The Trapeze Silhouette and Tailoring Adjustments

The Trapeze vs. the Hourglass Canon

While in women the historical aesthetic ideal has been the "Hourglass" (equal shoulders and hips with a pronounced waist), in men the canon of perfection is called the "Trapeze".

In this figure, the shoulders and chest are the widest part of the body, and the torso narrows gradually toward the waist and hips, but without the dramatic curve of the female waist.

The ideal male hip is slightly narrower than the shoulders, not equal. Understanding this difference is vital to tailoring.

When advising a man, we are not looking to "cinch the waist" as in a woman, but to suggest a subtle narrowing.

If a suit fits too tightly around a man's waist, it can create a "skirting" effect in the jacket that feminizes the silhouette by exaggerating the hip.

The goal of any masculine tailoring fit is to recreate or emphasize this trapeze shape, visually broadening the shoulders if they are droopy, or softening the hip if prominent, to achieve that masculine line of power and stability.

Jacket Anatomy: Openings and Drops

One of the best-kept secrets of masculine elegance lies in the back of the jacket. Slits (slits) are not only an aesthetic detail, but a functional corrective.

There are three styles: no slit (Italian style), with a central slit (American style) and with two side slits (English style).

For a man with flat buttocks or very slim, the Italian (no slit) or American (one center slit) style is favorable because it keeps the fabric closed and clean.

However, for men with wide hips or prominent buttocks (common in endomorphs or hard-working mesomorphs), the double side slit is the only technically correct choice.

This allows you to put your hands in your pockets or sit down without the jacket deforming or lifting up showing the buttocks, always keeping a straight line and covering the problematic area with elegance.

Optical illusions through patterns and lines

The use of prints in shirting and suiting is a powerful morphology correction tool. The rule of stripes varies drastically according to complexion.

For a stocky or short man, vertical stripes (such as pinstripes) are a must, as they guide the eye from top to bottom, elongating the body.

However, they should be thin lines; very wide or separate stripes can have the opposite effect by creating "blocks" of width.

On the other hand, for the very thin or ectomorph man looking for presence, horizontal lines (as in sailor shirts or Breton sweaters) or checks (such as tartan or Prince of Wales) are perfect because they force the eye to run down the body from side to side, adding visual volume.

An overweight man should avoid large, contrasting plaids, as each plaid acts as a "cell" that highlights the volume it contains, opting instead for dark solid colors or micro-prints that are lost in the distance.

Summary

The ideal masculine canon is the "Trapeze", where the torso gradually narrows towards the hip. Tailoring seeks to recreate this shape, broadening shoulders or softening hips to project stability and power.

Jacket vents are vital functional correctives. The double side slit is a mandatory technique for wide hips, allowing movement and access to pockets without deforming the straight line of the back.

Prints manipulate the optical perception of body volume. Thin vertical stripes elongate stocky figures, while plaids add visual mass to slim figures and should be avoided on heavy bodies.