How to Dress Your Best, Average Man

If you're not too tall, not too short and not too big around the mid section, this will be the dress guide for you. It shouldn't be too hard to find things that fit because most clothes fit you good.

This article is an excerpt from "Dress Your Best: The Complete Guide for Finding the Style that's Right for Your Body by Clinton Kelly and Stacy London."
Copyright Clinton Kelly and Stacy London, published by Three Rivers Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Dress for Work

1. The two-button pinstripe is always a classic choice for the average-sized man, but without the proper fit, he'll look just average. Make sure the jacket fits the shoulders nicely and don't extend past your own natural shoulder.

2. The sleeves should cover your wrist, not your hand, and about a half-inch of shirt sleeve should show beneath that.

3. Don't be afraid to wear brown shoes with navy. It's a chic alternative to black.

4. Flat-front pants generally do not require cuffing the pants, but pants with pleats, however, do require cuffing to create a little extra weight at the bottom in order to keep the crease sharp.

5. Only wear ties with dress shirts, not sport shirts. Dress shirts are seized to one's neck and arm measurements. You want to make sure you can fit two fingers into your buttoned collar for comfort and proper fit.

Dress for the Weekend

1. The classic sport coat is wholly underutilized by the American man. It's the perfect way to look put together yet effortless.

2. Once again, fit in the shoulder is essential. Just make sure you have full range of motion across the back and chest when buttoned.

3. Since you don't always wear your jacket with a long-sleeve button-front shirt, the jacket sleeves can be worn a little longer than on a suit jacket. That means you can even wear it over a short-sleeve T-shirt.

4. To keep your look young and modern, pair the sport coat with cargos, carpenter pants, or flat-front khakis.

Dress for the Evening

1. The idealized man's body has a broad shoulder and narrow waist. Suits with a strong shoulder construction help create this shape. You don't want so much padding that you'll look like Vanilla Ice in the '80s.

2. To help make your waist look smaller, ask your tailor to take the jacket in as much through the torso as possible without ruining the line of the suit.

3. If you're doing evening in a situation where a tie is not required, add interest to your outfit somehow, whether it's with a patterned shirt or pocket square or both.

4. Make sure the color of your belt matches that of your shoes. (That should be obvious, but for some guys it is not.)

Tips & Warnings

• Look to the colors in the tie for cues as to which colors would look best.

• When mixing neutrals, like shades of brown and gray, add a pop of color somewhere in the outfit, like a sweater, to keep from looking lifeless.

• Match your socks to your pants, not your shoes. Except when you're wearing jeans.

Resources

• Buy Dress Your Best here