MethusalehHoneysuckle
Member
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2023
- Messages
- 18
- Reaction score
- 15
Hello friends,
I've spent the last 18 months or so educating myself on the world of suits and classic menswear, often learning some expensive but helpful lessons along the way.
Early on in this process, I learned how game changing the armhole position on a suit is. Like so many guys who want to dress nicer, I made the mistake of buying things like Banana Republic suits on clearance for $300 where I couldn't raise my arms past by pecs because of the enormous armholes. Since then, I've gone with quality labels like Isaia, Kiton, Attolini and Tom Ford and have amassed a collection that's not only significantly higher quality, but fits like it was made for me even though it was RTW clearance.
While I was improving my wardrobe, I had stocked up on Charles Tyrwhitt shirts as well. I ordered a couple and was enamored that seemed to fit well largely because I could get a 36" sleeve with a 16.5" neck. They were inexpensive for the quality, so I leaned into it.
Then I bought a Pini Parma shirt.
What I'm realizing now is that the armholes on the Tyrwhitt shirts are pretty damn big, even on a slim fit, and I wasn't paying attention to the fact that I have wings when I lift my arms and can feel the shirt tighten on the top of my bicep when I raise them enough. The Pini Parma shirt has significantly higher armholes and doesn't cause the same pulling issues when I move my arms around.
I'm curious how common this problem is and how to even screen for it. I know there are highly rated online MTM brands out there like Proper Cloth, Apposta, Luxire and others, but I don't see anything in their dimensions that accounts for the armhole circumference.
Is this a common problem with most shirt brands? Is it consistently less common with a specific region, like Italian shirts? Is there another dimension on the garment that would be indicative of size here that I just don't understand or don't know how to look for?
I've spent the last 18 months or so educating myself on the world of suits and classic menswear, often learning some expensive but helpful lessons along the way.
Early on in this process, I learned how game changing the armhole position on a suit is. Like so many guys who want to dress nicer, I made the mistake of buying things like Banana Republic suits on clearance for $300 where I couldn't raise my arms past by pecs because of the enormous armholes. Since then, I've gone with quality labels like Isaia, Kiton, Attolini and Tom Ford and have amassed a collection that's not only significantly higher quality, but fits like it was made for me even though it was RTW clearance.
While I was improving my wardrobe, I had stocked up on Charles Tyrwhitt shirts as well. I ordered a couple and was enamored that seemed to fit well largely because I could get a 36" sleeve with a 16.5" neck. They were inexpensive for the quality, so I leaned into it.
Then I bought a Pini Parma shirt.
What I'm realizing now is that the armholes on the Tyrwhitt shirts are pretty damn big, even on a slim fit, and I wasn't paying attention to the fact that I have wings when I lift my arms and can feel the shirt tighten on the top of my bicep when I raise them enough. The Pini Parma shirt has significantly higher armholes and doesn't cause the same pulling issues when I move my arms around.
I'm curious how common this problem is and how to even screen for it. I know there are highly rated online MTM brands out there like Proper Cloth, Apposta, Luxire and others, but I don't see anything in their dimensions that accounts for the armhole circumference.
Is this a common problem with most shirt brands? Is it consistently less common with a specific region, like Italian shirts? Is there another dimension on the garment that would be indicative of size here that I just don't understand or don't know how to look for?
