How is a Dress Shirt Supposed to Fit?

A properly fitting dress shirt signals that your appearance is polished and professional. Luckily, there isn’t just one fit for a dress shirt. Depending on your style preferences and your body type, you’ll enjoy some variability in finding a dress shirt that has a perfect fit.

Even if your suit, shoes, and tie are spot on, your overall appearance and confidence are at risk when your dress shirt doesn’t fit correctly. From a collar that’s too loose to sleeves that are too short, your dress shirt fit matters. So you may ask, exactly how should a dress shirt fit?

Our guide has the answers! We provide everything you need to know to ensure your dress shirts fit perfectly, both for style and comfort. You’ll learn how your shirt’s collar, sleeves, and torso should fit so you feel confident and look your best.

Collar

A properly fitting collar is one of the most important aspects of assuring your shirt fits correctly. You can have some leeway if you wear an open collar, but dress shirts are most often worn with a tie. When your collar is buttoned, you want it to fit snugly without causing discomfort.

Here are some helpful tips to ensure your collar fits perfectly:

• Button your shirt, then inspect your collar in the mirror to make sure it lies flat and doesn’t gape or pinch.
• It’s a safe bet that your collar fits correctly if you can slip one or two fingers between your buttoned collar and your neck.

Torso

How is a dress shirt supposed to fit in the torso? For a stylish fit that’s comfortable, your shirt should fit close to your body. Avoid shirts that look baggy or have excessive billowing fabric. Also avoid shirts that pull tightly across your back and chest.

Fortunately, dress shirts are available in several styles that address various body types. Slim fit dress shirts have a closer, more modern fit while a traditional look is achieved with standard cuts. Your chest measurement will help you find the best fit. Measure your chest and see how it compares to our size guide chart.

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Sleeves

Thankfully, quality dress shirts are available in a wide variety of sleeve lengths. Ill-fitting sleeves are all too noticeable and detract from an otherwise good-looking dress shirt.

Dress shirt sleeves should taper smoothly from your shoulder to your wrist. Your cuffs should fit snugly around your wrist without sliding past the base of your thumb. If you enjoy wearing French cuff dress shirts, find unique and high-quality cufflinks at The Tie Bar.

Measuring for Sleeve Length

In addition to knowing your collar and torso measurement, you definitely should know your sleeve length. Most dress shirt sizing features both collar and sleeve length.

Having your partner or a friend take the measurement for you will ensure the right fit. Place the end of a measuring tape at your shoulder seam and measure to a half-inch past your wrist bone.

Amount of Cuff That Should Show Past a Coat Sleeve

When you measure your dress shirt sleeve length, be sure to take into consideration how your sleeve will look under your suit coat. Shirt cuffs provide a balanced, tailored, and finished look under a suit coat or jacket.

When wearing a jacket over your dress shirt, allow for ½" to 1" of cuff to show beyond the end of your jacket sleeve. Your shirt and jacket proportions will be off and look unbalanced if your jacket covers your cuffs completely or if your cuff extends too far past your jacket sleeve.

Hips

You’ll want your dress shirt to cover your hips. The shirt should also provide sufficient allowance around your hips so your shirt stays tucked in without excess bunching.

You may need to try on various dress shirt cuts to achieve a perfect fit. Both our trim and standard-fit dress shirts are cut longer to ensure your shirt stays comfortably tucked in.

Additional Tips for a Perfect Fit

Measure for Accuracy

Take the guesswork out of shopping for a perfectly fitting dress shirt and take accurate measurements. Then record your neck, torso, and sleeve length measurements to ensure a precise fit when you shop.

Test the Fit in Motion

There’s no way to be sure your dress shirt is the right fit for you until you start moving. Swing your arms over your head and bend at the elbow to make sure you have the right sleeve length. Sit down or squat a few times to ensure your shirt stays tucked in. Make sure your shirt feels comfortable in all positions.

Buy Quality Dress Shirts at The Tie Bar

Your dress shirt needs to be comfortable while fitting you properly from collar to hips. When you measure your neck, sleeve length, and torso, you can select dress shirts that ensure a polished and professional appearance.

Explore The Tie Bar’s collection of dress shirts for a variety of fits, fabrics, and styles. From our solid white to checks and stripes, you’ll find our quality dress shirts provide a terrific fit so you look your best.

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