Luxury Twill slim fit shirts for tall men

As spring finally seems to be in the air, I thought it was time recently to spruce up my wardrobe and revitalise my shirt selection. Having previously extolled the benefits of Charles Tyrwhitt for excellent shirts with long sleeves, I thought it was only fair to try out something else this time.

After having a look at the selection in various British shirtmakers (I make no apologies for being biased - I find the cut of British shirts better for a tall, slim man, as well as the slightlier dressier collar and cuffs), I was pleasantly surprised to make the discovery of the TM Lewin Luxury range

The Luxury range (its not actually a range as such, you just need to look for the shirts that have Luxury in the description, and written on the label) uses extra fine long staple cotton, which gives the shirt a unique and slightly heavier, glossier texture. While the normal TM Lewin 100 fabric is fine for a casual or standard work shirt, the luxury fabric adds an extra touch of quality. The great thing is that they do not cost any extra!

If you're tall and of average or slim build, I strongly recommend the Slim Fit, which has plenty of room, but avoids what I often get with 'normal' shirts, which is extra fabric sticking out at the back above where I tuck in the shirt. You can get extra long sleeve sizes online, up to 38" in most neck sizes.

Although the list prices for these shirts are high, they can usually be found on special offer at discounts of at least 50%. Delivery cost is reasonable for the US and also UK, and TM Lewin offer free returns for these countries.

36" Leg Jeans for Tall Men from 7 for all mankind

While I seem to be on the topic of jeans, here's another premium denim brand that offers jeans with a 36" inside leg (look for styles marked X-LONG). 7 for all mankind is a brand started in Los Angeles in 2000, and started producing jeans for men in 2002.

Since then, they have been worn by all sorts of celebrities, but more to the point, they offer a variety of extra long styles that are fashionable but will not be 'one season wonders'. The styles featured also have a cut that is lower at the front than the back that will sit a bit lower than a more traditional pair of jeans like Levi's 501s.

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38" and 36" Jeans from many brands at The Buckle

I have just discovered the Buckle web site and wanted to share the discovery. The first great thing about Buckle is that you can select jeans by length of inseam. It seems like such an obvious idea you'd think every online store can do it. When you know that only 5% or 10% of the jeans are going to be suitable for tall men, sites without this facility are really frustrating! (web site authors please take the hint!).

The second great thing is that as well as their own BKE range, they offer long jeans from some other higher end brands, with a 36 inseam from at least ten brands including Silver, MEK, Big Star, Hurley and Affliction. In fact, you can find long fittings in these jeans on Buckle that aren't available through other sites, even the brands' own web sites.

If you need a 38 inch inside leg, the choice is still limited. There are five styles from BKE and the Tyler pictured below is available in 32 - 40 inch waist. There is also one style of the Big Star Vintage voyager. All the rest of the brands below come in a 36" inside leg.

A selection of the 38" Inseam Styles at Buckle:












A selection of the 36" Inseam Jean Styles at Buckle:

















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Size matters - so don't hide the height!

It could be a motto for tall people everywhere, but I'm referring to inept online stores that make life difficult for themselves and tall customers.

It was the difficulty of finding basic sizing information on some clothing sites prompted this short rant.

Rochester Big & Tall was the least serious offender. A good selection of dress socks included XL sizes - but didn't explain what extra large meant. The size charts didn't mention socks at all. All credit to their customer service department, who replied within hours to my email. Apparently, their XL socks fit shoe sizes 12-18, which leaves me wondering whether they are made of cotton or elastic!

Thinking the manufacturer might have more information, I headed over to the Polo range at Ralph Lauren. Their tall range is pretty good, but its mainly for big and tall men so if you're tall and slim you might struggle a bit (see
size chart). In any case, if it's large socks you're after you can save yourself the trouble (unless you're into pink cashmere, in which case act quickly as they're down from $200 to $60!).

Once I found them (socks are Accessories, not Underwear, as I learnt after seeing more tightly packed undergarments than in a week at the gym) it turned out seven pairs were available, most of which are "One size". I coldn't find out which size that was, but I'm pretty sure it's not large enough.

At least both of these sites mention sock size. Today's prize for poor communication goes to Cole Haan, whose impressive collection of elegant dress socks gives no size information at all.

Should my enquiries throw any light on these mysteries (or if any reader visits the sites and realises I've missed something really obvious), you will be the first to hear!

For more on socks, see the previous article Christmas S(t)ockings: in search of large socks for tall men.

Levi's Jeans : Buying tips for tall men

As I write, 'double denim' is back in fashion. Instinctively, the idea of wearing denim trousers and a denim top sounds like a recipe for fashion disaster, but you can read articles like this one to make up your own mind.

Denim jeans, however, are clearly a must for almost anyone's wardrobe, and Levi's are probably the first denim brand you'd think of. So where can a tall man find a good selection of long Levi's jeans?

With a 36" inside leg, I have always been able to find one or two pairs in a Levi's store, but not a wide selection. You can also try a major department store like Macy's or John Lewis, but the selection there is also likely to be limited (as I chronicled in San Francisco).

Going online is definitely your best bet. To check what style you want, Levi's have a fit guide to compare the different fits. Avoid a skinny fit as this can emphasise a 'beanpole' effect of long, thin legs. Some of the styles available in both 38" and 36" inside leg are:

• 514 : Straight fit with a low waist and straight leg.
  
  
• 501 : Straight fit but slightly different waist.
  
  
• 550 : Relaxed fit designed for more comfort.
  
  
• 560 : Plenty of space all round in this super relaxed fit.
  

Levi's do have an online store with a Big & Tall section, but styles like the 560 are more geared to the 'big' rather than tall man, and jeans with a 36" leg are in the normal section so the site is quite difficult to use.

The best selection of Levi's jeans in both 38" and 36" inseam actually seems to be at Amazon, where you can filter by inside leg. The pictures below are a sample from Amazon Denim Shop. You can of course, also search for other brands, with Wrangler and Ed Hardy also offering a number of styles in 36" and 38" inside leg.

Outside the US

You can try the Levi's international site, although other online shops probably offer better value.

Smart casual extra long trousers and jackets for tall men at Boden

Boden has been a trusted supplier of smart casual wear since it was set up in 1991 by Johnnie Boden, who was apparently inspired by high quality mail order clothes that he saw while working on Wall Street. Boden's range of upmarket mail order clothes are available at Boden USA, Boden UK and in Europe. Clients are reported to include Angelina Jolie as well as English politicians David Cameron and Boris Johnson (not to mention the buzz that Michelle Obama has ordered a catalog!). Although none of those examples are tall men, Boden does have something to offer those seeking smart, extra long trousers for tall men.

Most of their men's trouser range, including jeans, has a "Long" fitting with an inside leg of 35" (89cm), but if that's not enough, a number of styles come with an unfinished inside leg of 39" (99cm) which they will hem to give you 38" or maybe 38.5". The styles to look out for are the vintage chinos, relaxed flat fronts and original chinos. They are available in waist sizes from 30" - 44" (76 - 112cm).

Boden also have a range of casual and semi-formal jackets that would suit men at least 6" / 183cm tall. These have a body length of 33" / 83cm and a sleeve length of 36.5" / 93cm.

Check out the collection and decide whether to join the ranks of Boden Man!

Esprit - Extra Long (36 inch) Tall Jeans for the Spirited

I had walked straight past Esprit stores many times thinking it looked full of trendy logo T-shirts and distressed denim. But after hearing that they stock long trousers for tall men, I kept an open mind, and this weekend in an effort to delay grocery shopping as long as possible, I decided to take a look in my local store.

To my surprise they stocked several styles of jeans with a 36" leg and waists from 32" to 36". My taste in jeans is not too adventurous, so the Soul straight leg jeans with soft dark blue denim that they had in stock would have been my choice.

For the more stylish denim afficionado, though, Esprit's shops and online shopping site include a bewildering array of options for 'short form', 'vintage', and 'ultra low rise' forms that sound more like descriptions of architecture than clothing. Most of them have a lower waistline, and there is a range of slim or regular widths.

Beyond jeans, the web sites (at www.espritshop.com in the US, www.esprit.co.uk in the UK and other sites in other European countries) offer a variety of cotton trousers in plain or striped designs and lengths up to 36" long inside leg. The US web site will offer online shopping for the men's collection only from February 2010.

The only item I bought was actually a plain white T-shirt, which was unusual in that the large size fitted me even though I am 6'5" (195cm). The lengths on their large T-shirts and tops are 70-73cm depending on style, a few centimetres longer than the standard T-shirts I have which have a distressing habit of coming untucked when I stretch.

They don't have long sizes, and no leg lengths greater than 36", so Esprit are probably not much help to people above 6'6" or so, but for the majority of tall men, their selection includes contemporary fashion that is often difficult to get hold of in tall sizes.

Pictures (left to right) of Soul, Dragon and Groove jeans, courtesy of Esprit.