Man about town: Johnny Bigg

Brought to you by Johnny Bigg

My dude Doug has always been a big guy. He’s 6’3″ and in mountain biking he’s classed as a Clydesdale because he’s tall and heavy. He understands the struggles I’ve had finding clothes because finding clothes as a plus size guy in New Zealand can be really hard!

That’s not to say he doesn’t have a lot of clothes – he actually has more clothes than I do. The problem is that they all look the same – black band t-shirts and black shorts galore! Plus he’s done exactly what I used to do, and held on to everything he’s ever bought because finding clothes he likes that fit him is bloody hard (even though quite a few items in his wardrobe don’t really fit that well and he never wears them). As a biker he’s got muscular thighs, plus he carries a lot of his weight in his tummy. That makes finding pants that fit well a bit of a mission!

Needless to say, I was really excited when menswear store Johnny Bigg got in touch and asked if I’d like to collaborate with them and style an outfit for Doug. How could I turn down the chance to help my favourite guy find an outfit he loves? Johnny Bigg is a bit of a one-stop-shop for plus size men’s clothing – they’ve got shirts, suits, pants and jeans up to size 52, shirts up to 8XL and shoes up to size 15. It’s the perfect place to find clothes for my big and tall guy.

Doug’s style is pretty simple, so I thought jeans and a tee would be a good place to start. He picked out a couple of t-shirts in designs he liked, one with a v-neck (which he doesn’t usually find in men’s styles) and one with a rounded neck. Since his wardrobe consists of so much black, I wanted to bring in some other colours that were still quite dark, so I was keeping an eye out for dark charcoal greys and navy blues. He’s already got some blue jeans in a really classic wash, so we decided on a darker rinse because we knew it would fit in with what he already has. Doug was really keen on a coated denim, which I quite liked because not only does it look good, the fabric also has a bit of stretch so it would be a great fit for his thighs.

Shopping online can sometimes be a bit of a risk – as I’m sure we have all experienced at some point! Luckily, Johnny Bigg has an amazing size chart system. Instead of measuring yourself and hoping the fit is how you like it, you grab a pair of jeans (or a tee, or a suit or whatever) that you like the fit of, and measure that flat then find the matching sizing on their size chart. We had to make the decision to size up or down in a couple of things and I wish I’d sized up in the jeans because they’re a little snug in the waistband, but overall everything we chose was a good fit. I honestly wish that women’s clothing size charts worked this way too – it makes much more sense and it’s super easy to find a fit you like.

I also picked out a jacket for Doug, because it’s not something he has a lot of – again, finding something that is a good fit all over is not always easy. The biker style jacket we found is a perfect fit (and my favourite of the pieces we picked out) and now I’ve seen how good that style looks on Doug I really want to get him one in a heavier weight fabric for winter.

Do you know a big or tall guy who would look good in Johnny Bigg?
Check out their range here and let me know what catches your eye!

Doug wears:
Yorke Coated Stretch Jeans (42)
Harris Print V-Neck Tee (2XL)
Dylan Splice Tee (2XL)
Clifford Biker Jacket (3XLT)
Carpenter Cut Out Belt (42)
Draper Suede Lace Up Shoes (11)
Bamboo Socks (8-11)

This post was brought to you by Johnny Bigg. Please support the brands that support this blog.