Men's Style Guide: Dress Shirt Fit

Few men wear dress shirts that fit properly. Walking around a city's downtown, one notices a few common problems: collars that are too tight, sleeves that are too short, and cuffs are too big. Follow the rules of this men's fashion segment, and you should be able to find a dress shirt that fits well.

COLLAR SIZE:

When the top button of the shirt is closed, you should be able to slide two fingers between the neck and the collar of a new shirt. There is so much space because shirt makers add an extra half-inch to allow for shrinkage during washing. If this extra space isn't there, you're going to find the shirt very tight around the neck after one or two washings.

Additionally, when wearing a tie, the collar points should remain in contact with the shirt. There should not be collar space above the tie's knot and the collar points should remain under the jacket no matter which way you turn your head.

AROUND THE TORSO:

The shirt should fit snugly around the torso so that when tucked in, there is no extra fabric billowing outside your pants. If this is the case, your shirt is too big and you'll have to add darts to the back so that it offers a tighter fit. That being said, you don't want to have the fabric straining against your torso.

LENGTH:

The sleeve of your shirt should end just past your wrist bone, roughly at the break between your wrist and your thumb. The shirt itself should be long enough that it remains tucked into your pants when you raise your arms.

CUFF:

The cuff, whether barrel or French, should fit tightly around the wrist. When you move your arm, your cuff should move with your hand without sliding up or down your arm. A good rule: if you can fit your hand through the cuff without unfastening it, its circumfrence is too large.