Shirt Size/Fit Question

Always Be Closing

Hi guys

I'm a tight shirt tucked in and jeans type of guy, rarely if EVER wear slacks or suit trousers.

I'm a 15.5 fit in a shirt - tend to leave a few buttons open at the top- slim fit shirt always- have a flat tummy but quite a broad and protruding chest.

Start a new job on Monday which is shirt and slacks dress code- problem I'm having is I won't be able to wear my shirt as low so when I button it up, it's noticeable that its a tight fit on my chest as the buttons dont close easily - fits fine on my waist and tummy.

If I go up to a 16 fit its gonna be too baggy on my arms and the shirt will ride up and out when I took it into my trousers and won't be a good look

Should I switch to regular instead of slim fit?

Any help appreciated

positron

I don't really spend that much on expensive shirts or worry too much about fit etc, but just wanted to say of the range of shirts M&S does, "tailored fit" is somewhat in between the regular and slim fits. 15.5" regular fit is baggy on me, same size slim fit too tight but "tailored fit" works just right. Not sure if that's just a M&S thing.

Always Be Closing

Thanks for the reply

evolving_doors

Regular fit can be a bit baggy alright.
Try Next 16 slim fit.

Padraig Mor

I'd suggest maybe checking TM Lewin's Fitted or Super Fitted shirts - sounds right for you.

dastardly00

Whatever you do don't go near regular size shirts... They'll look ridiculous on you.

+1 for the M&S tailored fit shirts.

It may be a case of spending a day going around the shops and trying on loads of shirts until you find the perfect fit... And then buying a few of that specific brand.

Another option is to get the location of the top few buttons on your 15.5" shirt altered so that they will give you more room (if that makes sense). I've got that done with the top button on shirts that I have to wear a tie with.

Middle Man

Most mens shirts today are too tight - some too loose. Shirts that fit right are rare unfortunately. Men seriously need to learn how their clothes should fit. When it comes to shirts, you need to take both a chest and waist body measurement and halve the values for straight-line measurement. For example, my chest is 40" (yes, it's best to use imperial for tailoring) and waist is 36" - that's 20" and 18" for straight-line measurements. Now, the desired fit depends on your body size and type which is why you need to take measurements. I have broad shoulders and stand 5' 8" with a relatively thin build.

When buying a shirt off the rack, you need to use the fitting room to ensure that you have a shirt that is suitable before any required tailoring adjustment. The chest area is the critical test - does the shirt fit properly across the shoulders and are the top seams reasonably aligned? Are the shoulder seams (armholes) in the correct position relative to your shoulders - as a general rule, allow around 1/2" offset out from the shoulder bone - if the shoulder seam rests inside that bone, the shirt is probably too small for you. Next, check the chest area - the fabric should sit comfortably there without blousing or pulling - any pull in the fabric probably amounts to a shirt that does not fit - ditto for blousing. Are the armholes deep enough - the base of the armholes should be roughly level with where you take your chest measurement (widest part of the chest) - frequently, the chest measurement of the shirt is taken between the armhole base points.

I would usually wear a short sleeve shirt - the sleeve length very much depends on your shape - for example, sleeves finishing just below the mid bicep points can look very well on extremely tall men with long gangly arms, but not so much on short and stout men. The basic thing is that once the sleeves don't give too much lateral emphasis across the upper torso, they're probably fine - remember, most men should try to emphasise their verticality. Now, other aspects such as the waist and sleeve widths can be sorted out with a tailor - from my experience, it doesn't cost that much and is not as big a deal as you might think. To give you an idea - I buy a short sleeve shirt that fits very well across the chest and shoulders and the sleeves are fine lengthwise but are a little wing like. The waist area is a little baggy as I want to wear it tucked in - now, that's no big deal and here's what I'd do.

Having removed the shirt and laid it flat, I take a chest measurement between the armhole base points and I get 23" - as my chest is 40" (20" straight-line), 23" means that there is 1.5" of extra folded fabric either side at the chest - relative to the body, that's what is known as a generous cut (1" extra is regular and 2" is loose) - for me, that is perfect. Now, I take a waist measurement (where the shirt tapers to its narrowest point) and find that it is 22" - as my waist is 36" (18" straight-line), there is 2" of extra folded fabric on either side at waist (loose cut). That would be ok if the shirt was to be worn out and over, but I want to wear it tucked in - as the shirt is generous at the chest, I'll make it the same at the waist (relative to the body) - that means having the shirt taken in by 1/2" either side. Some men just get darts put in, but this to me look too feminine. In my case, the tailor will simply taper the shirt from the armholes in towards the waist before letting it kick out again towards the hem. Now, I said the short sleeves are of a good length, but are too wing like. After experimenting with pins, I found that a good sleeve width for me is 7" (straight-line) at the opening - again, the tailor will narrow the sleeves (inseam) from the armhole in towards the openings. Now, if the shirt fits comfortably around the chest when just off the rack, you need to be careful that the tailor does not narrow the shirt through the armholes if you are getting both the sleeves and waist area taken in - armholes that are too high can result in a shirt that looks poorly fitted - the fabric should flow properly without pulling or blousing.

We have gone from shirts that were ridiculously loose in the 1990's to OK in the 2000's to ridiculously tight in the 2010's - we need to stop following fashion fads and learn to fit our clothes properly - the above might give some insight. With that said, I have had women complimenting me on my appearance, so I must be doing something right!

razorblunt

Uh oh, ^^^ that's opened the can of worms that is "short sleeves shirts".
Personally, I think it's a fireable offence to wear short sleeve shirts in the office ;-)


But the rest is very true, the most annoying thing is, you find a brand, like the fit and then, BOOM, they change the fit for some reason.
Had this happen twice, first with Osborne, then Jasper Conran, both Debenhams.
Just about to buy my second batch of T.M. Lewin's.

mr_edge_to_you

I find the m&s tailored fit excellent.

BlazingSaddler

evolving_doors wrote: »

Regular fit can be a bit baggy alright.
Try Next 16 slim fit.

Absolutely agree with this. Next 15.5 slim fit too tight around my chest but 16 slim just right, not baggy and not too tight.