The pace of life is demanding. We know. It’s easy to try to save some time with the old “grab and go” technique when shopping for shirts. Unfortunately the final result often looks a little rushed as well.
Making the most out of your time is important, but so is presentation. It’s good to be mindful of the message that you’re putting out there. And today fit is a big piece of the menswear equation. Don’t be the guy in the office wearing the shirt, blouse hybrid with the cuffs down to the knuckles. Only a few people can pull off this look and unless your name is Prince, you’re not one of them. Your shirt is an investment after all, so why not make sure that it fits correctly?
Sizing yourself is a pretty straightforward process; you just have to go about it the right way. You will need a measuring tape. We’re aware that you may not have one of these casually lying around, so a line of string and a yardstick will do. And if you have a shirt that you already own that fits well, use it as a guide. Lastly, don’t forget a pen and paper to write everything down.
When taking measurements, start with the neck, and then use your shirt as a guide to find your measurements for your chest, shoulders and sleeve length.
Steps
1.
Neck. Place the measuring tape around your neck as if you were putting on a tie. Measure the full circumference starting at your Adam’s apple. To make sure that you have enough breathing room, place two fingers between the tape measure and your neck for comfort. Round to the nearest half-inch. For this, and for the other measurements, repeat two additional times for accuracy.
2.
Chest. Flip your reference shirt over so that the back is facing towards you. Measure horizontally from the left underarm to the right underarm (pit-to-pit). Multiply this number by two for your full chest measurement if needed.
3.
Shoulders. Measure horizontally from the top of the upper-back shoulder seam to the other.
4.
Sleeves. Start from the cuff and measure to the seam where the sleeve meets the shoulder. Remember this measurement. Then measure from the top armhole seam to the middle of the shirt’s back. Add the two measurements together and there you have it.
What to look for in a shirt that fits well
If you button your shirt all the way up, you should be able to comfortably slip just your index finger between your neck and collar.
The seam where the sleeve attaches to the body of your shirt should hit close to the top of your shoulders.
The shoulder seams should hug your own shoulders without being too snug.
Just because the shirt’s neck and sleeves are the right size, doesn’t mean that the rest of the shirt will fit you. Lack of excess fabric will mean that the shirt doesn’t bunch up and will stay tucked in better.
*The shirt featured is our
Blue Pickett Oxford
