"Slim" Fit shirts - Comparison of Brands

[j.b.]

So I originally realized that all of my dress were billowing out at the sides a few years ago....this was well before I found dappered.com, or even cared much about what I was wearing otherwise....but I knew I wanted to find shirts that fit me better. The idea of going to the tailor never even crossed my mind.


In the years since, I have tried a few brands and settled into a favorite (CTShirts). I've realized though, that one brands "slim", may not be nearly as slim as another's.


Now, I should probably preface this by saying that I'm not the "slimmest" person, myself. I'm 5'11", and I fluctuate between 185 and 195 lbs...so I don't exactly need the slimmest shirt to make it look more tailored to me.


I thought I would list out the shits that I've tried and rank them on "slim"-ness, If you have any other brands to add, it would be nice to know how they compare. I've ranked a few of my shirts according to the amount of room in the midsection.


I'd be interested in where some other brands fall in ts spectrum, so any input you have, would be appreciated.


On the tighter side:

- Neiman Marcus - Trim Fit

- Charles Tyrwhitt - Tailored

Getting a little roomier:

- Express - 1MX Fitted

- Charles Tyrwhitt - Slim (probably fits me the best, but all are do-able)

- Chaps - (doesn't say anything about "slim", but it is)

- Arrow - Tailored Fit (yes, Kohl's brand...go ahead, judge me)

Roomiest, yet not as billowy as a full sized shirt:

- Brooks Brothers - Slim

- Gap - Premium

[jordan]

Strange, I think Express Fitted is about as trim as it gets. I would consider CT Tailored still a tad on the baggy side.

[j.b.]

It could have to do with the way some stores sell their sizes too. At CT and BB, you can buy exact fits, in collar and sleeve length, but some of the other stores only offer ranges, like a "34/35" sleeve. It could just be that I end up with a bigger Express size in the midsection as a result of the sleeve length.


I wish there was a more precise way to compare them all, but it's pretty tough to do.

[jordan]

Yeah, i wear a medium at express.


The problem I have with a lot of shirts is that right above my butt, my the small of my back curves way in, the result is billowing on the back side of the shirt that a lot of other people don't get. A lot of shirts fit me perfect everywhere, but billow a bit around my lower back. Its annoying.

[redbeardedmike]

J.B - As I posted elswehere, I see a continuum here too:


I am a 15.5 x 34/35 in most shirts (I'm a true 34, but it's hard to find that sleeve sizing these days) and 6 ft and 175. I'd say that of the shirts I have from slimmer to less slim:


Boss Black -> Charles Tyrwhitt -> Nordstrom Trim Fit/Nieman Marcus Trim Fit (comparable) -> BR slim fit


I've gotten the sides taken in on the BR slim fit shirts, but the Nordstrom Rack and Nieman Marcus trim fits make me think I can get away without any tailoring. Right on the edge, but I think I'll leave them be.

[j.b.]

That's the exact same size that I bought from Neiman Marcus. I'm surprised that you think the CT are slimmer. Do you have "slim" or "tailored" shirts from CT?


and thanks for pointing out that old thread. I remember seeing it, but I don't think i followed it the whole time. It had a link in there to CT, where they list the various measurements (length, chest, waist, etc) on all of their sizes. I wish all brands did that. That's exactly the kind of detail i'm looking for.

[shad0w4life]

One important thing many people don't mention is do you button the collar up?


Express 1 MX in medium fit me in body etc but the sleeves were too short and neck couldn't be done up


Charles Tyrwhitt I ordered for my neck and sleeve at the time as they were to be my suit shirts if I needed any, which ended up being tents to be taken in.

16.5" neck and 45 chest 41 waist...that's not tailored at all, I was about a 43-44 chest at the time and a 34 waist. It seems their slim fit & tailored fit = it will fit chest and leave a lot of room for Thanksgiving dinner.

[redbeardedmike]

J.B - I have CT Tailored Fit. I thought it wasn't all that trim at first, but both it and Nieman Marcus shirts shrunk a bit after a couple of washes. But CT Tailored is definitely slimmer.


I believe there are other threads about slim fit shirts. Here is another one. In it, nicholascrawford lists measurements from a bunch of shirts he owned. I also linked to a table on Nordstrom's site which compares measurements from a number of different brands they carry. I agree that more stores should make this readily available, but I've also always been able to call or chat with a customer service representative to get any measurements that aren't listed (at J Crew or LEC, for example).

[redbeardedmike]

@shad0w4life - To be fair, you have an unusually large drop from chest to waist as has been detailed elsewhere. Have you found any off-the-rack shirts that fit your waist snugly?

[Joe G.]

The slimmest OTR dress shirt I've found so far is H&M. A large fits me quite snugly (whereas other brands I have to drop down to Medium and it still doesn't fit as well).


Also, Original Penguin slim-fit casual button down shirts fit VERY tailored in size Large.


As for Express Fitted 1MX... ehh. I love their shirts, but still a bit billowy in my true size. Better than most, but not perfect. Sizing down would probably do the trick though.

[shad0w4life]

The only recent OTR shirt that was almost the fit I wanted was the Express 1MX, but the stretch helps it feel like it fits better. If they weren't such poorly made & overpriced($70 for 1!) shirts. I owned one for a day and the buttons fell off after the first wash and good luck ironing the things. You can still use them to your advantage though, get the measurements and go MTM, which I may do shortly here.


I do have a Theory shirt, that fits well but it's a casual shirt, most of my MTM shirts would be a great casual fit too(besides length and french cuffs) but tucking in is a different story. I have seen theory shirts for sale on places like GILT etc, and I may try that route soon.


I haven't tried anything from the boss line yet, the Zegna shirt I was looking at came with free in house tailoring so it would fit & $200 tag but Ratio and Proper Cloth charge a lot for their shirts too so it seems like a better deal in the end.

[rags]

BB Extra Slims are a pretty good fit thought selection is quite narrow


http://www.brooksbrothers.com/IWCatS...ection_Id=1052

[shad0w4life]

For a 15.5 BB Extra slim fit 43.5 Chest but 41 waist still, sounds identical to CT Tailored but at least they have 36" sleeve. I was trying to find those but the BB store I was at sold the 346 line and didn't carry the extra slim fit.

[jordan]

36? You should be a boxer.

[ZachL]

Ben Sherman in SoHo fit (super slim) supplies all of my casual shirts. The new J.Crew slim fits are also pretty well fitted for more casual wear, i.e. buttondowns.