Don’t places that sell dress shirts and suits often provid tailoring services? In a department, it may be less common, but in boutiques that specialize in suits/tie/dress shirts, I thought it was par for the course. The one where I get my best shirts provides tailoring at no extra. You just have them reduce the size of the chest area.
I live in Chicago, and find that Macy’s almost always has some kind of sale on men’s shirts so that the prices are in the $30-40 range. I like the Kenneth Cole ones, both they and Calvin Klein has “slim fit” lines that might work for you.
I also have a great deal of trouble finding fitted shirts. Department stores have about 3 for every 50 “regular” cut shirts, and usually none of the 3 are in my size.
My shirts have to be:
- Fitted
- The right size
- The right cotton/poly blend, or no blend, depending on what I’m going for
- The right collar
- The right cuff (french or regular)
- The right color/print/pattern, and
- The right finish.
Try getting all of that in the limited offerings in a department store. But I have had good luck online. On Amazon recently I bought two white, non-sheen, fitted Geoffrey Beene shirts in my size; they have a button collar when I prefer a point, but otherwise it was just what I wanted. I don’t know if I’ll buy a shirt any other way anymore.
I’ve found a fairly good selection of fitted men’s shirts at Kohls before.
I wear a “trim” or “slim” fit shirt these days for the same reason (my shoulders are in fact wider than my waist and “regular” fit shirts fit like a circus tent). I’ve had good luck at Macy’s (as others have noted Geoffrey Beene makes fitted dress shirts, as does their house-brand Alfani, they also come in more than white and pastels).
In addition, both LL Bean and Lands’ End have plenty of trim fit shirts (and not just dress shirts, they carry polos and casual shirts in trim fit too).