Menswear for your shape: jackets, shirts and trousers

Men get less shape advice than women, and far less research. But tailors have a working vocabulary built over centuries, and one finding from attractiveness research explains most of it. This post covers the five men’s shapes from part 1, the fit points that matter most, and how sure we are of each tip.

Why menswear aims at a V

In a 1999 study, women rated photos of men’s bodies. The ratio of waist to chest explained more of the differences in their ratings than anything else, far more than weight; the ratio of waist to hips hardly mattered.¹ A 2007 follow-up in Britain and Greece found the same.² Tested

That is why so much menswear advice adds a little at the shoulder or trims at the waist: it nudges the eye towards a V. That clothes achieve this is tailoring practice, not a tested result. Stylist convention And these studies are about what others find attractive. Nobody owes anyone a V; the fit points below make any shape look put together.

The fit points that matter most

Shoulders. The seam sits on the edge of your shoulder bone, not past it and not inside it. Shoulders are the hardest thing to alter, so choose jackets and shirts by them.
Chest. A little room. In a T-shirt study, about 2 to 3 cm at the chest made men look their smallest; both tight and very loose looked bigger on larger men.⁶ Tested A jacket should button flat, with no X-shaped pull.
Sleeves. About a centimetre of shirt cuff shows below the jacket.
Jacket length. Covers the seat.
Trousers. Sit at the waist without needing a belt, and just touch the shoe.

Apart from the chest, these are tailoring conventions. Stylist convention

Shape by shape

Trapezoid

Shoulders and chest a little wider than the waist. A drop of about 15 cm.

Try: Most cuts. Regular-fit shirts and suits; slim or straight trousers.
Go easy on: Very boxy, oversized cuts, which hide the taper.
Size by: Chest and shoulders. Ready-made suits are commonly cut for this drop.^5,4

Inverted triangle

Broad shoulders and chest, narrow waist. A drop of 18 cm or more.

Try: Athletic-fit shirts, or a little stretch; soft-shouldered jackets; straight trousers with room in the thigh, in a lighter colour than the top to balance it.
Go easy on: Heavily padded shoulders, bulky double-breasted jackets, and skinny trousers that make the top half look bigger.
Size by: Shoulders and chest, then take in the waist. A drop this large usually needs an athletic cut or a tailor.

Rectangle

Shoulders, chest, waist and hips close. A drop under about 10 cm.

Try: Structured shoulders; layers, such as an overshirt or a knit over a shirt; chest pockets and details at the chest; slim-straight trousers.
Go easy on: Very slim, unstructured fits, if you would rather not show the straight line.
Size by: Chest. Shirts rarely need altering on this shape.

Triangle

Hips and seat wider than the chest and shoulders.

Try: Structured jackets that build the shoulder line; lighter or patterned tops over darker trousers; straight-leg trousers with room in the seat and thigh.
Go easy on: Skinny trousers, and tight knits that end at the widest point of the hips.
Size by: Tops by shoulders and chest; trousers by the seat, then take in the waist.

Darker trousers do slim a little: dark clothes looked slimmer in a 2021 study, though it used a female model.⁷

Oval

The waist is the widest measurement.

Try: Single-breasted jackets with one low button for a long V; dark, plain colours and tonal outfits; shirts with a little room; trousers with a rise that reaches the natural waist.
Go easy on: Tight polos and knits; short jackets that stop at the stomach; a strong colour contrast at the waist.
Size by: The stomach for trousers, and the bigger of chest and stomach for shirts. Then check the shoulders still fit.

This is the one shape with menswear-specific evidence: for men with a BMI above 28, T-shirts that were too tight or too loose both made them look larger.⁶ Tested

Colour and pattern

The stripe experiments in part 2 were about shapes and a female figure, but the illusion itself is not about sex: a horizontally striped sweater is not the risk the rule says.⁸ Dark colours slim a little, most against dark surroundings.⁷ A strong contrast between top and bottom draws a line across the body.⁹ Stylist convention Use it on purpose: a lighter top for a triangle, lighter trousers for an inverted triangle.

What the research doesn’t tell us

There is no agreed men’s shape system. Large scan studies, like the 13,000-man study in India, are only now mapping which shapes are common.³ Most of the advice above is tailors’ craft. It is useful, but untested. The most useful number you can know is your drop: chest minus waist.

Next: why fit beats any shape rule.