The Right Way To Dress When You Suffer From 'Sloppy Rig' Syndrome

Not fat, just stylishly portly.

Portly Style

Well it’s that time of year again where legions of men will be force feeding themselves in the name of that beast called ‘Festive Season’.

Gaining a bit of weight is a given but if you’re already out of shape to begin with, you’re going to need to work twice as hard. Besides taking the fitness resolution a bit more seriously come the new year, a more pressing issue is how to dress well.

There are smart little hacks to hide away the extra pounds or kilos until a more pragmatic solution is taken on. So put the delicious chocolate chip cookie down and listen up, we’re going to make sure your style is on point. Once you’re done with that, you can also hit up our favourite clothing brands for big guys.

Never Go Too Slim

seth

It’s common knowledge that a sloppy rig will often lead to a wardrobe full of baggy clothes. At the other end of the spectrum, men who are trying to mask their sloppy body shape can also make the dire mistake of going too tight with their threads.

Pants, jeans, shirts and dress shirts, if they’re too tight they’ll do you no favours in looking good. The key is to keep things slim but not to a point where it begins to contour to your love handles and manly curves. What you want is a balance between airy and slim threads and the best way to achieve this is to try the clothes on before buying them. The world isn’t your own personal wet T-shirt competition so contain those rolls.

Accentuate The Shoulders

zach

Shoulders are the go-to tools for men in need of enhancing their overall appearance. Go for bombers or blazers with a more solid construction on the shoulders in order to add definition and masculinity to your look. Casual blazers normally lack the shoulder structure and tend to sit flat over the body so go for something that is canvassed in order to mask the roundedness.

Layer It Right

jamescorden

Light layering allows a sloppy rig – whether it be skinny fat or actual fat – to add depth to an outfit. It’s best done during the colder seasons and is a proven way to hide a man’s curvier bits. Think a tailored outfit that includes a shirt, waistcoat, shawl cardigan and suit jacket. Be careful not to go overboard though. The goal is to add depth and not more weight to your frame. Layering with thin pieces is an easy way to achieve this.

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Avoid Light Colours & Stripes

jg

Light coloured tops will always reveal the lines of a man’s body more than darker coloured tops. If you haven’t got the most flattering body at the moment, avoid going for white or lighter coloured tops. We’re not endorsing the full Goth look but go for colours such as burgundy, olive, navy or grey. Striped shirts are also a big no-no and will do all in its power to reveal unflattering curve lines on the body. Steer clear of this for now until you hit the gym.

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Steer Clear Of Puffy Threads

gilet

Down jackets maybe functional and gilet vests may look damn good with a suit but when you’re rocking a sloppy rig it’s best to avoid this garment which tends to add weight to your frame. It’s not the good type of definition either with the jacket essentially adding another rounded layer to the outfit. Unless your goal is to look fat when you’re already kind of fat, save the puffy jackets for the snows.

Avoid Shirt Tucking

shirt

Little would realise this but tucking in your shirt actually enhances the presence of love handles. Unless you’ve got less than 20% body fat, tucking will always show off the tightness around the abdomen. Instead, we recommend opting for the half tuck which we’ve explained how to do here.

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Distract With Slick Hair & Beard

jonah

If you can grow it, wear it. One of the best ways to distract from a sloppy rig is by nailing your grooming chops in the upper region. That means leaving a clean beard and rocking a cool haircut. Don’t let things get out of hand though. There’s nothing worse than being out of shape whilst keeping an unkempt beard and dreadlocks.

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Dressing For Sloppy Rigs FAQ

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