Dress Shirts For Athletic Builds

[Metra]

I've been working out and my regular shirts are becoming tight. I'm 5'11'' 180lb.

I normally wear a Charles Tyrwhitt Extra Slim Fit (15.5''/35''). I'd like to stay with the brand if I can, but my shirts are almost skin tight at this point in the chest, back, and shoulders.

If I stay with the Extra Slim Fit and go up to 16'' or 16.5'' in the neck, is the rest of the body larger as well? Or does just the neck change?

If I move to a regular Slim Fit, does it change more in the chest, back, and shoulders, or in the waist? I'm looking for a shirt that's very tapered, basically.

CT is the only brand I have experience with. If you have experience with others, please share. I live in Chicago, so if there's a local store that works too.

 

[dappertimes]

@Metra A trick that you can do to have dress shirts fit perfectly is buy the shirt size 1 size up so that it fits your shoulder width perfectly..then have the waist tailored to your build. It will look oh so dapper!

 

[YRR92]

^^

That's atrocious advice. A properly-fitting dress shirt fits in the collar. If you go up a size, it won't fit in the collar.

Are the 15.5s comfortable with the neck buttoned? If so, then your shirt size hasn't changed, but you need to look for a less-fitted shirt. In general, a fuller fit will be fuller everywhere -- so nearly every measurement (except the neck size and sleeve length, obviously) will be bigger in a slim fit vs. an extra slim fit. I don't really know Tyrwhitt that well, so that might not be their case, but it would be very unusual.

Shirts scale with the neck size (larger necks have a tendency to be attached to larger people), so if you need to go up a size in the neck, then you may be able to stick with the extra slim fit, or the difference may be large enough that you have to go both up a size and up a fit.

You can have darts added to taper a shirt towards the waist, but shirts should have some room in the waist IMHO.

 

[Metra]

^^

That's atrocious advice. A properly-fitting dress shirt fits in the collar. If you go up a size, it won't fit in the collar.

Are the 15.5s comfortable with the neck buttoned? If so, then your shirt size hasn't changed, but you need to look for a less-fitted shirt. In general, a fuller fit will be fuller everywhere -- so nearly every measurement (except the neck size and sleeve length, obviously) will be bigger in a slim fit vs. an extra slim fit. I don't really know Tyrwhitt that well, so that might not be their case, but it would be very unusual.

Shirts scale with the neck size (larger necks have a tendency to be attached to larger people), so if you need to go up a size in the neck, then you may be able to stick with the extra slim fit, or the difference may be large enough that you have to go both up a size and up a fit.

You can have darts added to taper a shirt towards the waist, but shirts should have some room in the waist IMHO.

It's very snug in the neck. I could definitely go up. You think going up a full inch is overkill?

I'm worried that if I go up only a half, the difference in the body won't be large enough.

 

[YRR92]

If a half-inch would be enough in the neck, then go up a half inch and up to the slim fit. If you need an inch in the neck, then the ESF might still work, or it might still be tight.

Alternatively, you could head to a brick-and-mortar Brooks Brothers and try shirts on to find a combination of fit and size that works for you. The quality is comparable, though the price can be a little higher. They should be having a New Year's sale, which would reduce that difference. If you need to pick up a few shirts, it might be cheaper to buy shirts in person at a higher price than to get the fit wrong on an online purchase.

 

[dohare]

It's very snug in the neck. I could definitely go up. You think going up a full inch is overkill?

I'm worried that if I go up only a half, the difference in the body won't be large enough.

use it as motivation to get bigger in the gym.

 

[Metra]

use it as motivation to get bigger in the gym.

I'm not trying to get bigger. I like where I'm at. I'm trying to get leaner actually to get to a perfect PFT score before I ship to USMC boot camp.

I just measured myself and I have an 18'' neck and 44'' chest. But I can still button my 15.5'' shirts with some struggle. So should I try the extra slim 16.5'' neck CTshirt?

 

[gringodaddy]

I'm not trying to get bigger. I like where I'm at. I'm trying to get leaner actually to get to a perfect PFT score before I ship to USMC boot camp.

I just measured myself and I have an 18'' neck and 44'' chest. But I can still button my 15.5'' shirts with some struggle. So should I try the extra slim 16.5'' neck CTshirt?

Dude, if you have an 18" neck you need a shirt with an 18" neck, probably with a full cut body, then have a tailor put some darts in to slim it since you have a 44" chest. Reminder me to never get in a fistfight with you.

 

[Metra]

Dude, if you have an 18" neck you need a shirt with an 18" neck, probably with a full cut body, then have a tailor put some darts in to slim it since you have a 44" chest. Reminder me to never get in a fistfight with you.

I'm just wondering whether CT shirt collar measurements are true to size now. If it says 15.5'', maybe it stretches half an inch. But I doubt my neck is getting 2 inches squeezed out of it.

I'm measuring right below the adam's apple. Am I measuring in the right spot? Because if I go lower, it gets wider obviously.

 

[gringodaddy]

I don't really know, I am not a tailor. Is that the only dress shirt you own or do you have others to compare? I can't imagine you actually getting yourself into a 15.5" shirt with your proportions, let alone buttoning the neck. Why not go to a decent menswear store or tailor and get measured by a propert tailor?

 

[Metra]

I don't really know, I am not a tailor. Is that the only dress shirt you own or do you have others to compare? I can't imagine you actually getting yourself into a 15.5" shirt with your proportions, let alone buttoning the neck. Why not go to a decent menswear store or tailor and get measured by a propert tailor?

So I dug up a cheap JCPenney shirt with a 17'' labeled neck that fit me well in the neck. I measured it and it's really more like 18.75''.

I then measured a 15.5'' labeled CT shirt and it's really closer to 17''.

I think I'm gonna buy a few 16.5'' extra slim fit CT shirts then.

Anyone have experience with their slacks? I'm going either with those or Bonobos. I like a mid-highish rise and a taper to no more than a 15'' leg opening.

 

[Evolve]



So I dug up a cheap JCPenney shirt with a 17'' labeled neck that fit me well in the neck. I measured it and it's really more like 18.75''.

I then measured a 15.5'' labeled CT shirt and it's really closer to 17''.

I think I'm gonna buy a few 16.5'' extra slim fit CT shirts then.

I think you're doing something wrong. How are you measuring the shirt collars? You should unbutton the shirt, lay the collar out so it's flat on its back, and measure the inside of the collar band in a straight line from the center of the button to the center of the buttonhole. I've owned several Charles Tyrwhitt shirts and the collars are generally true to size. I wear a 16, and they measure about 16.25" to account for shrinkage (which is negligible if you wash on cold and hang dry). There's no way a size 15.5 CT has a collar that measures 17".

And FWIW, my height, weight, and chest size are very similar to yours; I wear size 16 CT slim fit and have a tailor add darts, and the fit is pretty good overall.

 

[papa kot]

Stop looking at models whose shirts are perfectly fitted and realize that in the real world, your shirt will won't be shrink wrapped around your body, especially if you enjoy breathing.

If you are are indeed 44" in chest and 18" in the neck, then a fitted shirt will make you look odd. Your best bet is to get a shirt that comfortably fits you and then wear it with a jacket. As stated above, a full cut shirt with some darts will probably do the job well enough.

 

[manstyle]

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Cheers

 

[Chulillo]

Hi guys, I am new here and I know this is an old thread bumped up for some (spam?) reason, but I couldn't help but feel identified with Metra here. I have an athletic build as well and altough sometimes it is really hard to find shirts that fit the way I lilke them to in RTW I think SuitSupply provides that for me.

I have a (sick) obsession with shirts, I own more than I like to admit and I find that SS shirts are very nice for the price and the fit is awesome, not too tight not too loose.

I also have some CT shirts, three actually, only one fits perfect (it was my first order and I had to find out my real size with all those diferent fits they have). Pretty good quality for the price as well and the slim fit is nicely cut for me.

I usually don't wear ties on my everyday life so I have shirts that fit a bit tighter for my casual day-to-day life and those others I mentioned, a bit looser but still slim, for the occasion I wear suit and tie, or a sport jacket.


PS. Sorry for bumping this up again and for any mistakes on my writing, I am not from an English speaking country.