Men, knowing your build and the best shapes for it will make shopping and putting together outfits so much easier. As an Indiana Wardrobe Stylist, I am here to help!
Indiana Wardrobe Stylist Suggestions for the Mesomorph
Let’s start with the mesomorph. This is a very common build for men. This type is extremely muscular. When this man works out he continues to gain muscle and bulk. The mesomorph is certainly desirable among most men. For instance, men who are a slight build always look bigger, more muscular, and more solid. So it’s not unusual at all for a client to say, “I want to look larger, bigger, more muscular.”
Actor Mark Wahlberg is an example of a mesomorph. The mesomorph has a square, massive head; broad, muscular chest and shoulders; heavy, muscled arms and legs; and minimal body fat. He tends to develop muscle easily, especially through exercise and bodybuilding.
The mesomorph, although one of the most desirable builds among men, has its own share of issues and challenges. The mesomorph often has gigantic shoulders and chest, but then the waist is small. The build increases again at the butt and then the thighs, which might be massive. This can create a challenge in finding clothing that fits perfectly.
How to Dress the Mesomorph:
- The goal is to highlight the body, not to hide it. Don’t wear baggy clothing wear fitted clothing. This client will gladly wear fitted, snug clothing to show off his build.
- Avoid too-tight pants and jeans for this build. To avoid being too tight around the thighs and back, this client likely will try a larger size and then have the waist altered to fit. It’s not unusual at all for the mesomorph to have a smaller waist. Although with age, even the mesomorph can put weight on the waist and tummy area.
- Looking at pants cuts, the straight cut, not the skinny cut, is the best of this build.
Wear jackets that finish at the hips and try side vents that fit but are not open due to the shape of the bottom. (Make sure you clip the tacking on the bottom of the vents.)- Buy a blazer with minimal padding in the shoulders, since the mesomorph already has that type of build. In fact, this person can probably really look great in an unstructured jacket that skims the body.
- The mesomorph should avoid the double-breasted jacket because it could create too much bulk. However, this is an individual thing that varies among men.
- Blazers may need altering if the massive shoulders require one size, but the waist is very narrow. Taking in a jacket at the middle with darts is not a hard alteration to make. Fitting the shoulders is key for everyone but altering the shoulders is an expensive alteration – so don’t do that.
- The mesomorph may have trouble buying a traditional suit–made in the U.S.– that fit the “nested” sizing. For instance, in a suit size such as 42 regular, the coordinating pants would be 6 inches less such as 42 suit jacket, and then the pants 36 waist pants. If that is the case, many stores sells suits as separates, or buying a sport coat and dress pant combo is a great solution.
- It’s important that this build buy as many clothes as possible “live” and in a store that already does alternations since most likely, you’ll need them.
As an Indiana Wardrobe Stylist, I’ve worked with many men with this build! Need some help finding clothes that fit and flatter you, men? Please reach out to me for a discovery call. I often work with this build and others and have many suggestions and solutions.
Keep it sassy, Indy.
Beth Divine, MA, AICI-CIC
Indiana Wardrobe Stylist
