A solid guide to shirt fit

[nicholascrawford]

Indochino was hit and miss this week with emails, but I liked this one.





(yeah, that should screw up their email analytics)


My take on this is that there's a bit of +/- with all of these rules, but I don't think you'd ever want a shirt any tighter around the torso than what this shows. With that, though, most guys have a belly to a greater or lesser extent, so it's not uncommon to see the bottom buttons practically popping off or at least filling out the fabric even on non-slim fit shirts. So for skinny guys, it's a bit more striking to see a shirt that's this form fitting around the midsection.


The sleeves could be a touch longer or shorter and still be in the acceptable range for me. My feeling is that for a dress shirt that you intend to wear with a jacket, the length better be perfect so that your jacket layers over it properly. If you're rolling up the sleeves, who cares.

[Ounce]

Glad this topic came up. I recently picked up a bunch of new dress shirts and made a bit of a discovery about my sizing. I used to be XL in non measured shirts which generally translates to a 17 1/2 collar with 35-37 sleeves. I always assumed I had to go with XL due to my height (6'3) but in reality I've found now (with 45 lbs of weight loss) I'm really just an L (with 16 - 16.5 collar).


It's funny how people actually notice weight loss once your clothes fit properly. My only concern now is that with the much more fitted shirt, any underarm sweating at all is going to hit the fabric generally. I'm not talking giant pit stains but on some occasions things can get a tad damp directly in there. Will this cause me trouble in the long run with staining and what not? I really dislike undershirts (make me hotter, messes up shirt fit) and like the way my new shirts fit but I'm afraid of doing damage in the occasional instances where I'll sweat just a bit in there. I've heard it's no big deal and any staining is usually easily remedied with a bit of Oxy Clean. I hope that's the case as I don't want to have to size up or wear undershirts.

[alan]

@Ounce: Oxy Clean helps. Pre-applications like spray n wash are also good. But I still recommend the undershirts. It doesn't take sweat to cause stains. Deodorant can cause it, too.

[nicholascrawford]

My brother is 6'3" and wears medium shirts and sometimes small t-shirts to show off the guns, hehe. I'm 6'1" and have gone from wearing L to M with some smalls without changing size...just a realization like you.


For undershirts, I've made the switch and have stopped wearing them entirely. I thought I would wreck my shirts, but the opposite happened. I'm sweating less because I'm not wearing the layer that made me sweat more.


I use deodorant instead of antiperspirant, but if I had a sweating problem, I wouldn't hesitate to consider antiperspirant. Worth experimenting to see what works for you. Plus, if you have immediate access to a washing machine, you could just toss it in right after wearing a sweaty shirt to keep the stains from setting. I've found sweat stains tough to remove after they dry.

[Ounce]

@Alan: Thanks. Perhaps I'll look into undershirts...something very thin and hardly noticeable in a deep V-neck. I know its probably more the deodorant causing problems but obviously you can't live without that...

[alan]

FWIW, I sweat quite a bit. I would sweat even if I didn't wear the undershirts so I figure I might as well just wear them.

[forbritisheyesonly]

In regards to the torso of a shirt, be careful how tight you make it. My mom has fixed my shirts so they are as tight as the one in the picture. I unzip my pants to put on my shoes before I leave the house, otherwise, I can't bend over. It's a bit difficult to reach for very high objects because the shirt is tucked in very snugly. It feels great, though not as great as it used to, but I'm willing to sacrifice some comfort to look sexy =]One thing about my shirts is that the sleeves are a bit short( I think) The cuffs hit my wrist bone(largest bump on the pinky side of of your wrist), as opposed to 1cm lower like it does in the picture. Because of this, my jacket's sleeves had to be shortened to accommodate this. What do you guys think?

[eobrien]

I think yellow pit stains are worse with aluminum-based antiperspirants. Try a natural deodorant. You might sweat a bit more, but you'll damage the shirt less.

[nicholascrawford]

forbritisheyesonly - I think there's a bit of leeway in terms of how much "linen" you should show at the cuff, but you definitely want something sticking out. With shirts, you can control how far down your wrist the cuffs go with the buttons or cufflinks. If they're too short, though, you're kinda screwed. I'm really trying to find a size and brand of dress shirts that works well for me so that I can wear any jacket with any shirt and not have to worry about whether it's long enough.


eobrien - I've heard the same thing. You could also get botox in your pits so that they don't sweat!

[forbritisheyesonly]

I've wanted to take a look at BB's ES shirts because I have heard they fit very well. I'm goign to avoid all non-iron shirts from now on because I heard(though this is still suspect) that sweat tends to adhere to artificial materials better. The two I own are by accident, as Nordstrom did not post that on the darn item page.


Plus, BB sells by neck size and specific sleeve length, which is nice. I will be going for a 36 from now on to achieve the ideal length.

[TomasR]

@Ounce My tendency to sweat has dropped as I've lost weight(lost 55 lbs so far), but heat still makes me sweat a moderate amount so I wear undershirts. What I've learned is that investing in quality undershirts that fit close to your body is a real difference maker. I wear Uniqlo undershirts which come in 2 packs for $12.90. A bit more than average, but they're 100% supima cotton, hug my body and actually keep me cool. An ill-fitting undershirt made of low-quality cotton does the exact opposite of what an undershirt is supposed to do: keep you cool.

[Deke]

I'm sorry, but this is just one area where I guess I'm not going to be fashionable. Everything looks great about that shirt otherwise, but the midsection is just too tight. If you do anything other than stand in that shirt the buttons will be holding on for dear life. IMHO a dress shirt that is that fitted sacrifices too much comfort (it's like the men's version of a corset).


Edit: @NC, going back and reading your assessment in the original post, i think I pretty much agree.

[MaxMan]

Im with Deke, that model may have pins in the back like most models do, if you ever saw that article in GQ with antonio banderas modeling and showing the pins in the back...I think that shirt is WAY to snug at the waist area. IMO, it is too trendy to be that tight, its like wearing skinny jeans around your abs...I am in pretty good shape so i dont typically have issues with slim fit anythings, they tend to fit OTR.


In re to the deodorant, the best option IMO is to go with Toms roll on, Natural ingredients and 24hr protection. I run and play alot of basketball and use this product alone and aside from normal strenuous activity sweating, the pits are pretty fresh...They have no scent so thats good as well so you expensive cologne(which should be worn lightly is the only scent you have). Aluminum is exactly what causes people to have the dreaded yellow stains...i used to use antipersperant and did some extensive reasearch and trial and error a few years back and found that natural deodorant was the best option even if you sweat A LITTLE bit...if your drenching when you get home you need the antiperspirant...

[Ounce]

I dont' sweat a ton and I currently use Old Spice Red Zone which is aluminum free (at least according to the ingredients label). I only freaked on this a little bit because one of my light pink Express 1MX shirts came out of the wash recently with a darkened ring around the pit that was visible under ironing or bright light. Not ruined necessarily but its something you'd see if you looked for it.


I haven't had any issues before with Old Spice and I'm somewhat thinking that I might chalk this up to the thin/lower quality fabric found in the 1MX shirt combined with a light color. I have a light blue 1MX that I've worn much more and it's stain free. Maybe just a freak thing.

[pratyk]

As far as undershirts, my job requires that I am either suited up or atleast wearing a tie. I sweat a lot and hence I stick to UnderArmor / Nike Pro Combat since it is never visible.