whole “Style Advice for Short Men” article seems to crop up in newspapers on a fairly regular basis. In the publishing biz, we call that an “Evergreen” piece. It’s perennial, timeless — always good on a slow news day. The “Short Man” version usually imparts some variation of the same basic stylist commandments: Stand Up Straight, Wear Stripes, Don’t Cuff Your Trousers.

I’m not saying these stories are without merit; the advice is sound. And if you’re short and aren’t already aware of some of the basic advice out there, these summaries can be a good starting point to building a better-looking wardrobe.But for me, I’m always looking for something more. Something that goes beyond the basics. The most recent example of this evergreen story popped up this week in Canada. The Vancouver Sun published a story by J.J. Lee called“Sartorial Survival Tips for Short Men.”It covers a lot of the usual bases, but I did think this was an interesting point:Menswear has traditionally been conceived for the average male who stands at 5′10.”

While all designs are “graded” (that’s a fashion industry term for scaling clothes to fit various sizes), grading does not guarantee clothes will actually look good on smaller men. Often something is lost in the translation.Then there’s the problem finding small or extra small items on the racks.Blame the scarcity on the trend towards tighter and shorter garb.

Many hipsters, sized medium and large, have been horning in on tinier togs, leaving short guys to pick through the dregs.So the same fashion-industry trend that’s responsible for the current rise in smaller cuts is also responsible for those sizes being less available. Drat.