Fashion can often feel like a club that’s shut to anyone who’s not sample size, with runways walked by the scarily thin and advertising populated by the tediously buff. Summer is its cruellest season, when those forgiving layers are baked off your body, and your wardrobe choices are reduced to a few feet of cotton.

But there’s opportunity hiding in what can look like a style desert. “If you get the basics right – like the fits that look best on you or colours that are flattering – then everything just comes together,” says Luke McDonald, a stylist at men’s personalised shopping service, Thread. “Dressing a bigger frame is all about playing to your strengths, rather than thinking you have to hide weaknesses.”

With that in mind, here are six summer style tips for bigger guys.

6 Summer Style Tips For Bigger Guys

Embrace Boxy Fits

Airflow is summer’s grail, but when you shop at the XL end of the rail, it can be tough to find. Because it’s cheaper, brands generally scale clothes up from a medium, rather than account for the different dimensions of bigger physiques, which is why shirts and tees can cling where they shouldn’t. Boxier fits are designed to hang away from your skin, whatever your shape, which works for your look and your body temperature.

Jacamo

Be Light With Your Layers

When it’s too hot to think, you can’t layer up. Which is a pity, because layers add structure and balance your upper and lower halves. But summer doesn’t mean you have to default to a T-shirt every day. Simple moves, like a short-sleeve shirt worn open over a vest, or a lightweight blazer with a tee, give your look shape and without blocking that all-important airflow.

River Island

Don’t Fear Colour

Sure, black is slimming, but in summer, it’s hot in all the wrong ways. Bright weather should be the catalyst for a lighter wardrobe, and not just because it reflects heat instead of absorbing it. “When the sunlight’s stronger, bold shades look better,” says McDonald. They’re flattering, too, especially if you match them to your skin tone and stick to block colours – busy patterns confuse the eye and can make you look bigger.