Messrs Shaka Maidoh and Sam Lambert on how to dress to suit your height.

Messrs Shaka Maidoh and Sam Lambert are men that possess a rare and frustrating sense of style that makes you wonder why the rest of us bother getting dressed at all. Mr Lambert is an Angolan designer, while Mr Maidoh is a British-born stylist, and they run the collective Art Comes First together. They are best-known, however, for being photographed for their style, and are often snapped outside fashion shows looking intimidatingly well-dressed. They can pull off most anything, are the kind of men who don’t get over-bothered by trends, and style-wise are equally matched in everything but their height (Mr Maidoh is 191cm; Mr Lambert is 170cm).

Saying that, both Messrs Maidoh and Lambert are proof that height is no excuse for sartorial shortcomings, and are masters of making the silhouettes of their clothes compliment their respective heights. So, to try and understand the style alchemy behind two of London’s (and let’s face it, the world’s) best turned-out men, we asked them how they approach getting dressed in relation to their height, and the process they take to look as good as they do. Gents, the floor is yours…

On what it means to dress well when you’re shorter

Here’s a funny story for you. A tall friend of mine in Sweden gave me one of the best compliments I’ve ever had – he said: “everything looks good on you because you’re short.” I never felt a need to look taller, but I always want my clothes to look like they fit just right.

So I play with proportions a lot, because it accentuates my silhouette and stops it from being bulky.

Since I was a teen, I always made sure to really pay attention to how I dress as a shorter person and it’s because of this that I kept three important points in mind: shoulders, waist and ankles. These three parts are very important to me because they help to balance my silhouette and enhance other parts of my image, giving it the lift that needs.

Let’s take the shoulders. It’s very important that the garments you wear as a short person make you look lean and straight like the letter “I” (think narrow and tight). If something has narrow shoulders it elongates my physique making it look thinner and giving the impression that I am taller. Slimmer sleeves also add length to my arms so I appear leaner and longer.

I make sure all my trousers are very well fitted on my waist. This keeps the trousers in place – the same height above my ankles. But it also keeps the silhouette of my legs in line with the shoulders. This creates a straight line that flows through the rest of the body. To give the impression that I have longer legs, I keep my jackets on the shorter side – no lower than the waist. Higher breaks on jackets give the appearance of a high waist and therefore longer legs.

Now, for the ankles. My trousers only have one break or no break at all so I can retain that “I” shape. Shoes are critical as they help lengthen the silhouette. Mostly I wear slightly pointed footwear and avoid rounded styles.

And for the finale: a hat trick! I always add a hat – it’s a cool and utilitarian accessory (which can also add few inches).

On what it means to dress well when you’re taller

Dressing as a taller person is a challenge or an advantage depending on how you see it. Use what you’ve got to get what you want, as they say. My arms are slightly longer than the average. I find a lot of stuff is in my size when I’m hunting for vintage clothes. I love the fit of vintage Italian suits but I always have a problem because of my height especially with the sleeves being too short.

The issue with being very tall is if your clothes are too short then you look out of place, and it can also make it hard to make loose fit or baggy clothes work. I avoid baggy clothing, which detracts from your height. I have longer legs, so shorter trousers compliment my height, and don’t interfere with that straight lean silhouette I go for. To deal with my height otherwise, I figured out when I was young how to stitch and alter clothing, and also how to accessorise.

To combat my long-arm issue, I buy jackets with enough hems so I can alter them to the right length – not too tall not too short, but just right. It’s like the Swedes say: “lagom”.

As a taller man, to make clothes flattering, I try and create a kind of “T” shape. All you need to do is get items that fit your sleeve length – this will automatically make the shoulders appear broader. I also wear thin belts to make my waist appear thinner.

If you don’t have time to alter your clothes, there are other ways to address the problems that come with being tall. I’m a size 38 long and so while I’ll often find the right size jacket, the sleeves will be too short. If I go for a size up, the sleeves might be the right length, but the shoulders will be too big. So, what can you do with short sleeves? For that, I learned the art of accessorising.  I’ll use wristbands or bracelets to distract from the shortness of the garment.

Regarding my accessories, as mentioned I usually go for a thinner belt – as a taller man with a slim build I don’t want anything to look bulky, so it’s usually best to keep the proportions clean and lean. For me, a slimmer silhouette is much more visually pleasant and elegant.

I also tend to avoid heavy pinstripes when I wear a suit because as a taller person they make your silhouette wider and my intention is to narrow it, so I tend to stick to things that give that right fit to keep it looking sharp.

See Mr Shaka Maidoh’s Style Council recommendations here