Weighing in, I prefer to be indirect with details mostly because I know how I react to certain descriptors. I've put a book down and walked away from it if it doesn't leave me any room for imagination. There are times when I do need to state a character's height, or something specific about their appearance, and of course eye color, hair color, and other descriptors are great. But I'm perplexed by very specific measurements, to wit: "He was 6 foot 3-1/2 inches tall, 6 foot 4 if he stretched." It makes me stop and ponder the need for that half-inch more of height, since I'm a mere 5 foot 5 inches tall and would get a neck crick either way.