How a Dress Shirt Should Fit - Proper Styling Details for Men's Shirts

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Dress shirts today are not just the foundation of classic men's wardrobe that protect your outer garments from your body but they're also worn on their own and because of that, fit is even more important because having a lot of excess fabric around your waist just looks unattractive.

Because we're all humans, we're different, we're asymmetrical, and one simple fit doesn't mean it fits you in the sleeve or in the chest just because it's slim enough in the waist. Unlike many other garments such as your waistcoat, your pants, your jacket, it is essential to get the shirt fit right from the get-go because there's much less room for alterations.

How exactly should a dress shirt fit?

First, let's talk about the armholes of a shirt which is a factor that is often neglected. Ideally, you want them to be as small as possible without restricting you when you move your arms.

The second thing to consider is the yoke and the chest width of your shirt. The yoke is measured in the back, it's the horizontal seam from one shoulder bone to the other. Ideally, that seam should extend just past that shoulder bone so you have enough range of movement but also, not too much excess.

Next up, let's talk about the fit of the sleeve. These days, they're often cut very slim which might look attractive when you just stand but as soon as you move up with your arm forward, you can feel a restriction or tension in your biceps area. To prevent that, you need more room in your upper sleeve despite having a smaller armhole and then ideally, the sleeve tapers further down because you don't want an excess fabric in the area around your lower arm.

Four, a well fitting dress shirt has the right length for you. In my experience, most dress shirts today are cut relatively short for me but I also have a long torso. Personally, I like shirts that are longer, that cover my bum, and that don't have fabric on the sides. That way, I don't have excess fabric inside my pants but I don't have to worry about ever getting my shirt untucked in public. If you want to wear your shirt untucked, you want a plain hem that is the same length all the way around but frankly, it's not really a dress shirt anymore if you
wear it untucked.

Five, let's talk about the chest, the waist, and the seat. Most men have a different chest measurement than their waist measurement. Let's say I am a 42 inch chest in a 36 inch waist. The six inch difference is called the six inch drop. In order to get that drop right, the shirt can either be cut from the get-go so it fits you perfectly but if you buy something off the rack, it is likely that it won't be perfect. In that case, you can utilize darts in the back of your shirt that help you achieve the desired slimness in the waist without reducing the chest width.

Next up, let's talk about the fit of the collar. A collar that is loose and shows excess space around your neck looks sloppy and like someone who just got a shirt from their bigger brother. And if it's so tight that your skin hangs over your collar, you look a bit like a pressed sausage. So how do you know your collar is too tight or too loose? I suggest you actually measure
your neck with a measuring tape.

Now that you understand your body and you know where can pay attention to those areas when you're trying on new shirts off the rack. Not all shirts are cut alike and the patterns are different and some will fit you better than others. However, in order to achieve a truly great fit, you will have to go custom because you are an asymmetrical person. Unfortunately, that can be rather expensive so for many men, a made to measure option, sometimes, online made to measure is a good middle ground between finding a shirt that fits reasonably well that is comfortable but also, affordable.

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