dress shirt alterations - regular v. slim fit

[XKxRome0ox]

first post here so be kind
i browsed and searched some threads... but some of the threads are MASSIVE

i'm 6'1" 175lbs, 40R jacket, 16 - 34/35 shirt
and as is commonly the problem, 99% of all dress shirts are too big around the waist
and i am in between 33 and 34 for arm length ... 32/33 is too short and 34/35 can be a bit long
so i want to take in the waist and sometimes shorten the sleeves

if i want to get my dress shirt altered, mainly to take in the waist, what is the preferred method?
is it putting darts in? or is the shirt taken apart at the seams? i had never even heard of "darts" until i started browsing here a few days ago so i am really clueless about the process

now.. the MAIN question -
if i am going to alter the shirt anyway, does it matter whether the shirt is a regular fit or a slim fit to begin with? i ask this since sometimes certain colors are not available in slim fit ... or a regular fit of a certain color might be on sale


also if you have a certain tailor around the Los Angeles area to recommend, that'll be appreciated as well

 

[GBear]

Personally, I like darts. And contact Johnathan Behr. I'm sure he can do some alterations. I just had a three piece suit and shirt bespoken by him. He's an extremely nice guy. Tell him Gary sent you.

http://www.johnathanbehr.com/

 

[XKxRome0ox]

^ thanks but a bespoke tailor is probably too expensive just to get some shirts altered

 

[Trompe le Monde]

if you get regular theres more fabric for the tailor to work with. esp around the armpits.

just make sure the shoulder/placket/upper back fit well.

ive had shirts taken in from the sides... and some darted... like them both equally

 

[blacklabel]

if i am going to alter the shirt anyway, does it matter whether the shirt is a regular fit or a slim fit to begin with?

can someone answer this? wondering the same thing...is there any point in getting slim fit if you're going to alter it anyways?

 

[Beatlegeuse]

Originally Posted by blacklabel

can someone answer this? wondering the same thing...is there any point in getting slim fit if you're going to alter it anyways?

A regular fit shirt will be bigger than a slim fit shirt in all areas, not just the waist. I would suggest getting a slim fit shirt that fits you great all around, with the exception of the waist, then take that to a tailor to get it slimmed down even more. If you buy a regular fit shirt, it will probably be too big in other areas as well, such as armhole, bicep, shoulders, etc., which would be a lot more work for the tailor (aka more expensive for you), and that's if it can be tailored at all. If a shirt fits too baggy all the way around, it probably wouldn't even be worth it to have the whole thing tailored.

 

[ktrp]

I would imagine that closer to where you want to end up is better.

I have not personally tried this, but I wonder if no pocket also makes life easier, since a drastic narrowing will throw the pocket location to your armpit.

 

[Trenditional]

Originally Posted by ktrp

I would imagine that closer to where you want to end up is better.

I have not personally tried this, but I wonder if no pocket also makes life easier, since a drastic narrowing will throw the pocket location to your armpit.

No pockets for significant altering is definitely a plus. I recently bought some OCBD from Lands End and I had to remove the pockets because they did pull into my underarm area quite noticeably.

 

[Roger Everett]

I have a similar shirt problem. Whereas, if I'm not to button collar a 15 1/2 works, but for buttoning the collar I need a 16/ 32-33. Generally a 16 fitted works fine ( though not all fitted- slim- or modern are not the same ), except it's too long. So I just take dress shirts to my local tailor and have them shortened 3-31/2"'s all around ( to maintain the profile ). Just picked up 2 today from her @ $14 ea.. On rare times I find what I want is only availible in classic fit, I put it on and she pins both sides-- rips open the seams and tapers them for me. I think the last one was around $ 16 to 18 or so + of course the 14 to shorten. It's extra coin and time, but I like a certain fit and that's it.

Roger

 

[XKxRome0ox]

Originally Posted by Trenditional

No pockets for significant altering is definitely a plus. I recently bought some OCBD from Lands End and I had to remove the pockets because they did pull into my underarm area quite noticeably.

is OCBD = oxford cotton button down?

i'm new here and i am lost in the sea of acronyms

 

[alwaysbeclosing]

Dress shirts with darts are ugly.

They create chevrons out of vertical stripes
Darts call unwelcome attention to themselves by doubling the fabric of transparent material
Ironing shirt back is made more difficult because it won't lie flat
They create ugly wrinkles down the back because the fabric is distorted
Darted shirts look awkward when you sit because there is no loose material to keep the shirt tail from being pulled out. it looks like you're wearing an invisible vest with the bottom bulging out.

Darts are ugly.