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Men's shirt chest fit & button pulling

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Pindules

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I've been searching and cannot find my specific quandary covered elsewhere. Is ANY amount of pulling in the chest allowable for "good fit" in certain circumstances?

I'm looking for Oxford-type shirts that are slim fitting, and I'm having success, but for one area; the chest -line placket bows and pulls a little with certain gesticulations. If I just stand there, normally, I can easily pull 2 inches of fabric at the chest level and there's no pulling of any kind. The pulling happens when you make gestures like:

1. holding my arms out at my sides, as if to say, incredulously, "what does THAT mean?"
2. Resting my hands on my hips, chest stuck out slightly.

Both of these movements thrust the chest forward and cause one to broaden, which is the problem.
An example:
Image


I'm starting to think I'm resigned to the bespoke category, since I seem to have a disproportionate chest-sigh.

The alternative is to buy "regular fit" shirts with the broader chest measurement and tailor the hell out of the mid-section, since they will be blousey all up and down. And seriously unflattering. That sounds expensive.

Any thoughts are appreciated. Maybe I'm overly concerned.
 
#2 ·
Pindules said:
...The alternative is to buy "regular fit" shirts with the broader chest measurement and tailor the hell out of the mid-section, since they will be blousey all up and down. And seriously unflattering. That sounds expensive.
Click to expand...
I have some bespoke shirts, from an experienced tailor, but I can't recommend spending that kind of $ for everyday shirts. He did not give me more fabric in the chest. He had to tailor the armpits to suit me, and widen the shoulder seam slightly. Those slim-fit shirts you're wearing are too tight in the armpits. Sorry, dude!

Lots of alteration folks will take out too much fabric from a baggy shirt. There's no way to spare yourself the trouble of trying a lot of shirts on. I'd recommend Ratio Clothing, but you have to have enough confidence in your judgment of fit to suggest tweaks to them...and that takes time and practice, too.

You know who wears slim-fit clothes and looks bad in them? Conor McGregor. I noticed it after his last fight. It doesn't make him look more ripped. He looks good when his clothes fit, though.
 
#5 ·
Pindules said:
I'm looking for Oxford-type shirts that are slim fitting, and I'm having success, but for one area; the chest -line placket bows and pulls a little with certain gesticulations.

1. holding my arms out at my sides, as if to say, incredulously, "what does THAT mean?"
2. Resting my hands on my hips, chest stuck out slightly.
Click to expand...
That reminds me of the old joke:

Patient: "Doctor, it hurts when I do that."
Doctor: "Then don't do that."

I'm starting to think I'm resigned to the bespoke category-sigh.

The alternative is to buy "regular fit" shirts with the broader chest measurement and tailor the hell out of the mid-section, since they will be blousey all up and down. And seriously unflattering.
Click to expand...
Yes, you might need to go bespoke. But there's another alternative besides the one you mentioned: buy a full-cut shirt, then do a military tuck. Cheaper than bespoke; cheaper than alterations.

The quest for slim-fitting shirts is frustrating, never-ending, and expensive. Set yourself free--let go of whatever hangups you have about comfortable, classic, full-cut shirts. Then, with an armload of such shirts, get on with your life; both you and your wallet will be happier.

Full-cut need not be tent-like.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Check the shirt's measurements, compare them to you body measurements.

If you like slim fit:

10 cm allowance in the chest. Depending on your preferences, you might opt for 8, but I think that's pushing it a bit. 5 or less is almost impossible to wear, unless you don't move your arms at all. Very, very tight.

6-8 cm in the waist should be OK.

That's reasonable slim fit. Regular fit has much larger allowances.

BTW, judging by that photo I'd say that even that collar size is a bit small for you.
 
#7 ·
In the old "Star Treak: The Next Generation" TV series Captain Piccard (Patrick Stewart) and his commanding officers always do this task when they stand up from their chairs on the bridge: they pull down their one piece suit. Why? Because it is very form-fitting, and that is natural.

In your case, you are moving your shoulder back, this causes clothes pull to the back. With slim fitting shirt, there is no (or little) ease built-in, so the buttons pull. Nothing special.

That also means you do not need bespoke tailoring... :cry:

In other words, just learn to straighten your shirt when you stand up or do other tasks that cause wrinkling, or wear a looser fit of shirt. Shirts should never be form-fitting: you won't be able to move unless you wear stretchy fabric to provide movement.

Unfortunately, the attached photo does not tell other potential fit problem. It seems that the shirt is pulled up because of the movement, and there are some wrinkles on your shoulder. To evaluate a fit, the frontal picture is required with clothes straighten out as much as possible. Nothing can be determined based on this photo.
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
Charles Dana said:
That reminds me of the old joke:

Patient: "Doctor, it hurts when I do that."
Doctor: "Then don't do that."

Yes, you might need to go bespoke. But there's another alternative besides the one you mentioned: buy a full-cut shirt, then do a military tuck. Cheaper than bespoke; cheaper than alterations.

The quest for slim-fitting shirts is frustrating, never-ending, and expensive. Set yourself free--let go of whatever hangups you have about comfortable, classic, full-cut shirts. Then, with an armload of such shirts, get on with your life; both you and your wallet will be happier.

Full-cut need not be tent-like.
Click to expand...
I'm starting to think you're right.
 
Discussion starter · #10 ·
Topaze said:
BTW, judging by that photo I'd say that even that collar size is a bit small for you.
Click to expand...
You could be right. I think it's doing that because of the other contortions of the shirt. My measured neck is 14.5 in (nearly 37cm) and I can get two fingers' length in the collar when buttoned. It might be that that brand of shirt is simply not meant for me.
 
Discussion starter · #11 ·
Searching_Best_Fit said:
In the old "Star Treak: The Next Generation" TV series Captain Piccard (Patrick Stewart) and his commanding officers always do this task when they stand up from their chairs on the bridge: they pull down their one piece suit. Why? Because it is very form-fitting, and that is natural.

In your case, you are moving your shoulder back, this causes clothes pull to the back. With slim fitting shirt, there is no (or little) ease built-in, so the buttons pull. Nothing special.

That also means you do not need bespoke tailoring... :cry:

In other words, just learn to straighten your shirt when you stand up or do other tasks that cause wrinkling, or wear a looser fit of shirt. Shirts should never be form-fitting: you won't be able to move unless you wear stretchy fabric to provide movement.

Unfortunately, the attached photo does not tell other potential fit problem. It seems that the shirt is pulled up because of the movement, and there are some wrinkles on your shoulder. To evaluate a fit, the frontal picture is required with clothes straighten out as much as possible. Nothing can be determined based on this photo.
Click to expand...
Will provide in due course.
 
#14 ·
You can all ways cut away cloth. How does one add cloth? The chest circumference, some need more of that in front (so less in the back), others are the opposite, while others are more towards average. This certainly means the armholes need to be in different places. Shoulder slope varies from person to person. Therefore, the armholes need to be up or down, not to mention the collar. That's a couple of reasons why armholes maybe in the wrong places. Bone structure and muscle development needs to be accommodated In the pattern, too. Perfection is found in the fittings.
 
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