Shirting fits for men
July 19th, 2007Men’s shirting is not created equally. I can bring home six size mediums for my husband and they’ll all fit differently. Then, when you think that you’ve found a brand of shirting that fits, the retailer changes their size specifications overnight. This happens all over the world and is immensely frustrating. But things have improved over the last few years with a greater proportion of men’s shirting slotting into one of two fits and being labeled accordingly:
- “Slim fit” which runs narrower across the shoulder and torso area and is ideal for leaner blokes.
- “True Fit” which is regular in size and best for boys who are a dash more cuddly around the middle.
A sizeable portion of men’s shirting will keep you guessing. If a shirt’s fit isn’t labeled, you can usually assume that it’s regular fitting. Yet, swanky designer wear is seldom fit-labeled and it’s almost always narrow-fitting.
After lots of shopping, fitting and client testing I have found that different brands cater best to different fits as follows:
- Ultra-slim fits: Zara, Kenneth Cole and most designer wear
- Slim fits: Hugo Boss, Banana Republic “slim fit”, Lucky, INC., Ben Sherman, Calvin Klein, Faconable “slim fit”, French Connection, Mexx, Quick Silver
- True fits: Banana Republic, Oakley, Marc Ecko, DKNY, Faconable, Esprit, Next, Liz Claiborne
- Roomy fits: Timberland, Perry Ellis, Nautica, Polo, Gap
- Extra-roomy fits: Tommy Bahama, Eddie Bauer, Land’s End
I hope that this info stays relevant for at least a couple of seasons. Expect an update once retailers change their shirt-fit specifications yet again.
Shirts by Kenneth Cole (ultra-slim fit), Robert Graham (slim fit) and Banana Republic (true fit).
July 19th, 2007 at 8:28 am
Angie, This is positively a topic I’m all too familiar with! My husband is tall, lean and broad shouldered. Regular Large is too short for him, Tall Large will fit in the shoulders, but hangs too loosly around his torso, and Tall sizes are not available in every store. If I can find Tall/Athletic Cut, then I’ve hit the jackpot. I have found that cut in *some* shirts at the Gap, but not many. If you know of any stores that carry a Tall Athletic cut, please do tell!
p.s. I’m glad my husband doesn’t like to shop–this way, he has to dress in the clothes that I buy him, and he usually looks great!
July 19th, 2007 at 9:00 am
My husband doesn’t like to shop either, so you are not alone and I share your sentiment about liking that aspect most of the time! But it does make shopping for shoes tricky though. I’d prefer to have hubby’s feet with me when we shop for that.
Your hubby might have luck with the faconnable “slim fit”, Mexx and INC cut. Don’t pop those shirts in the drier either cause they’ll shrink up a storm. Good luck and I’ll keep my eye open for this particular fit.
July 19th, 2007 at 9:22 am
Great post, Angie. Greg and I have an impossible time finding shirts that fit him. With his super-slim runner’s physique, he has almost been sized down to boys, no kidding. The smallest size at Eddie Bauer (where his mom used to buy him shirts) were HUGE. Absolutely huge. I always just thought they were vanity sizing for men.
I’ll make sure to check out some of those slim fits. The boy deserves a few decent shirts!
July 20th, 2007 at 1:37 am
Great post! I’ve started shopping for my husband and now I’m sure I’ll find more fits than flops.