1. The shoulders are wider than the hips.

2. The shoulders and hips are well-balanced.

3. The hips are wider than the shoulders.

 A man who is 5’8” and under is considered short; 5’9” to 5’11’ is the average; 6’ and over is tall. Clothes when selected properly can make a person look taller or shorter. Shoulders are either average, square or tapered and these can be altered with shoulder pads. There are instances of one shoulder being higher than the other, in which case extra padding is required.
The shape of person’s neck — long, short, with jowls, or double-chinned — should determine the type of collar you select. The length of the arms must be checked. If they are too long or short, the fit of the jacket gets affected. The upper back must be checked to see if the shoulders are rounded or straight.
A very thin man can be made to look fuller by padding his jackets and opting for horizontal lines and heavier fabrics. No three-button suits with accentuated waists for him. A good bet would be double rear vents and double-breasted suits. Layering of garments is also a good alternative.
For the very tall, a dark sweater with lighter pants is an excellent choice. Trousers with cuffs and prominent breaks should be worn with side belts. Two-button or single button jackets are ideal. So, too, are contrasting shirts and pants worn with belts very low on the waist.
For the stocky male, the vertical lines are good. The double-breasted suit should be avoided. The shoulder line should be natural. Heavy tweeds and bulky hand-made sweaters will add pounds and thus are not preferable.. Sweaters with V-necks and set-in sleeves will give a slimmer look. Very broad shoulders should never wear peaked, extremely wide lapels. Raglan sleeves trim shoulders, while boat necks widen them.
When the hips are equal to the shoulders or wider than the chest area, then select lapels that point upward and outward. Avoid pleated trousers; opt instead for slanting pockets. Sweaters with horizontal stripes across the shoulders and chest are ideal. Tapering shoulders can be padded, while very square ones should not. Jacket lapels that point downward and V-necks will help to taper the shoulder line.
For the short man, no cuffs on trousers, a high rise and shortening of the jacket length will help. A three-button suit will add visual length to the legs. For the prominent seat, the compensation is a suit with a single centre vent. Trousers, on the other hand, must fit well to avoid a crumpled look. Once all the problem areas have been tackled, the next step is to select the correct size and the type of cut that is best suited. There are three basic styles:
The sack suit: This is without darts and has a natural untapered waistline. The jacket has un-padded shoulders, loosely fitted armholes and a single vent in the back. Trousers are slightly full and straight with a 2 cms reduction in circumference from knee to ankle. This is ideal for the stocky man.
The American suit: This has a suppressed waist with additional vertical seams to give shape and style. The shoulders are lightly padded with higher armholes and a smaller waistline in proportion to the shoulders. A single or double vent are both permissible and trousers are parallel from the knee. This style is more suited to the slim man.
The European suit: Here, the difference between the chest and waist width is nearly 18 cms and is, therefore, ideal for the slim man because of its squared shoulders, high armholes, double-vented (with vertical darts in the front) jacket and tapered pants.
The way in which the clothes a combined is very important. A patterned suit with a solid colour shirt and a patterned tie is quite correct. So, also, is a patterned suit, patterned shirt arid a solid colour tie. A patterned shirt, a patterned tie and a solid suit is also acceptable. But a patterned suit, shirt and tie worn together is inappropriate..
 

The selection of the tie should be done keeping the body proportions in mind: A broad tie for a broad chest and a narrow tie for a slim person. The correct length of the tie should enable the pointed end to touch the tip of the belt.
For the ‘Complete Man’, a few basics must be included in the wardrobe. These are:
The suit: Start with a three-piece suit in a solid, neutral colour in wool, or a wool blend. The cut and style should be sober and the fit should be excellent. This garment should be versatile enough to be worn to wedding as well as appropriate (without the vest) for a business meeting. For summer, select one in a lighter tone and lighter fabric.
The sports coat/blazer: This is for casual sporty times when the tie is not needed. Select a solid colour since a patterned sports coat in tweed or plaid is less versatile.
Trousers: At least two pairs of trousers —one on the darker side and one in a lighter shade to contrast with the jacket. These trousers can be worn at office and at a party with equal case.
Shirts: A solid pure white or a pastel shade to go with the suits. A button- down would be appropriate The second can be a dressier version of the first in a medium colour, suitable for a suit as well as a sports coat. The last can be the casual one, in a more patterned fabric like checks, plaid or stripes.
Ties: Give yourself a wide choice. Start with a basic coloured one that can be teamed with a suit, sports coat and all the three shirts.. The second tie can be a foulard (with a small pattern), club or paisley. Make sure that the background matches either the suit or the shirt. The third should be a striped tie, once again matching either the base of the suit or the shirts.
Belts/cuffs links I collar bar: Select a two-toned reversible belt with a neutral coloured buckle. Cuff links and collar bars should match and be discreetly visible.
Business/dress shoes and socks: Depending on the personality, choose the sophisticated lace-up shoes or the dressy loafers. Choose a neutral colour — preferably to match the belt —but a wise choice would be a black and a brown pair. Matching knee length socks are a must to ensure the skin doesn’t show when one crosses one’s leg.
Casual wear: A pair of jeans and a T-shirt for the outdoors. Make sure that they co-ordinate with the sports jacket so that they both can be worn together.
Shorts and sneakers: The shorts can be of cotton or polyester to match the T-shirts, while the sneakers should be in a neutral colour to be worn for sporty occasions with the jeans and T-shirt.
Jodhpuri suit: For Indian formalwear, the Jodhpuri suit is the most elegant with simple lines. Here, the choice of colour can be either off-white or beige on one hand or darker shades of brown, grey or navy on the other.
The Tuxedo: This is an extremely formal evening garment and should be purchased only if one is a frequent socialiser at formal functions. The tuxedo comprises the black woollen suit, with a pleated wing-collared shirt, a bow tie and a matching cummerbund.
Handkerchiefs and scarves: Pure white handkerchiefs with thin borders and scarves compliment the casual look sports coats or blazers, a deep rich colour for the latter.
Safaris: A half-sleeved safari in light or medium colours for the summer and a full-sleeved one in dark tones for winter as well as formal occasions.

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