Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Being relatively slender, I'm defintely on the fitted side. I hate putting on a regular cut dress shirt and feeling like I'm walking around inside a tent, with the sides of the shirt billowing around my waist like sails catching the wind. Yet I see a lot of slender men with just such shirts. Is this a style that I'm unaware of? Was it stylish once and these guys never caught on that now they sort of look like dorks? Or maybe guys who do this are just sartorially inept and don't care? Someone told me once that some folks just don't like close fitting clothes even if they're flattering on them. But what's flattering about walking around in a nice pair of slacks, good shoes, a fashionable tie -- and a dress shirt that looks like you slipped on a pillowcase with sleeves? Fashion faux-pas or individual style?
Think most guys just don't know about fitted shirts. Plus, up until a couple of years ago it was darn near impossible for me to find fitted dress shirts in the store. Now whenever I need to replace a dress shirt it seems a lot easier to find fitted dress shirts that aren't white.
Being relatively slender, I'm defintely on the fitted side. I hate putting on a regular cut dress shirt and feeling like I'm walking around inside a tent, with the sides of the shirt billowing around my waist like sails catching the wind. Yet I see a lot of slender men with just such shirts. Is this a style that I'm unaware of? Was it stylish once and these guys never caught on that now they sort of look like dorks? Or maybe guys who do this are just sartorially inept and don't care? Someone told me once that some folks just don't like close fitting clothes even if they're flattering on them. But what's flattering about walking around in a nice pair of slacks, good shoes, a fashionable tie -- and a dress shirt that looks like you slipped on a pillowcase with sleeves? Fashion faux-pas or individual style?
In my opinion a fashion faux pas because I prefer the fitted dress shirts and like you I hate the "circus tent" look. The other look that I hate is when you try on a suit and the shoulder pads make you look like a linebacker from a football team. But there is a different topic for a different time.
I do believe what keeps guys from always buying the loose, regular fit dress shirts is lack of knowledge of what is out there. I have my share of experience buying dress shirts that are available at most department stores. Dress shirt brands that I like are Dockers. I have several Docker dress shirts that I really love. They fit well and they look good. I got them for around $20 a piece and originally they were priced at around $75. Some other dress shirts that work for me are the IZOD brand you find at JCPenny. There are others like Croft and Barrow and Van Huesing that will work for me and other times, the style is off.
One brand of dress shirts that I avoid are the Arrow Brand you find at Kohls. Unless you have some massive forearms, your arms will billow out to no end.
In defence of the tent guys, I think it's a personal choice to wear fitted and loose shirts. It's not wise to criticize a choice of fit, unless something is done wrong, like in the underwear thread.
Try a fitted shirt while hanging out of a subway car or running to catch metro north or having a lot of other accessories or if you have a pot belly.
I made a personal choice of wearing fitted shirts because I look damn good in it. I had immense difficulty in getting fitted shirts. I tried J Crew, Brooks Brothers, Express, Tom Ford and all brands that sell fitted shirts and they are either of poor quality or they just don't know how to make clothes anymore. American brands don't have the concept of "bespoke". It's even unknown.
Also, a fitted shirt, you have to sit your ass on it if you work 10 hours a day at the computer. You need to be able to bend down and tie shoe laces or go make a presentation and it just is not appropriate to show your silhouette to all and sundry. Express fitted shirts are awful, though they are a good fit. And then the problem with the sleeve... you keep folding it and it's got wrinkles around the elbow. Bad wrinkles because of the bad fabric.
And then, the collar. 14.5 collar strangles you, unless you are a 90 pound man like Napoleon Dynamite. If you go for the 15 inch fitted shirt, it's too loose as it's the next fit. And even then, the fabric is bad.
I fixed the problem by buying twill and hand-woven shirts and tailoring them to my torso. And when you think twill and woven shirts, the craftsmanship has to be high, like British clothesmakers. My latest shirt is a 15" Emma Willis which I imported and I tailored. Before I get written off as an elitist, I have actually found ways of finding them cheap too (struck deals with friends who are dealers and suppliers in the UK). You can't find an Emma Willis for less than 150 pounds if you go to a store. And if it's bespoke, it costs more. I'm definitely not spending 200 pounds on a shirt.
And my awesome tailor in midtown tailors my shirts for 18$. Never ever, anywhere in NYC. She screws up 1 out of 5 times, but that's okay.
I fixed the problem by buying twill and hand-woven shirts and tailoring them to my torso. And when you think twill and woven shirts, the craftsmanship has to be high, like British clothesmakers. My latest shirt is a 15" Emma Willis which I imported and I tailored. Before I get written off as an elitist, I have actually found ways of finding them cheap too (struck deals with friends who are dealers and suppliers in the UK). You can't find an Emma Willis for less than 150 pounds if you go to a store. And if it's bespoke, it costs more. I'm definitely not spending 200 pounds on a shirt.
And my awesome tailor in midtown tailors my shirts for 18$. Never ever, anywhere in NYC. She screws up 1 out of 5 times, but that's okay.
How does Emma Wills compare to cheaper British clothiers like Charles Tyrwhitt or Thomas Pink? And since you're in Manhattan have you stopped into that new Japn shirting company (Kamakura?) on Madison in Midtown? They've gotten some rave reviews from a number of style bloggers/forums.
I am seeing more and more fitted shirts. Brooks Brothers has them for dress and sport shirts. I am a 15 1/2 , although not pot bellied, but I am not slim like 20 somethings and prefer the regular fit. However, some shirts I have had were like tents even for a regular shape like me.
It's just a matter of cut: fitted is smaller through the waist, regular is cut for "those" with a belly. You can find out dimensions by doing some research and/or reading the packing, talking to someone who works there who is knowledgeable, etc.
How does Emma Wills compare to cheaper British clothiers like Charles Tyrwhitt or Thomas Pink? And since you're in Manhattan have you stopped into that new Japn shirting company (Kamakura?) on Madison in Midtown? They've gotten some rave reviews from a number of style bloggers/forums.
I am satisfied with the EW. It never wrinkles and I have not found one single thread coming out. But it's a white shirt, and it just looks like another white shirt, lol.
I won't possibly put Thomas Pink with Charles Tyrwhitt. Charles Tyrwhitt sells shirts that are in the hyper-expensive range as well, but they also do cheaper dress shirts, this is where CT is different, they try to meet the various levels of the market. Whereas TP simply cuts out the medium buyer. You can't find anything under 100 pounds, even an ordinary looking white polo
Being relatively slender, I'm defintely on the fitted side. I hate putting on a regular cut dress shirt and feeling like I'm walking around inside a tent, with the sides of the shirt billowing around my waist like sails catching the wind. Yet I see a lot of slender men with just such shirts. Is this a style that I'm unaware of? Was it stylish once and these guys never caught on that now they sort of look like dorks? Or maybe guys who do this are just sartorially inept and don't care? Someone told me once that some folks just don't like close fitting clothes even if they're flattering on them. But what's flattering about walking around in a nice pair of slacks, good shoes, a fashionable tie -- and a dress shirt that looks like you slipped on a pillowcase with sleeves? Fashion faux-pas or individual style?
They don't know and they don't care. They're guys. My husband would wear white athletic socks with a tux if I let him.
If you're talking mainstream brands or American brands, fitted shirts are still going to look like a sack. Brook's Brothers Traditional cut basically fits me like a garbage bag (similar house brands you'd get at department stores)... I'm stocky and carrying an extra 30 pounds. I'm sure the waste comes in a bit as the neck size comes down, but there's enough room in 16 1/2 neck to fit a 300 pound man.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
