For gentlemen with an oval body shape, where weight tends to concentrate around the midsection, the key to a distinguished appearance lies in creating vertical lines and balanced proportions throughout the year.
A strategic approach to seasonal dressing will help you appear taller, leaner, and more proportioned—essential elements of the sophisticated gentleman’s appearance.
Here are some styling fundamentals you should consider when dressing for an oval/apple body shape, regardless of the season:
- Choose garments where the shoulder seam sits precisely at your natural shoulder point—a well-fitted shoulder creates the foundation for every successful outfit.
- Select jackets and coats with a structured shoulder and a subtle waist suppression, avoiding both completely straight cuts that add bulk and overly fitted styles that can appear tight.
- Opt for mid-to-high rise trousers that sit above your midsection, creating a longer leg line while providing comfortable support.
- When selecting patterns, remember that vertical stripes should be no wider than 1-1.5 centimetres apart to maintain elegance while creating a lengthening effect.
Spring
Choose structured blazers that skim rather than hug your midsection, ensuring the shoulder line remains crisp to create a strong upper body frame.
Select shirts with vertical elements that draw the eye up and down, creating an elongating effect on your torso.
Keep your trousers straight-cut and well-fitted through the leg, avoiding both overly tight or baggy styles that can disturb your proportions.
Opt for medium-weight fabrics like tropical wool or cotton-linen blends that provide structure without adding bulk.
For spring colours, choose navy blazers paired with light grey or silver trousers to create a lengthening effect. Accent with soft pastels in shirts and accessories, avoiding bold horizontal patterns.
For exceptional examples, consider Savile Row’s cotton-linen blazers by Holland & Sherry, paired with Turnbull & Asser’s vertical striped shirts and Brunello Cucinelli’s perfectly cut chinos.
Summer
Opt for lightweight fabrics that maintain their structure while hanging smoothly away from the body.
Choose shirts with open collars that create a V-neck line, naturally elongating your neck and torso.
Select shorts that end just above the knee, creating a balanced proportion between your upper and lower body.
Consider the weight of your summer fabrics—tropical wool at 7-8oz offers breathability while maintaining shape, unlike lighter weights that may cling unflatteringly.
Summer colours should centre around light neutrals like stone, cream, and pale grey for larger pieces. Introduce colour through vertical stripes in shirts and ties, focusing on sea blues and soft greens that create depth without width.
Anderson & Sheppard demonstrates these principles perfectly with summer-weight linens, while Emma Willis offers ideal collar shapes, and Orlebar Brown provides well-proportioned shorts.
Autumn
Layer strategically with fitted base layers under slightly more structured outer pieces to create a smooth, elongated silhouette.
Use scarves to create vertical lines down your torso, choosing longer lengths over wide, bulky wraps.
Select trousers in heavier fabrics that hold their shape without clinging, maintaining a clean line from hip to ankle.
Pay attention to jacket length—the ideal point falls just below your seat, creating balance while concealing the midsection.
Autumn colours should embrace darker tones like burgundy, forest green, and deep brown, using them in vertical arrangements. Keep patterns subtle with fine herringbones and narrow pinstripes that add texture without bulk.
John Smedley’s fine knits provide an excellent foundation, while a Harris Tweed jacket adds structure without bulk, and Anglo-Italian’s moleskin trousers offer the perfect weight and cut.
Winter
Choose a well-structured overcoat that creates clean lines from shoulder to mid-thigh, avoiding double-breasted styles that can add visual width.
Layer with V-neck knits to maintain a lengthening neckline even in cold weather.
Keep your cold-weather accessories long and lean rather than bulky and wrapped.
Consider the weight of your winter cloths carefully—a 13-14oz wool coating provides structure without excessive bulk.
Winter colours should focus on charcoal, navy, and black for outerwear and trousers, creating a sleek monochromatic look. Introduce texture rather than pattern through knits and weaves, maintaining visual interest while preserving clean lines.
Crombie’s single-breasted overcoats exemplify this approach, while Drake’s V-neck cardigans and William Lockie’s streamlined cashmere scarves provide elegant seasonal solutions.
Conclusion
A sophisticated wardrobe for the oval body shape focuses on creating harmony between comfort and elegance throughout the seasons.
Success lies in understanding how different fabrics drape and move with your body, selecting appropriate weights and textures for each season.
Mastering the balance between structure and fluidity in your clothing will create an appearance of natural elegance that transcends seasonal trends.
Remember that true style comes from confidence—well-chosen garments that fit properly and feel comfortable will always look more elegant than fashionable pieces that compromise on fit or comfort.
Style Like a True Gentleman
Before we say goodbye, here’s one of the best-kept secrets in men’s styling circles, a secret that only a few expert image consultants know or are willing to share.
First and foremost, professional styling requires knowing your unique body shape and seasonal colour palette – paramount factors in choosing perfectly fitting clothes in colours that complement your skin, eyes, and hair.
Only then can a stylist engage in styling by occasion, location, season, and time of day, with garments, footwear, and accessories from stylistically relevant heritage fashion brands to depict high confidence and success.
Best part? You can find your body shape, seasonal colour palette, and ideal fashion style in less than 5 minutes by yourself, for free, thanks to our four simple steps:
1. Find Your Body Shape
Different garments flatter different silhouettes, so knowing your body shape is the first step in dressing like a confident man.
To find out your unique body shape, take our free body shape quiz for men.
Once you know your unique body shape, take the second free quiz to discover your unique colour palette.
2. Find Your Unique Colour Palette
Remember, the garments that compose your outfits come in various colours, and you must ensure that each hue complements your natural colour.
To do that, you have to find out your seasonal colour palette, and you can do it by taking our free seasonal colour quiz for men.
3. Find Your Ideal Fashion Style
By now, you should already know your body shape and unique colour palette; the next step is to discover your ideal personal fashion style.
The fastest and simplest way is to take our free fashion style quiz for men; it includes your ideal style, outfit ideas, relevant fashion brands, and much more.
4. Professional Image Consultancy with The VOU
And if you want to style like a professional, by occasion, location, season, and time of the day, you can always ask our expert image consultants and fashion stylists for help.
Our styling services for men are the most comprehensive and detailed on the market, backed up by leading stylists who will guide you step by step in creating looks that communicate affluence, elegance, and endless accomplishments.
Remember, wearing luxury brands isn’t enough; to look stylish, confident, and successful, you must first know your body shape, colour palette, and ideal personal style, and only then style by occasion, location, season, and time of day.
Contact us today to save headaches, time, and money – it’s time to dress like a confident, successful gentleman of exquisite fashion taste –Â the first styling assessment is on us!