Top 10 shoe hacks to make you taller (without anyone knowing!)


Man wearing sneakers

We think it’s only the fairer sex who relish in the act of “height boosting” for nights out about the town, but what about the guys? Below we‘ve got the top tips and tricks to help you men look taller!

Check out our resource page right here to find the perfect elevator shoe for your “tall guy” situation!!

Wear Elevator Shoes

Quite the obvious answer, we know.

But our biases are backed up with tangible evidence that has us recommending elevator shoes even more so. In this article, we discussed elevator shoes and their practicality when it came to wearing them for office interviews. 

They’re not only an effective shoe that can provide you with a varying height gain between 1-6 inches, but these days, to put it frankly…they’ve just gotten to be that much better looking, and discreet. 

Elevator shoes are the new “gaming laptop”

Like gaming laptops back in the day, with all that inbuilt “portable horsepower” – this ultimately was made at the expense of their ludicrous design and chunky build (to be able to accommodate so much power.) 

But have you seen the latest gaming laptops out there today?

There’re insanely gorgeous, sleek, and fast – all the while still providing you with all the power you could ever need, on the “go – best of both worlds.

The same meandering reasoning can be extended to elevator shoes. 

The modern elevator shoe is sleek, grounded, and (here at Don’s) is built from the ground up, not only allowing for an increase in height but better posture, firmer heel counterpoints, wider toe box area, etc… AND no one call tell their actual elevator shoes anymore! 

Like we said – best of both worlds. 

Here is a video further explaining how elevator shoes actually work:

Opt For Formal Shoes With Heels 

But what if you lack the funds, don’t have access to, or are still unsure as to the awesome benefits of elevator shoes? Well, that’s okay too! Because the next best thing you could do is opt for heeled shoes. 

But what do we mean by heel shoes? Well to put it in clearer layman’s terms – roughly speaking – we mean office shoes. And unlike the nuanced mechanics that make elevator shoes the ultimate best (for good reason), “office shoes” are more commonly available, suit many budgets, and isn’t as big of a “taboo” step to veer in – because I mean; who doesn’t already own at least a pair?

Just make sure you purchase a heeled pointed toe shoe. The pointer the better, gentlemen. 

Round or square toes can appear to shorten the foot, whilst their pointier counterparts will visually lengthen your bottom half – foot, leg, and all. 

Wear Thick Cushioned Shoes

But as readers of more couth tastes, as much as we like formal shoes, not every occasion will warrant the use of one – and some places you’ll look ridiculous wearing formal shoes. This is why you need to diversify, and wearing thick cushioned soles will do it best. 

Walking or running shoes will suit you optimally, as by design there’re made to combat the repeated trauma one will usually have when covering great distances on foot. 

More cushioning = thicker soles

And they don’t even have to be all that costly, or complicated. Such decent examples would be ones such as the Non-Slip Running Shoes by Feethit, or the Orginal Grand Knit Wing Tip sneaker by Cole Haan.

The shoe selection above –  whilst designed for other uses – naturally will provide you with enough lift to secretly aid in your height! Who knew!

Check out our resource page right here to find the perfect elevator shoe for your “tall guy” situation!!

Use Shoes With Short Necks

This piggybacks off of previous points and is one tip that you needn’t pay too much attention to, as most shoes will fall under this point naturally. 

If you’ve noticed most business shoes or athletic shoes are by design situated below the ankle – which is a good thing.

Low-top shoes show more ankle, unlike high tops and/or boots – which if worn can appear to shorten the leg, as the collar and topline will rise above the ankle bone.

So opt for “short neck shoes!”

What about boots?

It’s all about proportions.

Whilst many look to boots to be their savior, the reality is that if you’re really short, a large boot will only mess with your proportions even more.

You’re better off working with what you got, rather than trying to compensate.

Insoles

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again…

Insoles work – just make sure it’s only a temporary solution, otherwise you’ll be in a world of “calf musculature-ankle sprain, and calcaneus” hurt. 

You can read our in-depth opinion on insoles and shoe lifts right here

However, if you must indulge in your “wilder whims” the least we could do is help you do it as best (and safe) as possible.

So below is our top recommended shoe insoles to help you look taller.

Best insoles to make you look taller

Adjustable 5-layer height insole option by Dr. Foot 

  • Features a “5-layer removable design”
  • Is made from a washable silica gel
  • Suits both sexes
  • Adjustable up to 1.2 inches in height

 3 Layer Air up Shoe Lift by QUXIANG

  •  Features inbuilt air cushions
  • Removable soles 
  • Stellar reviews

Check out our resource page right here to find the perfect elevator shoe for your “tall guy” situation!

Specialized tips down below!

Get it tailor-made!

This is just good life advice in general, which you can’t go wrong with. But espcailly when it comes to height – you really could use all the help you can get.

It starts wityh buying form fitting clothes, but your style and appearance will level up indefitnatly when a tailor starts to get involved.

Form fitting shirts and pants will cut out the excess length that’s usless to your frame, streamlining your look by allowing your frame to show even more “tightly”, but there’s a limit.

Having a tailor will allow him/her to hone in on every aspect of your beautiful body and accentuate it in the best of ways. Tightening areas in need of constraining , ultimately giving off the illusion that you’re “longer” than you look.

Wear Monochromes

This ain’t about your shoes, but rather what is around your shoe to accentuate your overall look, even more – specifically in terms of height.

If you’ve ever noticed, when one don’s a monochromatic outfit, they tend to look chic, more classic – but why?

With one color there is less distraction, much like any such monochromatic artwork – it allows the artist (with a lack of color options) to focus on texture and form (the latter of which you should concern yourself with.)

Going monochrome will allow you to see all the lines and shapes in your form of clothing, which, from a visual perspective will create a linear effect.

  • Monochromatic outfit creates the illusion of length!

Yes you heard that right! Dressing in one color (but not limited to one shade of that color) will allow the gazes of the publics gawk towards you to remain undisturbed.

This is because wearing single color will allow the the eye to travel up & down & through & through without stopping, making you appear taller!

Below are some extra tips to help your overall height problem!

Horizontal Stripes

Now most fashion blogs out there will tell you to forgot horizontal stripes all together, but honestly… it doesn’t matter.

What matters is the size of your stripes.

And we needn’t get pedantic about it all etiher, any pattern is fine, as long as it’s small relative to your overall dress garment.

Thin stripes over thick stripes, small indentations over larger ones.

Focus on your pants

Keep it tight, lads, especially on towards your bottom half.

This one is obvious which is why I left it towards the bottom portion of the list, because you already know this tip – or if you don’t, then you really should.

The length of your pants is arguably the single most crucial aspect that will “make or break” or your aspirations to look visually taller – it’s that important.

You don’t want pants that break at the ankles, as this will make you (the wearer) look chunky. You need to help accentuate your height, and your shoes aiding & abetting those few extra inches of yours will only further make you look even taller IF we can help your legs out as well.

Check out our resource page right here to find your perfect pant size and fit!

You want your shoes to follow the prerequisite set of guidelines listed aboe, and you want your legs to look like tall skyscrapers in conjuction with everything else.

Think of it as a packaged deal/a meal set – you don’t need to get the fries plus coke, but it’ll likely be conducive in making the entire experience overall more awesome.

If you’re going through the trouble to learn the tips and tricks for “height boosting” then it’d be in your best interest to work on everything else too.

Note about pants

Not everyone’s proportions are equal, so a good general rule of thumb when wearing chunky sneakers, a decent fit of nonskinny fitting pants to coincide with your big ‘ole sneakers will help compensate for the chunkiness = allowing you to have better proportions.

Here’s a video further going into some more of the nuances regarding style tips for guys – it’s worth a watch!

Homemade shoe lifts

But life is a cruel mistress, and so what if you don’t have the funds to even consider such options? 

Well in that case we still got you covered!

Check out this infographic step by step article right here on how to make your shoe lifts at home!

Dom Jeswal

Im a mixed third culture kid (with even more mixed tastes in fashion, food, manners & ideals) living in Asia. Currently exploring what it means to be a man a "spiced" value in the modern age - and all the interests and skills that come with the territory. Like your average men's lifestyle blog - only with more spice & more focus on info not exclusive to the West.

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