greetings-tothenewbrunette:
Guide to Dress and Sport Shirts for Transmasculine People
For many people button shirts are a mystery, not just transmasculine people. Check out any style forum and many guys sound bewildered.
BASICS
Know the difference between a dress shirt and a sport/casual shirt, because the occasion dictates which is appropriate. A dress shirt tends to be made of thinner fabrics of higher thread counts, paler colours and if there is a pattern it is more subtle. Sport shirts tend to have brighter colours, bolder patterns, more variety in fabrics (twills, flannels, cheaper oxfords…) and have fewer size options like XS-XXL, as opposed to dress shirts which traditionally are sized in two numbers first the neck then the sleeve. An example of that would be 15/33. There are plenty of online tutorials showing you how to find these measurements. You gotta wear it right, don’t wear your dress shirt untucked unless you’re 14 and fake punk, they tend to be longer than sport shirts because you’re expected to tuck it in and move about without it popping out. Sport shirts can be worn untucked, but be weary of long fits especially if you’re short, you don’t want the end seam to go past your back pocket on jeans, or your butt if you’re not wearing jeans, because that’ll just make you look shorter and like you’re wearing your pa’s shirt. For a lot of transmasculine folks, tucking in your shirt might make you feel like you’re emphasizing your hips, try throwing a boxier jacket over it (a good-fitting jean jacket, a sport jacket that doesn’t pinch in too much at your natural waist and emphasizes your shoulders where men tend to be largest), or a fitted sweater. On the finer end of things, be aware of different kinds of collars (button downs, spread collar, ect.) and what that means in various environments.
MAIN COMPLAINTS
“It doesn’t fit my X.” Okay so everybody tells you to get your shirt tailored, which is usually a good option, but most of us are poor enough as it is. Before giving in though, find the fit that works best.
Let me give some examples that apply to me, I’m smallish but I have hips and little arms, arm holes tend to be too big and shirts are often too tight around my hips, even if they fit my chest. Step one: go for a slim fit and then size up. Why? Because I’m probably going to get a muffin top bulging out of my shirt if I tuck it in that’s a regular/classic fit in my actual size. As much as I’m on the skinny end of the spectrum, I’ve discovered that I need to avoid super young, modern fits because the arms are too big and the body is like a tight tube. Going with a preppier, old man brand that tries to cater to younger folks (say, Brooks Brothers see: extra slim fit, J.Crew, Ralph Lauren) or more vintage-inspired brands that make looser but young styles (Saturdays NYC, Norse Projects, Our Legacy) means more variety of fit styles because if you’re like me you might not like your hips or stomach, but hey, a lot of men have that problem. So, say you’re a bigger person, you might argue that you need to wear a regular/classic/traditional fit, the problem with that is that your arms might bag out, or your shoulders too long. Test a slimmer fit, because a slimmer fit doesn’t necessarily mean the body is actually that much narrower, sometimes it’s just the arms and shoulders. You will look more refined if your shoulders line up and that’s the first thing people notice. If you’re smaller, like me and sometimes smalls or x-smalls are even a bit big, try looking at brands outside of North America. European sizes regularly have sizes 44 (which is a 34 US sizes, or on the x-small end) or check out some Asian companies, Japanese brands regularly fit smaller than Western brands, however, be aware of the risk of getting a tube body and big arm holes.
Fake the fit:
Buy cotton or wool and shrink it to fit. That can be dangerous, but you can get it down to a science. Times that it works best are if something is a tad too long, it doesn’t change widths like shoulders or overall width. If the sleeves are too long and it’s perfect everywhere else, roll up your sleeves if you’re in a casual or business casual environment; you’ll look earnest.
Some tips for you are to look at the shirts you like that you own and measure them. Instead of blindly looking online, check out size guides and ask questions and compare those numbers to your shirts and remember that small discrepancies do make a difference (a 19” pit-to-pit measurement will make a big difference if you’re wearing one that’s 20”). Sometimes the little boys section is your friend if you’re on the wee end of stature, however, be aware that kid clothes tend to be super boxy compared to fitted adult shirts.
If all else fails, check out one of the myriad of online made-to-measure sites like Proper Cloth, Cottonwork or Ratio.
Good luck and send me your tips and tricks.
EDIT:
I realize that some of my tips might get confusing. Here’s the thing, first you want to check if the shoulders fit foremost.
-If the body is too baggy, but the shoulders and arms fit, then try the same size in a slimmer fit, or the size down one in a traditional/classic fit (depending on what you happen to be trying on).
-If the shoulders fit and the body is too tight, same size or a size down in a looser fit.
-Dress shirts come in different sleeve lengths which is super helpful and eliminates the too-long sleeve issue most of the time, but filling the shoulders, upper arms and most of the chest (not too tight you want to be able to move around, try hugging yourself and if it’s taut, as opposed to fitted, then it’s too small in that area) are key.
-I find most guys buy their shirts based on whether their stomachs fit or not, which just makes them look sloppy. You may think your belly or hips are the issue that sets you apart from cis-men, but a lot of men have similar things going on no matter how their gender is. Even athletic men have issues with shirts because maybe their shoulders are much broader than their waists, which results in billowing torsos. It’s just the opposite problem, but tends to result in the same wrong fits. If you do decide to see a tailor do it only if the shirt fits great everywhere but the torso’s too wide, because that’s the easiest save. This can happen if you’re a 34 or a 54. If it fits your shoulders and arms, you’re in there.
Most importantly, sometimes it can be frustrating to find a shirt on the rack that seems perfect only to find out that it doesn’t fit, no matter what size or slim, regular fit you grab, but it’s amazing when you find the perfect shirt and luckily, men’s fashion doesn’t change so often that fits from season to season alter so much, especially with less ‘trendy’ companies, although that’s not strictly true because Topman tends to have the same fit every season. Incidentally, Topman has the worst fitting shirts I’ve ever tried on (big arm holes, narrow shoulders on a super narrow torso, oddly long like you can’t tell if it’s to be tucked or not) but their heritage fit blazers are alright.
Also, you may not know this but just because you can get it on doesn’t mean it should stay on. If the placket (the buttons, basically) isn’t laying flat without spreading apart while you’re just standing, or has pulling going on, it’s too narrow. Shoulder seams should sit squarely on your shoulders, go for too narrow before going for too wide if you must choose. Sleeves should not go over your hand.