How to dress to best flatter your body shape

Thought finding flattering clothing was simply about purchasing the right size? Whilst that’s certainly one piece of the puzzle, of equal importance is dressing for your body shape. The sartorially savvy are adept at this and they stay that way by sticking to a few general rules.

This handy guide gives you the lowdown on five of the most common male body types, and how best to dress them.

bodyshapes

The male body shapes left to right: Trapezoid, rectangle, inverted triangle, oval, triangle.

The Trapezoid

Fellow gentlemen: David Beckham, Hugh Jackman, David Gandy

With broad shoulders and chest, sizeable arms and a medium-narrow waist, this well-proportioned shape is often lauded as the ideal silhouette for most men. Luckily for trapezoids, their body shape does most of the work for them, making them one of the easiest silhouettes to dress.

Whilst experimentation is encouraged, it is advised to avoid baggy clothing in favour of well-fitting clothing to show off this enviable shape. Excessive shoulder padding on suit jackets ought to be avoided as this distorts the silhouette, making it appear disproportionately top-heavy.

The dexterity of a figure-hugging, cotton T-shirt is always a flattering choice, team with straight-cut jeans for a failsafe off-duty look.

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