The Definitive Guide to Slim Fit Shirts

[Chanklebury]

I bought three Harvie and Hudson shirts last month in their 3 for 2 offer - e.g. usual retail at £75 each, but £150 gets you three.

Against the advice that the shirts would have some residual shrink I sized on how they fitted in the shop. True enough to my dismay I found that on their first wash at a 30°C delicate cycle they did indeed shrink. Perhaps not a half collar size but certainly a nip in length and overall fit.

As a consequence they are rather too tight and short for me and so I am considering having the double cuffs tailored to a single cuff - if indeed possible (?) - for more casual wear.

Two options for this might be Pinnas and Needles or Tosca and Daughters. Any member thoughts on this? Great fabrics and nice thin MOP buttons so it'd be preferable to sort something out cost permitting.

The alternative is to cut my losses and attempt their sale. The two concerned are as follows;

Blue Oxford


site link: Blue Royal Oxford Slim Fit Shirt

Blue Herringbone


site link: Blue Herringbone Slim Fit Shirt

Is there any interest here? Sizing for both is 15.5 neck, regular sleeve length.
One not worn, the other worn once only for interviews. Both washed once.

I'm in the UK.

 

[akoustas]

@SPIER & MACKAY has the best slim fitting shirts I've tried so far. I typically purchased custom made shirts as none of TM Lewin, Charles Tyrwhitt, or Kamaruka's options fit me terribly well (at least given the outlays). Spier & Mackay's fit almost as well as my custom shirts at a fraction of what I paid for them

. If you're a slim or athletic build, they are a fantastic option! (They are also a SF member and helpful participant)

 

[Do Not Starch]

@donotstarch

 

[Fitzcarraldo]

hi everyone

I am sick of TM Lewyn CTyrwhitt etc

Also I have heard of Estado, http://estado.co.kr/
the name isn't sexy but the quality seems more than ok. And above all, the collars are exactly what I'm looking for. The only problem is : no small sizes...
would anyone know a brand proposing similar collars, same prices range ?

thanks a lot

 

[catlettsl]



Just received about a dozen Charles Tyrwhitt Slim fit shirts (17/35). Got in on the $29 sale. Excellent quality for the 2x thay price, easily. The issue is the fit, so YMMV: a tad tight in the chest when I pull my shoulders back and a tiny bit of pulling at the back of the shoulders. I think one wash and I'd be in trouble. I think going up a half inch in neck would fix those two areas, problem is the neck right now is PERFECT and I fear a half inch would be too loose there. Thoughts?

Funny I'm in the same boat same brand. Do they shrink when washed? How about dry cleaned?

 

[darthrevan]

So after reading every single page on this thread, I thought some of my experiences would be helpful for those looking for slim fitting shirts. Haven’t seen much activity on this thread so if this needs to go someplace else let me know. Some background information so we can get a reference point. Around the 5’ 8” mark, and fluctuating through the 120 – 140lb range, 120 being my just skinny time and 140 when I was working out a bit. Most of these are from a reference of a 36 in chest and 29 in the waist or around there. All these shirts were done in the 14-15 neck size range or XS-S. (Since this on the lower scale of size, you can probably scale to your sizes if your bigger but slim to get an idea of what to try)

Theory – A favorite that’s in my rotation a lot (I love the pants as well) The slims fits fit me like a glove. Unless they’re on sale I would say at this price point upgrade to the made in Italy shirts(See further below for these)

Brooks & Brothers – So BB was my first shirt into the pricier shirt market, obviously went with the Milano ES fit. At the time these fit almost perfectly, of course, this was at my highest weight since then I’ve dropped a bit of that weight and needed to get it tailored.

Bonobos – My favorite shirt on the sub 100 price. The regular daily grind ones are nice and can feel a bit restrictive but the Jetsetters those are perfect, that stretch to it makes it the perfect fit, like a glove, just perfect (This is the tailored fit). Just wait for all the sales and you can get some between the 30(daily grind)-60(Jetsetter) range. Tailored 14.5 is the one I have so if you are slimmer than me probably should look at other ones.

Eton – I have the super slim fit for these shirts, and they fit pretty well, but not quite to that perfect fit area. This is mostly because chest fits a bit tight, and I would love if they introduced a new fit like TP with their athletic fit. If you have a simpler slim body shape though I would suggest trying these out. The super slims are definitely geared for actual super slim people.

Thomas Pink – This what I consider the equivalent of Bonobos fit with higher quality. With the best fitting being Athletic fit with stretch 14 neck. For yall that don’t work out one bit go with that super slim fit, I tried that and that was way too tight on me.

Hugo Boss – Now this is a brand that I feel I could write a lot about(but not going to to give space to everything else), I have some shirts that I absolutely love and some that I am just like no just no. This is likely due to millions fits that they have. They have a Sharp fit, a slim fit, an ES fit. And under each one they have various fits Jenno, Jason, Mark(I think those are under the slim). Point is, try them out in store, or buy from a place with a great return policy(Wait for those sales, and get them from the HB site, Bloomingdales or Nordstrom). If I had the time I would do a just HB post for all those fits (I swear there are sharp fits that are somehow slimmer than Slim or ES)

Orlebar Brown – This one falls under the skin tight, the good kind where it looks good, Went with the XS on this one and this true for both shirts and the polos. Not much else to say aside from recommending to look at these shirts

Boglioli – Another of my favorites, tighter on the chest(will feel restrictive if reaching up), the fit looks great though, it will give that perfect slim look that has like that small room in the waist but just in a perfect way like you see in the pics of the models used online.

Dolce & Gabbana – Another perfect fit here, my short peeps out there will have to get these shortened on the sleeve though

DSquared2 – And yet another perfect fit here, just as DG short guys will have to get these fixed on the sleeves as well.

Barba Napoli –My favorite in my Italy collection, I definitely like these better than DG and DSquared2, has nothing to do with quality or fit, mostly because the sleeves fit perfectly and I like the designs better.

Ike Behar – And we have another tent here

The Kooples – So I tried this brand when I was at a Bloomingdales one day, might have been the XS or the S that I tired, but wow was this one tight. This is definitely a flat stomach shirt. Not a huge drop since it was tight on the chest too. So for all you on the actual skinny side you should check these out.

Armani Collenzioni- The modern fit was baggy, but the slim fit was almost perfect, with it being a bit too tight, so slimmer guys I would look into this one.

Abla – See Boglioli and those are my exact same feelings, but if I had to choose would go with Boglioli unless significantly cheaper

Lindeburg – and we have another tent here, I do like the quality though, would consider tailoring it if there was a good sale on these.

Ledburry – Smallest size is a 15 and its definitely another tent. I really wish they made a 14.5 because I loved the feel of this shirt.

Saks – I have tried the Slim, Trim, and Modern fit in the same size. Slim was just wow another tent, and then to my surprise Trim and Modern were actually slimmer(Brands needs to agree on what these fit names actually mean) Now trim and modern felt really similar, although I felt trim to be slimmer(even the arms) but they both fit me pretty well although near the point where if I gain an extra few pounds they’ll end up too tight for me.

Banana Republic – Grant fit right here that’s what you’re looking for. XS is way too skin tight for me right now, would probably say check it out if you’re below 130lb, now for the S still had some room in the waist, close to the BB ES but just slightly slimmer

John Varvatos – One of my frequent wears, leaves a small room waist still but not the bad kind, just a bit to move around better. Try these out if you want the slim look but still need room to stretch a bit

Tom Ford – Another perfect fit here, but I cannot justify the price tag with there being so many others that are significantly cheaper for the same quality and fit

Ted Baker – They have a trim fit and a slim fit, what you want for this one is the slim fit. Its closer to slim side than the athletic side, but still would say try either way. Personally, I have found it to fit me nicely when I drop down to a slimmer weight (125lb for me), so I wear it when that happens

Charles Tyrwhitt – My introduction into not trash shirts(looking at you Express) Honestly what I love about CT(and TM Lewin) is the size charts they have on their sites, constant $30 price and wide selection.

TM Lewin – See CT above basically the same thing, I would say cheap fitting shirts is basically trying out CT and TML shirts using the size chart and then its choosing between which brand feels and fits to you (Such as I find CT shoulder area to be tighter on me) and with the great return policy you should be able to find the size for you.

Express - Never again buying this brand. Sure this is great for the really skinny dudes, but damn is the quality completely disappointing. This was one of my first dress shirts for work before I knew nothing about dressing myself, and I regret every buying these. You might as well go with Zara or HM(While I have actually never tried these, I’ve heard there decent enough for their price)

Calvin Klein – Oh these are tents, and yes this was the slim fit, and that’s all I can really say about CK

Brioni – The chest fit me well, but then got to the waist and it was baggy, so look elsewhere for a slim look

Bloomingdales Men Shop – Another one on the slim slide, used to fit nicely but getting a little tight after I gained a few, Would say to check it out though might be a good fit for those on the slimmer side

Barneys – I even went down to their 14s and they still felt baggy, I would avoid them if you’re slimmer than me, maybe consider it if you’re a bit bigger than me though

Piattelli – These fit exactly like the barneys shirts so same advice for these.

Massimo Duti (The higher quality Zara)– These only go down to a 15, and while the quality seemed decent for the on sale prices, definitely had a bit of room down in the waist, I would compare the fit close to the BB ES fit, so for those of you who work out I would consider checking it out.

Perry Ellis – Left some room down in the waist, was surprised it was slimmer than I thought it would be though, IMO still looks great for the bit loose feel and having your wide range of motion


I’m going down my closet, I still have these left, or I ordered some and will be trying them soon:

Calibrate, Nordstrom Men shop, Jil Sander, Etro, Brian Dales, Luigi Borrelli Napoli, Drumohr, Corneliani, Burberry, Incotex, Canali, Truzzi, Alexander Wang, Les Hommes, Patrizia Pepe, Gianni Versace, Ralph Lauren, Richard James, Z Zegna, Kenzo, Piattelli, Ermenegildo Zegna, Strellson

These are on my list to try out eventually in the next year and will update once I do (let me know if I should cross it out):

Viola Milano, Turnbull and Asser , Emma Willis, Finamore , Kiton, Paul Smith, Mazarelli, Spier and Mackay, Cavour, Isiah ,Prada , Gucci , Duncan Quinn ,Hickey, Udeshi, Baldessarini , RL black/purple label , Bagutta ,Martin Margiela , Steven Alan , Band of outsiders, Borelli ,Michael Bastian , Rag and bone , Thom Browne ,Balengancia ,Dior Homme ,ATO ,Miu Miu ,Brioni, Zegna ,Lorenzini ,Nodus, Cacharell, Vanlack, Bruli, Flippa k , Acne, Patrizia pepe , Idib ,Anna matuozzo , H&K, United colors of benetton , John francomb, Jil dander, Raoul , Ben Sherman ,Harvie Hudson , Indochino , Riccoverro, Shipley halmos ,Spurr ,Valentino


TLDR: (Based on the ones I did write up):

Budget(Top 5): CT, TML, Bonobos, Saks(Trim/Modern)

No budget(): Unless I said it it feels like it tent, you should probably try it out, and Ill probably say if its better suited for a slim slim body type or a slim athletic body type

Avoid at all costs: Express(cause quality)

I’ll update when I feel like writing again (for the ones that I have but still haven’t wrote up) and as I expand my wardrobe. And if you have any suggestions for what I should try out let me know.

 

[Midnight]

Great, informative post and impressive range of shirts.

Can I ask what you do with your shirts when you are finished with them? I run the shirtdetective site and it would be useful to have your old shirts so I could start including them in my sizing database. (I’d pay for postage).

Completely agree in Hugo Boss too. So many different sizes and brands. Not sure why they do that.

Hugo Boss – Now this is a brand that I feel I could write a lot about(but not going to to give space to everything else), I have some shirts that I absolutely love and some that I am just like no just no. This is likely due to millions fits that they have. They have a Sharp fit, a slim fit, an ES fit. And under each one they have various fits Jenno, Jason, Mark(I think those are under the slim). Point is, try them out in store, or buy from a place with a great return policy(Wait for those sales, and get them from the HB site, Bloomingdales or Nordstrom). If I had the time I would do a just HB post for all those fits (I swear there are sharp fits that are somehow slimmer than Slim or ES)

 

[darthrevan]

Great, informative post and impressive range of shirts.

Can I ask what you do with your shirts when you are finished with them? I run the shirtdetective site and it would be useful to have your old shirts so I could start including them in my sizing database. (I’d pay for postage).

Completely agree in Hugo Boss too. So many different sizes and brands. Not sure why they do that.

Cool I like your site, tried out Thomas Pink i think bc of your site. My oldest shirts are like a year old, so itll probably be a while before I'm done with any of them, so if youre still running the site a couple years down the road, when they start getting old I'll let you know

 

[Aquafortis]

So after reading every single page on this thread, I thought some of my experiences would be helpful for those looking for slim fitting shirts. Haven’t seen much activity on this thread so if this needs to go someplace else let me know. Some background information so we can get a reference point. Around the 5’ 8” mark, and fluctuating through the 120 – 140lb range, 120 being my just skinny time and 140 when I was working out a bit. Most of these are from a reference of a 36 in chest and 29 in the waist or around there. All these shirts were done in the 14-15 neck size range or XS-S. (Since this on the lower scale of size, you can probably scale to your sizes if your bigger but slim to get an idea of what to try)

Theory – A favorite that’s in my rotation a lot (I love the pants as well) The slims fits fit me like a glove. Unless they’re on sale I would say at this price point upgrade to the made in Italy shirts(See further below for these)

Brooks & Brothers – So BB was my first shirt into the pricier shirt market, obviously went with the Milano ES fit. At the time these fit almost perfectly, of course, this was at my highest weight since then I’ve dropped a bit of that weight and needed to get it tailored.

Bonobos – My favorite shirt on the sub 100 price. The regular daily grind ones are nice and can feel a bit restrictive but the Jetsetters those are perfect, that stretch to it makes it the perfect fit, like a glove, just perfect (This is the tailored fit). Just wait for all the sales and you can get some between the 30(daily grind)-60(Jetsetter) range. Tailored 14.5 is the one I have so if you are slimmer than me probably should look at other ones.

Eton – I have the super slim fit for these shirts, and they fit pretty well, but not quite to that perfect fit area. This is mostly because chest fits a bit tight, and I would love if they introduced a new fit like TP with their athletic fit. If you have a simpler slim body shape though I would suggest trying these out. The super slims are definitely geared for actual super slim people.

Thomas Pink – This what I consider the equivalent of Bonobos fit with higher quality. With the best fitting being Athletic fit with stretch 14 neck. For yall that don’t work out one bit go with that super slim fit, I tried that and that was way too tight on me.

Hugo Boss – Now this is a brand that I feel I could write a lot about(but not going to to give space to everything else), I have some shirts that I absolutely love and some that I am just like no just no. This is likely due to millions fits that they have. They have a Sharp fit, a slim fit, an ES fit. And under each one they have various fits Jenno, Jason, Mark(I think those are under the slim). Point is, try them out in store, or buy from a place with a great return policy(Wait for those sales, and get them from the HB site, Bloomingdales or Nordstrom). If I had the time I would do a just HB post for all those fits (I swear there are sharp fits that are somehow slimmer than Slim or ES)

Orlebar Brown – This one falls under the skin tight, the good kind where it looks good, Went with the XS on this one and this true for both shirts and the polos. Not much else to say aside from recommending to look at these shirts

Boglioli – Another of my favorites, tighter on the chest(will feel restrictive if reaching up), the fit looks great though, it will give that perfect slim look that has like that small room in the waist but just in a perfect way like you see in the pics of the models used online.

Dolce & Gabbana – Another perfect fit here, my short peeps out there will have to get these shortened on the sleeve though

DSquared2 – And yet another perfect fit here, just as DG short guys will have to get these fixed on the sleeves as well.

Barba Napoli –My favorite in my Italy collection, I definitely like these better than DG and DSquared2, has nothing to do with quality or fit, mostly because the sleeves fit perfectly and I like the designs better.

Ike Behar – And we have another tent here

The Kooples – So I tried this brand when I was at a Bloomingdales one day, might have been the XS or the S that I tired, but wow was this one tight. This is definitely a flat stomach shirt. Not a huge drop since it was tight on the chest too. So for all you on the actual skinny side you should check these out.

Armani Collenzioni- The modern fit was baggy, but the slim fit was almost perfect, with it being a bit too tight, so slimmer guys I would look into this one.

Abla – See Boglioli and those are my exact same feelings, but if I had to choose would go with Boglioli unless significantly cheaper

Lindeburg – and we have another tent here, I do like the quality though, would consider tailoring it if there was a good sale on these.

Ledburry – Smallest size is a 15 and its definitely another tent. I really wish they made a 14.5 because I loved the feel of this shirt.

Saks – I have tried the Slim, Trim, and Modern fit in the same size. Slim was just wow another tent, and then to my surprise Trim and Modern were actually slimmer(Brands needs to agree on what these fit names actually mean) Now trim and modern felt really similar, although I felt trim to be slimmer(even the arms) but they both fit me pretty well although near the point where if I gain an extra few pounds they’ll end up too tight for me.

Banana Republic – Grant fit right here that’s what you’re looking for. XS is way too skin tight for me right now, would probably say check it out if you’re below 130lb, now for the S still had some room in the waist, close to the BB ES but just slightly slimmer

John Varvatos – One of my frequent wears, leaves a small room waist still but not the bad kind, just a bit to move around better. Try these out if you want the slim look but still need room to stretch a bit

Tom Ford – Another perfect fit here, but I cannot justify the price tag with there being so many others that are significantly cheaper for the same quality and fit

Ted Baker – They have a trim fit and a slim fit, what you want for this one is the slim fit. Its closer to slim side than the athletic side, but still would say try either way. Personally, I have found it to fit me nicely when I drop down to a slimmer weight (125lb for me), so I wear it when that happens

Charles Tyrwhitt – My introduction into not trash shirts(looking at you Express) Honestly what I love about CT(and TM Lewin) is the size charts they have on their sites, constant $30 price and wide selection.

TM Lewin – See CT above basically the same thing, I would say cheap fitting shirts is basically trying out CT and TML shirts using the size chart and then its choosing between which brand feels and fits to you (Such as I find CT shoulder area to be tighter on me) and with the great return policy you should be able to find the size for you.

Express - Never again buying this brand. Sure this is great for the really skinny dudes, but damn is the quality completely disappointing. This was one of my first dress shirts for work before I knew nothing about dressing myself, and I regret every buying these. You might as well go with Zara or HM(While I have actually never tried these, I’ve heard there decent enough for their price)

Calvin Klein – Oh these are tents, and yes this was the slim fit, and that’s all I can really say about CK

Brioni – The chest fit me well, but then got to the waist and it was baggy, so look elsewhere for a slim look

Bloomingdales Men Shop – Another one on the slim slide, used to fit nicely but getting a little tight after I gained a few, Would say to check it out though might be a good fit for those on the slimmer side

Barneys – I even went down to their 14s and they still felt baggy, I would avoid them if you’re slimmer than me, maybe consider it if you’re a bit bigger than me though

Piattelli – These fit exactly like the barneys shirts so same advice for these.

Massimo Duti (The higher quality Zara)– These only go down to a 15, and while the quality seemed decent for the on sale prices, definitely had a bit of room down in the waist, I would compare the fit close to the BB ES fit, so for those of you who work out I would consider checking it out.

Perry Ellis – Left some room down in the waist, was surprised it was slimmer than I thought it would be though, IMO still looks great for the bit loose feel and having your wide range of motion


I’m going down my closet, I still have these left, or I ordered some and will be trying them soon:

Calibrate, Nordstrom Men shop, Jil Sander, Etro, Brian Dales, Luigi Borrelli Napoli, Drumohr, Corneliani, Burberry, Incotex, Canali, Truzzi, Alexander Wang, Les Hommes, Patrizia Pepe, Gianni Versace, Ralph Lauren, Richard James, Z Zegna, Kenzo, Piattelli, Ermenegildo Zegna, Strellson

These are on my list to try out eventually in the next year and will update once I do (let me know if I should cross it out):

Viola Milano, Turnbull and Asser , Emma Willis, Finamore , Kiton, Paul Smith, Mazarelli, Spier and Mackay, Cavour, Isiah ,Prada , Gucci , Duncan Quinn ,Hickey, Udeshi, Baldessarini , RL black/purple label , Bagutta ,Martin Margiela , Steven Alan , Band of outsiders, Borelli ,Michael Bastian , Rag and bone , Thom Browne ,Balengancia ,Dior Homme ,ATO ,Miu Miu ,Brioni, Zegna ,Lorenzini ,Nodus, Cacharell, Vanlack, Bruli, Flippa k , Acne, Patrizia pepe , Idib ,Anna matuozzo , H&K, United colors of benetton , John francomb, Jil dander, Raoul , Ben Sherman ,Harvie Hudson , Indochino , Riccoverro, Shipley halmos ,Spurr ,Valentino


TLDR: (Based on the ones I did write up):

Budget(Top 5): CT, TML, Bonobos, Saks(Trim/Modern)

No budget(): Unless I said it it feels like it tent, you should probably try it out, and Ill probably say if its better suited for a slim slim body type or a slim athletic body type

Avoid at all costs: Express(cause quality)

I’ll update when I feel like writing again (for the ones that I have but still haven’t wrote up) and as I expand my wardrobe. And if you have any suggestions for what I should try out let me know.

Quite a range of shirts, and I'm a bit surprised that Finamore is not on your list. I've found that their white label shirts are a fantastic slim fit - best I've found. I would call Ian at Shop The Finest and he can steer you in the right direction.

 

[Midnight]

Cool I like your site, tried out Thomas Pink i think bc of your site. My oldest shirts are like a year old, so itll probably be a while before I'm done with any of them, so if youre still running the site a couple years down the road, when they start getting old I'll let you know

Thanks. I'll send you a DM in about a year.

 

[useless_username]

I like your website @Midnight, really useful for those of us with non-standard proportions.

This might be a strange question, but perhaps you'll know: I've so far avoided TM Lewin shirts because even their regular (i.e. not non-iron) ones have something called an 'Easy Iron Finish'. I absolutely loathe non-iron in all its forms, and this mysterious finish has kept me from buying anything from TM Lewin.

Would you happen to know what the Easy Iron Finish is? Their website offers nothing. The shop staff I've spoken to were clueless. Is it some kind of a chemical finish, like a milder version of the non-iron treatment?

 

[Midnight]

I like your website @Midnight, really useful for those of us with non-standard proportions.

This might be a strange question, but perhaps you'll know: I've so far avoided TM Lewin shirts because even their regular (i.e. not non-iron) ones have something called an 'Easy Iron Finish'. I absolutely loathe non-iron in all its forms, and this mysterious finish has kept me from buying anything from TM Lewin.

Would you happen to know what the Easy Iron Finish is? Their website offers nothing. The shop staff I've spoken to were clueless. Is it some kind of a chemical finish, like a milder version of the non-iron treatment?

The short answer is I don't know. I would guess, like you, that it's a milder version of the non-iron treatment. Looking through their site, almost everything I could find that was 100% cotton was easy iron finish or similar wording.

 

[useless_username]

Thanks. I realise it was an esoteric question. As far as I can tell, all their shirts indeed have this finish (what ever it is).

I'm quite annoyed by the dominance of non-iron in this price range. It's gotten much worse in the last 10 years.