Look, we all love a good beer. And eating pizza after we’ve had a few beers? Even better. While there’s nothing more pleasing than enjoying our favorite salty snacks and washing them down with a nice cold one, there is the reality that too much pizza and beer can affect our midsection. Enter: the beer belly. Therefore, here are 6 tips to hide the beer belly.
Belly fat is historically one of the hardest types of fat to lose. This is because most fat around the midsection is visceral fat, a type of fat that surrounds the organs, creating the “puffy” looking belly synonymous with drinking a bit too much. But does enjoying one too many beers mean we can’t look and feel our best in our favorite outfits? Absolutely not.
There Is Always a Solution
With the right technique, you can wear what you love and diminish the look of a large midsection. So grab your best polo shirts and your favorite men’s t-shirt pack and start styling. Beer bellies are no match for a little strategy and a flair for fashion. Here are our 6 tips for how to hide that belly so you can look great and enjoy your beer in peace.
- Wear Black – Color choices in clothing have proven to affect our moods and our appearance. If you want to feel calm, cool, collected … blue is the way to go. On the flip, if you’d prefer to cue energetic vibes, orange can trigger fun and enthusiasm — a blend of passionate red and joyful yellow.
If your goal when picking an outfit has less to do with energy and more to do with creating a slimmer, thinning effect, black is a must. Not only does the color black convey confidence and a bit of mystery, but it also silhouettes the body in a flattering way, minimizing curves and clinging shirts where you don’t want to draw extra attention.
- Select Slim Fit Options – If you’re feeling self conscious about your stomach, your instincts might tell you to wear the biggest hoodie or baggiest sweater you can find. In reality, wearing clothes that highlight your figure in just the right ways will make your torso appear trimmer and thinner than you might be feeling. You want to pick items that are just bigger than you are so you aren’t stuck swimming in shapeless fabric — which will make you look much larger than you are.
The same can be said for your pants. Aim for straight, slim cut or skinny-ish styles so your bottom half doesn’t appear as wide as your midsection. Contouring the body from top to bottom just so will make you appear more shapely and much fitter than you might think.
- Use Outerwear to Elongate the Torso – The right outerwear not only adds a touch of personality and style to your outfit but can help you look taller and your torso look longer. The key is to wear something a little longer than your natural waist (think: below your belt).
Throw a fitted blazer over your favorite hoodie to contour your frame. Pair a jean jacket with a dark-colored men’s long sleeve henley to give yourself more of a silhouette. Whether you go with a flannel button-up, a pea coat, a light rain jacket or a vest, choosing an extra piece to go over your undershirt will offer a little more coverage, if that’s what you’re looking for, and will help define the body in just the right ways.
- Choose Clothing with Small Details That Detract from Your Midsection – Pieces with little details, like an interesting collar on a sweater or a colorful pocket on a playful pocket tee, will take attention away from your midsection. A perfect example of this: a dark button-up tee with stark white buttons. The contrast between the deep hue of the shirt and the bright white of the buttons will create a slimming vertical line through your midsection and divert attention from your belly. Choosing items that highlight details like these is a clever way to play up your unique style while simultaneously detracting attention from areas you wish to conceal.
- Wear Accessories That Take Attention Away from the Belly – Similarly, accessories are a great way to draw the eye away from your belly and toward something else exciting to look at. Could be a nice pair of glasses, a scarf or a hat or an interesting belt buckle. Another great idea is to sling a cross-body bag across your chest. With strategic placement, the body of the bag can act as a nice shield for your belly and a distraction from the attention you don’t want placed on your midsection. You can plan your outfit strategically to give viewers a focal point other than your stomach while simultaneously enhancing your personal style. It’s a win-win.
- Pick V-Neck over Crew Neck – Similar to wearing vertical stripes, a trusty v-neck tee will draw the eye downward, from your neck toward your shoes, creating the illusion of length. This trick of the eye creates a slimming effect and will make your mid-section appear longer in length than in width.
You Can Have It All
In the end, your style choices should be about what makes you feel best. You want to create a style that speaks to your energy, interests, behaviors, etc. The same goes for your diet. Eat what makes you feel your best, whether that’s pizza and a cold one or something else entirely. With the right tips and tricks, you can truly have it all — good style and good beer.
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Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Pinstripe Magazine. Creative thinker and menswear designer who has been writing articles dedicated to men’s fashion, lifestyle, luxury items, home design, gear, grooming and gadgets since 1998. For info on PinstripeMag, any editorial needs or to contact me please email at marv@pinstripemag.com.
