There are pitfalls here, though. American-cut shirts already are big enough to accommodate a basketball-sized gut, so when buying off the rack, getting a large collar is apt to mean that the whole shirt is huge on you, especially if you are in any kind of good shape at all.
If I were the OP I’d explore any and all potential options for wearing the suit without the tie, as outlined above.
Yay, Sam! Out of law and into IT, eh? I am thrilled to hear that news - it’ll make me happy all day.
Hope the new job won’t cut into your posting time, though.
fabric paint is your friend.
It worked for Chris Farley…
I don’t get it- do you have furry gorilla arms? 
You think that a short-sleeved shirt and a tie would look good? I most certainly don’t, and I’ve never seen anyone who could pull it off. Falling-down dress style just isn’t me.
Sam
Thanks Puggy. If I haven’t properly thanked you for the help you provided me a few months ago, then here it is again-Thank you so very much, even if it didn’t work out!
I’m going back to where I’m most comfortable, IT. Back to where my career started, and to where I’ve been trying to get back to since then.
Sam
Go find the most confortable dress shirt you can buy. It may be pricey but at least you won’t be squirming like a slug in the sun.
Well if you change your mind and do go the Falling Down route, don’t forget to change that plate to “DFense”.
The fact is, unfortunately–and strictly IMHO–is that no dress shirt and tie combination looks good at all, unless you’re wearing the jacket. With the whole suit on you can cut a dashing figure, like James Bond or Roger Thornhill. But take the jacket off…then with a white shirt and tie you look like a store clerk. Long sleeves are marginally better IMO, but still.
Will you be fixing printers or anything with moving parts? Tell them that you love to wear ties but it’s a safety hazard. Wouldn’t want to get your tie caught in the machinery and all, you know.
Congrats on the new job! I think if you’re tech support you should be forced to wear white short sleeve shirt with a boring, unfashionable tie. Or a “too interesting” kind of tie. This announces your “technical superiority” to the workforce.
Ok, seriously, you can get decent, not too expensive collared shirts at Costco or Sam’s Club. If they don’t fit just return them. Heck, return them just because you can. Get some decent dark slacks there, too, while you’re at it.
I think that you missed the point. He’s making 17k more than his last job, not 17k total. That should buy a few nice cravats, even in that area.
Let’s see here. This is the Pit, right? Good – bite me, Lamar.
I can buy a short-sleeved dress shirt on sale for $10 or $15. Now, let’s see what it costs to get a long-sleeved dress shirt with 38-inch sleeves that doesn’t fit me like a tent. It’s either custom-made, or it comes from a Big and Tall shop that charges a serious premium: $50 on a good day, $60 more often.
I’m not going to pay four times as much for a shirt to satisfy somebody else’s sense of fashion.
Wombat- Exceptions can be made, of course. Unfortunately, Short sleeves+tie=car salesman in my mind…
Now, I have in the past had to buy from a big & tall store. Not because I am big. Not because I am tall. No, it was because most stores didn’t carry 20 inch neck shirts. I was literally puny compared to the people shopping there. The shirts I DID find, were long enough to come to my knees. The one or two ties I DID buy there were “long”. Have you ever seen a fucking “long” tie? It’s so fucking long you could jump rope with it.
So I DO share your frustration as I have had the misfortune of shopping at some of the same kinds of places you have. I still don’t think many people can pull off short sleeves and ties, but that is JMHO…
Sam
If you don’t take off your suit jacket, or if you take off the tie whenever you take off the jacket, a short-sleeved shirt won’t look bad with your suit. (I doubt that anybody will really be scrutinizing your jacket cuffs to see if you have shirt cuffs visible underneath them.)
IMHO, “boyishly-cute” looking kind of guys can also get away with a (solid color) short-sleeved shirt with a bow tie, in a kind of amusing dorky-cum-Pinocchio effect. Take a really careful look in the mirror before you walk out of the house with it, though.
I feel your poain, GaWd, and second this advice. I absolutely hate wearing ties, but if it can’t be avoided, use that extra 1/2" to give yourself some breathing room. If you have to have them fitted so they’re not overly large around the belly, it’s worth it. A good shirt will last a long time. I don’t wear ties very often now, but when I had to wear them, I’d buy Nordstrom’s brand-- they really aren’t that expensive, and they’re well made.
Congrats on the new job. Making 17K more than you used to should ease the annoyance over ties - I hate them too, but I don’t have to wear them. nyah nyah nyah. Get good shirts. They will fit better, be more comfortable, and last longer. Don’t do short sleeves, they look like the Falling Down guy. What I used to do was leave the top button of the shirt open, and leave the tie a little loose. I hate tight collars. You can always cinch it up if you have to for a big meeting.
If the ties are a bit long, tie a double Windsor knot. It “uses up” more of the length and give a good symmetrical look.
Don’t do a short sleeve shirt with a bow tie, unless Less Nessman is your idol
Look for shirts that say “athletic cut” - pick your correct neck size, or go ahead and give yourself that extra 1/2 inch. This cut is tapered-in at the waist a bit, and it’s slightly shorter in length than the same size shirt would be at a Big & Tall place. Basically, they’re shirts made for guys with wrestler-type bodies.
Congrats on the job, and when you DO get that raise in six months, go bespoke and get some really classy shirts custom made for you!
(PS: In the meantime, and don’t laugh, if you send me your mailing address I will send you five extremely nice ties - my husband just started a no-tie job for the first time in forever!)
Well, I for one happen to like ties. Since this is the Pit, they’re the only way I can make a statement in my fucking job. A burst of colour does ya good, ya know. Actually, this is two suggestions:
Search on EBAY, especially for “Save the Children Ties”. Very nice, and dirt cheap.
Check out Infectious Awareables for interesting neckwear. I for one, would love an Anthrax tie, or a Breast Cancer tie.
They have all sorts of other diseases and clothing options too.
Note: I am in no way affiliated with Iawareables, I just love the ties.
Congrats on the new job, Sam. Next time I’m in the bay area, let me buy you a beer, mkay?
(would it be considered shitting in this thread to mention that I get to go to work wearing sweats and sometimes a t-shirt?)
