Short-Man Style: Shopping online
Online shopping has pretty much become the norm for us at the moment, hasn’t it? I mean, I have just ordered a roll of copper tape. Don’t ask.
But shopping for clothes online is a slightly different proposition to buying household essentials, presents or even doing the weekly shop.
Clothes have to male you feel a certain way, both when you touch them and when you wear them. We care about the material, the look and – maybe most importantly – the fit.
According to research, men are less likely to shop online than women, and only 40% of us would buy clothes, compared to 46% of women. But, while women are more likely to shop online, men are apparently bigger spenders.
The potential of the male online shopper market is becoming apparent at the moment with the number of brands sending out marketing communications about their menswear offers. Clearly they think the male e-shopper is a market with potential.
But where does this leave the Short-Man shopper?
In some cases, shopping online can be the best option for a shorter man as many brands will offer a greater variety of sizes. This is particularly handy for trousers; River Island, for example, offers its XS (29” leg) jeans online but not in-store.
However, there is an obvious Catch-22 here. While online stores might provide a greater chance of finding the right size, it comes with the obvious problem that you cannot try the clothes on. It is very frustrating to finally find something which you think will fit in a store, only to find it does not work, but that is even worse when you have waited for postage too.
However, if you are going to try out something new, now is the perfect time.
Most of us are literally stuck at home and lots of brands have reduced or waived their shipping fees for online shopping or returns.
So why not try something new?
Ash & Erie
One of a few American brands specifically catering to shorter men. Ash & Erie believes that when clothes are properly made for men under 5’8”, the difference is “life-changing”.
UniQlo
The self-proclaimed “lifewear” brand specialises in simple, stylish quality. While their trousers are not quite up to speed on length – they only offer 32” and 34” legs online at the moment despite offering shorter in-store – their XS t-shirts do cater well to the smaller body.
Peter Manning
Another US menswear brand which dedicated itself to the smaller man. For the record, the US is ahead of us over here on this.
River Island
Streetwear basics, some of which can be quite out there. This brand does a good line in short leg jeans on their website. I literally live in my black River Island jeans, they are the best fitting pair I have ever had. The smallest of the t-shirts should only be considered by the very slight.
Everlane
The sustainable denim brand does offer a 28” leg for some of its chinos and jeans and is well worth a look for its tops selection too.
The rise in online shopping raises an interesting question for shorter men: Would you wait longer for a better fit? Obviously brands do not stock Short-Man clothes in-store because we are not a big market, but they could offer them online and make them to order. That would take time and probably cost more, would it be worth it?
Photos courtesty of Pixabay: Free-Photos [main image], TookaPic [Second image]
This post is not sponsored