Dress shirt that doesn't look like a tent

AtomBomb

So I got a new job (woo me!) and I want to pick up some dress shirts and slacks. The slacks don't seem to be a problem. However, the shirts I'm finding kind of suck. They all seem to be big rectangles. If you hold it up, the sides are parallel. That is not how I'm shaped. If I had to check a box, I would say my build is "athletic". My measurements are 44" at the shoulders, 40" across the chest, 14" around the neck and 30" around the waist. My wife did those for me, and we may not have done them exactly right, but they're close. Also, I'm kind of short, about 5'7" or 5'8".

I think what I want is "European" cut, but I'm not really sure. Anyone know where I could look? What I should be looking for? Online is okay, but I start in a week and I'd like to get some stuff in town if I can. It's going to be a challenging job, and if I can feel good about how I look I think that will help me a lot.

IreneDAdler

It sounds like all you need is a shirt with slightly modified side seams, so why don't you just buy a shirt that fits your shoulders and just take the side seams in? It would take like 5 minutes on a sewing machine.

saltiness

Are you looking at fitted shirts? I'm about the same size as you except my neck is 16 1/2". All the regular shirts are about 3 sizes too big for me everywhere else if they fit my neck. I just buy fitted shirts and they work pretty well. Usually there is a section where the shirts just say fitted on the tag or package.

AtomBomb

I wouldn't really trust myself with modifying my clothes on a sewing machine, and I don't actually have one. I'm hoping to get something off the rack, if possible. I guess if I have to get it tailored I could do that.

Fitted shirts sound good. I was at Sears and I was looking for something like that, but I couldn't find anything. Can you remember some of the stores where you've found them?

exis

You might be able to find some good pointers here.

AtomBomb

Thanks, I forgot about that post ^^

saltiness

AtomBomb wrote: »

Thanks, I forgot about that post ^^

I get my fitted shirts at Mervyn's. I don't know if they have those in AZ but I'm sure there's something equivalent. I'd imagine Sears would have them.

AtomBomb

We have a Mervyn's. I haven't been there in at least 10 years, but I'll try there tomorrow. Thanks for the tip.

EggyToast

Yes, you want fitted. I have the same problem -- I actually have muscle tone, so I look good in fitted shirts, and ridiculous in the "rectangle" shirts that normally look OK on really skinny guys or overweight guys. I've actually got it worse as I've got a big neck, around 15.5.

I found my favorite fitted shirts at GAP, and I imagine their "upscale" brother Banana Republic would carry some more work-appropriate fitted shirts. J Crew would have you looking snazzy, as well.

blincoln

Yeah, I am not trying to be a snob here (most of the time I wear t-shirts and combat boots), but if you're going to buy dress shirts, buy them at someplace more expensive than Sears or Mervyns. They will fit better, look nicer, and last longer. If you go to a department store that has their own tailoring service, so much the better. One of my favourite features of higher-quality dress clothes (besides the nicer look and longer lasting aspects) is that some of them are made so that they don't wrinkle after being washed and dried. I absolutely loathe ironing clothes.

Kerbob97

Jesus.
you guys are making me feel like a total lardass.

My neck is 18" and if I wear a tie, I damn near need an extender.

Look for athletic fit suits and ties. I highly rec K&G menswear. I have gotten more complements on the suits I have bought there for $99, then the $500 suit I bought a few years back. Just ignore the ghetto phat/ gangster italian wear, and ask for advice. Normally, they have some guys there who seriously know their style shit.

Just bought a suit there within the past month that helped me land a new job. The Company VP was seriously impressed with the suit. (and me )

I'd Fuck Chuck Lidell Up

i have always been a fan of my black and blue checkered one

it is too rad

and only like 15

lets see if i can find a pic

LavaKnight

EggyToast wrote: »

Yes, you want fitted. I have the same problem -- I actually have muscle tone, so I look good in fitted shirts, and ridiculous in the "rectangle" shirts that normally look OK on really skinny guys or overweight guys. I've actually got it worse as I've got a big neck, around 15.5.

I found my favorite fitted shirts at GAP, and I imagine their "upscale" brother Banana Republic would carry some more work-appropriate fitted shirts. J Crew would have you looking snazzy, as well.

I have found great fitted shirts at GAP as well.

Another thing I have found is that the smaller you go the closer the shirt is to a fitted look, even though it might be a normal style of fit.

stigweard

Hopefully fitted will work out for you. When I was younger, I had to have tailored shirts and suits (17.5 neck, 46-48 jacket, 34-36 pant with a 32" belt). If I wanted to buy a suit off the rack, I had to buy two. Being broad shouldered with a tiny waist isn't something I have to worry about anymore, but damn it is a pain if you are built like that. You need to go upscale if you are built like a triangle. Pretty well every mass market shirt or suit isn't going to fit right and lower end stuff doesn't always have the right cut to look good when altered.

supabeast

Try shopping at stores that cater to a thin clientele. H&M is good for inexpensive but still good-looking shirts. If you don’t mind getting into more expensive stuff, Bloomingdales and Lord & Taylor are great, as are smaller European-style boutiques like Club Monaco.

Pheezer

I think you're probably used to buying "box cut" shirts when you want "tailored" shirts.

If you can't find a tailored shirt that fits quite right, get one that's a little too big and take it to a tailor to have the fit adjusted. It won't cost much and you'll look and feel much better wearing the shirt.

Pojaco

I just did this yesterday. Buy fitted shirts, they sell them in just about all the major retail chains.

gneGne

Yeah, what Pojaco said. Congratulations on the job btw.

arod_77

I strongly suggest taking a look at the 7 Diamonds shirt line--it is exclusive to Dillard's--but I think you can get them online too

AtomBomb

Thanks everyone for all the great advice. Some I've taken already, and I'll be trying out the rest in the near future. My wife and I ended up going to Dillard's. I got measured there, it turns out I have a 15" neck and wear a 33 shirt. I tried on a few of the shirts that were marked "fitted". They had a BCBG that I thought was alright, but it was still kind of billowy. The guy that worked in the suits department told me that it was just the nature of the beast, that if I was going to find a shirt that fit my neck I would have to deal with it. I asked about tailoring, and he told me it would cost more than the shirt (the shirt was $60 or so). I decided to keep looking. I didn't see the 7 Diamonds line, but next time we go out I'll look specifically for it.

We went over to Banana Republic next. They have classic fit, fitted and slim. I tried on the fitted and slim in small and medium. I never really thought of myself as a slim build (more short and stocky), but the small slim fit really well. I ended up picking up 3 or 4 pants and 3 shirts. The shirts were originally between $60 and $75, but I think after it was all added up I didn't end up paying more than $50 for each. My wife and the advice here convinced me that it was worth it to spend that much. Otherwise I probably would have ran to Target and ended up not feeling as confident.

My wife told me that Gap was owned by Banana Republic, so we tried there. They also had slim and fitted shirts. The slim small was too tight on my shoulders, the medium slim was slightly tight on my shoulders and too big everywhere else. Weird that they have the same designations but they fit really different. The BR ones have a little stretch in them, which I think made them feel much nicer.

I start on October 1st, and I think I have enough right now to get me thru the first week since they have casual Fridays (I can't believe I have a job where there's a casual Friday). I'm going to pursue all the other advice offered in the thread though, I know I'm gonna need more than a week's worth of stuff. Thanks very much to everyone for all the great advice. I'll try to get some pictures up later so you all can see what I got and I can get more pointers.

supertall

I've got a similar problem. I'm quite tall, but not very big around, so shirts that are long enough tend to billow around me like a flag. I don't know if you have them in the States, but Mexx is a pretty good store for shirts that are cut a little tighter to the body.