Slim shirts too tight in arms

[Whiteknight]

I've purchased some slim/trim fit shirts recently and it seems like most of them are a bit too tight in the arms for me. I guess the problem is that I'm not really slim, but athletic. I have an 11" drop from chest to waist, so traditional fit shirts leave me swimming, but slim fit shirts are very tight in the elbow/lower bicep area when I bend my arms. Any tips for us more athletically proportioned guys?

[Albert]

Go MTM shirts or get the shirts you do have taken in.

[john_pepper]

I'm the same way and for casual long sleeve shirts I haven't found any that fit me better off the rack than Banana Republic soft wash shirts. They have just enough room in the chest and arms and slim down over the hips and waist without being too tight.

[Joe G.]

Which brand?


Is it uncomfortably tight or "unwearable" tight?

[ChrisW]

[Whiteknight]

So far I've tried BR's slim no-iron and LEC's heritage oxford. They are not unwearably tight and are ok when my arms are straight, but it's a little uncomfortable when I bend my elbows. These are my first slim shirts so I dunno, maybe this is how it's supposed to fit? I'm 5'11" 175-180#, 41.5" chest, 14" biceps (just measured myself, so may be a little bit off either way), so it's not like I'm the hulk or anything.

[YackoYak]

Whiteknight, I'm close to your size - 6'1", 200lbs, 41.5" chest, 14.5 biceps. I usually wear a 16.5 x 35 shirt.


I don't know about BR slims, and I have an LEC heritage oxford on order. But, the Trim Fit dress shirts from Neiman Marcus / Lastcall.com fit me great with just enough room everywhere. Some other shirts (Calvin Klein City Fit) that are darted and hug my torso are a bit tight in the arms but only if I bend my arms more than 90 deg. Since I don't weight lift in my dress shirts I don't worry about it too much.