5 Rules For Wearing Longline

Is there anything more satisfying than bossing an outfit your mates can only dream of pulling off? Than triumphantly succeeding where other men fail?

Probably, but not having hordes of other guys aping your look is a pretty sweet sartorial spot to be in. And that’s exactly what’s on the table if you’re up for wearing your clothes oversized. Longline-loving, proportion-playing, silhouette-shifting pieces offer a way – despite their already popular status – to cut through menswear’s masses and make your style known.

Why? Because almost everyone already towing the long line is failing hard. This is a trend – and we won’t pull the wool over your eyes (and down to your knees) here, it’s a trend – that many attempt, but few make work.

Here’s the long and short of copping some of Yeezy’s devil-may-care sartorial swag.

1. One Piece At A Time

If this is your first time stepping up to the long line, tread carefully. When dealing with silhouettes this far-reaching, it’s alarming how swiftly a shirt turns into a dress, so dip your toe before trying to layer longline pieces.

A dropped hem oversized T-shirt, jacket or coat is a good place to start. Choose a length that’s slightly longer than what you’re accustomed to, wear it a few times, and then – in what’s not unlike a round of style-related gradual exposure therapy – add inches to your limit with longer pieces.

zara

2. Oversized Isn’t Office-Ready

A longline piece’s charm lies in its ability to inject some effortless swag into your look, so it follows that it’s probably not going to win you any brownie points with your boss.

That’s not to say that it won’t work for slightly more dressed-up off-duty occasions, though – like that Tinder date; try a shirt layered underneath a longline jacket for a look that says you know fashion without taking yourself too seriously.