Help finding a good dress shirt

Pretty ridiculous, but I am having trouble finding the perfect dress shirt. I want a non-iron, not overly expensive shirt (preferably no front pocket, but its not a priority) I checked out BB but they suggested I go with custom shirts because of my build (32 waist, about 44-46 chest, 34 sleeve). I was told if I take in the sides it ruins the shirt because of the seam or non-iron, anyone have experience with this? Any suggestions?

46 Comments
 

@6221_analyst"

I've tried CT (Charles Tyrwhitt), BB (Brooks Brothers), Jcrew, Bonobos, and a few other brands in the sub $150 price range.

Each brand had something I didnt like about it... and none of them seemed to fit me perfectly.

Then I tried Propercloth... this is the shirt youre looking for. Non-iron, no front pocket, no placket (french front), and perfect fit.

 

When brands define their patterns, they go for sizing that will serve mass markets, and offer a fairly continuous distribution of neck/chest/waist ratios, that serve ~90% of the population. I've written about this at https://www.wardrobeessentialist.com/post/when-brands-compete-you-win

Unfortunately, there's a limit to what makes sense for mass production. Chest 44-46 with waist 32 is an elite physique that brands can't afford to mass-produce, so someone with these measurements has two options: 1) find the best-fitting option (probably Charles Tyrwhitt Super Slim or T.M. Lewin Super Fitted $40 on sale) and spend another $20 with a local tailor. 2) go custom. Proper Cloth does a very good job with a wide range of fabrics.

 
Best Response

my experience is with off the rack and fully custom

best off the rack I've found is charles tyrwhitt. they do a sale a couple times a year where you can pay $30 per shirt. great quality for the money.

custom, you'll pay 1-200 per shirt. find a good local tailor or go to hong kong/thailand and get measured.

done the brooks brothers thing, which is priced somewhere in between. utter waste of money for a poor fit. have even had a BB shirt taken in, not worth it. buy CT or go custom

 

Agree that Charles Tyrwhitt has great variety and value, but guys looking to solve the "baggy waist" problem should also consider T.M. Lewin, their neighbor on Jermyn Street in London. They offer a Super Fitted model with more variety than Charles Tyrwhitt's Super Slim, at comparable promotional pricing.

 

Absolutely love Blank Label. Little pricy, but worth it. You can always get a decent fitting shirt darted and that should get you pretty close to where you want to be.

 

I'm currently having the same issue. I used to get my shirts from BR (true story) but they changed their fits and now im lost. I get the CT recommendation often, but from my experience those shirts are a bit too baggy fitting for me. I guess its very dependent on your personal style but im not a fan of the very loose shirts. I've read some decent stuff about TM Lewin, so I plan on trying them next. They are based in London and offer free returns/exchanges so it doesnt hurt to try.

 

noteworthy points: I wear a 34/35, 17''. chest is about 44-46, and arm circumference is 17'' so I am hesitant to buy slim anything because I end up looking like a douche in a shirt that is too small However, h&m slim dress shirts fit almost perfectly (XL), but arms get tight whenever freshly dried

 

The private label Nordstrom Men's Shop line has very competitive pricing. You can try them on at a local Nordstrom store (where the store associates actually know something about menswear), and then look for your size online at Rack, with even better value.

 

The primary problem with Banana Republic, J. Crew, Uniqlo, etc is that they try to simplify the world into S/M/L sizing. If you're luck enough to be the body double of the guy they designed for, great! If you're ever going to wear a shirt with coat & tie, you want the neck to be just right (not loose & sloppy, not so tight you're choking), and the sleeves to be long enough to show a bit but not cover your hands (think Daniel Craig in Casino Royalle.) When you take off your jacket, you also want to avoid baggy fit through your chest and waist.

Chances of going 4-for-4 with S/M/L is extremely remote, so you're better off going with a brand that offers neck sizes in 1/2" increments and sleeve lengths in 1" increments.

 
  1. No one outside of the Philly says "yo." I try to tell my Philadelphia friends this constantly. No one else says shit like "eeeeshole" or "wudder ice" either. Don't spread that kind of shit to other cities like it's the Zika virus.

  2. Charles Tyrwhitt (www.ctshirts.com) is, in my opinion, hands down the best $50 shirt you can buy. They have a never-ending 4 for $200 and $50 for any additional sale and the shirts look, feel, and fit like $100 shirts.

Commercial Real Estate Developer
 

I have always had a hard time finding shirts that fit well, I am tall and thin with long arms. That makes most off the rack options not fitting well. After years of searching I have found the perfect affordable shirt from https://amzn.to/2KyL48j</a">Amazon. The brand is https://amzn.to/2KyL48j</a">Buttoned Down. For me the Slim Fit option is the best but they have almost every size and style.

 

I wear a size 46-48 blazer and 36 inch jeans, with 35 inch sleeve. I wasted a long time hunting down every brand in the world that looked good on me and that was good value, felt comfortable, etc etc.

Thing is if you have this sort of athletic, weight-lifting body like me its gonna be real hard. Your gonna feel it very tight in your chest / back when you move your arms or you'll look pregnant with how much extra fabric you got.

I would recommend buying mizzen+main shirts - link gets you $25 off. These are the same material as your lululemon/Adidas/Under Armour shirt but look just like a brooks brothers so people won't look at you funny for wearing 'athletic clothes' even though you are. https://mbsy.co/hHdMs</a">Mizzen+Main, $25 off

You can treat them like gym clothes too - throw them in a pile, wash in washing machine, etc. No dry cleaning which is some savings and these can reduce amount of total clothes you own anyways. Finding what you want is gonna be really hard, so before you go down the path of having all your clothes altered/custom clothing - give this a shot. Just return if you aren't convinced.

 

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