Although Thomas Jefferson decreed that “all men were created equal,” when it comes to body type and clothing, that bold statement is simply untrue. As a result of having fewer curves, male bodies may vary less in form than women’s bodies, but nevertheless, variation does exist and knowing how to dress for your body type as well as which styles to avoid is the key to honing your personal style.

One thing to always keep in mind when shopping for new clothes is that the fit of the garment is its ultimate test. If an expensive jacket just isn’t right for your body, it’s going to look bad no matter what the price tag. Conversely, a cheaper jacket that accentuates your assets and disguises the things you don’t love about yourself will make you look like a million bucks even without a million-dollar price tag. So to learn about how to dress for your body type, to find the clothes that are most flattering for you, and for the most common body-type faux pas men make (and how to avoid them), read on.

The bulky manStay away from horizontal stripes. If there’s a little more of you to love, particularly in the stomach area, avoid any kind of horizontal stripe. While you’re at it, avoid diagonal stripes too. What you should wear with pride, however, are shirts and trousers with vertical stripes. Vertical stripes draw the eye downward, elongating your silhouette and visually slimming it. Pinstripe suits are the perfect dress-up clothes for you, especially paired with a crisp black dress shirt underneath. Pinstripe dress shirts will also look great when mixed with dark jeans or black trousers. For casual wear, try to find a pair of dark corduroys with slim stripes that are made from thin material.

Avoid double-vented jackets
The slits in the back of your jacket are referred to as “vents.” All jackets should cover your bottom. However, if you have a larger behind that makes you feel a bit self-conscious, stay away from blazers and jackets that are double-vented (the ones with two slits in the back) as this cut will draw attention to your posterior. To camouflage a wider rear, go with single-vented jackets or jackets without any vents. If you already own a double-vented jacket that you love, a professional tailor should be able to sew up the slits for you at a fairly minimal cost.

Buy clothes that fit
Many mistakenly believe that tight clothing will smother imperfections and flatten out pudgy shapes. The reason this way of thinking works for women is because women have access to control-top underwear that creates a flatter midsection, thus allowing them to wear tighter clothes. So, unless you are willing to invest in women’s underwear (though we implore you not to do so), tight clothing will only draw attention to your flabby bits. In a similar vein, other plus-size men believe baggy clothing will hide bulges. Not so. Overly large clothes will only make you look bigger. The secret to looking slimmer is to choose clothes that are neither tight nor baggy, meaning that all your clothes should just skim your body without hugging it too closely.