Trouser Love for the Big Fellas.
Posted on April 26, 2011 in Body Type, Fit Lesson.I received an email recommendation for a company that specializes in Big and Tall clothing for men, which reminded me that the big guys need some style love as well. As I’ve mentioned before, just because you’re a larger guy doesn’t mean that you can just throw on some baggy clothing and call it a day. Even if you’re a B&T you’ll need to watch the tailoring and fit of your clothing. The idea is that baggy or ill-fitting clothing will make you look bigger, for any body type. It isn’t so much that tailored clothing will be slimming, but more that it won’t accentuate a B&Ts size any more than necessary.
King Size Direct big and tall mens clothing specializes in clothes for the B&T set, and I was able to find a surprising amount of quality pants and trousers.
Here are a few great picks for season-specific B&T clothing from KSD:
Great cotton chinos that come in a ton of different colors. Notice how there’s no ballooning out of the cotton fabric and even though they’re big and talls, that the lines are still sleek.
Photo Credit: King Size Direct.
Here’s another pair of dress trousers that lack that extra bunching of typical of big and talls.
Photo Credit: King Size Direct.
I’ve written previously about avoiding pleated trousers like the plague, but now the rules get a bit hazy. If you’re the ‘B’ in B&T, flat front pants can look a bit odd on you. There’s too much uninterrupted fabric around your crotch region. So, it’s OK to go with a pleat (or 2, or 3) in order to accomplish a sleek profile.
Here’s a pair of pleated trousers that still look pretty stylish:
Photo credit: King Size Direct.
So, if you’re a B&T stick with trousers/pants that emulate the ones above and you’ll see a world of difference. Fear not. Even though they lack a lot of the excess fabric that you may be accustomed to, they should still be comfortable (an important point according to my B&T friends).
You mention B&T, and then show photos on models that are likely athletes. What about the guys who are B but not T? ie. the fat guys?
I think the same fit rules apply. Make sure that the pants are not overly baggy in the leg so that it doesn’t make you look shorter and thus fatter. This will take some time to find a proper pant but they are out there. For jeans, I’ve had some clients have good luck with Lucky Brand Jeans and a few of the Levis cut.