Dress Shirts for Narrow Shoulders (on fatty dudes)

[jason2]

I'm just now paying attention to proper shirt fit. Seems I have narrow shoulders. I'm far from skinny though. I'm 5'10", 185 lbs., 42" chest, 34" waist . . . and narrow shoulders.


Any recommendations on dress shirt brands? All of the off the rack shirts I have now are way too wide in the shoulders (mostly brooks bros).

[alan]

@Jason: Do you know which fit of BB shirts you currently have? If it doesn't specify, I'd expect it to be their traditional fit. That could have an affect, for sure. Traditionally, BB shirts are high quality, but boxy. They have some slimmer stuff, but you have to make sure that they're explcitly a slimmer fit. I think this primarily affects the waist, but may marginally affect the shoulders, too.


Do you have a sportcoat/blazer/suit that fits you well in shoulders? If so, can you measure off the shoulder width so we have an idea of what it is we're working with? The measurement is made by laying the jacket face down and measuring point to point at the "T" where the shoulder seam meets the arm seam. Just measure straight across the back.


FWIW, I'm 5'10" and 185-190 pounds with a 40" chest and 34" waist so I'm not so different from you. I don't think I have small shoulders, though. That's a new one. Have you considered a shoulder workout? :-) I'm actually being serious here. The equipment is cheap enough to do it in your own home, results aren't hard to achieve, and recovery (at least for me) has never been too bad on that muscle group.

[alan]

Also, what makes you think your shoulders are narrow? Does the shoulder seam just hang way over the edge? If that's happening and your shirts' arms are too long, then the simple solution is to try measured shirts with shorter arms. If not the case, then disregard.

[jason2]

I measured for an Indochino suit and my shoulder width was 17.5". Maybe that is not narrow? I assumed so because all of my shirts are flopping over the edge of my shoulders (shoulder seams are way down on each arm . . . maybe an inch past where they should be).

[Focuspants]

Thats a tad narrow, but not overly narrow. I am basically a 39r, and have 17.75" shoulders. 17.5" is usually a 38. I can soemtimes fit the shoulders of a 38 but sometimes the sleeves and chest are too small for me (I am 5'11 ~175 lbs athletic build). I could see you having a little bit of trouble if your shoulders are narrower than mine, and your chest is a little bigger. You probably fit a 40 better everywhere but the shoulders.


Since we are relatively similar in build, CT tailored fit fits me extremely well. I dont need to have them altered at all (and bonus, the price is great!). CT is going to be my go to place for shirts for the forseeable future.

[hornsup84]

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/finder/lookup/filter/muscle/id/12/muscle/shoulders


Kidding, although not a bad option -- my shoulders definitely are +/- and inch or so depending on if I've been hitting the gym or not. And shoulders define your shape quite a bit if you're into fitness at all.

[VespaMatt]

If you are wearing slim or athletic fits right now I would try sizing down and going with a 'classic' fit. Slim Fit stuff is going to be too tight in the gut for you, so you need to go with 'Classic' fits that are cut without taper. I have small shoulders as well, and while I'm not fat, I'm not skinny either.


I haven't spent a lot of time trying on and comparing shirts. CT, as people are recommending, have very detailed measurements so you should be able to see if any of their fits will work for you. I have had luck with Express's shirt fit, but like everyone else has said... they don't last long.

[jason2]

I lift quite a bit, so I don't think I'm going to get much width increase from more time in the gym.

[alan]

Outside of working out to fit into clothes better, Vespa seems to have the best suggestion. However, that's much easier to do with a jacket than with a shirt. I suppose you can try going custom, but that could get pricey. I really don't have any off-the-rack suggestions. :-S

[kwok]

Jason :


I would try to size down as well. I brought small for LEC shirts, or 14.5/32 from Brooksbrothers for better fit from OTR shirts. I usually wear 38S for my jacket, but my shoulder is 16. So usually I just go for custom shirts like ratioclothing.