Tall Dress Shirts: Best OTR options?

[unexpected]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for good, tall shirts- I'm 6'4" and have the arms of an orangutan- I have 36" sleeves. I'm looking for good OTR options for shirts. I'm about 205 lbs, with a 16.5" neck.

In the past, I've bought Express/BR from the store, and usually I foresake having proper sleeves. I work in a business casual environment, and can get away with rolling the sleeves up.

Now I'm trying to upgrade, but finding proper sleeves is a big hassle.

Options I've checked out so far:

Banana Republic Online: They do carry Large Talls, and I've gottnen a bunch of decent shirts from there. Cons: Everyone here hates them (poor value proposition), and I feel as if I'm not getting the best "bang for my buck". Also, Style patterns aren't aggressive enough.

Ralph Lauren: Yea, they have a big and tall section, but I just don't like anything in there. I like the black label/purple label stuff, but it's only 34-35" inch sleeves.

Brooks Brothers: The slim-fit shirts are a good option here. The price suits me (I'm looking to spend $60-$80 a shirt), but the styles are a tad conservative for my taste. I'm 24, not 50.

J.Crew Online: They have tall sizes, but the styles aren't aggressive enough, and generally, the dress shirts available are very casual.

Shopthefinest and eHaberdasher: This option is really tempting, as a these shirts come in 36-37" sleeves, and I can get them tailored down. However, at ~$130-~$150 a shirt after tailoring, this is pricey for me.

MTM: Another intriguing option. I would eventually like to do this, but I'm undergoing a huge "life change" and am seriously changing my body composition. I'd like to do MTM when I hit the finish line, just not right now- I'd feel like I'm blowing a ton of money for a shirt that's not going to be ideal six months from now.

Please let me know if I've missed any good OTR options (either online or in-store). For reference, when I mean "aggressive" styles, I like the look of this shirt and this shirt (just to be clear, I know I'm not getting the best value in terms of quality and construction, and now if I wanted to get these, I'd be much better off getting the Truzzis/Borelli from shopthefinest and ehaberdasher- I just like the look of these.

Thanks for taking the time to read all this! I await the gurus.

 

[swiego]

I'm even worse - ideal is a 16.5 collar and 37-38 sleeves. I often settle for 17 collar 36/37 in the slimmest fit I can find. I can relate - it's not easy, but Ive learned to make do.

Brooks Brothers outlets and Nordstrom Rack (if you have one near you) are both excellent options. The problem is that it will take time. A place like Nordstrom Rack may have a couple hundred shirts to look through, and this will take time; I almost always come out of there with one excellent shirt, but it has taken many trips to build up a collection. There is however a fairly wide variety of styles.

I've also bought some shirts off eBay. My favorite, actually is Gucci, if you can find some inexpensive shirts with sleeve measurements; these are naturally thin and some of them have naturally long sleeves. I have a couple of slim fit Hugo Boss shirts that also fit nicely but these I've rarely found at inexpensive prices.

It's manageable. To be honest, I have far greater problem finding sweaters--these rarely come OTR with sleeve length measurements on the tags, which makes finding long-sleeved ones incredibly hard.

 

[Cary Grant]

Originally Posted by unexpected

I'm looking for good, tall shirts- I'm 6'4" and have the arms of an orangutan- I have 36" sleeves.

Heh- I have 36+ arms as well and am only 6'2". My knuckles drag on the ground.

Originally Posted by unexpected

the styles aren't aggressive enough, and generally, the dress shirts available are very casual.
I hear youu but I have found that to get a proper length shirt just about every store is limited to conservative styles. Go with a plain but great fitting shirt and use it as the background for your style, the canvas. Choose ties, squares, shoes etc to creat your style.

Originally Posted by unexpected

at ~$130-~$150 a shirt after tailoring, this is pricey for me.

I'm afraid that comes with the territory. I would have, for example, recommended the Nordy's store brand or Ike Behar, ranging from $80-150.

Originally Posted by unexpected

MTM: Another intriguing option. I would eventually like to do this, but I'm undergoing a huge "life change" and am seriously changing my body composition.

Smart choice. I went through the same process. Five years ago, 60 pounds and non-athletic to trim and much more muscular. Wait and reward yourself. Even start setting aside a little money now so you can really reward your self down the road.

Originally Posted by unexpected

Thanks for taking the time to read all this!

You're welcome.

 

[Cary Grant]

I don't know anything about this site but why not give this a try. Prices within your range and some stripey fabrics... try one. If you don't like it, there's a guarantee. You can customize everything.

Might be a way to start out...

 

[brimley]

Fairly similar stats here, though not necessarily build. Stop trying with OTR. Start out with some test shirts at www.tailorstore.com , which is probably the cheapest of the acceptable MTM shops. Avoid the super cheap fabrics.

It will take a few tries to get your measurements right anyway, and you can hold off on the big order until you feel like you're stable. If you're looking for better quality then, look into a better MTM option.

 

[brimley]

Originally Posted by swiego

To be honest, I have far greater problem finding sweaters--these rarely come OTR with sleeve length measurements on the tags, which makes finding long-sleeved ones incredibly hard.

I feel that. The best I have found as far as fit is Banana Republic med tall--too bad the quality is not good.

 

[NH_Clark]

Originally Posted by Cary Grant

Heh- I have 36+ arms as well and am only 6'2". My knuckles drag on the ground.


same here.. at 6'2 and I wear a 18.5 neck. Makes it even more complicated.

A week ago I found a great tailor tucked away in some small strip mall who is fantastic. I took some good but ill-fitting shirts to him and he made them all look fantastic. Now, I surf the OTR for the 18.5/36 and if it's billowy or arms not quite right, he'll take care them for me for not a lot of money.

 

[JordanH.]

i was 6'1" and my arms were 40 like 4 years ago lol. now i'm 6'3.5" or 6'4". try big and tall stores.

also, try one of the bespoke websites.

 

[mljones99]

I wear an 18-37 and finding proper fitting shirts off the rack is a pain. I get most of my dress shirts these days MTM from Billy Reid but OTR I will buy Brooks Brothers and Ralph Lauren Big & Tall since they both make a 18-37. I might have to take them to the tailor to take in the sides and slim up the sleeves but they come out fitting great for not much money.

 

[Cary Grant]

Originally Posted by JordanH.

i was 6'1" and my arms were 40 like 4 years ago lol. now i'm 6'3.5" or 6'4". try big and tall stores.

also, try one of the bespoke websites.

I hope you play defensive end.

 

[mattypants]

I wear 16.5 or 17, 36/37 and have had good luck with Charles Tyrwhitt, at ctshirts.com. They aren't the highest-end shirts but tend to have a very nice range of options and many sizes. Usually pretty good deals too. Even their standard shirts seem to run slimmer than traditional BB.

 

[unexpected]

further thoughts:

mattypants, I think the site you linked is definitely a step in the right direction. They have a bit more variety than BB and its in my price point. however, after looking at the reviews for them, everyone seems to prefer T.M. Lewin's more. I just checked their website and they have good options as well.

I'll also give nordstrom's rack a try. There's one close by me, and I should have checked that out first (duh!).

MTM, as I mentioned initially, is an option that I've been considering, but one that I don't want to pursue, just yet. If a shirt is going to fit me like a glove, it might as well fit the right size glove, which isn't the glove I have now. Also, it seems like I just missed a MyTailor trip to my city.

Thanks all. If anyone else has any other suggestions, keep them coming!

 

[orthofrancis]

Sounds like we are the same size 16.5 36/37 6'4" 205. the above mentioned shirts fit me quite well. Boss yellow label, also works well.

Also try some Z Zegna - they fit me well.

The slim line Brooks Bros, are still somewhat baggy.

 

[swiego]

I just went to Nordstrom Rack and picked up -three- 16.5/38 dress shirts. That's accomplishing the impossible as far as I am concerned!

 

[unexpected]

updates:

Went to Nordstrom's Rack today. What a clusterfuck of a store. Was able to find 1 shirt in the mess (Hugo Boss - 16 x 36, $40).

Anyone know where I can find some Z Zegna shirts? Looked at Neiman's, only found the main line.