If you’re a skinny guy, you know the feeling. You put on a t-shirt and it just hangs off you. Meanwhile some dude walks by looking like he was carved out of stone. Here’s the thing: half of that is just knowing how to dress. These five tips will change how you look tomorrow. But stick around to the end, because I’m going to tell you the real fix.
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1. Wear Long Sleeves
Start living in long sleeves. Button downs, long sleeve tees, polos. They cover your arms and leave the rest to the imagination. Nobody knows what’s under there, and that’s the point. A well-fitted long sleeve makes you look put together and fills out your frame way better than a baggy short sleeve ever will.
2. Build Up Your Shoulders and Chest
Sports jackets, blazers, trucker jackets. These give your shoulders a defined endpoint, which instantly makes you look broader. If the jacket fits right and you button it, it slims your waist while building up your chest. It’s basically architecture for your upper body.
3. Learn to Layer
Layering adds visual bulk and makes you look intentional. Start with a plain tee, throw a button down or polo over it, top it off with a light sweater. Three thin layers look better and add more presence than one thick one. Plus you look like you actually thought about your outfit, which most guys don’t.
4. Use Heavier Fabrics
Thin flimsy fabric clings and shows everything you don’t want shown. Go heavier. Denim for jeans. Flannel for shirts, the texture adds depth and draws the eye. Look for small textures and weaves in your shirts, they create visual weight that makes you look more solid.
5. Use Lines Strategically
Horizontal lines make you look wider. If you’ve got a big midsection, avoid them. But if you’re skinny, they’re your best friend. Put the lines where you want width: across the chest and shoulders. Sweaters with striping up top, jackets with chest pockets, anything that draws the eye outward at the right spots.
The Real Fix
Look, these tricks work. I’ve used them. But they’re tricks. At some point I got tired of dressing around the problem instead of fixing it.
So I started training. Consistently. And I tracked everything, because what gets measured gets built. If you want the numbers behind it, here is how many sets per week actually build muscle. That’s why I made LYON XP. I was tired of apps that looked ugly and charged me to see my own progress data. So I built my own. Clean design, my data stays mine, no paywall locking me out.
It’s free on the App Store. If you’re a skinny guy trying to actually fill out your frame, not just dress like you did, start tracking your lifts.
Download LYON XP free on the App Store
Final Thoughts
Love your body, but don’t settle for it. These clothing tips will help you look better starting tomorrow. Training will help you look better for the rest of your life. Do both.