Get your ass in shape

One of my favorite tag lines for a brand was "Look better naked". David Barton Gyms in NYC, a brand I’ve been lucky enough to work with touted this line all over the city for its advertising campaign. Scantly clad fitness models in sweaty positions with that tag line at the bottom of the image made me and many other New Yorkers want to go to the gym.

The line could have just as easily said “Look better in your clothes” and been just as compelling.

That's our first lesson and the first step in a long process of looking like you have style: Get your ass in shape!

It’s a simple fact that can’t be denied. If you are not fat you will look better in clothes. I'm not saying you need to be cut like David Beckham you just don't need the extra 10 or 20lbs sitting around you waist.

My father had good advice for me long ago. Now, by no means is my father a fashion plate and some times I question his sartorial decisions but he always hounded me to stay trim. “Your clothes will fit better and people will respect you more because you look like you have your shit together”.

He’s completely right.

Unless you have a lot of money to get all your clothes custom made for your fat ass, which I’m assuming you don’t then hit the gym.

The clothes you strive to wear are not meant for someone that has a 40 inch waste or requires a XXL shirt. Shit, XL is pushing it most of the time. Take a good look at models. Those dudes are really skinny and though I don’t really want to be built like one of those guys, they are the ones that look best in the clothes. Diesel doesn’t think about the guy that’s 5’10” and weighs 220lbs when they design a line.

Three simple chubby rules to live by:

Pants shouldn't pull at the pockets - If they do they're too small or not the right cut for you, move on to the next pair.
Shirts shouldn't pull at the buttons - Any of the buttons! If they pull at the top, the shirt's too small. Pull at the middle, it's too small. Loose weight or find a shirt that fits.
You should be able to see your belt - If a shirt blouses out over the belt or your gut pushes the shirt over the belt, they are both too big.

If all else fails please see the next lesson. "Get yo shit tailored"