Everything is too big for me

[Damgu]

I'm a shorter guy (around 5'3'') and on the thinner side, and I've been having a hard time finding shirts that fit me (or that I at least think fit me). Today I bought three polo shirts and two dress shirts, buying size "S" (the smallest men's size) when I could (these are European sizes, if that makes a difference). I tried on one of my size "S" cotton polos, and to me it looks too long (the hem of the shirt extends lower than the split in my pants). I didn't think I was that short a guy. I guess my options are to either shrink the shirts or tuck them in when I wear them (the latter of which I'm not sure I want to do because this seems a little nerdy to me). About shrinking the shirts, though, I'm afraid of doing so too much, because then the shirt might be too small, and I wouldn't be able to take it back. Can someone give me a general rule on how much cotton shirts shrink in the washer and dryer (e.g. how much when on the highest heat setting on both the washer and the dryer)?

 

[Spiraltoy]

You’ll just loose a lot of dye if you wash at extreme temperatures. That and damaging the cotton fibres. Find a brand that suits your build instead. Lyle & Scott polos are really small and short. Japanese brands are generally on the small/short side as well.
Good luck.

 

[dieworkwear]

You may have better luck with made-to-measure shirts. If you're in New York City, CEGO is a good custom shirtmaker. I use Ascot Chang, but find you get a better fit when you're fitted at one of their trunk shows (they visit different cities in the US). The tailor at the trunk show, Nelson Chin, is really good at what he does. Otherwise, if you're not in a major city or if price is an issue, Proper Cloth is an online made-to-measure shirtmaker that does really good work.

You can expect to pay about $200+ for a bespoke shirt. Good made-to-measure is roughly about 150+. Proper Cloth I believe is a little lower and starts somewhere around $125 depending on the fabric.

 

[djan]

If you don't want mtm or cannot afford it, you should try Asket. They do more sizes such as XS-Short and S-Short. The quality is better than most of the brands.



I get all my tees and shirts from them. Medium short fits me pretty great. Also their fits aren't ridiculously slim which is a great thing. Just check their sizing charts before ordering.

 

[Snoopy]

I would take the polo shirts to a tailor and have them remove the long tail hem. I hate long tail hems on polos btw but I understand it's traditional.