How to Determine The Right Dress Shirt for Your Body

Great things happen when little things are done well. God wants us to be the best in everything we do. Excellence is the secret to great achievements.

Just a few days ago after our youth church service, a friend of mine asked me to blog about dress shirt sizes and cuts. This request came after he wore the right shirt size to work but it still looked funny and snaggy and it pushed his manager to tell him to dump the shirt. You can not blame him for that because he bought a shirt of his size but the cut wasn't right for his body shape. So i am going to share abit of what i know and understand on determining the right shirt  for your body.

Dress shirt sizes for commercial clothes are fairly standardized, although there is some variation among specific brands. Generally, dress shirts will be sized by the neck and sleeve measurements, and some companies also include measurements for the waist or list the shirt's body-cut type. This sizing system exists so that customers do not have to rely on general men's dress shirt sizes and can instead buy a dress shirt that separately fits the neck, arm and body. This lil blog will help you to determine your dress shirt size and find the perfect fit.

So the 1st thing you need to do before you decide to buy a bunch of dress shirts, is to take measurements. You need to measure the  circumference of your neck and then full sleeve length and maybe the waist coz some brands use the waist as an measurement for sizes. And remember to always add an inch and half to your measurements and round it off to the nearest even number. After all that is done and you know your sizes, and then you need to understand cuts of different brands. Sizes differ from cuts of different brand; a Zara size 15 is not the same as DH size 15. So you need to understand the cuts and once you understand the cuts, i advise you stick to that particular brand and your shirt shopping will be made easier.

 

I only know of two cut types of dress shirts which is the regular cut(traditional cut) and the modern fit(slim cut), they could be probably more but i will share on what i only know. Slim cut is an athletic cut which hugs the body and the shoulders are tapered  known as the modern fit  while a regular cut is looser and known as full-cuts. Full-cut shirts give you a lot of room in the body. Slim fit works best on an athletic body which has broad shoulders and narrow waist. So if you know that your body is athletic then your cut can be optionally be slim cut. There are brands like; Zara, Polo, Paul Smith, D&G they have a silhouette that draps well with any body. Infact your best bet is to get any Italian or some French brands, there are most slim than regular. Because some Italian brands have ultra slim, their regular will be slim cut too but for looser fits.

 

A slim fit will generally follow the shape of the body without stretching – so, if properly measured and tailored, it will not “stretch” around on a bulging stomach or love handles. Along with the fit around the body, a proper slim fit dress shirt should also maintain its slimness along the length of the arms. A slim fit dress shirt, more than any other fit, is a style you definitely want to consider having tailor-made. A generic manufactured slim fit is highly unlikely to fit all parts of the body properly, as there is less leeway with extra fabric for room, whereas a properly tailored slim fit dress shirt will enhance the features of any body in a positive way.

Regular cut is for men who have a rounder body and who need some room in the shirt. This is a traditional shirt cut though. This does not mean you should wear an oversize shirt- you need to wear a shirt that sits well on your shoulders, and the sleeves and waist are perfectly intuck. Regular cuts are slowly getting old school because if a slim cut is tailored well it can suit a rounder body well. What you probably are most used to seeing is the Regular Fit men’s dress shirt. It is considered more traditional, though it is quickly loosing ground to the more slimmer fit dress shirt. The Regular Fit uses typically an additional 4 inches of fabric more than the actually chest measurements. This can provide some extra flexibility for the wearer.

A regular fit dress shirt tends to hide the defined shape of the body, due to its loose fit on the wearer. For a more fashionable or stylish fit, a slim fit dress shirt is recommended. You might be surprised how well a slim fit compliments your body, even if you have a few extra pounds- provided the shirt is tailored to your body.
For good cuts try; Zara, Hilton Weiner, Taylor & Wright, Markham, Ralph Lauren, Sean John, Paul Smith and some H&M. Be empowered by style. Bless


Style is a personal thing. Its what defines you.#ChurchSwag