Favorite slim fit or MTM shirts?

[jikaasik]

I need some advice on shirts. I have a really hard time finding shirts that fit well. Either the body is too baggy or the sleeves are too short (for reference, I'm 6'3", 185lbs, and ~33 waist). I like my shirts quite slim fit, more so than shops like J Crew and Banana Republic make theirs.

If I'm looking to spend somewhere between $80 to $125 per shirt, would you go for a decent off the rack shirt or a made to measure shirt? In either case, any brand recommendations?

Thanks in advance and Happy Thanksgiving!

[smitty]

I feel your pain. I am 5'10", 165 pounds with a 42" chest and a 31" waist. Off the rack shirts don't work well on me. Most of the medium shirts fit ok in the chest but they have way too much fabric around the waist. The off the rack shirts that fit the best are J.Crew medium slim fit shirts. The Banana Republic slim fit shirts are ok, but not as good as they are just a bit larger around the mid section. I love Bonobos but their shirts tend to bit a bit inconsistent in the sizing. I have ordered a couple of MTM shirts from https://woodiesclothing.com/. The shirts turned out well, but you do need to have some patience while they get the fit right. The good thing is that once they've got it correct, you can then order anything on their website and it will be made to you individual measurements. I have bought a few shirts from Grand Frank. Those fit me really well, but they are definitely european sized so you need to be careful. I like a very trim fitted shirt and theirs work really well on me.

I also have a difficult time with sweaters. I love crew neck sweaters, but most mediums are way too big on me while the smalls are too tight. I have bought a number of sweaters from John Henric as theirs fit me perfectly. Again, they are a european company and are sized as such. Their mediums fit my body perfectly ... just big enough in the chest and trim throughout the body.

[gerardflynn]

Carrying on from smitty's recommendation, I've used bivolino.com and https://tailorstore.co.uk/ in the past. I'd probably recommend https://tailorstore.co.uk/ because their user experience on the site is better.

[JohnR]

Albeit slightly smaller (39-40 chest, 30-31 waist, 5'-9") I have the same problem and, while I'm not thrilled with the shirts, I have a few Charles Tyrwhitt that fit "ok" and come in at a lower price point on sale. I don't love their shirts, though, and am thinking that the Woodie's option is the better way to go.

[3piece]

With that budget and issues you have, I'd try MTM.

I got my MTM shirts from a local tailor. The work is outsourced to hongkong. The shirt starts from $60 but I've ordered plenty of $100s shirts.

[mebejoseph]

I need some advice on shirts. I have a really hard time finding shirts that fit well. Either the body is too baggy or the sleeves are too short (for reference, I'm 6'3", 185lbs, and ~33 waist). I like my shirts quite slim fit, more so than shops like J Crew and Banana Republic make theirs.

If I'm looking to spend somewhere between $80 to $125 per shirt, would you go for a decent off the rack shirt or a made to measure shirt? In either case, any brand recommendations?

Thanks in advance and Happy Thanksgiving!

Ledbury slim fit should work for you. I'm 6' 2", about a 36 inch waist, 42 inch chest, 195 pounds, and for most shirt makers, slim fit 16 neck with 35 sleeves works for me.

But NOT Ledbury--slim fit is snug around the waist for me--wearable, but too snug--so, should be just right for you.

I had to go with classic or whatever they call it. And that did not have too much fabric, unlike most shirt makers' classic fit.

And BTW--wow--they are freaking great shirts. I think when they have a sale they are in your price range as well.

[Evenflow]

4 Brooks Milano for $199 and then have them tailored if necessary.

[jikaasik]

I feel your pain. I am 5'10", 165 pounds with a 42" chest and a 31" waist. Off the rack shirts don't work well on me. Most of the medium shirts fit ok in the chest but they have way too much fabric around the waist. The off the rack shirts that fit the best are J.Crew medium slim fit shirts. The Banana Republic slim fit shirts are ok, but not as good as they are just a bit larger around the mid section. I love Bonobos but their shirts tend to bit a bit inconsistent in the sizing. I have ordered a couple of MTM shirts from https://woodiesclothing.com/. The shirts turned out well, but you do need to have some patience while they get the fit right. The good thing is that once they've got it correct, you can then order anything on their website and it will be made to you individual measurements. I have bought a few shirts from Grand Frank. Those fit me really well, but they are definitely european sized so you need to be careful. I like a very trim fitted shirt and theirs work really well on me.

I also have a difficult time with sweaters. I love crew neck sweaters, but most mediums are way too big on me while the smalls are too tight. I have bought a number of sweaters from John Henric as theirs fit me perfectly. Again, they are a european company and are sized as such. Their mediums fit my body perfectly ... just big enough in the chest and trim throughout the body.

Thanks for such a thorough response! I might have to try Woodies out. I've thought about doing Suitsupply's MTM, cause I know the fabrics, but it seems a bit overpriced. How are Bonobos shirts' in terms of fabric quality?

Carrying on from smitty's recommendation, I've used bivolino.com and https://tailorstore.co.uk/ in the past. I'd probably recommend https://tailorstore.co.uk/ because their user experience on the site is better.

Thanks! I'll have a look at those!

Albeit slightly smaller (39-40 chest, 30-31 waist, 5'-9") I have the same problem and, while I'm not thrilled with the shirts, I have a few Charles Tyrwhitt that fit "ok" and come in at a lower price point on sale. I don't love their shirts, though, and am thinking that the Woodie's option is the better way to go.

Yeah, I tried CT once and really wasn't happy with the fabric. Construction quality was actually really great, but I felt like the shirts were a bit too scratchy, not to mention I would have had to tailor basically everything :/

With that budget and issues you have, I'd try MTM.

I got my MTM shirts from a local tailor. The work is outsourced to hongkong. The shirt starts from $60 but I've ordered plenty of $100s shirts.

That's probably my ideal! I just moved to a new area and haven't really found a good tailor yet, but this is definitely the long-term goal.

Ledbury slim fit should work for you. I'm 6' 2", about a 36 inch waist, 42 inch chest, 195 pounds, and for most shirt makers, slim fit 16 neck with 35 sleeves works for me.

But NOT Ledbury--slim fit is snug around the waist for me--wearable, but too snug--so, should be just right for you.

I had to go with classic or whatever they call it. And that did not have too much fabric, unlike most shirt makers' classic fit.

And BTW--wow--they are freaking great shirts. I think when they have a sale they are in your price range as well.

Interesting. I've heard a good deal about Ledbury but haven't tried them yet. Maybe I'll try one out. Thanks!

4 Brooks Milano for $199 and then have them tailored if necessary.

Also something I considered! Have you tried their Soho fit, by any chance?

[mebejoseph]

4 Brooks Milano for $199 and then have them tailored if necessary.

I've done this as well with good results.

[ryn]

I remember when Joe on the mainsite recommended tailoring all shirts, but he hasn't recommended it in a while, and it is rarely recommended on the forum. I wonder why.

[mark4]

I would check out Hugh and Crye. They're in your price range (their shirts go as low as $65 - $85 when not on sale, cheaper if you find a sale). They are not true made to measure but they have a wider variety of fits from skinny to broad, and short to tall, (basically skinny, slim, athletic, broad are their torso cuts and they go short, average, tall for the length and hence you get 12 sizes and a closer to MTM fit than most mainstream retailers.

Another option would be one of the MTM online outfits - Ratio or Proper Cloth. I have one Ratio shirt (classic white broadcloth dress shirt) that fits really well - I save it for when I have to look really sharp. It took one back and forth to get the fit dialed in properly but once that happens you can get multiple shirts made that will fit really well. My recollection is that their shirts start right around $100 so they're in your price range but a little more than Hugh & Crye. I chose Ratio over Proper Cloth first because they are, or used to be, a sponsor of Dappered, and also because (if memory serves and they haven't changed things) their shirts are sewn in the USA.

[smitty]

How are Bonobos shirts' in terms of fabric quality?

The fabric quality is decent. Similar to other similarly priced brands. The type of fabric will depend on the type of shirt though. I do have to add that I am not very familiar with their dress shirts as I rarely wear suits (once or twice a year tops).

[Geo]

The Bonobos tailored fit dress shirts make up most of my rotation but they're definitely not worth full price. The fabric is nice enough but the the sleeves are cut pretty slim and are more prone to elbow blowouts than most shirts. I typically get them from the sale section when they have a percent off promo going on. I usually get them for $35-$55. I wouldn't pay much more than that though.

[CK83]

I remember when Joe on the mainsite recommended tailoring all shirts, but he hasn't recommended it in a while, and it is rarely recommended on the forum. I wonder why.

I think it's because we all got old and fat...wait that's just me?

I think it's a few reasons, but I could be wrong:

A) With the trend toward tailored clothing in the last few years, retailers finally clued in and started offering slimmer and slimmer shirting options. It used to be the slimmest of slim would still be loose on me (5'10", 185ish), but now a Brooks Brothers Soho (extra slim) is too tight for me.

B) Made to measure has gone mainstream. Even if you buy a $100 MTM shirt, it's still close in price to a full priced off the rack shirt (of similar quality) followed by tailoring.

and

C) I think there's a slow, but certainly shifting trend away from super tight fitted everything. The pendulum is starting to swing back the other way....not all the way to 90's loose fit, but certainly with a bit more emphasis on comfort or "proper" fit.

[mark4]

C) I think there's a slow, but certainly shifting trend away from super tight fitted everything. The pendulum is starting to swing back the other way....not all the way to 90's loose fit, but certainly with a bit more emphasis on comfort or "proper" fit.

This is definitely happening. I'm guessing the pendulum will swing back all the way to loose/baggy fits eventually. I've come to dislike that look pretty intensely. I don't need or want things quite as ultra tailored as during the peak fitted era but too baggy just looks sloppy, and once things get beyond a certain point too loose poses comfort problems that are every bit as annoying as too tailored.