Noted nineties philosopher Skee-Lo articulated the condition of many a man when he said, “I wish I was a little bit taller / I wish I was a baller”. But for every Tom Cruise forced to accept the seemingly impossible mission of making himself look lankier, there’s a Peter Crouch banging his head against a brick wall. Not to mention low ceilings.

Fret not: we have your headache cure. Whichever end of the height spectrum you’re at, there are wardrobe hacks you can use to chop off inches (at least visually) or add them on as required. This is the long and short of how to dress taller or smaller.

Tips To Look Taller

Enhancing a Napoleonic stature needn’t be complex. The idea is that you want to draw the eye upwards, forming an unbroken vertical line and thus creating the illusion of height.

By minimising distractions between top and toe – with, say, slit pockets rather than patch or flap ones – you’ll give the impression of more distance between the two.

Fit

Remember the end of Big when Tom Hanks transforms from manchild back into an actual child in an oversized suit? Keep that in mind when you’re tempted to try and compensate for your small stature by buying clothes that are too large.

The armhole of your jacket should be high enough that there’s a gap between your torso and arms when they’re by your side, which is slimming and therefore elongating.

The rise of your trousers – the gap between the waistband and the top of your inseam – shouldn’t approach drop-crotch territory: your legs will just look stumpy. N.B. ‘Low-rise’ is not the same as ‘short-rise’: the former will scrape your hips, making your lower half, and therefore you, look disproportionately small; the latter will likely hit around your actual waist and be way more flattering.

If anything, your jacket could stand to be on the shorter side, as this will flash a little more leg, making you seem taller. That said, a full-on ‘bumfreezer’ will only cut you in half. And while slim is good, skinny fits will make you look like you’ve shrunk in the wash, along with your clothes.