When you walk into the office, party, or event with your dress shirt, people will quickly judge your style, and nothing is worse than wearing a shirt that doesn’t fit. Either too big or too small people will take notice.
You mean there are different fits to a dress shirt? Yes. Will everyone notice? Maybe not, but would you want to take that chance if you could avoid it?
A poorly fitted shirt looks like:
- You don’t care
- That you are uncomfortable
- Can make you seem unprofessional
As stated in a previous article, if you are putting on a dress shirt, it is for a reason, so give yourself the best shot as you possibly can.
It is essential to know your sizes. From the collar size, Sleeve size, shoulder fit, torso fit, and shirt length, these decide the fit that you should be wearing.
The collar fit is vital because the collar frames your face. Too loose, makes it look not very careful, it doesn’t touch your neck; you can put four fingers in between, and it lazily hangs around your neck. Too tight, why would you even do that to yourself? You can breathe, and the blue in your face is not in style. Rule of thumb you should be able to put two fingers comfortably at any point in your shirt.
With your shoulders, you want to make sure you are comfortable, and it looks good. Many people will wear a too-tight dress shirt pulling the buttons, causing wrinkles and stretching the dress shirt as it tries to hold the shirt together with dear life as your buttons scream, “I can’t hold on any longer.” Your shoulder fit should be long and loose enough that it doesn’t cause any tugging and at the shoulder seam, allowing you to swing your arms easily and restfully.
Another important one is the torso fit. Again you don’t want the dress shirt too tight on the torso region pulling the bottom button apart. People will notice, and you don’t want to look like you have gained a few pounds. On the other end of that, you don’t want the shirt too loose. You are causing the dress shirt to spill over the side of your pants because of the excess fabric. The perfect fitted shirt will lay right alongside your rib cage, not tugging at buttons or leaving any spillage on the sides.
There are many different fits when it comes to men’s dress shirts; here are a few that you should be familiar with when choosing the best one for you.
TRADITIONAL / CLASSIC FIT
The traditional fit gives more room in the chest and shoulder areas. The classic fit has not alterations done, cuts, and fits the overall size of the person. The classic fit is the easiest generally most comfortable shirt to buy. The cut of the waist and chest are broader, giving you more space to move around. It is the safest shirt to buy and will fit most body types.
TAILOR FIT
Tailor fit can be harder to determine unless you have gone to a tailor and know your exact sizes. Many people would go to a store and buy a large shirt, and generally, that is ok. But as we know, all men (and women) are not created equal. A tailored fit is cut from your exact personal measurements. Would you spend a few extra pennies on this? Yes, but would that shirt look perfect on you? Of course, they are you can judge a book by its cover, but you can judge a person in a wrongly fitted shirt.
SLIM FIT / EXTRA TRIM FIT
Slim fit is a more tapered shirt that gives a slimming fit. The slim fit provides a fashionable with a more fitted look. The armholes are fitter, and the slightly shorter hem can be worn either tucked or untucked. If you have a larger belly than most, Slim fit would be very tight around the waist area.
REGULAR FIT
Regular fit dress shirts fall around the body but are less roomy than the classic cut. If the chest and waist of a classic fit shirt are 49″ and 46″ the Regular fit shirt would be 47.5 and 44″.
Now that you know more about the different dress shirt fits make sure you pick the right one for you!