely are a member of the big and tall group. Beyond having to sidestep through a hallway you swear was built for hobbits, undoubtedly your stature also raises problems of a more sartorial nature. Fortunately for the modern man, there are plenty of brands and clothing lines nowadays designed for the big and tall - and they’re almost always fashion-forward to boot.
Initially, one might think that big and tall men have less to worry about than gents with “normal” dimensions. Just think: when was the last time you heard a big and tall man complain about a suit, shirt, etc. for being too big? Although the big and tall don’t worry about their clothes fitting too loosely, they certainly watch out for pieces that fit too tightly.
This is especially problematic with fabrics that tend to shrink after multiple washes, e.g. 100% cotton shirts. This is just the tip of the iceberg, friend; unlike medium-sized men, big and tall men have to pay much more attention to additional, mitigating factors, like the overall proportionality of the piece, before they make a reasoned purchase. As usual, the devil’s always in the details - and no one knows this better than the big and tall.
In addition, big and tall men simply don’t have that much of a selection to work with at most stores. There are a couple of explanations for this disappointing truth. Firstly, statistically speaking, not many men belong to the tall (i.e. over 6′) category, and so manufacturers traditionally focus on the age-old sizing scale, i.e. small, medium, large, and pay less attention to outlier sizes like the XL, XXL, etc. Secondly, at times “big and tall’ is incorrectly associated with “fat” or “overweight”, so it is entirely plausible that stores or manufactures shy away from potential stigmas. It’s all a shame, really.
Fortunately, there are stores that pick up the slack unfairly left by others and cater to the fashionable men of the world who happen to be big and tall. Perhaps the most well-known of these is Casual Male XL. Like the name suggests, this chain focuses on casualwear that is both affordable and cool looking - check out the purple striped shirt below for a taste. And aside from having 500 outlets nation-wide, these guys also have a very user-friendly and secure online store. Definitely check them out for something wear to the beach as well.
On the other side of the spectrum, there are websites like BigMan.com that get the business/professional look down pat for you big and tall gents. They carry brands like Ralph Lauren and, as well as smaller brands - but they all promise to come in a variety of plus sizes. BigMan also carries a fine collection of blazers and overcoats, so you can walk around Manhattan looking sophisticated and towering!
Sure, it can sometimes be a hassle to be big and tall - I doubt you’d find yourself in many clown cars or enjoying a piggy-back ride. Fortunately, many clothing brands and stores wised up and now offer fashionable clothes for you and your other alpine friends. Stand tall and proud!
You can check out more on Men’s fashion at http://www.cefashion.net
No comments yet.