HOW TO FIND A DRESS SHIRT THAT FITS YOUR BODY

If you’re on a mission to find fitted shirts, you’ve come to the right place. A lot of guys (along with their moms and significant others) don’t actually know how a dress shirt should fit. We’re biased that Hugh & Crye shirts are the best, but instead of talking about them, we’d prefer to in-troduce you to the elements of a great fitting shirt and have you can decide for yourself. Split into seven sections, this guide illustrates how to find a great fitting shirt.

1. SHOULDERS 2. COLLAR3. CHEST 4. ARMHOLE5. BODY 6. SLEEVES7. LENGTH

OVERVIEW

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SHOULDER SEAM TOP OF SHOULDER

The seam where the sleeve attaches to the body of a fitted dress shirt should hit close to the top of the shoulders.

Mass brands tend to cut their shirts too large (to fit more people, of course), and you’ll often see the seam sliding down onto the arm.

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Collar size is measured in inches from button-hole to button when laid flat. The range is often between 14” and 18” (think “pencil neck” and “linebacker,” respectively).

You should be able to button the collar easily with room for two fingers—any more and it’s too loose, any less and it’s too tight.

Note that the collar size can be a bit smaller or larger than your true size if you rarely wear ties or button the top button of your shirts. No need to sweat the collar size if you’re not going to be using the top button.

COLLAR TWO FINGER TEST

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The best dress shirts fit comfortably around the chest, under the armpits, and across the upper back to give you a full range of motion. A fitted shirt will feel snug, but not too tight. Your chest should “fill out” the shirt in a way where your body is discernible under the fabric.

Note: If the buttons pull when you’re standing still with your arms down, it’s too tight.

CHEST RANGE OF MOTION

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The armhole of a dress shirt—its shape and size—dictates how a shirt will fit in the chest, shoulder, and armpit. Most shirt brands with Small-Medium-Large sizing cut their armholes big, to fit a wide range of body types.

It’s a bad sign if you’re noticing fabric hanging under arm. Your armhole should be contoured in a way that creates a tapered feel under the arm, yet leaves a full range of motion.

ARMHOLE CONTOUR

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Men’s dress shirts should taper from the chest to the waist, following the contours of the body and creating a clean line. There should be no excess fabric between the shirt and pants when tucked in.

A great fitted shirt often has back darts, which allows the shirt to taper at the waist.

BODY TAPER

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Fitted shirts have a high armhole, allowing for a tapered sleeve that follows the shape of your arms without excess fabric. When buttoned, the cuff should fall right at the base of the thumb but there’s always room for personal preference here.

Just like your chest, your arms should fill out the sleeves of your shirt in a way that doesn’t leave excess fabric. Excess fabric in the sleeves will often fold and billow giving an unflatter-ing look.

SLEEVES WITH NO EXCESS FABRIC

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The shirt hem should be long enough for you to comfortably wear the shirt tucked or untucked.

Two ways to look for this: First, when your shirt is untucked and buttoned, the tail should fall just past the back pockets of your pants. Note we say “pants” not jeans, as most guys wear their jeans a little low on the waist. Second way to know whether you have the right length is to actually tuck in the shirt. When tucked in, raise your arms above your head and see if the tails pop out from your pants. If so, your shirt is a little too short.

LENGTH FOR TUCKED AND UNTUCKED

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Now that you have a good idea of what fitted shirts should look like, check out our fit page to find the size that works best for you. It doesn’t matter if you’re short, tall, slim, or broad, a fitted shirt is much more flattering than the alternative.

Sometimes it takes a little while for guys to get used to wearing fitted clothes, but stick with it! When people start compliment-ing you—and they will—you’ll know you’ve found the best dress shirts for you.

To learn more about our various fits, jump directly to skinny fit, slim fit, athletic fit, or broad fit.

FIT BEFORE GLORY

FIND YOUR FIT

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FIND YOUR FIT

S H O P Y O U R F I T O N L I N E

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