How to Choose the Best Shirts for Your Body Type
Tired of tent-like t-shirts? Irritated by ill-fitting oxfords? Never fear: picking a shirt that shows off your charms doesn’t have to be complicated – you just have to know where to start!
From work to play, there are many ways to mix up your wardrobe and emphasise your unique qualities without breaking a sweat (or the bank). Here’s our guide to finding the best shirts for your body type.
Before we get started on how important it is to pick the right shirt for your body type (believe it or not, there are distinctions when it comes to choosing dress shirts for small guys, tall guys, and so on), we'll go over how a shirt should fit against the body in general, covering length, the right placement of the seams and all the occasionally dull things that really do make a difference to your look.
Whatever your shape, and wherever you are purchasing from, a few basic rules apply when choosing your dress shirt:
Chest: the best shirts allow a full range of motion, fitting comfortably around your chest, across your back, and under your armpits. If you have selected a shirt with a slim cut, it should be snug rather than tight.
Shoulders: check where the sleeve of the shirt attaches to the body. This seam should sit comfortably near to the top of your shoulders; it should not ‘pull’ or billow.
Collar: this should be comfortable but not roomy. See if you can button it easily and if you can slide two fingers inside: fewer than two and it will be too snug, more than two and it will be too big.
Feel free to adjust: You don’t have to go fully bespoke to enjoy a tailored feel. With a few tweaks, a tailor can adjust an off-the-rack product to suit your shape. Pay particular attention to the waist and arms: nothing makes a short man feel more awkward than sleeves that hang down too low or a shirt that billows around the waist.
There are four main collar types: pointed, spread, button-down, removable. And though it may seem like a small detail, the collar that you choose can have a big effect on your overall look.
A shorter man should prioritise a crisp, streamlined look wherever possible, and thus avoid a button-down in a formal context (unnecessary detail) or a spread collar, as this creates the impression of width rather than height.
For a guy with a heavier build, we recommend a pointed collar as this can be slimming and flattering for a wider face.
If you’re the tallest guy in the room, a spread collar might be a good bet as it will create a sense of balance.