Muted, dark-toned ensembles blur
your silhouette, creating a long look. Let pinstripes stretch your frame even further: They fool the eye.

“When the eye is directed along the stripe, the body appears more vertical,” says Marilyn DeLong, Ph.D., who teaches design and aesthetics at the University of Minnesota.

Make sure your suit jacket covers your butt without extending much farther down: A shorter jacket will emphasize the line of your legs, making you appear taller. Conversely, a jacket that’s too long will shrink your legs. (Remember Tom Hanks’s character in that scene from Big.)

The strong contrast in a black-and-white outfit draws the eye to your
face– and away from any out-of-control flesh that might be gathered around your middle.

“You can organize the viewer’s perceptual pattern–how she takes in the body–through the surfaces you place on your frame,” says DeLong.“A tuxedo is a good example of contrast at the upper torso–the body is covered in a dark value, and the contrasting white shirt makes the eyes skim the body and focus on the upper portion.”

To achieve the same effect every day, wear a white shirt under a black sweater or jacket, with black pants. Wearing a single dark color on top and bottom shaves off a few pounds and lengthens you.

If you have a full face, wear opencollared shirts or V-necks, which add an angular look. Crew collars and turtlenecks only add to the jack-o’-lantern effect.

If, to paraphrase the song, your physique is less than Greek, create more mass on your upper body with layers. Wear a T-shirt under an open-collared dress shirt and vest, and put a sport coat on top of that.

A range of jackets, including natural- shouldered tweeds in earthy colors, is also a must-have for the man who wants to look beefier.

Thin men tend to have very sharp shoulder pitch: “Their shoulders aren’t squared out–they slope a little more,” says Blackman. “So a blazer or suit jacket would help create the illusion of width and bulk where there isn’t any.” Also, if you have a narrow build, horizontal stripes will broaden your chest and shoulders and look good on you, adds DeLong.

But beware of baggy. “Do not think baggy clothing makes you look bigger,” warns Justin Shafran, cofounder of the Social Climber clothing label. “You just look like a pencil in a sleeping bag.”