Big Boys Like To Stay Fresh Too
Over the holidays I walked into Bloomingdales and Barney's with a simple mission in mind: find a solid black, spread collar, french cuff dress shirt to wear to a New Year's Eve party. I was wearing my black tux jacket and felt that a french cuff would really accentuate my favorite cuff links that evening. Never one to waste time browsing around the store, I quickly walked over the first associate I saw to point me in the direction of the dress shirts. When I arrive at the dress shirt section I informed the associate managing that section of what I was looking for. His eyes widened, he shakes his head, and informs me of what I’ve been told my whole life, “sorry but we don’t have a size to fit your shoulders.”
Generally speaking, In my career, I have worked with major brands in the retail industry for the greater part of ten years. I fully understand the industry and how clothing is sourced, produced, and made available for purchase. That said, we live in a country where a third of the people are obese, a third are regular, and likely another third are into fitness. So we have large humans who cross the spectrum from beings sizable either from eating ding-dongs or jacked because they’ve been making “gains” at the gym and everything in between. I understand the industry making clothes for the regular third but they have completely forgotten about the “big boy” market.
If you’ve ever seen the Pixar movie, The Incredibles, then you know who Mr. Incredible is. For all intents and purposes, that’s my general shape (also see: Bravo, Johnny). I am very broad in the shoulders and a smaller - not small - waist. Now, I have no issues with my frame but finding stylish clothes to fit my size is often an adventure of mixing and matching. For example, if I were to buy suits off the rack, the jacket that fits my shoulders is typically made for someone who is triple my size and the matching pants are three sizes too big. When you take a garment that is that oversized - to even the most skilled tailors - there is no hope in achieving that v-shape look we all would like in a suit. So I end up looking like Mr. Incredible wearing a moo-moo. Now I will accessorize that moo-moo, put on some great shoes, and walk out of the house with confidence but it would be nice to actually wear something that fits.
Now you might be thinking that bespoke suits and a good tailor are the best options for me, right? While you’re right, you’re also wrong. I have a few bespoke suits that fit great but that is not a viable option every time I need a suit. For example, every time I’ve had the honor of being a groomsman, I’ve looked like a complete jackass in my suit because the suits is so ill fitting. I can’t help but think that these photos will be around for decades with me looking like a jackass. Now, I realize I won’t be the focal points of these pictures but I envision one of my friends kids posting their parents wedding photos on Instagram and some internet troll commenting #WhoPutTheRefrigeratorInASuit. Bespoke clothing and constantly taking clothing to the tailor will eventually add up to some costly charges. I realize that there is a chance that I might be in a niche category but based on the big guys I know, I am not the only one who feels this way.
The days of oversized clothing with large brands are thankfully behind us and has been replaced with a more fitted look. Especially if you work hard on your fitness, then you want to show off those gains. If you’re a bigger guy, finding clothes that fit is a challenge but not impossible. I’ll be writing more on this topic but sign up to check back in for some tips and tricks that I use in pursuit of staying fresh!