# How do you translate men's dress shirt sizes for women? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 5, 2013, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-translate-mens-dress-shirt-sizes-for-women/662684 "2013-07-05T02:59:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-translate-mens-dress-shirt-sizes-for-women/662684/1 "2013-07-05T02:59:06Z")
So I’ve almost got my Doctor Who mashup costume done for Comic Con–the last thing I need is a shirt. I want to get a pink shirt (like Eleven’s) and I figure the easiest and cheapest way is to just buy a cheap men’s dress shirt. However, the sizes are confounding me. All they measure is the neck size and sleeve length. How does that translate to knowing things like chest size? The net is failing me on this–I guess there aren’t too many women out there who want/need to wear men’s dress shirts. Should I just go ahead and take the measurements they’re asking for and assume it’ll fit okay, or are there different adjustments I have to make? Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-translate-mens-dress-shirt-sizes-for-women/662684/2 "2013-07-05T04:20:50Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > So I’ve almost got my Doctor Who mashup costume done for Comic Con–the last thing I need is a shirt. I want to get a pink shirt (like Eleven’s) and I figure the easiest and cheapest way is to just buy a cheap men’s dress shirt. > > However, the sizes are confounding me. All they measure is the neck size and sleeve length. How does that translate to knowing things like chest size? The net is failing me on this–I guess there aren’t too many women out there who want/need to wear men’s dress shirts. Should I just go ahead and take the measurements they’re asking for and assume it’ll fit okay, or are there different adjustments I have to make? > > Thanks in advance. US men’s shirts rarely if ever come in specific measured chest sizes. Chest size will vary significantly depending on whether you are talking a full taper, athletic taper (V shaped ie broad shoulder slim waist ) or a slim taper.[Here is how to measure yourself for a men’s shirt -](http://www.artofmanliness.com/2010/07/27/measuring-the-man-how-to-measure-yourself-for-clothing-plus-a-bonus-personal-sizing-card/) If you’re tubby a full cut will be necessary. If not a slim taper might be preferred for the best fit unless you’re unusually busty. If this is a one shot deal I would suggest looking in thrift store before shipping retail. Lots of light used, near new men’s shirts are available for just few dollars. > [@](#): > > Neck. You need to know your neck size lest you strangle yourself to death with a tight collar. > > How to measure your neck: > ◾Wrap the tape measure around the lower part of your neck. It should be about an inch below your Adam’s Apple. > ◾Don’t choke yourself with the tape measure. For a comfortable fit, place 2 fingers between the tape and your neck. Round up to the next 1/2″. > > Sleeve. Many off-the-shelf dress shirts come in different sleeve lengths too. Moreover, you’ll need to know your sleeve length in order to adjust the sleeve length of any off-the-rack jacket you buy. > > How to measure your sleeve length: > ◾Measure from the shoulder joint to the wrist bone ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-translate-mens-dress-shirt-sizes-for-women/662684/3 "2013-07-05T04:28:40Z")
[Dr. Who shirt](http://eleventhdoctorcostume.blogspot.com/2010/10/paul-smith-shirt-back-in-stock.html) ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-translate-mens-dress-shirt-sizes-for-women/662684/5 "2013-07-05T15:16:54Z")
> [@astro](#): > > [Dr. Who shirt](http://eleventhdoctorcostume.blogspot.com/2010/10/paul-smith-shirt-back-in-stock.html) Nice idea, but that blog post was from 2010 and talks about _very_ limited stock, so I doubt they’d have more (plus, their stuff looks pretty pricey). Thanks, though! Thanks for the fit advice too. I’ll check the thrift shop near here, but I’ve looked there before and they didn’t have much (very little pink and what they had wasn’t the right size). I think I can find a cheap new one that’ll fit the bill. Sounds like the cut info is the last data point I needed. I think I’ll go with the full cut just to be safe since I’m not exactly svelte. Also, the shirt will be under a vest and a longcoat so not much of it will show.)