How to Dress Like Elijah Wood
Elijah Wood is one of my favorite shorter celebrities. He clearly cares about his appearance, and he’s a stellar example of how to dress the short, slim body type.
I want to break down Elijah Wood’s style for two reasons:
- At about 5’6”, he manages to wear clothes that fit very well
- He’s created a “uniform” look for daily wear, which is something every man should try to do.
Let’s have a look at a few of Elijah’s outfits, shall we?
Elijah Wood’s Uniform (Button Up Shirt, Jeans and Boots)
If he’s not at the gym or some formal event, Elijah pretty much sticks to some variation of this outfit.
It’s a simple, timeless getup that works so well if your clothes fit. It’s also extremely versatile. Love pattern shirts? Those will work. Prefer sneakers over boots? That’s fine too!
You’ll notice that Wood usually tucks his shirts in, which is a good idea since they’re probably too long to wear untucked (he hasn’t discovered the Peter Manning Weekend Shirt yet).
He also likes to button the top button of his shirt. This is kind of a nerdy/street style detail, and it’s not for everyone. But he’s used this small detail to strengthen his signature look.
I’m not saying you should do this, but think about the little things that can become part of your signature look.
Note: Shorter gents shouldn't wear big, bulky cuffs at the bottom of their pants like Elijah is doing in the above photo. You can cuff your pants, but keep the cuff short and tight like this.
For example, maybe you always wear a pocket square or wristwatch or special piece of jewelry. Maybe you like to go tieless when you wear a suit, a la Mark Cuban.
How to Get This Look
There are really only three key pieces of Elijah’s uniform: a slim fit button up shirt, a pair of slim fit jeans and (typically) a pair of well worn boots.
Here are some suggestions for where to find these items online:
Button Up Shirt
- Peter Manning Weekend Oxford
- American Eagle (avoid anything with a logo on the chest)
- Uniqlo (these might be too long to wear untucked)
Jeans
- Peter Manning Dark Indigo
- Mott & Bow Skinny Tapered (will need to be hemmed or cuffed)
- A.P.C. Petit New Standard
Boots
- Wolverine 1,000 Mile Boot (handsome, high quality work boot)
- To Boot ‘Anderson’ Chelsea (sleek and dressy)
- J. Crew Macalister (more casual, but one of my all time favorites)
Could you wear light wash jeans instead? Of course.
Could you opt for sneakers? Indeed, you could.
This outfit is very interchangeable. But, as Elijah Wood as demonstrated time and time again, you can’t go wrong with the classic combination of a button up shirt, jeans and boots.
What's Your Uniform?
Here's my challenge to you: figure out what your "uniform" is, then build your wardrobe around it. It might be a suit and tie, which is fine. Or maybe it's shorts and a polo shirt.
Either way, adopting a uniform will make getting dressed every morning much easier because most of your outfits will consist of the same basic ingredients.
You'll also save money on clothing by not buying random items that don't fit into your daily uniform.