If you’re a tall guy like me, you know just how rough it is to find clothes that not only fit but are also comfortable. If you’re a tall active guy like me, then you know what an almost impossible task it is to find comfortable activewear that fits. It’s pretty clear that not all men’s clothes are made by men who would wear those clothes. It shouldn’t be so hard, should it? All you really want is tall men’s clothing with a guaranteed fit. NavasLab’s solves this problem.
I can’t tell you how often I have accidentally torn the sleeve seam of a shirt just by reaching down, or the number of times I’ve reached up and had my shirt practically move up to my rib cage. The generalized sizes of many clothes just don’t work for tall men. It’s easy to be confident with NavasLab’ clothing because it is made by a tall guy for tall men. Here are the top two items to consider, Fit and Material.
Fit
Whether you’re shopping for a tall guy or you are a tall guy who has never really pieced it together, it’s important to understand just why fit is so important when it comes to men’s clothing.
The typical men’s clothing sizes - Small, Medium, and Large - are based on a particular men’s body type - the Medium. All of the corresponding measurements and scaling that occurs to generate a size Small or a Big & Tall size are all based on a Medium body type. As you can imagine, that will lead to some vastly ill-fitting clothes - this sizing’s often don’t account for a longer torso or broader shoulders. Sometimes it seems like the only options are to squeeze yourself into something too small or, perhaps more often, settle for the next largest size up, making you feel like a lanky kid in dad’s oversized shirt.
Because NavasLab Apparel was founded by a tall guy, you can be confident that the arm to shoulder ratio is just right and that the waist to length ratio is made with your body type in mind.
Want to check your fit? Look below for some easy measurements to make before shopping.
Arm to Shoulder
Getting a proper arm to shoulder ratio is a key thing to get right when trying to get the right fit for men’s clothes. To properly measure the arm’s length, do the following:
- Measure from the center back of your neck to your shoulder
- Then from your shoulder down to the wrist where you want the cuff to sit, with a slightly crooked elbow
- Add the two together!
The arm to shoulder ratio involves just how much of the measurement goes to the arm and how much to the shoulder. When you’re a tall guy, a slight misjudgment here can have a major negative effect on the comfort of your shirt.
Waist to Length
Getting the ratio between waist and length right is another key element of great fitting clothes. Measuring the waist involves measuring right around where your pants sit, with a little bit of slack so that you don’t end up with incredibly tight-fitting pants. The length can best be found by measuring the inseam - the crotch down the length of the leg.
Often in men’s clothing, as the waist size increases or decreases, the length goes along correspondingly. These adjustments are based on a baseline size for men and don’t often take into account the different shoulder lengths and arm lengths that come once you get taller than the average height. For tall men, there needs to be a greater variety of options to account for the different builds of tall skinny guys.
Material
Even when you manage to get the fit just right, the material of the clothing can really make or break it. The perfect fit with a rough or uncomfortable fabric will take you right back to square one. Although most clothing is made of a combination of a variety of fabrics, we often think of them in terms of the dominant element.
Cotton
Cotton is one of the most lightweight and breathable fabrics out there, which is also one of the reasons it is one of the most common. A cotton and polyester blend is a great fabric for activewear, soaking up the sweat and keeping it away from the body. A downside there is for very active times when soaking up the sweat can turn the fabric wet, presenting visible stains.
Linen
Linen is another great breathable fabric that helps keep heat away from the body. Unlike the moisture-absorbing cotton, linen is better at wicking the moisture, allowing it to escape without soaking the shirt. It also does not need any preparation or washing to feel comfortable - often it feels great the first time you wear it.
Bamboo
Bamboo is quickly becoming one of the most popular materials for men’s clothing. It has a far superior comfort level, moisture-wicking ability, and is both durable and breathable. It is often combined with other materials to form an ultra-soft long-lasting fabric that is perfect for activewear. For these reasons, bamboo is the preferred fabric of NavasLab Apparel. Here are some of the main features of bamboo clothing:
- Moisture-wicking
- Thermoregulate insulating - cooling you when you’re hot, warming you when you’re cool
- Widely regarded as one of the softest fabrics
- Protects skin with natural UV protectant
NavasLab Apparel has taken a lot of the pain out of shopping for clothes for tall men. Because the company is founded by me, a self-professed tall skinny man, there is a deep understanding of the needs of tall guys. By paying particular attention to the fit of the clothing and taking a non-traditional approach to the types of fits available, we are able to come as close as possible to a guaranteed fit. By using bamboo fabrics as their primary material, they also make sure that these great fitting clothes are some of the most comfortable out there. All told, these clothes rise to the top of the pack when compared to other men’s clothing out there in the market.