The whole skinny fad (which I loathe) is now infecting the design of button up shirts.
I’m 5’10", about 180 lbs, a bit of a gut, but not too much. I just bought 3 shirts at The Gap and have to return all three. I put each on and each feels like the shoulders/chest will tear if I were to bend down to button my shoes.
This is getting crazy!
I bought a Nautica shirt last fall (2013) that was on the trim side, but still room enough to move in.
Then I bought a Perry Ellis shirt last January and it felt even more snug, but still enough room left that it is comfortable.
Then last April, I bought 2 shirts at Express, and yep, even more snug. After two washings, they’re at the point where I don’t feel comfortable wearing them.
Now tonight with those damn Gap shirts. No where on them does it say slim fit. I even asked the woman at the checkout and she assured me they weren’t slim. And these 3 shirts I bought were all large and from two different styles.
So what is a guy to do? I bought an LL Bean shirt last summer that was a “classic” fit. Sorry, but that thing is too far in the other direction. I feel like I have a tent draped over me.
All my adult life I have been able to go into a clothing store and grab a size L button up shirt and be happy (this even when I was heavier). Evidently those days are long gone.
I’m ok with having to return the shirts. I’m just frustrated that more and more retailers are selling shirts that only snug. I can tell you now that The Gap does not have a shirt that will fit me the way I want (and always enjoyed).
You can have shirts made to your specific measures for about what those gap shirts cost you. Maybe a little more. But they’d fit exactly right. It’s amazing what difference a truly well fitting shirt makes.
Shirts in the past were baggy as all get out. Slim cut shirts fit better. This doesn’t mean SMALLER shirts, but it does mean not having fabric flapping around your waist.
Sure, I did and it fits perfectly. Am I really a large though? What the hell do really large people do? There’s no way in hell I’m a large yet that’s what I need to buy. I suppose that really large people look for XXXL or something.
I’m a fairly small guy at 5’7" and 150 pounds. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! But that sure sounds like a medium to me.
I’m actually really happy with the slim fit thing over the past few years. Button downs still don’t fit like custom or anything off the rack, but a medium slim fit is much better than either a small or a medium was five years ago. So, uh, one in favor. The odd thing is that I wouldn’t really call myself “slim”… but “classic” button downs have always had way, way too much fabric around the waist.
(I’m either a small or a medium for T-shirts depending on brands and I’m around your size at 5’8" 155, Leaffan - not sure what’s going on with T-shirts up there!)
Now that’s interesting, because pant size in inches seems to be very consistent for me. I’ll try them on, but I can almost be guaranteed that a 32/30 will fit just fine.
I hate older button ups because they are so goddamm baggy, too much fabric in the arms and don’t cut at the waist. I’m 5’9" and weigh 165. I don’t have a gut really but am not ripped. Pretty well proportioned. I absolutely cannot go back to wearing button up shirts that are older than 3-4 years because they are cut so unshapely. In order for a button up to look right you need to at least slightly fill out the chest. Old shirts that was impossible for me.
