Up until now, American Apparel’s specialty has been kitschy ‘80-inspired sportswear (though that may be giving the overpriced scraps of stretchy cotton too much credit). So I didn’t have high hopes for their first foray into slightly more dressy, tailored territory. But overall, I’m pretty pleased with the result. The casual nature of the Oxford is a good fit with their brand. And the construction of the shirt appears solid. But what sold me is the perfect fit of the XS size — for my height and body type (5-foot-5, slim).

First off, the hem is fairly high (I estimate about 26″ in total length) so you could wear this shirt untucked, but there’s enough fabric to tuck in, as well. Shoulders are fairly narrow. There’s absolutely no blousing effect around the torso. And the collar is fairly small (I’d guess about a 15, though you would probably wear it unbuttoned). The best part is the sleeve length; it hit perfectly at my wrists. (The sleeves are shorter than their XS counterparts at Uniqlo and H&M). Probably the shortest off-the-rack sleeves I’ve seen in awhile.

I think we have the “Unisex” nature of American Apparel to thank for the sizing and cut of this shirt. Sizes range from XXS to 2XL, and my theory is that the XXS and XS were probably manufactured with women buyers in mind — hence the smaller-than-usual sleeves etc. (the Small seemed to be a significant jump up in size). But that’s not to say that they look at all feminine. They’re all normal-looking Oxfords, so you should feel totally comfortable in them.

I only have a few quibbles:

Whenever I come across style advice for short men in men’s magazines, on the internet, whatever: it’s always how to look taller than you are. Shirts with vertical stripes add height. Pants without pleats or cuffs lengthen legs. Elevator shoes, well, elevate.

It’s good advice. And I definitely employ some of those tactics in my wardrobe. But it all runs together after awhile. Is trying to look taller the only option you have? Marc Bolan, T. Rex’s foppish front man, didn’t think so. Besides penning such memorable tunes as “Jeepster” and “Get It On”, the “cosmic elf” was an icon of glam-rock fashion — and totally comfortable with his height (estimated as everywhere from 5-foot-2 to 5-foot-seven).

Recently, I picked up a copy of You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me, a memoir of swinging London by Simon Napier-Bell (Bolan’s manager, among other things). It’s a fun, bawdy tour covering all the sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll that you’d expect. One of my favorite parts, though, is his description of his first meeting with the young, little known and unsigned Bolan. It’s a great story in its own right. But notice Bolan’s utter embrace of and confidence in his short stature. So refreshing:

There was never anyone more sure of himself or to the point than Marc Bolan. He got hold of my home number and called me early one evening. ‘I’m a singer and I’m going to be the biggest British rock star ever, so I need a good manager to make all the arrangements.’

Napier-Bell tells him to send a tape to his office. Why don’t I just show up and play for you, says Marc. Napier-Bell hates it when aspiring singers do that, but relents.

Nevertheless, I had to let him do it because the instant he walked through the door he came across with the one thing that is most needed but is most lacking in all rock stars. It’s what people call star quality, but in reality it’s nothing more than the artist seeing himself as the essential material of his own art. He devises his own unique image and lifestyle and projects them to everyone around him.

Recipe for a dandy if I ever heard one. And it also sounds a bit like another short dandy of note. But here’s the best part:

Marc, five foot two and with a mop of black curly hair, was dressed in Dickensian street-urchin clothes and, unlike most small people, he was delighted with his size. He played down to it. He saw himself in miniature, as a sort of pixie rock star. To further diminish himself he chose my biggest armchair and sat in it, cross-legged. He put a capo on the neck of his guitar and said, ‘I don’t play guitar too well but the songs are fantastic. You’re going to love them.’

I love that story. I love that he’s actually trying to make himself look even shorter than he is. And because of his self-confidence, he’s totally able to command attention despite his size. If nothing else, it’s an important reminder to feel comfortable in your own skin. And that it’s OK to break the “rules” of fashion sometimes.

MORE SHORT-RELATED MARC BOLAN-NESS

To learn more about Marc Bolan’s life and music, check out the Official Marc Bolan Fan Club. The good folks there helped me out with much of the information in this article (both above and below). My thanks to Susu, Barry, Val, Delf, and John. For more little bits and bobs, read on:

Andrew Means on Marc’s glam get-up (Melody Maker, January 6, 1973):

Marc is absurd, but at least he’s a star — even if his pink tail coat and silver trousers are several sizes too big, even if his stage movements are as comical as a frightened ostrich’s.

Wow. I guess even short rock stars sometimes have trouble finding clothes that fit.

Michael Watts on Marc’s height and look (Melody Maker, November 20, 1971):

Standing at not much more than five foot, he looks, with his tousled hair, soft features and delicate mouth, like a 19th century illustrator’s idea of a changeling; a character from The Ingoldsby Legends, or The Water Babies maybe, if that’s not too ludicrous a comparison

Marc on Marc:

“With my Les Paul, I know I’m small but I enjoy living anyway, yes I do!”
– “Spaceball Ricochet” by T. Rex

Though by no means a short specialty shop, this chic clothing line naturally flatters men 5-feet-8 and under, with its emphasis on a smart, tailored fit (shirts are darted, hemlines are high, jackets are small, pant rises are shallow.) Whether you’re 5-foot-4, 115 pounds, and have never seen the inside of a gym or you’re 5-foot-7, beefy, and can benchpress enough to be able to refer to your arms as “guns” without irony — you should be able to find something to suit your frame.

The Parke & Ronen label is available on their website and in stores nationwide at Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys, and some branches of Neiman Marcus, according to this. They’re also available at Parke & Ronen’s flagship locations in LA and NYC. This lazy Labor Day weekend, I checked out their NYC outpost in Chelsea, and talked to Ricardo Tenorio about their fall line. He’s always been genuinely friendly, super helpful, and eminently knowledgeable about fitting concerns for shorter men. If you go, Ricardo’s your guy.

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL FIND:

Long-sleeve shirts: Higher-than-usual hemlines are the rule whether you’re an Extra Small or a Large. “They’re not meant to be tunics,” Ricardo points out. I did find the sleeves to be slightly longer than I would have liked, but maybe that’s just me. Available in sizes XS-LG, $158-$168.

Pants: A palette of mostly dark, conservative colors is perfect for the office, but these trousers have enough quietly hip details that make them transitionable to after-dark pursuits, too. They’re available in four different cuts with varying waist levels and looser and snugger fits. P&R offer free hemming ($5/pair if something’s on sale) done by the same skilled hands that make all their clothes (other alterations are available). Available in sizes 28-36 (evens), $178.

Jackets: Besides decent fitting blazers (cuffs might require some truncation), they also have some more casual jackets, again with the shorter hemlines and smaller fit. Available in sizes XS-LG.

That’s the first wave of the fall line; they’ve got more stuff coming in soon. Besides that, their summer stuff is on sale right now, most of it 50% off or more. They don’t have a lot of the smaller sizes left, but heavier and more built short guys will find more choices.

Short-sleeve shirts: Every short guy’s dream — casual short-sleeve button-downs that don’t make you look like a sixth-grader. Every element of these seem custom-designed to make us look every inch our full stature: sleeves that stop mid-bicep, super-high hemlines, darting in the back, side vents, and skinny plackets. I love these. Available in XS-LG, low $100s.

Shorts: Cool designs like seersucker and 50s exotica-inspired prints. Inseams of 4 or 8 inches are proportional for those of us without basketball-player legs. Available in sizes 28-36 (evens).

Swim trunks: I applaud the idea of these even if I lack the self-confidence to rock them in public. Well, maybe some secret swimming hole way out in the woods. Alone. At night. If you don a pair of these babies, know this: Your choice of inseam will be judged on a sliding scale of relative 007-ness: 8-inch, 4-inch and 2-inch, edging towards Bondinity as the hemlines creep northward. Available is sizes 28-38 (evens).

I’m not the only half-pint that thinks Parke & Ronen has great-fitting threads. Ricardo told me that they have tons of dedicated short shoppers. And that, come sale time, there’s always a big turnout of short guys early on snapping up the smaller sizes. I’ll try to alert you in future when they’re having sales. But the best thing to do is get on their mailing list so you can show up before the small stuff gets cleared out.

(Watch the first two — entirely wordless — minutes of the video link above. If you aren’t intrigued, the rest of it’s probably not for you.)

Last year, my friend Rachel turned me on to this BBC TV miniseries, a 1979 adaptation of John Le Carre’s novel of the same name. It scratches almost all of my itches. Incredibly dense (ultimately nonsensical) spy-vs-spy plot twists typical of the Cold War (check). Grainy, lovingly rendered 70s-era cinematography filled with super-long tracking shots and plenty of scenes that unfold leisurely, sometimes going several minutes without any dialog (check). Rampant Anglophilia (check). Brilliant acting (Sir Alec Guinness found time to star between appearances in something called Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back). And finally, a range of British fashion, from dumpy to dapper (told you this wasn’t entirely off the subject).

None of the clothing in the series is particularly suited to short men, nor is it anything that I would necessarily consider appropriate to the modern day. But in terms of theatrical costuming, it’s supremely well done: every outfit perfectly evokes its wearer’s character. But more than that, I’m kind of obsessed with the fashion portrayed in the series generally. Particularly the tie knots. Some of the knots are just so big and effortless and beautiful that everything I’ve ever seen on the streets of NYC (or in fashion mags, on The Sartorialist, etc.) just kind of pales by comparison. It all just seems either sad and small and pinched or overwrought and overblown.

Makes me want to spend my life going to knot-tying school. But I think the point here is that maybe you only get to look as subtly dapper as George Smiley and Control et al. if you’re on the wrong side of 60 and you’re washed up, fighting for your job, got a bit of a paunch and just don’t give a damn any more. If that’s the case, here’s hoping that the next cold war is over by the time I start to look that good.

PS: Although Le Carre chose to make the original BBC version a television miniseries because he didn’t think a feature-length format could do the novel justice, looks like Tinker, Tailor’s finally going to make it to the big screen.

What you need is a smaller chair. And you don’t have to sacrifice one iota of hipness. Apartment Therapy put together a list of a dozen modern chairs that are sleeker or smaller than average. Of course, you should always try before you buy, but this list may help get you started.

Rugby will soon have an e-commerce site, according to Off the Cuff. That’s great news for short men who don’t happen to live within driving distance of one of only a dozen of their brick-and-mortar stores. As long as you have a credit card and high-speed internet.

Less than a year ago, I reviewed Rugby and said their suits had “a beautiful classic American silhouette harking to the ’50s — tasteful and timeless with just a hint of youth and the now ($750).” Probably could have dropped in a Mad Men reference if I was writing it today… Anyway, “I tried on a 36R (they don’t have Shorts in 36) and it fit great: slim, shoulders perfect, sleeves weren’t even too long. I also tried on a 38S just to see what a Short was like, and if your frame is at all larger than mine, you’re in luck because their Shorts are truly nice and short.” They also make short neckties.

Steven Alan’s new line for Urban Outfitters (Lark & Wolff) was reviewed by The Shophound. There’s no mention on sizing. But he’s reporting $58 for shirts. If they fit as well as his usual XXS sizes, you should be able to score some button-downs that can actually be casually untucked — without looking like you’re wearing a mumu.

Check out a short interview with Steven Alan about Lark & Wolff here:

Sticking with the video theme for a moment, Scott Schuman (aka The Sartorialist) special guests on “In the Closet,” a Men.Style.com series. He chats with the hosts about the Paris Spring 09 preview show, which is fine if high fashion’s your thing. I just think it’s interesting to see Schuman in person, since he’s so often behind the camera with his blog. He may be short (5-foot-6), but the guy’s got his own sense of style and he’s powerfully built, too, which probably helps. Note to self: do some push-ups.

A Suitable Wardrobe discusses the importance of high armholes on suit jackets. This is essential for short men, but I guess it’s important for other reasons as well. Apparently, “a high armhole helps keep the jacket collar firmly affixed to the back of a man’s neck throughout a range of movement. A big sloppy one let’s the coat move around.” A fellow short man with the remarkably Wodehousian name of Percy Chatsworth left this comment on the post:

Being a student on a limited budget, I must find clothing which I can afford - which obviously means that I cannot even go for MTM. However, with a lot of searching, I found that Club Monaco makes great suits for a fair price, and with a little tailoring, they can be perfect. The scyes of my seersucker suit from CM fit quite well (I should also add that being 5′6 and slim makes finding clothing which fits properly difficult as well).

Percy, I couldn’t agree more, my good man. Back in June, I sung the praises of Club Monaco’s seersucker suiting, saying: “I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the cut is much shorter than their usual stuff. The Dean blazer has high hems, armholes and pockets.

And finally, Racked turned me on to this. You can watch a video on the Bushwick-based Martin Greenfield Clothiers on Vimeo. I can’t say it’s a documentary so much as a love letter that becomes a bit saccharine and Hallmarky at times (maybe it’s the American flags?). But he’s an interesting man, it’s beautifully shot, and it’s only 8 minutes. What I like about it best is that it’s another opportunity to peer into the MTM/bespoke world of men’s tailoring. As someone who’s still not entirely comfortable at the tailor, and is still learning about custom suiting/shirting, etc., I appreciate any chance to demystify the process. Spending money on a custom suit is a big commitment, and watching stuff like this make me more inspired to do it.

Martin the Tailor from Ed David on Vimeo.

Land’s End is having a Summer’s End Sale (man, that has an ominous ring to it). They’ve got a bunch of things marked down (shirts, shoes, etc.), but I chose to focus on pants. It seems to me that short men always have the toughest time with inseams.

I’ve said this before but the best thing about Land’s End is that their pants are hemmed to order (to the quarter inch) all the way down to a 26-inch inseam (unless noted otherwise below). And it’s always free.

Slim to Regular Fits

Plain Tailored Fit Summer Chino Pants: $29 (was $49); tailored fit (updated with less ease in the seat and thigh), plain front, alterable waistband. Available in waist 30-46, inseam 26 and up.

47Indigo Traditional 5-Pocket Jeans: $39 (was $49); Available in waist 30-46, inseam 26 and up.

Ringspun Original Fit Prehemmed Jeans: $16 (was $29); even though they’re pre-hemmed, inseams are available down to 29 inches. Available in waist 30-38, inseam 29 and up.

Stocky Fit
Several readers have asked for more explicit advice for short, stocky men. It’s true that a lot of my posts are more geared toward slim cuts, but there’s usually also plenty of information that applies to all short body types. Still, I know I need to do better. So here goes:

Plain Front Comfort Waist Washed Chino Pants: $29 (was $39); traditional fit (classic and roomy), concealed side bands expand waist up to 3 inches, plain front. Available in waist 32-48, inseam 26 and up.

Six-Inch Plain Front Comfort Waist Carefree Chino Shorts: $29 (was $36); traditional fit (classic and roomy), expandable stretch side bands, flat front. Available in waist 40, 44, 46, 48. They also have a 9-inch inseam in the Comfort Waist style.

Even though I haven’t written any songs for well over five years now, I find myself getting the itch again. (Very Kevin Shields/Scott Walker/Lee Mavers of me, no?) But this time, I’m on the lookout for a guitar that’s more ergonomically suited to my small stature: a shortscale guitar.

The foremost web authority on the subject is Shortscale.org, which explains the history of the phenomenon here:

Typically, “short scale” refers to guitars originally produced by Fender Musical Instrument Corporation during the 1960’s including: Mustangs, Duo-Sonics, Musicmasters, Jaguars, and Broncos. What set these guitars apart from other models was the reduced scales (the length from the bridge to the nut) and off-set or elongated bodies. The scales of 24″ and 22.5″ were 1.5″ and 3″ (respectively) shorter than Fender Stratocasters, Telecaster, and Jazzmasters. This made for easier speed-playing on heavier gauge strings, and these shorter instruments could be used as “Student Guitars” as the reduced length was easier for smaller and less experienced hands.

Most of the original short scale models had disappeared from Fender’s catalog by the late 1970’s. But with the resurgent influence of punk rock in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s there arose a crop of players willing to use non-traditional instruments. This primarily was due to how inexpensively one could find a Mustang, for example, at a pawn shop or local music dealer. Prices as low as $50 for instruments rarely played were not unheard of.

However, not long after teenage fans saw their favorite bands like Nirvana and Sonic Youth sporting these distinct looking instruments, they began to disappear from the very storefronts they once had flooded. Not to be left out of this rebirth, Fender Music Corporation began not only re-issuing these short scale classics, but new breeds of varying shapes, sizes, and setups began rolling off the line and continue to this day.

Cool. So shortscales are not only suited to folks with smaller hands, they’ve got plenty of rock ‘n’ roll credibility. I mean, it they’re good enough for The Pixies, Elvis Costello, Yo La Tengo, Echo & The Bunnymen, Graham Coxon, and The Beach Boys, they’re good enough for me.

So, if you’re you’re in the market for a smaller-sized electric guitar, try out a shortscale. And check out Shortscale.org, which features a user forum and a comprehensive wiki. The latter contains all sorts of info on different makes and models as well as links etc. Oh, and if you have a dirt-cheap Jaguar that you want to unload…

Witness the small but mighty Jaguar in action:

Other resources:

Fender Shortscales on Myspace
Tim Pershing’s history Fender’s 3/4 Scale Guitars
Scale length and what it means for you

An updated, expanded, and easier-to-navigate version of the information found on [ftmguide.org], www.shortmenstyle.com is a new project devoted to more frequent updates and detailed postings on clothing for short men.

I’m not sure how frequent the updates will be or what form they’ll take, but I’ll be tuning in for sure.

Like the old page, the new site features:

lists of retailers and specialty stores that offer men’s clothing in small and extra-small sizes (including sizes for short, heavyset men)

lists of shirts, jackets, jeans, pants, shorts, suits, work wear, and accessories in small and extra-small sizes

lists of shoe retailers that offer small sizes in men’s footwear

pointers on measurements and fit, as well as style tips for shorter men

–

Whoa there, pardner. Mind how you type that there url into your browser. Too quick on the draw and you might add a stray “of” by mistake and end up a might piece further down the virtual highway from where you reckoned you’d be. But that wouldn’t be so bad, either.

The typographically similar website Short Men of Style (discussed here previously) recently published the winners of their Short Man of Style Contest 2008. So which diminutive dandies were deemed to tower over the rest of us this year? Vincent Massaro (5-foot-7), a 23-year-old web programmer from Woodbridge, CT, took the grand prize. And Houak Namburi (5-foot-7), from Auburn, AL, was the runner up. A Short Shrifted reader, Houak said: “For a while, I never shopped for clothes because nothing seemed to fit me right. Finally, I started altering clothes myself to make it fit perfect and add my own flair. It took me a while to get the hang of it, but now I make pants that seem like they are made just for me.”

Congrats on the win, Vincent and Houak!