In my NOSSA debut, I thought it would be good to share with you where I am coming from first. My father is Jimmy Au of Jimmy Au's For Men 5'8" and Under in Beverly Hills. I’ve been in and around the menswear business since I was a baby in a playpen in the back of my father’s tailor shop. I studied fashion merchandising at Pasadena City College and business at the University of Southern California. I am now an associate designer for my family’s business and will hopefully one day take over design duties. My philosophy on design differs from my father’s; but it’s that difference that makes us a good pair when fusing the two philosophies together. I tend to focus on height enhancing patterns and details, and my father tends to focus on proportioned design and fit.

            Proudly, we are listed among Forbes Top Ten Clothing Stores for Men. Our clothes have been featured in GQ, Men’s Vogue, Best Life, Los Angeles magazine, Beverly Hills magazine, and numerous others. In the past 3 years we’ve wardrobe on over 30 primetime shows and several films, including Ocean’s 13 and Rush Hour 3. I’ve made guest appearances on E! Entertainment News, TLC’s 10 Years Younger and What Not to Wear. I had the great opportunity of premiering the Jimmy Au Collection with the first nationally broadcast short men’s fashion show on NBC’s The Today Show. I now guest blog on the Huffington Post and provide fashion advice to various media outlets.

I am honored to be sharing my insight and fashion tips as it relates to clothing and the world around you. Because of the focused nature of this group; I do not plan to coddle you throughout the series of articles I plan to write. I will ease you into my way of thinking and hopefully have you feeling and looking great.  

Being Vertically Challenged:

More Frame of Mind than Frame of Body

I believe the first person who used the phrase “vertically challenged” was a taller than average person trying to be funny while claiming to be “politically correct” as if to spare us from being called short. Do not fuel this misnomer. I believe being “vertically challenged” is a state of mind shared by some who are of shorter stature AND of those who are of average height or taller.

When new customers walk in the store after recently hearing about us they usually say they are looking for clothes with a better fit, a more flattering style, or something that can make them look taller. These are not the guys who are “vertically challenged”. Those who are vertically challenged are those who walk by the store for months checking out our store window displays contemplating coming in the store while probably hoping they are growing a little taller in the meantime and possibly bypassing the whole shopping process altogether. They resist walking in. These are the guys constantly buying a 40 regular in order to feel taller when a 40 short would actually make them look taller. But the underlying feeling is that they want to look better. But these are people actively seeking clothes. There are guys who fall into a different category. Those whom I call vertically challenged. These are guys whose state of mind prevent them from wearing clothes that fit well, make them look thinner, more proportioned, and ultimately, taller. Being taller, looking taller, and feeling taller are all different things.

My first and most important piece of fashion advice is accepting your height. I don’t mean you have to like it… but accept it. Accepting your height is the first step to looking better because this opens your mind to buying the right size. Choosing the right size allows you to find clothes that increase your mobility and functionality. Being more mobile and functional will add to your confidence. Annoyances in your life may come from pants that are too long in the crotch, too wide in the legs and inseams that are too long. When it comes to shirts and coats it may be sleeves that are too long, bodies that are too wide and long and armholes that are too deep. It’s a distraction. Rather than saying the clothes are the wrong size, many guys think they are the wrong size. For some of you, you have to stop thinking something’s wrong with you. There isn’t. Tall people need special sizes just as much as shorter people do. Attitude adjustment about sizing plays a part in your confidence. Acceptance of self will lead to confidence. Confidence always plays a role in expressing your style. Wearing the right size is more flattering.

Buying regular sizes to soothe your pain of wanting to be taller is very temporary because eventually you will realize your clothes don’t fit. With the right attitude it would be less painful to buy the right size and have others soothe you by telling you how great you look. It happens all the time. Looking short doesn’t have a chance to enter a person’s mind if you don’t look it. People just see how great you look or even just be able to disappear into the background because what you are wearing has become a non-issue.

I would like to start from head to toe. Next month I’ll begin with your brain, your face, neck and shoulders. Your style makeover will start at the top. Take what advice suits your needs, but it starts with accepting yourself as a whole. Until next time, like I share with my clients… don’t be vertically challenged, be vertically driven.

- Alan Au

Client Relations Manager and Spokesperson for

Jimmy Au's For Men 5'8" and Under in Beverly Hills